The GOLFChicago F
ifteen minutes into a lesson earlier this winter, Dr. Jim Suttie watches one of his students hit a near perfect 5-iron and chuckles “Merry Christmas, I just made you better.” An instructor for the past four decades, Doc Suttie is as comfortable as ever in his wintertime training center at the back of the driving range at Twin Eagles Golf & Country Club in Naples, Fla. The forever young Suttie is rated by Golf Digest as one of the Top 25 teachers in the U.S. and was inducted into the Illinois PGA Hall of the Fame in 2021. Among the first to introduce video recordings during a golf lesson, something as common today as carrying a 3 and 4-hybrid, his knowledge of the golf swing is unmatched, as is his easy going and witty personality. Through his study of kinesiology and physical education, Doc Suttie developed not only a knowledge of the athletic function and capability of the human body but also the ability to effectively share, teach, and nurture his techniques in golfers at every stage. In addition to working with players on the PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour, he holds academic credentials including a doctorate in biomechanics from Middle Tennessee State University, where his dissertation examined “A Biomechanical Comparison between a Conventional Golf Swing Learning Technique and a Unique Kinesthetic Feedback Technique.”
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GOLFChicagoMagazine.com
Illinois PGA Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Jim Suttie by Dave Silbar
