Learn and Engage

Jake Bader

Jake Bader is a second-generation PGA member certified by the PGA of America, and the recipient of the 2019 Oregon PGA Youth Player Development Award. Before joining Colwood, Jake spent nine years with GOLFTEC as their director of instruction, where he received their Top Coach Award four times. He has also been nominated for various teaching awards throughout his career. With the use of video and V1 coaching software, and utilizing his SKYTRAK launch monitor, Jake has the latest technology to maximize each student’s learning experience. Throughout the years, with over 19,000 lessons taught, Jake has had almost 50 juniors go on to play collegiately, 13 club champions and over 200 student tournament wins. He also coaches local PGA pros. Jake believes in coaching to each student’s own individual goals and utilizing the teaching method that best suites their unique swing and learning style. Jake takes a comprehensive approach with his five-star instructional program.

David Brinker

David is the President of Mid-America Golfing Events and 10-time RE/MAX World Long Drive Finalist. David won the 2012 RE/MAX World Long Drive title (Legends Division) and has won multiple additional U.S. and international long-drive championships. His long drive journey began in 2004 at the Long Drivers of America tour Qualifying School in Dallas. He captured the interest of seasoned long drivers by earning his LDA tour card on his first attempt. He recorded the third-longest drive of that competition with a distance of 399 yards. In addition, David is a regular at the United States Senior Long Drive Championships. David has a flair for bringing excitement and entertainment to both corporate and charitable events. Through his efforts, he has helped raise in excess of $2,000,000 for charitable events during his long-drive tenure.

John Grothe

John Grothe is the head professional at Willamette Valley Country Club. John was born and raised in Carmel, Calif.; although Carmel High School played their home matches at nearby Pebble Beach Golf Links, John did not actually take ip golf until after graduating high school — though he still did manage to play his first official round at Pebble Beach, at the age of 18. John continued his golfing career on the golf team at the University of California, Davis (’94 Political Science) before entering the PGA program in 1998 at Pumpkin Ridge. His career quickly brought him back to Pebble Beach where he was an Assistant Professional at the fabled golf links for five years. While at Pebble Beach, John was elected to PGA membership in 2001. John returned to Oregon for good when Bandon Dunes was searching for a Head Professional in 2002. A few years later, he was promoted to the Director of Golf from 2005-’09. Most recently, John has been with the Oregon Golf Association at the OGA Golf Course as the Head Professional, a position he held for five years. At the OGA Golf Course, John led many player development programs and was awarded the 2015 Player Development Award from the PNW PGA. He was also awarded the 2008 Oregon PGA Professional of the Year and has also received awards for his Junior Golf Program, and Golf Shop Merchandising. Volunteerism is a critical aspect for John. He is a Director for the Oregon PGA Board and serves on the OPGA Mentoring Committee as well as the Player Development Committee. John also serves on the Executive Committee for the Children’s Cancer Association. In addition, he passionately supports the Evans Scholar Foundation, which provides college scholarships to caddies. John is surrounded by a great family including his children, Lauren (13) and Colton (11). They are very active in the West Linn community where they reside.

Jason Owens

Jason Owens is the director of True Spec Golf at Pronghorn Resort. Prior to working at Pronghorn, Jason spent more than 20 years studying and teaching alongside the game’s most prominent teachers. From 2009-2017, Jason was PGA Director of Player Development at Waverley Country Club, where he received numerous awards, including 2013 and 2014 Oregon Chapter PGA Teacher of the Year, and 2013 Pacific Northwest Section PGA Teacher of the Year. Jason also worked with local high-school athletes, coaching four-straight class 6A Oregon state high school champs from 2012-2016.Jason aims to help each golfer solidify the basic fundamentals of the game while achieving their own personal goals — let him help you achieve yours on Sunday at the golf show!

Justin Ratte

Justin Ratte is the Program Director for The First Tee of Greater Portland. A native of Florida, Justin was a fan of golf long before he first picked up a club at age 22. Justin quickly caught the “golf bug” and has never looked back. Equally passionate about youth development through the lens of sport, Justin learned of The First Tee in college and began volunteering with the organization for various golf events. His enthusiasm to empower children and teens led him to an internship with The First Tee of North Florida, which only built upon his passion for youth development, where he continued to work as Site Coordinator until his transition to the Greater Portland chapter as Program Director.

Tara Tokonitz

Tara Tokonitz is the Director of Instruction at Topgolf Hillsboro. A PGA Class A Professional since 2009, Tara’s passion for the game has taken her across the country, working at numerous top-100 golf courses. Tara grew up outside Philadelphia and developed a passion for golf at an early age. She started her career as a caddie, soon progressing to position of Assistant Golf Professional and eventually Head Golf Professional. Over the years, she has accumulated ample experience in running tournaments, junior golf clinics and individual lessons. While playing collegiate golf at Methodist University, she realized her true passion was to bring new golfers into her favorite game. Her personal experiences as a student, player and manager are reflected in her teaching philosophy. She believes that the best way to improve the game is to have fun while doing it and that a good attitude is as important as a good swing. She endeavors to make every lesson fun, engaging, and relaxed while providing personalized solutions to help improve the individual’s game. As a part of the Topgolf team, Tara is excited to help you improve your game in an enjoyable and fun atmosphere.

Ryan Young

Ryan Young played college golf at Whitworth University, where he earned the 2010 conference championship, the title of NWC Player of the Year, and a berth to the NCAA National Championships. He turned pro in 2012 and is now one of the top players in the PNW PGA Section. Since turning professional, Ryan has been recognized by his peers as one of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Washington State in 2017-18. He also received the PNW PGA Section Player Development Award in 2016 and 2018, and Western WA PGA Chapter Awards for Player Development (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) and Assistant Golf Professional of the Year (2015). Ryan is also a PGA Certified Professional in Teaching & Coaching and a Level 2 Coach for The First Tee. While not playing or teaching golf, Ryan enjoys playing the guitar, snowboarding, wake surfing and spending time in Seattle with his friends. You can follow Ryan on Twitter, @ryoung0123, or Instagram, @ryboy_pga.