Manzella a teaching pro -- at all levels

Last weekend, Brian Manzella was at Rock Hill Golf & Country Club in Manorville, conducting a golf school with his friend, Rock Hill pro Mike Jacobs. For three days, Manzella studied and worked on the swings of his students, nine typical Long Island recreational golfers.

Then on Monday, Manzella was at Atlanta Athletic Club, studying and working on the swing of another of his students, major champion David Toms, preparing to try to win the PGA Championship again.

It was proof that, just as a good golfer has to be able to make many kinds of shots, a good teacher has to be able to help all kinds of golfers. "The ball doesn't know who's hitting it," Manzella said.

So no matter who he is dealing with, he starts from the ball and works from there. "You have to figure out from the person in front of you what can't they do, and how you can get them to do it," the Louisiana-based pro said on the phone.

To be sure, there are different challenges in his job. Manzella recalled teaching a very bright amateur, a sharp professional in his field. During the guy's backswing, his hands left the club and whacked Manzella right in the mouth. In contrast, he said, "David is not going to hit me in the mouth, unless I mess up."

Either way, the results matter, whether the instruction helps someone break 100, or win $1 million. The latter happened in 2003, when Toms had a brief visit with Manzella after a six-year break. Toms won the Wachovia Championship that week and has the coach ever since. So when he was on his way to Atlanta, site of his 2001 PGA win, Toms summoned Manzella. They had a great session, the coach said, and they crossed paths with Tiger Woods and his swing instructor.

But the lessons at Rock Hill were successful, too. "I would never call anybody a great teacher unless I've seen him with different kinds of players and get results," said Manzella, named this year among Golf magazine's Top 100 teachers in the country.

Golf is golf, golfers are golfers. That is the way it was when he first met Toms in 1987, through Mike Finney, the latter's roommate at LSU. "He has just been a friend along the way," Toms said of Manzella Wednesday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron Ohio.

Manzella studied under teaching pro Ben Doyle, as did Jacobs. The two young pros realized they had the same philosophy and started a partnership. Manzella visits Manorville a few times a year for clinics. The one last weekend, which featured 3-D imaging, sold out in two hours, Jacobs said.

Toms said, "I think it is a skill to be able to help people who play at a high level, and have some idea of what they think about, and to be able to help your average guy who is just trying to figure out a way to break 80 or 90. It's a special talent. Not only do you have to have the eye and the ability to read machines and so forth, you also have to have the ability to communicate."

Manzella said part of the beauty of golf is its array. "Basketball courts are all the same size. But golf is different. Bethpage Black and Rock Hill are different courses, even though they're somewhat close geographically," he said.

The other good part is that top pros and weekend golfers are alike. They all need help, sometimes from the same source. "The really fun part is taking somebody who can't do something and see them do it in front of you," Manzella said. "That's the biggest thrill in my business."