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 instructors and swing theorists.
This unification of Western scientific 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.
Jim's primary golf physical skills mentors and influences include Percy Boomer, Ben Hogan, Bill Melhorn, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Mac O'Grady, John Schlee, Mike Hebron, Joe Dante, George Knudson, Mike Adams, and Nick Faldo.
Mental game mentors include Alan Watts, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Suziki-Roshi, Dr. Bob Rotella, coach John Wooden, John Grinder, J. Krisnamurti, D. T. Suzuki, and John Lilly. Jim has an extensive background in Eastern philosophy, psychology and meditation practices, having studied at Naropa Institute 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. Jim has also trained in Western methods of personal development, including NLP (neuro-linguistic patterning), Pilates,Yoga, 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.
- 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.
- Named to Golf Digest's Best Teacher in State list for Oregon in 2013.
- Peak peformance golf coach at Portland State University and for the University of Hawaii.
- Jim Waldron's Balance Point Golf Schools has twice won the prestigious Golf Magazine Top 25 in the nation Golf School award.
- 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."
- Featured speaker at PGA teaching professional education seminars.