GMAP Instructor Profile: VJ Trolio
VJ has been a part of the ETRAK team since 2015 when one of Thomas’s performance clients invited him to come meet his golf coach.
The friend asked asked Thomas: “I don’t really understand my coach. He talks about the body and motion and it’s over my head. Can you come and help interpret?”
“Body and motion” in the sport of golf was right up Thomas’s alley, so he traveled to Old Waverly in West Point, Mississippi to meet Coach VJ Trolio. Very quickly, Thomas realized he and VJ had similar golf training beliefs. They focused on the fundamentals first - the physics of the golf swing, golf biomechanics, and how to optimize human movement for the best golf performance possible.
While VJ knew and understood human movement and had great drills and tools for teaching, he didn’t have a way to objectively see and share athlete movement in real time. That’s where the ETRAK system came into play.
VJ has been a valuable ETRAK partner since meeting Thomas - testing software, providing feedback, and helping shape it into the product it is today. We are excited to have him as a presenting instructor for our GMAP Certification courses.
Three Things to Know About VJ:
He has coached:
4 USGA Semi-Finalists
3 USGA Finalists
2 NCAA All-Americans
1 three-time champion on the LPGA Tour
1 champion on the PGA Tour
He coached three athletes from junior golf to the PGA Tour - Jonathan Randolph, Carlos Sainz, Jr., and Chad Ramey.
He coached one female from junior golf to the LPGA Tour - Ally McDonald Ewing.
Career:
Director of Instruction at Old Waverly Golf Club since 2000
Golf Digest Best Young Instructors - '10,'11,'12
Golf Digest Best in State - '16,'17,'18,'19,'20,'21,'22
Golf Magazine Top 100 Golf Instructor - '14 till present
PGA Gulf States Teacher of the Year - '08,'10,'17,'19
PGA Gulf States Player Development Award - '15,'16
PGA Junior Golf Leader- '11,'13
You can learn more about him at www.troliogolf.com.
Articles written by VJ for Golf.com: