High-profile golf instructor lands at Heritage Harbour

If you have watched the Golf Channel recently, you may have noticed East County’s newest golf instructor.

Tim Conaway, 43, started the Conaway Golf Academy in 2014 at Sarasota’s Tatum Ridge Golf Links. As Tatum Ridge undergoes a lengthy renovation, Conaway decided, starting in May, to move the Academy to Heritage Harbour Golf Club and Eatery in the meantime.

Conaway is a Golf Channel Academy-affiliated instructor, meaning he gets access to the network’s Orlando studio and video equipment. He drives out there about once a year, he said, and spends an entire day shooting eight to 10 “tip” videos, covering things from proper grip to the best short game strategies.

Most are about a minute in length. The videos are featured on Conaway’s own website and also air sporadically on the network. Conaway was selected after the Golf Channel targeted Proponent Group (a network of top golf instructors) members for its academy pilot program in January 2014. Conaway joined soon after. 

“It has been a great vehicle to help me grow,” Conaway said. “Not only do I get access to the studio, I get access to the channel’s network of instructors, who I can contact for tips. We all want to grow the game. There are open lines of communication.”

Conaway said he has picked the brains of Cameron McCormick, who coached Jordan Spieth during his Masters and U.S. Open-winning 2015 season, and Chris Como, Tiger Woods’ former swing coach, among others. Even though coaching is a business, he said instructors tend to be forthcoming when sharing tips and tricks. The rise of social media — where most everything can be found for free anyway — may play a part in that, but everyone also has the same overarching goal, and that is to help grow the game.

Conaway said he has had numerous clients contact him after seeing one of his videos air, and he is thankful to the channel for helping him raise his profile. It took work to get where he is, though.

He started his coaching career in 2001, working as an assistant at the Longboat Key Club. After five years, he became an assistant pro at The Oaks Club in Sarasota, where he stayed until 2011, when he decided to go into business for himself.

Why stick with it though all the years of grinding to the top?

“It is an adrenaline rush to help others,” Conaway said. “Watching someone exceed their own expectations is the biggest rush I can get.”

Conaway said he is still trying to improve as a coach, never satisfied with his level of knowledge. Lately, he has been learning how to more effectively communicate information, or how our brains accept information and earn the best. Most sports are reaction-based, but golf is so cerebral, most players tend to overthink things. Conaway wants to get his clients back to playing, not thinking. Their swing should be second-nature.

Now that our local golfers have access to him brand of instruction, he wants them to know he only fix so much in an hour. A series of multiple lessons is available at a discount. There are also group sessions available at the academy with instructor Brad Myers.

For more information, and to out whether Conaway is a good fit for you, visit conawaygolf.com.