Golf Academy Professionals

The most important goal for the Three Rivers Golf Academy is to maximize your enjoyment of the game of golf. The Three Rivers team of experienced teaching professionals offers a full progression of lessons for golfers of all ages and skill levels. A wide variety of options has been developed to help anyone fit golf instruction into their schedule.

Get to know the golf staff through their profiles and schedule private lessons online (online scheduling not available for Cleary).

Golf Pros

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Corey Carney

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Corey Carney

| Cleary Lake Golf

Teaching Professional

 Corey has worked in the golf industry for the past 19 years in retail, public, and private club settings. Prior to working with students at the Three Rivers Golf Academy, he was an assistant golf professional at Bent Creek Golf Club in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Currently, Corey is the golf coach for the Prior Lake High School Girls’ Golf Team. He also has worked for Cleveland Golf as a technological representative and 2nd Swing Golf as a sales manager.

Corey believes that each lesson should be tailored to the individual student’s needs and goals. Through observation and a brief interview, the needs and goals of students will be identified and incorporated into the student’s lesson plan. Corey is also a licensed school teacher and uses this expertise in teaching strategies that are proven to be successful with a variety of students.

Call Cleary Lake Golf at 763-694-7777 to schedule.

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Bryan Christensen

A white sign made of wood and brick says Glen Lake Golf and Practice Center

Bryan Christensen

| Glen Lake Golf

Teaching Professional

Bryan's golf career began at Willow Creek Golf Course in Rochester, Minnesota, at the age of 15. "I remember falling in love with the golf world then, and knew that it was the career path for me," he says. His passion for the game eventually propelled his career to the Kapalua Golf Academy on Maui, Hawaii, where he taught for five years. "There I was fortunate to work with two recognized 'Top 100' instructors, which really helped me develop the effective teaching style I have today," Bryan says.

Bryan recently left the Kapalua Golf Academy to pursue further instruction closer to family here in Minnesota. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the game, combined with a passion for instruction, has lead to great success for his students: "I'm all about the smiles and excitement. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing a big smile after one of my students discovers new talent."

Positivity is another important component to Bryan's teaching style. "Lets accept the fact that we're all going to hit bad shots from time to time, but what you do next is what truly matters. Let's set some reasonable goals, and together, we can achieve them!" he says. "Don't be too hard on yourself and remember, you're here to have fun!" 

Schedule a lesson online.

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Noreen Chrysler

A white sign made of wood and brick says Glen Lake Golf and Practice Center.

Noreen Chrysler

| Glen Lake Golf

PGA Teaching Professional

Noreen's journey in golf started in Vancouver, Canada, at the age of 10. After a competitive amateur career, Noreen joined the PGA of America. She has worked at public, private and resort courses, and has worn many different hats from assistant golf professional, head professional, college golf coach to teaching professional. You only need to spend a few minutes with Noreen to see how much she loves the game of golf. One of her goals is to help all golfers have more fun on the golf course. Whether you've been playing golf for many years or just starting out, Noreen can help set a path forward to better golf and more fun! 

In addition to being a PGA Professional for over 27 years, Noreen has the accreditation of Specialized within the Coaching and Teaching division of the PGA. She is also a First Tee Coach, has certification in Golf American Development Model and is a Master Coach with FlowCode. 

Schedule a lesson online.

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Chad Fortney

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Chad Fortney

| Eagle Lake Golf

Teaching Professional

Chad, hailing from West Salem, Wisconsin, brings a wealth of experience and passion to the world of golf. A former competitor at the Div. III collegiate level, Chad's journey in the sport has been marked by dedication and expertise.

With 33 years of teaching under his belt, Chad approaches coaching with a blend of technical precision and genuine enthusiasm. His philosophy centers around the belief that mastering the fundamentals, particularly the short game and course strategy, lays the foundation for enjoying and excelling in golf.

At the Three Rivers Golf Academy at Eagle Lake, where he's entering his 18th year, Chad's focus extends beyond just hitting the ball — it's about hitting it solidly and consistently. Through his instruction, he instills swing awareness, alignment and key positions crucial for a reliable and effective swing.

Chad's dedication to helping players refine their skills and deepen their enjoyment of the game reflects his commitment to excellence both on and off the course.

Schedule a lesson online.

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Greg Hanson

A red flag waves on Hyland Greens golf course.

Greg Hanson

| Hyland Greens Golf

Golf Instructor

Greg is very happy to be part of the Three Rivers Golf Academy Program at Hyland — it's where he learned to play golf when his family moved to Bloomington in 1965. His dad took him to play at Hyland after his work day and they enjoyed the great game together.

Greg, who retired from dentistry in 2021, plays as much as the weather and his 68-year-old body allows. He continues to be a student of the game and loves learning from his own swing coach, as well as coaches he's followed online.

In 2023, Greg had completed his first season as a volunteer coach for the Jefferson boys golf team. His hope is to share his love of the game with you and pass on a bit of new knowledge so that the game of golf becomes a passion for you as well.

Schedule a lesson online.

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Brian Pabst

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Brian Pabst

| Eagle Lake Golf

PGA Director of Instruction 

 Brian is the Director of Instruction for Three Rivers Golf Academy. During his tenure, he has given thousands of lessons to golfers of all ages and abilities. Brian is passionate about First Tee, and enjoys teaching juniors golf and life skills as a recognized First Tee Coach.

Brian’s students range from new golfers to club champions. Brian works with students to help them control the club face, club shaft and club head. “If you can control them, you can control the ball.” As the leader of the Golf Academy, Brian works hard to ensure that Golf Academy participants have a great experience while learning the wonderful game of golf.

Schedule a lesson online.

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Ron Park

A red flag waves on Hyland Greens golf course.

Ron Park

| Hyland Greens Golf

Teaching Professional

Ron was introduced to game of golf when in high school in Los Angeles, California, in the '70s. He played many tournaments over the years. He began teaching golf in the late '90s when his daughter was serious about playing. He worked with all kinds of people including about dozen kids who ended up getting Division 1 scholarships. Ron puts a lot of emphasis on fundamentals and course management, and enjoys working with anybody who is willing to practice to reach their goals.

Schedule a lesson online.

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Laura Patrick

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Laura Patrick

| Baker National Golf

LPGA Teaching Professional

Since 2003, Laura has worked as a teaching professional for the Golf Academy of Three Rivers Park District at Baker National Golf Course. Laura conducts private, semi-private, group lessons and golf schools for adults and children of all skill levels. She is a teacher and a coach in every aspect of the game and dedicates her career to creating an environment that is comfortable and welcoming to everyone. She also enjoys working with all levels of golfers, ranging from competitive golfers to those who have never played before.

Laura was the recipient of the 2019 and 2021 LPGA Midwest Section Teacher of the Year honors and was named to Golf Digest's Best Teachers in State list for 2024–2025. Laura also serves as an evaluator for the LPGA Global Education Team, coaching and mentoring the next generation of LPGA professionals. She was an instructor at the 2019 LPGA Leadership Academy in Oakdale, Minnesota, is the co-site director and instructor for the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Three Rivers Park District Chapter and is a Certified First Tee coach. In the winter months, she teaches in her private studio, operating as Laura Patrick Golf. Laura has also earned certifications from Titleist Performance Institute and HeartMath. 

Laura served as the women's golf coach at Augsburg College from 2005–2010 and the Delano High School assistant golf coach from 2011–2012. As Augsburg's coach, her team recorded a school-best MIAC finish in 2009 and the lowest 54-hole total in school history. Laura improved the team's scoring average by 25.5 strokes and individual stroke averages by an average of 7.1 strokes per player. 

Laura has competed in professional tour events, including the LPGA State Farm Rail Classic and took fifth place honors in the LPGA Professional Midwest Section Championship in 2005 and 2006. Laura competed collegiately at Bradley University and The Ohio State University. Laura was an Illinois high school state champion in 1995 and was ranked 23 nationally among junior girl golfers in 1996 by Golfweek magazine. 

Schedule a lesson online.

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Sarah Qian

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Sarah Qian

| Eagle Lake Golf

Teaching Professional

Sarah was introduced to the game of golf 19 years ago, simply to find a way to spend quality time with her 5-year-old son, and fell in love with the game. She is a self-taught golfer who began teaching friends and family many years ago, and was able to bring her son up to competitive level junior golfer. Sarah is passionate about developing women golfers. The past several years, she has been working on bringing more female golfers into the game through community volunteer coaching. She likes to create fun and comfortable learning environments to help beginner golfers. Her love of teaching golf led her to pursue a United States Golf Teachers Federation certification in 2021.

She is also a registered nurse working in emergency room and a former middle school teacher in China. She is fluent in Chinese and Korean, thanks to her Korean Chinese heritage. She is looking forward to help beginner and intermediate golfers to learn proper fundamentals to improve their game and have more fun.

Schedule a lesson online.

a golf club sits near a golf ball on grass.

Dan Williams

A white sign made of wood and brick says Glen Lake Golf and Practice Center

Dan Williams

| Glen Lake Golf

PGA Teaching Professional

Dan became a PGA Golf Professional in 2011 after graduating from Arizona State University. He has worked at some of the finest golf and country clubs in Arizona where he has focused on learning how to help golfers increase their enjoyment of the game.

The amount of information available to golfers today is overwhelming, and the content itself can be very complicated and confusing. When golfers try to apply this information to their own games, they often apply it incorrectly, which leads to more confusion and much more frustration. Dan's main focus is making the game of golf easy to understand, which makes it easier to play and enjoy. He aims to help golfers truly know what is going on with their games and give them tools to continuously improve.

Schedule a lesson online.

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Andrew Wituszynski

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Andrew Wituszynski

| Baker National Golf

PGA Teaching Professional

Andrew began his career in golf at Brookridge Country Club in Kansas City while attending the University of Kansas. There, he mentored under Director of Instruction, Robert Usher and started learning how to effectively turn recreational golfers into great players. After graduation Andrew and his wife moved to Maui, Hawaii, where he honed his craft and earned PGA membership while managing the Kapalua Golf Academy.

At Kapalua from 2009–2018, Andrew developed a simple yet effective teaching philosophy: help the golfer build a repeating swing through an understanding of proper fundamentals. Effectively, train these fundamentals to develop the trust to execute the basic golf shots of putting, chipping, pitching and full swing. A quick pre-shot checklist of ball position, posture, grip and alignment (BPGA) specific to the shot type ensures the body is preset to make the proper motion. 

From 2015-2017 Andrew was the head coach at Maui Preparatory Academy and coached high school golfers to league championships and state championship appearances. Andrew has helped multiple high school golfers achieve their dream of earning college scholarships for golf. Andrew's main influences in teaching are Golf Magazine Top 100 teachers Mike Adams, Jerry King, Tim Mahoney and Ben Hongo, who Andrew worked with during his time at Kapalua and through co-leading Aloha Section PGA Teaching & Coaching Summits. 

In 2018, Andrew and his family moved to Minnesota to be near family, and he teaches at the PGA Tour Store in Minnetonka during the winter months.

Here at Baker National, Andrew offers private lessons, playing lessons, a variety of camps and clinics and expert club fitting. Andrew's extensive teaching knowledge and patient style appeals to golfers of all ages and skill levels.

Schedule a lesson online.