![\"IMG_3889](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/golfcoursebusiness\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2010\/01\/IMG_3889-800x600.jpg\" "\\"IMG_3889")
Gary Gilchrist welcomed a familiar face back at his Orlando, Fla.-area golf academy when Oklahoma State University star Morgan Hoffmann recently showed up for a training tune up with his longtime instructor.<\/p>\nGary Gilchrist welcomed a familiar face back at his Orlando, Fla.-area golf academy when Oklahoma State University star Morgan Hoffmann recently showed up for a training tune up with his longtime instructor.<\/p>\n
Hoffmann, last year\u2019 NCAA Freshman Player of the Year, has actually trained with Gilchrist for the past three years. A native of Wyckoff, N.J., Hoffmann originally met Gilchrist as a high-school junior at the International Junior Golf Academy, which Gilchrist ran at the time as director of instruction.<\/p>\n
On Hoffman\u2019s late December trip to Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort, home base for the Gilchrist Academy, the top-ranked amateur golfer could be found putting late in the afternoon on one of GGGA\u2019s private practice greens and honing his game on Mission Inn\u2019s 36-hole facility. One day, the Oklahoma State sophomore played a round of golf with future Oklahoma State teammate Patrick Winther, who is graduating from Montverde Academy this May after working under Gilchrist for four years himself.<\/p>\n
If there is one everlasting thing that Hoffmann has learned from Gilchrist over the years, he says it is \u201cjust taking one shot at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs simple as it sounds, it\u2019s just putting the past behind you and looking positive toward the future,\u201d adds Hoffmann, a member of this year\u2019s Walker Cup team and third-youngest player to make the match-play round of the U.S. Amateur when he was 16. \u201cYou can\u2019t learn more of a positive attitude from anyone than from Gary Gilchrist. It\u2019s unbelievable the things he says from his years of experience. You can learn so much so quickly, and to me, he just gets the point across so simply.<\/p>\n
Besides gaining valuable coaching advice and training tips, Hoffman\u2019s relationship with Gilchrist has grown into a strong personal relationship as well. When asked if there is one thing people might not realize about Gilchrist, Hoffmann will tell you it has to do with Gilchrist\u2019s unadulterated passion for the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loves golf more than anyone who\u2019s ever played,\u201d says Hoffmann, who was the No. 1-ranked player in the world in the Royal & Ancient Club\u2019s World Amateur Rankings last May. \u201cHe is a fanatic. When I came to see him (in late Dec.) we were out hitting balls and it was pretty much pitch black with mosquitoes all over our arms. And he was still going at it videoing his own swing. It\u2019s unbelievable how much he cares about the game. And that passion just piles over into his relationship with all the students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winther, who moved to this country from Denmark four years ago to embark on a full-time junior golf academy life, is one of the latest Gilchrist students reaping the rewards of this passion. Hoffmann is looking forward to welcoming Winther to the OSU golf team, which has won five NCAA Division I national championships since 1983 \u2013 three in the last 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be awesome,\u201d says Hoffmann, whose current teammates are Peter Uihlein, son of Titleist chief executive Wally Uihlein, and Kevin Tway, son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway. \u201cPatrick and I have known each other for awhile and we\u2019ve been good friends. \u201cJust spending a day with him (in late December) actually made me believe he\u2019s going to be a great contributor to the team, especially with his attitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loves golf and wants to get better all the time. He works hard and he\u2019ll be a great asset for Oklahoma State golf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back at Oklahoma State, Hoffmann is working on his ultimate goal of making it to the PGA Tour, much like former teammate Rickie Fowler. As for more immediate goals, Hoffmann wants to win the national championship for the team and individually.<\/p>\n
![\"IMG_3902](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/golfcoursebusiness\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2010\/01\/IMG_3902-copy-800x600.jpg\" "\\"IMG_3902")
\u201cAnd after that is to win the U.S. Amateur,\u201d Hoffmann says with confidence. \u201c<\/p>\n
After missing 58 days of school during his 10th<\/sup>-grade year due to golf tournaments, Hoffmann and his family realized something had to change. That\u2019s when he made the commitment to finish out his high-school career at IJGA and focus on golf full-time.<\/p>\n How influential was this unique daily training and regular national tournament exposure in getting Hoffmann to the next level, one might wonder? If you ask Hoffmann, he\u2019ll tell you \u201cit\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I was a father and had a son who loved golf, and say we lived in New Jersey like I did. \u2026 If his dream was to be on the PGA Tour, I would want my child to be the best he could be by having the best instruction and being in the best weather,\u201d Hoffmann points out. \u201cAnd there isn\u2019t anything better than this place (GGGA), especially with Gary Gilchrist and Orlando, Florida, being there.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"