Meet the Team
Head Teaching Professional
Apple TV+ 'STICK'
Golf Consultant
'01-'03 Assistant Coach
UBC Men's Golf Team
2023 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Nathan Leonhardt
Coach Nathan is the Founder and Head Teaching Professional of Tour Development Academy. He is a former Tour player and the 2022 British Columbia Teacher of the Year. Nathan is from Richmond, BC, Canada, only minutes from downtown Vancouver. He graduated with a 3.8 GPA in Business Management from Johnson & Wales University in North Miami, Florida.
Nathan started playing golf at 16. By age 25, he was competing full-time on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, progressing from beginner to Tour professional in only nine years. During his playing career, Nathan spent three full seasons on PGA Tour Canada and later competed on PGA Tour China.
During his playing career, Nathan amassed over 10 professional victories and has shot 4 course records, including a 62 at Mayfair Lakes Golf Course, and a 61 at Quilchena G&CC. One of those course records came in the final round when he won his first professional event.
Following the 2015 season, a back injury put his playing career on hold, and Nathan was soon sought out to coach elite players. The transition gave him the opportunity to use everything he had learned during his playing career, both good and bad, to help players following a similar path. After several years of coaching elite players and seeing strong results, Nathan established the Tour Development Academy.
Today, Nathan works with golfers of all levels, from kids and adult beginners to professional players. His teaching and results earned him the 2022 British Columbia Teacher of the Year award.
Nathan is now the official Golf Consultant on Apple TV's 'Stick', staring Owen Wilson. He works directly with the actors, as well as with all departments of the show to make sure all golf-related aspects were as realistic as possible.
Visit Nathan's website to find out more about his past playing career:
2025 PGA of BC Head Professional Champion
Course Record 61 (-12)
Quilchena G&CC - 2025
Donald Qiu
Coach Donald started playing golf at age 7 in Guangzhou, China. He was part of the Guangzhou Junior Golf Association, training with LPGA players Shanshan Feng and Xiyu Lin. Donald became the Vancouver Junior Champion in 2011 and placed second in the Canadian U17 Juvenile Championship that same year. He represented Team BC at the Western Canada Summer Games, Eddie Hogan Cup and Aaron Baddeley International Junior Championship.
Donald attended Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California, where he competed in top junior tournaments in the United States against players such as Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau and Sahith Theegala. He later earned a scholarship to the University of British Columbia and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. His academic background closely complements his golf instruction.
Now a full-time coach, Donald works with golfers of all ages and skill levels. He uses the experience and knowledge gained throughout his amateur and professional career to help students reach their goals and enjoy the game.
Coach Donald speaks fluently in both English and Mandarin.
Donald教练教学语言: 普通话和英文均可。
Apprentice Professional
Class "A" Professional
Jacob Vanderpas
Coach Jacob is a PGA of Canada Class “A” professional from Vancouver with 15 years of experience in the golf industry as both a player and coach.
A multi-sport athlete growing up, Jacob specialized in golf after finding success in junior and amateur events. His accomplishments include representing BC on the 2014 Willingdon Cup team, winning five Vancouver Golf Tour events and becoming the 2020 Zone 4 City Amateur champion.
After graduating from Langara College in 2020 with a Business Management degree, Jacob shot his career-best 61 (-11), including a perfect 27 (-9) on the front nine, to secure his first collegiate win.
From 2022 to 2024, Jacob worked as an Assistant Professional at a private club, where he developed a passion for coaching golfers of all skill levels while specializing in competitive players.
Coach Jacob has learned from and been exposed to the teaching philosophies of leading instructors, including Mike Adams, Terry Rowles and Vision54’s Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott.
Jacob's coaching philosophy emphasizes natural movement, ball-flight diagnosis and on-course problem-solving.
Using technology such as Sportsbox AI 3D motion capture, Smart2Move force plates and TrackMan, Coach Jacob helps golfers improve their performance and reach their goals.
Max Vaclav
Max Vaclav is a golf instructor, Registered Kinesiologist, and TPI Certified Professional based at the Tour Development Academy. With over eight years of experience in kinesiology and human performance, Max blends the science of movement with the art of coaching to help ALL golfers move better, swing more efficiently, and play at their highest potential.
A graduate of Lakehead University’s Kinesiology program and a PGA of Canada Apprentice Professional, Max has worked with athletes ranging from developing juniors to PGA Tour Americas players. His integrated coaching model combines Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) screening, swing analysis, and individualized corrective exercise programming, all designed to optimize movement, strength, and power specific to each golfer’s body.
Max’s approach goes beyond “fixing the swing.” He identifies the why behind movement limitations, builds evidence-based corrective plans, and connects those changes directly to improved club delivery, consistency, and distance. Whether the goal is lowering scores, increasing swing speed, or building a body that supports long-term performance, Max’s system creates measurable, lasting results.
Off the lesson tee, Max is passionate about performance training, biomechanics, and helping golfers understand how small physical changes can unlock major on-course breakthroughs. His goal is simple: to make every player feel and perform like an athlete.
Book your assessment or lesson with Max today and experience the difference between golf instruction and golf performance.
Apprentice Professional
Certifications
Dr. Kwon Level 2 Golf Biomechanics Certification
Boditrak - Golf Ground Mechanics Certified
BioSwing Dynamics & Ground Reaction Forces Level 1 Certified
TrackMan Level 2 Certified
Smart2Move Dual Force Plates Certification
US Kids Golf Certified Coach
Swing Catalyst Level 2
Certified Instructor
Penn State’s Biomechanics of Golf
TrackMan Level 2 Certified
Capto Putting Certified Level 2 Instructor
Golf Psychology Coaching Certified
Sportsbox 3D
Level 2 Certified