Wailea Golf Academy director named best teacher in Hawaiʻi

For the third time, Wailea Golf Academy’s director of player development has been voted by his peers as Golf Digest’s best teacher in the state.

Claude Brousseau, PGA Master Professional, topped Golf Digest’s new 2024-2025 list of the “Best Teachers in Your State” for Hawaiʻi. Brousseau also made the prestigious list in 2019-2020 and 2022-2023.

Golf Digest’s biennial ranking of the best golf teachers in the country is determined through a peer-voting process that included more than 3,000 teachers, according to the publication.

“I’m tremendously honored and humbled to be included once again in Golf Digest’s rankings of the best teachers across the country,” Brousseau said in a news release. “This award is particularly meaningful to me because it reflects the input of my professional colleagues. I greatly appreciate their support and extend a well-earned congratulations to all of this year’s talented awardees.”

In addition to Brousseau, six other instructors made it to the Hawaiʻi list: Ben Hongo, Kapalua Golf Academy; Kevin Ralbovsky, KMR School of Golf; Kevin Shimomura, Ko Olina Golf Club; Chris Armanini, Kāʻanapali Golf Course; David Ishii, Ishii Golf; and Oliver Oliquiano, Island Pacific Golf Academy.

Brousseau has received numerous accolades over the course of his career, including multiple honors from the Aloha Section PGA and induction into the Marquis Who’s Who in America.  He joined the Wailea Golf Academy, located at the Wailea Golf Club’s Gold & Emerald complex, in 2019.

For more information about the Wailea Golf Academy, visit waileagolf.com. To see the complete rankings of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Every State for 2024-2025, visit https://www.golfdigest.com/story/best-teachers-state-ranking.