America's 50 Greatest Teachers

Golf teachers, that is. Yep, it's time for the biennial Golf Digest list of the Top 50 golf instructors in America.

The list is compiled based on voting by more than 1,000 instructors around the country. The full list is available here; but below are the Top 25:

1. Butch Harmon, Butch Harmon School of Golf at Rio Secco G.C., Henderson, NV
   
2. David Leadbetter, David Leadbetter Golf Academy at ChampionsGate, Orlando, FL
   
3. Hank Haney, Hank Haney Golf, Lewisville, TX
   
4. Jim McLean, Jim McLean Golf School at Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, FL
   
5. Jim Flick, TaylorMade Learning Center, Carlsbad, CA
   
6. Chuck Cook, Chuck Cook Golf Academy at Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, TX
   
7. Jim Hardy, Jim Hardy Golf, Houston, TX
   
8. Rick Smith, Rick Smith Golf Academy at Treetops Resort, Gaylord, MI
   
9. Stan Utley, Kostis McCord Learning Center at Grayhawk, Scottsdale, AZ
   
10. Mike Bender, Mike Bender Golf Academy, Lake Mary, FL
    
11. Manuel de la Torre, Milwaukee C.C., Milwaukee, WI
    
12. Martin Hall, Ibis G. & C.C., West Palm Beach, FL
    
13. Dave Pelz, Pelz Scoring Game Schools, Spicewood, TX
    
14. Craig Shankland, Under Par Golf Academy, Daytona Beach, FL
    
15. Bob Toski, Toski-Battersby Golf Learning Center, Coconut Creek, FL
    
16. Randy Smith, Royal Oaks C.C., Dallas, TX
    
17. Mike McGetrick, Colorado Golf Club, Parker, CO
    
18. Jim Buttie, Cog Hill G. & C.C., Lemont, IL
    
19. Mike Hebron, Smithtown Landing C.C., Smithtown, NY
    
20. Gary Wiren, Trump International G.C., West Palm Beach, FL
    
21. Pia Nilsson, The Legacy Golf Resort, Phoenix, AZ
    
22. Rob Akins, Spring Creek Ranch, Collierville, TN
    
23. Jack Lumpkin, Sea Island Golf Learning Center, St. Simons Island, GA
    
23. Craig Harmon, Oak Hill C.C., Rochester, NY
    
25. Todd Anderson, Sea Island Golf Learning Center, St. Simons Island, GA

• 
  
• Leadbetter clearly isn't being punished by his peers for Michelle Wie's downhill slide. Most of these folks probably salivate at the idea of working with Wie, while simultaneously recoiling at the idea of stepping into that circus.
• Stan Utley, the accidental instructor, has had a meteoric rise. Utley is a former tour pro. A few years back he was struggling and lost his PGA Tour card. But the one thing he could always do was putt. And so one or two of his friends from the tour stopped by to get some quick help with their putting. Word spread. Pretty soon Utley was giving up on the idea of trying to return to tournament golf and focusing on teaching. And now he's surpassed Dave Pelz, the "short game guru," as the highest-ranked short-game specialist on the list.
• No. 50 on the list, making his debut this year, is Bill Moretti of The Academy of Golf Dynamics in Austin, Texas. That's the academy that posts here on Waggle Room - you can see the posts by checking the user name acadgolf.