‘King of Aces’ on island through January

Local golfers are in for a treat this month as they can learn the game from no less than world-acclaimed “King of Aces” Mancil Davis who will be on the island the whole of January.

The International Golf Academy’s head instructor holds the Professional Golfers Association’s world record for most official hole-in-ones with 51.

“We offer top quality golf instruction and we even offer a local discount for local golfers interested taking private lessons. Our head instructor Mancil Davis is back on island for the month of January if anyone wants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to learn from a real pro,” said IGA instructor Aaron Wood over the phone yesterday.

Davis is the PGA of America and PGA hole-in-one record holder. He recently returned to Saipan after a holiday break.

IGA started its first semester last August and it ran until November 2011. It had three full-time students. The academy also fielded a pair of junior golfers in last year’s after-school program.

When not undergoing golf instruction the students go to classes at Saipan International School.

In addition, the IGA instructed 20 students from Korea in its Winter Camp.

The IGA has just started its second semester this month and is expecting more full-time students from Korea later in March.

They will continue to offer additional camps taking place over school breaks in the spring and summer.

According to Wood, the turnout of golfing lessons for locals has been low since the opening of the IGA.

The IGA offers top-level golf instruction coupled with state-of-the-art equipment including Flightscope X-1 and V-1 Golf application software.

These programs are used to record the total distance, carrying distance, spin, speed, launch angels and a predetermined “smash” factor as a club-fitting tool for the students.

Pro golfer Mark Steinbauer, who is credited as one of the PGA’s top 100 golf instructors, is IGA’s director of instruction. He makes a fixed number of appearances to monitor the program’s progress.

Steinbauer has worked with renowned PGA pro K.J. Choi, eight-year pro Roland Thatcher, and had eight new prospects attend the PGA Qualification School this past November.

Davis has resided in Steinbauer place as lead instructor along with some members from the Mark Steinbauer Training Center in Woodland, Texas.

Endorsed by Taylormade and Adidas, IGA’s full-time academy runs for 10 months through the year for students of ages 6 to 18. Its after-school and short mini-camp programs are offered to beginner and experienced golfers.

Other services include club fitting, tournament clinics, an introduction to golf tour, and private lessons available to the public. Interested patrons are encouraged to call and inquire about local discounts

For more information call IGA instructor Aaron Wood at 989-2456 or visit www.igasaipan.com.