Coaches & Staff · Premier Golf Academy San Diego

Our team

PGA professionals, performance coaches, and student care.

Sharing our passion for golf and helping our students achieve their dreams is what motivates us. We are honored when a student and their family chooses Premier Golf Academy. Our team takes their enjoyment and development as student athletes very seriously.

Bret Knutson

Co-Founder · Academy Director

Bret Knutson is a Class A Member of the PGA of America and Academy Director at Premier Golf Academy. Bret has the accreditation of Certified PGA Instructor with the PGA of America and was named Top 25 Junior Coach in USA and Top 10 Instructor in China by Golf Magazine since 2012.

Having been an experienced player previously competing professionally on the Austrian, Challenge, and European Tours, Bret brings hands-on knowledge and experience to his 20 plus years of teaching.

His passion and dedication to junior golf show in the success of his students. Bret’s students include PGA Tour winners and top amateurs, with more than 80 students having received scholarships to play in college.

Believing in yourself and in your abilities is essential to reaching your dreams. You have the ability to accomplish what others say is impossible. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.Bret Knutson

Greg Ehlert

Co-Founder · Academy Director

Greg Ehlert is a Class A Member of the PGA of America and Academy Director at Premier Golf Academy. Greg has received awards from Golf Channel and appeared in many golf publications for instruction.

Greg has a passion for golf instruction and worked with some of the top junior players in the USA and Asia. Greg has a proven training and practice program that accelerates his students’ improvement. Many of Greg’s students have gone on to compete at the collegiate and professional levels.

Greg has competed professionally in nearly a dozen countries throughout Asia, the USA, and Europe. Greg is a sought-out instructor frequently working with top athletes and celebrities.

The path to greatness consists of having a strong desire, clear goals, and having good support along the way—people who will help you endure and overcome as you walk through life for greatness.Greg Ehlert

Golf instruction

Directors, senior instructors, and coaches.

Kurt Donahoo

Senior Instructor

Kurt Donahoo, a Class A Member of the PGA of America, brings a wealth of experience from working with PGA, LPGA, and top-tier junior golfers.

With a distinguished career that includes collaborations with industry leaders Titleist and TaylorMade, Kurt has honed his skills while serving their elite clients and tour professionals. Renowned as a master instructor of the wedge game, Kurt refined his expertise under the mentorship of wedge guru Bob Vokey during his time at Titleist.

His deep understanding of this critical aspect of scoring has earned him a reputation as one of the game’s premier wedge coaches. Kurt’s expertise extends beyond technique to the biomechanics of the golf swing, developed through close work with Dave and Greg, founders of TPI, at their Golf Performance Headquarters.

Combining his mastery of the scoring clubs with years of teaching the world’s best players, Kurt stands out as a highly sought-after golf coach. As Director of Instruction at Premier Golf Academy, he shares his passion and proven methods with junior golfers, tailoring improvement plans to maximize each student’s potential and help them achieve their goals.

Dan Anselmo

Senior Instructor

Dan Anselmo is an accomplished and dedicated instructor who has been teaching for the past 30 years. From 2009 to 2016, Dan worked for AGA Academy in Beijing, training instructors worldwide and sharing his passion and instruction expertise with juniors and adults.

As Director of Golf for Premier Golf Academy, Dan shares Bret and Greg’s passion and philosophy on junior development. Dan has also been a major contributor to many major golf magazines in China.

Marcus Sapp

Senior Instructor

Marcus is an accomplished player and golf instructor having been in the game his whole life. A graduate of the Golf Academy of America instructor training program, Marcus has taught at some of the most prestigious facilities in the world.

Marcus began his golf career as a caddie at East Lake Golf Club, home of the PGA Tour Championship and childhood course of the great Bobby Jones. An accomplished player, Marcus played professionally for many years and competed in the Hawaiian Open while working as an instructor at the world-famous Kapalua Village Golf Academy.

Through the years Marcus has received many honors and teaching accreditations from top instructors like Bill Madonna, Jerry King, and Mike Bender. Marcus is also a sought-after club specialist working with TaylorMade to help players throughout Southern California. Marcus is a Senior Instructor at Premier Golf Academy and Head Coach of the Nike Junior Golf Camps.

Chandler Nash

Head Golf Coach

Chandler Nash is an Advanced Certified Instructor with Premier Golf Academy. Using Premier Golf Academy’s proven training methods, Chandler guides juniors and adults through our instruction and player development programs pursuing golfing excellence.

As Head Golf Coach for the Full Time Golf and Academic program at Premier, Chandler oversees all aspects of our Elite Training program guiding top junior players to college scholarships and beyond.

Before Premier, Chandler worked at top-ranked clubs Waikele Country Club in Hawaii, Alisal Golf Club in California, and Tributary Golf Club in Idaho, helping players unlock their potential on some of the world’s most challenging courses.

Chandler holds a degree in Marriage and Family Studies from BYU, and is currently a member of the PGA of America’s Golf Professional Training Program and is advancing toward Class A membership.

Christina Trujillo

Advanced Instructor

Christina Trujillo is an Advanced Certified Instructor with Premier Golf Academy. Christina joined the professional ranks after a standout collegiate career in the NAIA and NCAA at California State University San Marcos. Christina earned a runner-up finish at the Conference Championship and set school records for most rounds under par. A veteran of NAIA and NCAA Regionals and National Championships, she also claimed the Lemoore City Amateur (3-under, 36 holes) and won the SCGA Four-Ball at Desert Willow.

Christina brings the same discipline that produced red numbers to every lesson tee. She helps our students build a world-class golf swing, dial their short games, and teaches the habits that separate good from great: purposeful practice, mental toughness, and a love for the grind.

Christina is a member of the PGA of America Golf Professional Training Program and is advancing toward her Class A Membership.

Wyatt Touriniemi

Club Fitting Specialist · Head Golf Coach

Wyatt was a top junior and amateur golfer in the USA. After college Wyatt started his golf career as a caddie at Erin Hills, site of the 2017 U.S. Open and the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Wyatt also caddied for PGA Tour professional Ken Green on the PGA Champions Tour for many years.

In 2020 Wyatt moved to San Diego to work full time for TaylorMade as one of their Elite Club Fitters. While at TaylorMade, Wyatt worked with many of the top collegiate, highly ranked amateur, and young professional players.

As a Head Golf Coach at Premier Golf Academy, Wyatt shares his passion for the game with every junior at the academy. Using Premier Golf Academy’s winning teaching methods, Wyatt has become an expert at developing game-improvement programs for our juniors and working with students to ensure they achieve their goals.

Performance, education, and student care

The rest of the week around the player.

Patrick Kissell

Head Fitness Coach

Patrick is a former Division I college football player at San Diego State University. Playing linebacker at San Diego State, Patrick was part of one of the best college football programs in the USA.

In 2013 Patrick received a degree in Kinesiology from San Diego State and opened his own training gym. Patrick quickly became a highly sought-after coach to elite athletes from every sport.

Students at Premier train weekly with Patrick, working through customized programs to increase their athletic and mental skills. Patrick’s program integrates advanced training with mindset formation, nutritional discipline, and enhanced recovery protocols to empower our athletes to truly maximize potential.

Hope McQueen

Mental Performance Coach

Hope is a Certified Mental Performance Coach with a Master’s in Sport & Performance Psychology from California Baptist University.

Hope, a four-year NCAA Division I soccer athlete at NC State, successfully balanced rigorous training, demanding academic coursework, and the intensity of high-stakes competition. Her Division I experience, combined with her academic background, equips her with the insight and expertise to guide athletes toward peak performance.

Hope works with our athletes every week, helping them develop the mental skills all champions possess. Week by week, she builds the mental muscle that turns pressure into performance.

Jason Boyle

Head Performance Coach

Jason brings over 20 years of coaching expertise rooted in his professional football career, giving him unparalleled insight into the grit and discipline required for athletes to excel at collegiate and professional levels.

Transitioning from the field to mentorship, he specializes in youth athlete development through science-driven training programs and tailored strategies, having guided numerous students to secure competitive sports scholarships.

Currently overseeing training discipline, electronic device management, and coach-student engagement, Jason merges a pro athlete’s precision with educational leadership to cultivate high-performance environments where athletes achieve technical mastery while developing resilience, teamwork, and life skills essential for sustained success.

Brenda Hood

Director of Education

Brenda Hood holds a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from UCSD and bachelor’s degrees in English and Psychology from the University of San Diego.

For almost thirty years Mrs. Hood has taught at every level of education, from preschool and kindergarten through college. She has graduated her own three children from home education and has taught English at Palomar College and Vista High School.

Additionally, she has a strong background in private teaching and tutoring, including helping students learn English as a second language.

Master advisory

John Anselmo and Tiger Woods.

John Anselmo

Master Advisory Member

John Anselmo is a legend in the world of instruction and for the last 65 years, he has been doing what he loves most—sharing his passion for teaching the game he loves.

In his amazing teaching career, he has personally taught over 10,000 students and has given more than 100,000 golf lessons.

In 1986, Earl Woods entrusted Anselmo with his then 10-year-old son, Tiger. For the next eight years, Anselmo guided Tiger Woods through his historic amateur career including three Junior World Championships and three U.S. Amateur Championships. Anselmo’s influence and instruction no doubt helped to shape his game to become one of the most successful golfers ever.