Courtesy of Australian Golf Digest
Australia’s Gareth Jones, current Coaching Director of Japan Golf, has taken out Australian Golf Digest’s 2018 Coach of the Year award as part of the magazine’s annual Player of the Year awards.
Jones took over as Head Coach in the golf-mad country three years ago, with a licence to transform the country’s high performance program, after a series of disappointing results internationally.
Jones introduced a holistic sports science approach to player development. Using two Japanese interpreters and a few Australian service providers (coach Craig Bishop, biomechanist Ryan Lumsden and physio Greg Rosenbauer), his methods have been embraced by the likes of Keita Nakajima and Takumi Kanaya, two rising stars who know how to win.
In the past 12 months, Japanese amateurs have plundered three of Australia’s four biggest titles (men’s and women’s Australian Amateur plus Women’s Master of the Amateurs); achieved its first-ever podium finish at the women’s World Amateur Team Championship; produced the winner and runner-up at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship; and collected gold medals at the Asian Games in men’s team and individual events.
Download the Australian Golf Digest 2018 Player of the Year Awards spread (PDF)
OTHER WINNERS
Player of the Year & Female Player of the Year: Minjee Lee
Amateur Player of the Year: David Micheluzzi
Rookie Player of the Year: Karis Davidson
Junior Player of the Year: Karl Vilips
Trainee of the Year: Frazer Droop
Senior Player of the Year: Sue Wooster
Coach of the Year: Gareth Jones
Superintendent of the Year: Mark O’Sullivan
Services to Golf: Jarrod Lyle
