PGA professional JJ Vallely – coach to some of the region’s best young golfers and the England Golf girls’ regional squad – has joined the team at George Washington Hotel, Golf & Spa.
JJ, who spent a year working with Elite Golf Academies following 28 years at Matfen Hall, will be delivering coaching at George Washington – primarily on the 16-bay floodlit driving range and in his new teaching studio – from May 1.
“I’m very excited to start a new chapter in my career at George Washington,” said JJ, who lives just six minutes from the hotel and golf club. “I’ve had a fantastic time with Steve [Bainbridge] and the Elite team, and I can’t thank them enough for all their support in making this difficult decision.
“With changes taking place for Elite, I had the opportunity to reassess where I wanted to be in my own career. While I’ve really enjoyed being part of the team and working at facilities like The Northumberland Golf Club and the Golf Hub, there was a fantastic opportunity to move to George Washington – a golf business with a great deal going on.
“Being much closer to home will be a game-changer personally, but the decision had a lot more elements to it,” added JJ. “Meeting Brian [Brodie, golf operations manager] and the team gave me a lot of confidence about where the business is heading and I’m excited to see the planned driving range, practice facility and golf course developments come to fruition in the future. The team have been incredibly supportive of what I do, and this was instrumental in my decision to make the move. Right now, my focus is getting back into what I love – teaching golf.”
A PGA professional for more than 20 years, JJ coaches the incredibly successful regional girls’ squad – which has produced 10 England internationals under his leadership – as well as his girls’ and boy’s North of England Players squads.
