Coach Joey D was on hand to work with Sam under the watchful eye of Butch.
He discussed his New Book and Tour Golf Fitness.**
2010 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship Senior Division.
He set the World Record in that Division with an impressive 405 yard drive.
but you can watch it now on ESPN3 online.
Click this link RE/MAX and you can watch the entire event but, to see George’s 405 yard drive
fast forward (move the white bar below the screen) to the 1 hour mark.
The first time I met Vijay Singh, he insulted me. I instantly liked him.
This was back in 2001. He’d heard some good things about me and thought maybe something about this unorthodox golf coach with some un¬orthodox training methods could help him take his game to the next level. Vijay and I worked together for a few months, and in March 2002 he notched his first tour victory in almost two years by winning the Shell Houston Open by a comfortable six strokes.
He invited me to fly back to Ponte Vedra, Florida, with him on his plane.
“What would it take to get you to work with me exclusively?” he asked me. Before I could even start to consider the offer, he added, “I know I can be the best player in the world.”
In 2002, everyone just assumed that Tiger Woods was invincible and would be number one in the world for as long as the sport of golf interested him. Vijay Singh was a PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1993, but had man¬aged just a single tour win since 2000. Here he was, though, telling me that he thought he could be number one. Most people would have laughed at his pre¬diction, but I knew how hard a worker he was. In the time I had been with him, he’d just about kill himself whenever we worked out. I respected his work ethic im mensely, but I also knew that trying to overtake Tiger would be going up against some stiff odds. I knew something about facing insurmountable odds, though.
I sold my training facility in south Florida and moved north to Ponte Vedra. In September 2004, Vijay outshot Tiger Woods and Adam Scott by three strokes to win the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Massachusetts. As a result, he leapfrogged over Tiger and into the number one spot in the world. Thanks to hard work and a team of dedicated and knowledgeable pro¬fessionals, Vijay had made good on his prediction. In April 2005, when he was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame, Vijay thanked several people in his acceptance speech. I was one of them. I sometimes wonder what it was that made me uproot my life to go work with him, and I always come back to what he said to me on that flight from Texas: “I know I can be the best player in the world.”
Something about his confidence and determination reminded me of someone.
We at GolfGym are extremely excited that we have developed a partnership with one of the most elite coaches on the PGA Tour, Joey Diovisalvi – “Coach Joey D”.
He is currently coaching Pat Perez who, at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, set a new PGA Tour Record with the lowest 36 hole score in any PGA Tour event.
Coach Joey D has been a Strength, Conditioning and Biomechanics Coach on the Tour for 10 years. He coached Vijay Singh for seven years of those years. He traveled to all the tournaments with Vijay and for one year performed double duty as his caddie. That just so happened to be the year that Vijay set the record for most money earned in one season on the PGA Tour…over 10 million dollars.
Joey D’s coaching methods with Vijay were highlighted on an ABC TV Special on Golf which showed Vijay’s dedication and work ethic to improve his golf fitness and performance. Obviously all that hard work paid off as Vijay became #1 in the world.
Joey D is a highly respected and sought after biomechanics, and strength and conditioning coach for many of the current PGA Tour players including Pat Perez, Ryuji Imada, Charlie Wi, Jason Gore, Tom Pernice, Jr, Tim Wilkinson, Jason Dufner and Travis Perkins just to name a few.
You have probably seen Joey D on TV demonstrating the proper swing patterns and body movements necessary to generate the most powerful swing possible while preventing injury.
Over the next 90 days, you will hear more about the new Joey D Signature Series of GolfGym products and DVD’s that will be offered to improve your golf specific conditioning. We will bring you the products and workouts that the PGA players are employing on the Tour.
Age: 43
Roster of PGA Tour Players: Pat Perez, Ryuji Imada, Jason Gore, John Rollins, Charlie Wi, Tom Pernice, Jr., Tim Wilkinson, Jason Dufner & Travis Perkins
Philosophy: He has trained some of the most physically fit players using the applied science of biomechanics, which teaches players how to become efficient and strong.
Quoted in GolfWeek Magazine: ”Working out is one component of a complete program. We take these guys out of balance and put them back in balance. It’s not like they are going in and doing a bench press. It’s not even on the same planet.”
In the Beginning
Joey was an accomplished athlete at a very young age. His passion and dedication to perfomance was exceptional. At an early age he discovered that the more attention he gave to his body, the more it responded.
He has taken that same passion for developing his body and sports performance to the golfers with whom he works on the PGA Tour.
He has educated himself on the movement of the body and how to maximize your individual performance no matter what sport you are playing.
Joey’s story of incredible courage in the face of life threatening cancer contracted at the age of 20 was detailed in an eight page feature article in Muscle Magazine. Conquering cancer at that young age gives Joey D a sincere appreciation for life. His passion regarding the importance of maintaining good health through exercise, meditation, nutrition and a positive mental attitude can not be understated. Yet, he tells his friends that he is not the “food or exercise police”. His extensive training in several disciplines in the martial arts adds another dimension to his overall appreciation for life. He brings all his passion and discipline to his teaching and coaching techniques.
He has often said, “After you are told you only have a few months to live, and you survive that, nothing is impossible”.
Vijay won over 10 million dollars
on the Tour that year.
While working with his players during the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Joey, along with five other coaches on the PGA Tour, were highlighted in an article in GolfWeek magazine.
Behind the Scenes at the Video Shoot
Dedication to Junior Golfers
Joey has a passion for helping Junior Golfers. He has dedicated much of his spare time (of which there is little) to working with what Joey likes to call, “The Future of Golf”. His excellent work ethic and understanding of the young athlete has helped many youngsters become better golfers and better people. Joey is an expert in the movement patterns of the human body and the benefit of sport specific exercises to young athletes. He has worked with the American Junior Golf Association, to help develop the next Vijay Singh or Tiger Woods.
The following letter was sent to “Coach Joey” from one of his students, Albert Lichy. Joey understands the influence teachers have on students and treasures all the letters and emails he receives from them.
