Empowering the Next Generation of Female Golfers

At Albany Golf Academy, the next generation of female golfers are training, competing and fine-tuning their skills to compete at the highest level.

Located on The Bahamas’ island of New Providence and within the luxury resort community of Albany, the Albany Golf Academy is an elite academy that develops and motivates student- athletes to reach their potential as champions of the future.

The Academy is led by Director of Golf and British PGA Professional Jon Hearn and provides an unparalleled training environment for aspiring female golfers to reach the next level of competition.

“My goal is to continue building a program offering greater opportunities for children from all walks of life to pursue their passion of golf. Growing up in the U.K., junior golf wasn’t always the main focus for coaches and very few girls were encouraged to participate. I wanted to change that and create a program to help both male and female students. I’m proud that we are delivering just that, and our female golfers are triumphing around the world,” says Jon.

Jon has coached some of golf’s most successful players, helping them achieve wins on the PGA, LPGA, and European Tours, and the NCAA and International Amateur Championships. Most notably, Jon coached Major winner Justin Rose when he climbed to No. 1 in the world and LPGA stars Natalie Gulbis and Albane Valenzuela.

Jon firmly believes that every student has their own personality, journey, golf swing and unique skillset, which is why his coaching focuses on an individualized bespoke approach. The Academy goes beyond physical training, capturing data from on-course and tournament play to set benchmarks of evidential progression that are key to each student’s development.

Albany Academy student-athletes also train at the same 18-hole championship golf course as the PGA Tour’s Hero World Challenge, which was designed by Ernie Els and is enjoyed by the world’s foremost athletes, who live and play at Albany.

“In a male dominated sport, Jon creates an environment where girls can have the same opportunities as boys, encouraging us all to become the best versions of ourselves,” said Holly McLean, who is committed to play for the Oklahoma Women’s Golf team.

Jon’s driving purpose is to create the best junior program in the world, where all students

receive an elite “tour caliber” bespoke approach to developing their games. In the last five

years, Academy students have won over 80 tournaments worldwide and have been offered more than $2.5 million in collegiate scholarships. Albany Golf Academy student-athlete, Grace Crawford, is the youngest, and first Scottish player in 20 years, to win the 2022 Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship. The following week, Grace claimed the 2022 R&A Girls U16 Amateur Championship, making her the first player in history to achieve these back-to-back victories. “What separates Jon from other world-class coaches is that he chooses to make Albany Academy his main priority and inspire each athlete to dream big. I know first-hand the challenges female golfers face and that most coaches only have availabilities for the male side of golf. Jon leans into that challenge, and is truly a champion for females of the sport,” stated Natalie Gulbis.

Visit www.albanyacademybahamas.com