Coston Continues Success On & Off the Course

Jeff Coston, a former PGA tour player and currently the director of golf instruction at Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club in Blaine, Wash., is once again taking the Northwest golf tournament circuit by storm. In 2006 he’s snapped up a number of impressive victories and high finishes.

After placing eighth in the PGA Professional National Championship in Verona, N.Y., in June, Coston received an automatic berth into the 88th PGA Championship in Medinah, Ill., slated for August 14-20. But instead of competing in what would be his third consecutive PGA Championship, Coston has chosen to participate in the Champions Tour Boeing Greater Seattle Classic scheduled for the same weekend.

“If it was my first PGA Championship, there would be no question about which one I’d choose,” Coston said. “But right now my focus is more on competing regionally.”

Coston’s local strategy is working. He captured the title at the Rosauer’s Open Invitational in Spokane, Wash., on July 14-16, making eight birdies en route to a final-round 63.

Coston, who celebrated his 50th birthday last October, has also added three senior-division victories to his portfolio. In April he forged a two-shot victory at the Al C. Giusti Memorial Tournament in Portland, landing him in first place in both the regular and senior divisions.

He later claimed the top spot at the Pacific Northwest PGA Senior Player’s Championship in Ridgefield, Wash., June 1-2, by seven strokes, then followed up with an eight-stroke victory at the Senior Washington Open on June 13-15. That event was held on his home course, Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club.

“I’d like to think I’m getting better with age,” Coston said. “I try to play as much as I can and the senior division adds another four to five events per year.”

A nine-time Pacific Northwest PGA Player of the Year, Coston’s impressive play over the past couple months has bumped him into the lead for both Pacific Northwest PGA Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year – a first in the section’s history.

“I’ve always worked hard on my game – both playing and teaching,” Coston said. “I love to play, but I also really love to teach.”

Coston, who opened the Jeff Coston Golf Academy at Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club 12 years ago this August, estimates that about 70 percent of his golf students come from Seattle and beyond. “I’ve got people coming in from Seattle and even as far as Oregon and Idaho,” Coston said. “It might be more convenient for people if I was located somewhere else, but I love it up here at Semiahmoo.”

Coston enlists the expertise of Floridians Mike Adams and Mike Bender, two of the top golf instructors in the nation as rated by Golf Magazine, to help him with his game and serve as guest instructors at the academy.

The academy attracts students ranging from beginners to budding tour pros. In addition to one-on-one instruction and group clinics, Coston is a popular motivational speaker at group and corporate outings. For more information about the Jeff Coston Golf Academy, call 360/371-7005 or visit www.semiahmoo.com.

About Semiahmoo Resort

Semiahmoo Resort is located between Vancouver, B.C., and Seattle, just minutes from the Canadian border crossing at Blaine, Washington. The oceanfront resort features two golf courses, a European spa, five restaurants, a health club, over 35,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, and a variety of leisure and recreation options. Semiahmoo Resort is owned and operated by the Skagit Valley Casino Resort.