Jim Waldron is a nationally acclaimed golf teaching professional, mental game coach, author, and lecturer best known for his pioneering research on the mind/body connection approach to learning and teaching golf. His holistic approach to golf improvement blends swing and short game mechanics, mental focus skills, physical fitness and emotional state control into a revolutionary golf instruction paradigm. He is recognized as one of the game's best golf swing teachers and swing theorists.

This unification of Western scientifiic principles with Eastern psychological insights is the result of his lifelong interest in and passion for a deeper understanding of human potential - both physical and mental - and especially about how that understanding can lead to peak performance breakthroughs in the game of golf. He began playing golf in 1960 and has been a serious student of the game ever since.

Mr. Waldron's primary golf physical skills mentors and influences include Ben Hogan, Bill Melhorn, Mac O'Grady, John Schlee, Homer Kelly, Joe Dante, George Knudson and Percy Boomer. Mental game mentors include Alan Watts, Dr. Bob Rotella, coach John Wooden, John Grinder, J. Krisnamurti, D. T. Suzuki, and John Lilly. Mr. Waldron has an extensive background in Eastern philosophy, psychology and meditation practices, having studied at Naropa Insititute in Boulder, Colorado and at Zen Center in San Francisco, California.

He is an accomplished martial artist and former karate teacher and has incorporated Asian martial arts teaching and training principles into the Balance Point program. Mr. Waldron has also trained in Western methods of personal development, including NLP (neuro-linguistic patterning), Pilates, Alexander Technique for postural re-structuring, Rolfing, and Cognitive Therapy.

His students have included professional players in PGA Tour, PGA of America, Nationwide Tour, Golden State Tour and Hooters Tour events, as well as numerous top-ranked amateurs competing in NCAA and USGA tournaments.

• Created the Balance Point golf peak performance model in 1990, completing a 20 year research project on golf's physical and mental fundamentals.
• Founder and Director of Instruction for The Balance Point Golf Schools.
• GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher nominee for 2001, 2003 and 2005 and Top Regional Teacher (Northwest) 2001-2008.
• Graduated in 1994 from the NLP Institute of Oregon. Certified practitioner of neuro-linguistic patterning, a cutting-edge sports performance enhancement system..
• Peak peformance golf coach at Portland State University and for the University of Hawaii.
• Featured speaker at PGA teaching professional education seminars.
• Creator of the Great Shot! golf swing mechanics program video/DVD series and "Perfect Practice" audio CD.
• Golf instruction columnist for "Inside Golf ", "NorthWest Golf " and "Desert Golf".
• Author of the new books "The Arm Swing Illusion - Golf's Missing Link", a groundbreaking golf swing mechanics theory, and "Breakthrough to the Zone - Mastering the Mental Game of Golf" to be published in June of 2010.