Meet Our Professional Staff
GEORGE DEITZ
PGA DIRECTOR OF GOLF
Fiddler’s Elbow hired George Deitz as the Director of Golf in January of 2018. Prior to joining the team at Fiddler's, George worked as the Director of Golf at Canoe Brook Country Club. George’s resume includes a stint as Head Assistant Professional at Baltusrol, Bay Tree Golf Club in Florida, Spring Brook Country Club in Morristown, and Cohasset Golf Club in Massachusetts. George’s journey to becoming an accomplished golf professional began when he discovered the game as a caddy at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. Born and raised in the neighboring town of Lewisburg, he taught himself how to play golf on the exceptional courses of the five-star resort, and discovered his passion for the game. He would later return to The Greenbrier as an Assistant Professional after college. George was mentored at Baltusrol by one of the great club pros of all time, the legendary Bob Ross. Through the years, George has become one of the more well-known and respected professionals in the New Jersey PGA Section. George attended Erskine College in South Carolina on a golf and academic scholarship. On the golf team, he earned the position as their captain and most valuable player his senior year. He graduated with a BS Degree in Business Management. George resides in Chester, New Jersey with his children, Kylie and Ashby.
MIKE ADAMS
PGA DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION
Mike Adams was named Director of Instruction in 2019. According to Director of Golf George Deitz, "Mike is without a doubt the finest teacher in New Jersey and one of the most sought-after instructors in the country. Mike has dedicated his life to improving the game of golf for all levels of golfers." Mike has incredible credentials. Highlights include being named 2016 PGA National Teacher of the Year. He is a member of the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame having been elected in the class of 2016 along with Butch Harmon, Jim McLean, Jim Hardy, David Leadbetter, and Chuck Cook. He has been ranked by Golf Digest as the #2 teacher in the country, is a perennial GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher, has taught 5 Presidents, and multiple winners on the PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour. Jim Hardy recently commented, "Mike Adams is one the best teachers in the world and brings great information and a passion for helping people in every lesson." "With Mike at the helm," says George, "we are raising the bar on our entire game improvement program, including lessons, clinics, camps, and the academy. You can expect more from our staff and your game when you train at Fiddler's Elbow."
RYAN BUCKLEY
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL
Ryan Buckley first became a Staff Member at Fiddler's Elbow during an internship in 2010 and has served in outside operations, as an Assistant Golf Professional, as the Golf Outing Coordinator, and currently, he has been promoted to our Head Golf Professional. His passion for golf grew quickly while attending Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC where he was enrolled in the PGA Professional Golf Management program. Having been a part of the Fiddler’s team for so long, his knowledge of the entire operation undoubtedly serves him well as the Head Golf Professional. In addition to Golf, Ryan has a strong passion for Leadership. He is very involved with the CMAA and enjoys attending Leadership and Management seminars to continue his education and growth. Ryan resides in Clinton, New Jersey with his wife Kristin who was previously employed at Fiddler’s Elbow.
JEREMY ECCLES
PGA GOLF COACH & HEAD OF JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT
At the start of 2016, Jeremy Eccles became our PGA Golf Coach and Head of Junior Development. Jeremy is a Class A Professional in the PGA and in addition to all of his accomplishments, he brings vast instructional experience from top-100 clubs from across the country. Jeremy's teaching philosophy--'apply new concepts with simple thought and action'--has continued to lead to lower scores and more repeatable swings. Jeremy is a contributing writer for the national PGA Magazine, TPI Certified Golf Coach (Biomechanics, Power, Junior & Golf), and Captain of the 2023, 2021 & 2019 PGA Jr. League New Jersey State Champions. Jeremy's success in golf started early as a member of the 2000 Massachusetts Division 1 High School State Championship and played collegiate golf at Johnson & Wales University (2005 NAIA Men's Golf National Champions) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management in 2007. Jeremy specializes in the development of junior athletes, club speed/distance increases at any age, and short-game instruction. Jeremy was honored most recently as the recipient of the 2020 NJPGA Youth Player Development Award.
GIA LIWSKI
LPGA Teaching Professional
Gia is an LPGA Class A with almost 25 years of teaching experience. She has been named an LPGA Top 50 Instructor, LPGA Northeast Teacher of the Year, ranked by Golf Digest as one of the Top 5 teachers in New Jersey, and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America. Gia’s events and instruction have been featured on numerous podcasts as well as in Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golf For Women Magazine, Golf Kitchen, amongst others. She is also the founder and host of Golf Experiences For Her®, an events company that marries learning the game of golf with sophisticated lifestyle experiences, creating a very special and fully customizable day for her clients. Having traveled the world as host to two different golf-lifestyle television programs, Gia has a unique perspective on golf and the lifestyle that goes with it. Her love of instruction and passion for lifestyle, entertaining, cooking, recipes, tips, and tricks, can all be found on @trywithgia on Instagram. Gia has spent the past 19 years working closely with and learning from her mentor, Mike Adams, and approaches her instruction with an emphasis on BioSwing Dynamics. Gia’s instruction is widely recognized as bio-mechanically oriented, clearly communicated, and she is a positive source of motivation for her students, which range from single-digit to first-time golfers. One of the tenets of her instruction is teaching students to swing the club in the best way to suit their individual physicality.
WALLY KIM
PGA GOLF COACH & ASSISTANT GOLF PROFESSIONAL
Wally is a seasoned veteran as a teaching professional with PGA Class A status in New Jersey. He provides private lessons for players of all abilities including beginners and juniors. He has significant experience as a clinician for small and large groups including corporations. Wally stays abreast of the latest teaching techniques including working closely with Mike Adams. Fun Fact: Wally was Rutgers University’s Golf Assistant Coach and Swing Coach for 7 seasons.
DANNY HARCOURT
TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
2024 is Danny's fourth season at Fiddler's while spending this past winter teaching at John's Island Club in Vero Beach, FL. Danny is a 2019 graduate of Gettysburg College. At Gettysburg, Danny excelled in both in the classroom and on the golf course. He was named a two-time Ping All-American and won 13 events including the Centennial Conference Championship before eventually finishing 15th at the NCAA Championships. Along with graduating and receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Danny also placed 3rd at the 2019 & 2023 New Jersey State Open, was a semi-finalist at the 2019 Philadelphia Amateur, and was runner up at the 2019 Patterson Cup. Prior to these accomplishments, Danny played in the 2016 United States Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan. In 2020, Danny turned professional and spent one season as an Assistant Golf Professional at Upper Montclair Country Club where he was introduced to our Director of Golf, George Deitz, and our Director of Instruction, Mike Adams. Danny has worked closely with Mike Adams as his assistant the past three years and has also spent time learning from Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor Terry Rowles. Danny's goal is to help members reach their highest potential on the golf course through both technical and on-course lessons. In the New Jersey PGA Section Danny has won 5 events, qualified for the Assistant National Championship and has posted excellent Player of the Year campaigns finishing 2nd in 2021, 4th in 2022 and 3rd in 2023.
Daniel Meissner
Assistant Golf Professional
Daniel came to us from Oak Hill Golf Club in Milford, New Jersey where he was an Assistant Golf Professional for 4 seasons. There he developed and polished his skills as a tournament manager and golf instructor.
Daniel’s passion for the game is endless having started as a young teenager at Phillipsburg High School where he was a 4-year letter winner. At the time of this writing, Daniel is pursuing his PGA membership via the PGA PGM Apprenticeship Program.
Jacob Smith
PGA Assistant Golf Professional
Jacob is already quite accomplished as both a player and instructor having served as both intern and Assistant Golf Professional at several prestigious clubs prior to joining the Fiddler’s Elbow staff. He is a Class A PGA Professional with a degree in Business Administration from Campbell University in North Carolina.
Prior to joining us, Jacob completed internships with Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton, New York, Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois and Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina. He began his professional career at Navesink Country Club in Red Bank serving as Assistant Golf Professional for 3 seasons. During those same winter months, he worked as Assistant Golf Professional at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida. Jacob is very passionate about the game of golf and enjoys teaching and competing in tournaments. He has been an active competitor in New Jersey PGA section events with a victory in 2021. Jacob chose to join Fiddler’s to continue to grow as an instructor under both George Deitz and the legendary Mike Adams. He is excited to join the team and to serve the Fiddler’s membership.