Pacific Northwest Golf Academy: One-stop fix-it shop for golfers

When you walk through the front doors of the Pacific Northwest Golf Academy in Issaquah, it almost feels like you have taken a couple of strokes off your handicap just by being here. You will see the Trackman simulators, the weights, the health center and the numerous instructors ready to take your game to the next level.

As you might see when you watch professional golf on television, there are some fit men and women playing on tour. There is plenty to say about that, when it comes to fitness and a swing that will add miles per hour and yards to your game. Pacific Northwest Golf Academy in Issaquah is a place where they are working on getting your body and game in shape. 

Alex Dunlop has been a teaching professional in the Northwest for years, and most recently at Newcastle. But he wanted more. He wanted an indoor facility with all the bells and whistles and an outdoor place where his students can go to see the ball fly and work on short game. He has that. With his indoor facility in Issaquah and a working agreement with Newcastle, Dunlop and has his team have covered all the bases.

This is golf instruction at its best. “I’ve always wanted a one-stop shop for golfers where they can get everything they need, said Dunlop, the Western Washington Teacher of the Year in 2015. This is a facility loaded with everything to shave strokes off your games. The Trackman simulators give golfers and instructors instant feedback on what is right and wrong with the swing, the Kutting Edge Fitness Center (owned by Dan Kleckner) provides the mode for flexibility and the Eastside Ideal Health Center run by Dr. Joel Southwell provides the tools to keep your body in tune with your swing.

It all starts with a New Student Assessments. The two-hour package involves TPI screening for range of motion and strength, then the Trackman Combine analyzes your entire bag, results are then analyzed and a custom two-page report tells what areas of your game to tackle most and what you can do to get that handicap down and reach your personal goals.

Instructors Derek Berg, Cory Mehl and Matt Fonner like what they see with the new technology. “It all makes teaching fun,” said Berg, a three-time NW major championship winner as an amateur. 

An elite junior camp with 30 golfers works weekly at the facility and the results have been terrific.

For more, see www.pnwgolfacademy.com.