Staff

GREGOR TILCH

Director of Instruction Rio High-Performance Golf Academy Owner Rio Pinar Golf

Gregor leads his students to great improvements in their games and motivates them to practice like professionals. He has the ability to ignite passion and motivation for competitive golf and boosts his students’ confidence in their skills to unleash their full potential. Gregor Tilch has successfully been working with top national amateurs and LPGA Tour professionals. He led junior and club teams to national championships and worked as head coach of the “All-Berlin” regional selection teams. His past as a professional under the leadership of Hank Haney and Tim Cusick in Texas paved the way for a future as a successful junior coach. He consistently develops his skillset und understanding of the golf swing thanks to collaborations with Robert Baker and Dr. Robert Neal, founder of Golf Biodynamics.

Career Achievements:

• Coach of LPGA Tour Player Polly Mack, EPSON Tour players Tomita Arejola, Sophie Hausmann
• Coached British Boys, French Amateur, Pro Golf Tour champions
• Former German National Federation Golf Biodynamics specialist
• PGA of Germany ABC certified
• Director of Golf and head of the Gregor Tilch Golfakademie in Berlin, Stolpe
• 2012 Best Junior Coach of Germany – PGA of Germany
• 2016 “Runner-Up” Best Overall Coach of Germany – PGA of Germany

PETER BAKKER

Director of Instruction Rio Junior Golf Academy

Peter is in his 30th year as a professional teacher – training juniors for college or professional level.

This South African started his coaching career back in the late 1980’s at the Prestigious Randpark Golf Club in his hometown of Johannesburg, where he worked and became a respected coach and friend with many notable Professionals the like’s of Mark McNulty, David Frost and Gary Player.

He also had the pleasure of training dozens of PGA Tour professionals, as well as , implementing his Junior training philosophy and programs to his academy students which included players like Charl Schwartzel, Richard Sterne, Trevor Dodds and Clinton Whitelaw.

Many of these players have gone on to win major tournaments. Peter’s students combined have had more than 100 professional wins and every junior golfer that he has taught in the last 10 years has gone on to play College Golf with more than a 70% Scholarship.

Peter has traveled to 64 countries, playing or teaching, and has a wealth of experience. 

Career Achievements/Highlights

• Complete Golfer Top 20 teacher 2000
• Top 50 Kids Teacher USA Honorable mention 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• Sunshine PGA Tour for 3 years
• Vector Green Reading Certified Instructor
• US Kids Golf Instructor Certified
• K-Vest Instructor Certified (level1 & level 2)
• Mitchell, Mizuno, Taylor made, Titleist, Club fitting Certified
• 3D Bio-Mechanics and body motion measurement Certified, Golftec USA
• Member of the PGA Of South Africa, Professional Golf management , 1992
• Member of the PGA of America, Professional Golf Management, 2009
• Studied at the Belfry, Birmingham, England, British PGA Headquarters
• Director of Instruction, EaglesDream Golf Academy Orlando Florida
• Director of Instruction, WEPGA, Orlando Florida, USA
• Director of Instruction, Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy, California, USA
• Director of Instruction, Golftec, Boston, USA
• Director of Golf, Silo ridge CC, New York, USA
• Director of Golf, Silver Lakes CC, Pretoria, South Africa
• Director of Golf, Glendower CC, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Certified Ski Instructor

TOM JACKSON

General Manager Rio Golf Academies

Tom is a Class “A” member of the PGA of Canada. He has been a Golf Professional for over 40 years and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Rio Golf Academy. Tom played for 13 years on PGA Tour Canada, Australian and Asian tours, as well as many tournaments worldwide. Having gained experience from playing with some of the finest players of his time, Tom understands what it takes to compete at the highest level. In 2006 Tom started a full-time, Junior and Post Grad residential golf academy in Orlando Florida designed to prepare young golfers for success in junior golf, collegiate golf and beyond. Within this business Tom worked with some of the finest primary and secondary academic institutions in Central Florida where students from his academy graduated on way to receiving sports scholarship to some of the top universities in the United States. After merging his academy with another existing academy, Tom stepped back from the academy business and re-entered the management side of the golf industry where he has been the General Manager at Rio Pinar Golf for the past six and a half years.