Daniel is a lifelong golfer immersed in this great game since the age of 8. His dad introduced him to the game at an early age and witnessed him breaking 100, 90, 80 and 70 for the first time. He still holds out hope to break 60 with his dad in the coming years. Daniel grew up in a family of 8 with 5 sisters, and the golf course became a home away from home. He played high school golf, Division 1 college golf and 3 years as a professional golfer on the mini tours sponsored by Tailwind Golf Management out of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Over the last 7 years, he has developed as an instructor where he found his passion being able to give back and help grow the game of golf by inspiring others to reach their personal goals. He teaches all different levels from beginner golfers to collegiate players. Coming from a playing background and taking lessons from some of the top coaches in the country, he understands the dynamics of a player coach relationship with the emphasis on the relationship. The golfer is the one who is by themself on the golf course that needs to execute the shot without a coach in sight. During lessons, it is essential to develop a clear understanding of what needs to be worked on, drills to achieve that result and most importantly, practice how to play on the course. Feedback from students after rounds has been a staple for Daniel's students to their long term success.

Daniel has spent a good portion of his teaching career learning and gaining more insight from current coaches as well as the greats that came before us. He is level 2 certified in TPI, and uses the body screen to assess what makes each player unique to develop a swing that is best suited for the individual. Dave Phillips (Jon Rahm's golf coach) has said, "The TPI screen is for the coach, so I don't tell you to do something that you can not physically do."

Daniel has been teaching full time at the Rick Smith Golf Academy with Director of Instruction, Jordan Thomas for the past 3 years and also runs the Junior Academy. We have classes ranging from 4 years of age to High School Elite Juniors. Come schedule a complimentary swing assessment to see if our academy is a good fit for you!