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BORN: Thomas “Indigo” Caleel to Lisa Gabor Caleel and husband Thomas on Sept. 14, 2010. Indigo joins older brother Adrian.
Maddie Keil (front, daughter of Doug Keil ‘91) and Katie Romhilt (daughter of Dean Romhilt ‘91) visited at Virginia Beach.
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BORN: Shelley Renea Purcell to Barry Purcell and wife Allison on July 19, 2010.
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Justin Pope writes, “I’m in the middle of what I hope will be the first of several midcareer mini-retirements. In January 2010 I took a leave of absence from my job as the national higher education reporter for The Associated Press to spend seven months in Tanzania, where my wife Maria had a research fellowship and I was
Winter 2011
links lessons
CLASS NOTES
Grand Am national road racing championships in 2005-06 and the design and building of all of the team’s Porsche 997 race cars. BORN: Evelyn Marie Goodwin to Matt Goodwin and wife Kirsti on Nov. 27, 2010. She joins sister Alice, 2. Morgan Grace Black to Leslye Marshall Black and husband Mike on Aug. 17, 2010. Morgan joins big sister Marley, 4. Lucy Occupacia Tillinghast to Lise Wellford Tillinghast and husband Tig on Sept. 2, 2010.
Tim Cooke ’94 Like the deliberate arc of a perfect golf shot, Tim Cooke’s career path has landed him just where he wanted to be on the green. Hailed by Golf Digest last fall as one of the country’s best young instructors in the sport, Cooke ’94 teaches every level from juniors to tour players at Hilton Head Island’s Long Cove Club. With his brother, Simon Cooke ’92, he’s launched a new company that may change the way junior golfers train in the U.S. It all started when Cooke, who learned to golf in his native England and played for Collegiate after moving to Richmond in 1989, was ambling to class in his fourth year at UVA. “It was second semester,” Cooke recalled. “I remember vividly walking to class, thinking I had no idea what I wanted to do.” A member of UVA’s golf team, Cooke first dreamed of playing professionally. But, he said, “There were five guys on the team who could beat me. I realized it wasn’t realistic.” Cooke had spent summers working at golf camps. “I loved it,” he said. “I liked teaching, and thought maybe I could make that a career.” UVA’s assistant golf coach helped put Cooke in touch with the Curry School of Education, where he earned a master’s degree in pedagogy, custom-tailored to golf instruction. Already trained in golf, Cooke studied how best to teach it, focusing on exercise physiology, motor learning, and sport psychology. The strategy served him well. Now Director of Instruction at Long Cove Club, Cooke also films golf tips for the Golf Channel, and writes for Golf Illustrated several times a year. The November 2010 issue of Golf Digest featured Cooke as one of “40 great teachers under 40,” chosen to deliver two-minute tips in each issue of the magazine. The side gigs are good publicity and generate business, Cooke said. “(They’re) a different medium of instruction from my everyday job.” The everyday job itself differs with every player. Cooke has taught tour players such as Chris Baker, who won the European Challenge Tour’s Moroccan Golf Classic last year, and finds that teaching pros brings its own set of pressures. “You teach, but then they’ve got to go do their thing,” said Cooke. “And it’s their livelihood you’re messing with. You can’t get it wrong. It’s a lot of money they’re trying to earn. You have to be confident in what you teach. You have to maximize their talents. It’s: What’s the best way for them to save half a shot over several rounds?” Junior golfers, Cooke said, “are happy if they’re just getting better.” That said, Cooke has developed a specialty for teaching juniors, and in 2009 was recognized by US Kids Golf Foundation as one of its Top 50 Instructors. With young players, he said, “You have to make it as entertaining as humanly possible at every stage.” Skill level varies significantly within age brackets. “There’s no onesize-fits-all for a junior program,” said Cooke. With that idea in mind, Cooke, his brother Simon, and others have formed a new instruction company for elite junior golfers called GolfPrep. In the US, juniors must travel to one of a handful of golf academies for coaching. GolfPrep takes its inspiration from Australia, where coaches travel to players because of the country’s vast geography and small population. “They’ve had huge success in golf, so there must be something to it,” said Cooke. GolfPrep sends its instructors out to juniors for one- and two-day programs that offer coaching in swing mechanics, mental toughness, sports psychology, game management and other topics. They partner with local pros who provide follow-up lessons, and offer webinars and other services to Tim Cooke ’94 was named one of Golf Digest’s complete a six-month program. Best Young Teachers. With GolfPrep up and running, local instruction continuing on Hilton Head, and the demands of Cooke’s own juniors: a son age 3 and daughter 21 months, Cooke doesn’t have much time to hit the links himself these days. “I’ve got a club in my hand all the time,” he said, “but I don’t actually play that much.” That’s alright, though, he said, “My everyday job is very fun.” – Haley Whipple Nolde ’92
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