Links magazine ranks the Sea Pines Golf Learning Center, headed by director of golf instruction Tim Cooke, as one of America's 10 best schools in its annual listing. Meanwhile, Golf Digest rates Cooke as one of its "Best Young Teachers in America" for the third consecutive time. Not a bad combination.
Sea Pines Learning Center, a 2,400-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, is located at Sea Pines' new Plantation Golf Club - home to both Heron Point by Pete Dye and Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III - and features two hitting bays equipped with TrackMan and SAM PuttLab technology. Also on-site is a club repair work room, a viewing studio, indoor putting areas and a separate teeing area for instruction only. Four putting greens, a chipping/bunker green and a wedge practice zone are are available.
And now, instruction is available online, thanks to a partnership with Edufil, an online coaching platform. The new virtual training space has videos with drills from Sea Pines professionals, reviews by Sea Pines staff of new equipment and game-management tips specific to some of the resort's signature holes.
Heading up the Sea Pines team is Cooke, 39, named in Golf Digest's November issue as one of "the top 40 instructors under 40" for the 2014-15 year. "I'm honored to be aligned with such a prestigious company, and look forward to continuing to create premier golf experiences at the new facility," Cook said in a statement.
In 2009, Cooke earned "master professional in instruction" status from the PGA of America and was recognized as a US Kids Top 50 instructor. Golf Digest named him one of the top teachers in South Carolina in 2013-14, and Cooke's instructional articles have appeared in Golf Illustrated in addition to Golf Digest.
Other South Carolina-based instructors in Golf Digest's Top 40 Under 40 include Meredith Kirk, 36, Blackmoor Golf Club in Murrells Inlet; Megan Padua, 29, Belfair Plantation in Bluffton; and Abby Welch, 35, Kiawah Island Resort.
To see Links' top 10 golf schools rankings, visit LinksMagazine.com.
