
Presenters


Bernie Najar
Bernie Najar is the Director of Instruction at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. Recognized as one of the top instructors in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area and the nation, Bernie is one of Golf Digest's 50 Best Teachers and Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers and is also ranked as Golf Digest’s No. 1 teacher in Maryland. He is a two-time winner of both of the Middle Atlantic PGA Section’s top teaching honors—Teacher of the Year (2014, 2004) and the Horton Smith Award (2011, 2012).
Since becoming a golf professional in 1994, Bernie’s goal has been to promote the enjoyment of the game through comprehensive, personalized instruction. Bernie has trained under some of the most prominent instructors in the game, and, in turn, has become a resource for other teachers interested in improving their teaching and coaching skills. His studio at Caves Valley is one of the most advanced on the eastern seaboard, with a K-Vest motion capture system, TrackMan launch monitor, Swing Catalyst 3D motion plate and SAM PuttLab, and Bernie was the first teaching professional in the Mid-Atlantic to be certified as an AimPoint instructor. He has also compiled a database of more than a thousand of the best swings in the history of the game—both from archival footage and through filming PGA, Champions and LPGA tour swings personally at events like the Masters and the President’s Cup.
James Sieckmann
James Sieckmann currently operates the Shadow Ridge Golf Academy in Omaha, NE. Recognized by Golf Magazine as a Top 100 Teacher in America and Golf Digest Top 50, he is a nine time PGA Section Teacher of the Year. He currently instructs eighteen PGA Tour, Web.com and LPGA Tour Players who have combined to over twenty tour events. James has presented coaching methods at the World Golf Fitness Summit, TPI Level 3 Golf Professional Certification Courses, and done education for PGA Sweden, PGA Spain and the Federation De Golf Columbia.
He has appeared on The Golf Channel’s “Golf Academy Live” and has had numerous instructional pieces published such as in the USA Today Newspaper. James co-founded and developed The Speed Stik, a training aid that simultaneously improves balance, flexibility, technique and strength, the product has been used by many of the best players in the world and was endorsed Vijay Singh. Prior to his current position, James taught golf schools in Florida and played professionally in Asia, South America and throughout the world.