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Seaver Golf:
Charles Seaver
Eric Jones
Rick Laforet
Heather Hughes

Poppy Ridge:
Brad Braden
Patty Largent
Nick Abbott
Great Instruction!

Charles Seaver

Seaver Golf Academy is named after one of the finest amateur golfers to ever play the game: Charles Seaver. Born in 1911 and passing away at the age of 93 in 2004, Charles Seaver was the consummate amateur golfer and gentleman. The word Amateur stems from the Latin "amare" meaning to love, and Charlie loved the game of golf. His father, Everett Seaver, taught Charlie to play by giving him a wedge and a putter. Charlie had to learn to chip and putt first before he was ever allowed to hit a driver. Although he could hit the ball as far as the best of them, the strength of his game was always his chipping and putting.

Seaver won his first major tournament, the Southern California Junior Amateur Championship, at the age of 15. Two years later he was invited to play in the first 4-some to ever play Cypress Point Golf Course, a week before it opened. With course architect Alister Mackenzie following, Charlie shot a 67 and established the first course record.

In 1929 Seaver qualified for his first US Amateur. He qualified again in 1930, 1931, and 1932. In 1931 he not only qualified but was the medalist. His 1930 US Amateur run at Merion Golf Club was memorable because had he not lost one down in the semi-finals he would have faced Bobby Jones in the finals the year Jones won his famous "slam." Seaver and Jones became good friends and played a number of times in later years.

In 1931 Seaver attended Stanford University, where he is a charter member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. His teammate at the time was Lawson Little. Little won both the US Amateur and British Amateur Championships in 1934 and 1935, the US Open Championship in 1940, and the NCGA Amateur Championship in 1928 and 1931. Seaver and Little played against each other in the first ever Stanford University Championship in 1931, which Little won on the 36th hole. The next year Seaver and Little again played each other in the finals, and that year Seaver won on the 37th hole.

In 1932 Seaver was invited to play on the US Walker Cup team with captain Francis Ouimet. He went unbeaten and helped the US win 8 -1 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. He also played in an exhibition match the day before with Cyril Tolley, Leonard Crawley, and Dr. Bill Stout, touted by the Walker Cup committee as a match between the longest amateur hitters in the game. Charlie could really hit the ball, and the crowd got a great show. Seaver was featured on the front cover of The American Golfer as "one of the five outstanding stars" in amateur golf "good enough to win a national championship."

In 1933 Seaver won the California State Amateur Championship and the Northern California Amateur Championship. A few months later he followed up by winning the Southern California Amateur Championship, becoming the only person besides George Von Elm in 1925 to hold the Northern, Southern, and California State Amateur titles all at the same time. Charlie may also have the sole distinction of being the only player to have to play against his father in the California State Championship in 1926. His father's advice on the tee? "You better play good, kid, or I'll beat your butt." He did.

Charlie married Betty Lee Cline in 1934 and had 4 children, including youngest son Tom Seaver, a Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Mets. A devoted family man, Seaver passed the opportunity to play golf professionally because there was not enough money in the sport to support his family. He continued to play outstanding amateur golf, however. He won the Fresno City Championship six times and the Northern California Open in 1949. He was friends with stars and notables like Douglas Fairbanks, Bobby Jones, Howard Hughes, Walter Hagen, Francis Ouimet, Johnny Goodman, and Bing Crosby. He played in the Bing Crosby (Now AT&T) for 39 years, more than any other golfer, and won it in 1964 with professional Mike Fetchik.

In 1988 the Northern California Golf Association, the Southern California Golf Association, and the California Golf Association decided to create a biennial series of matches between teams of the best amateur golfers from Southern California and Northern California in a modified Walker Cup format. The matches were named the Seaver Cup in honor of Charlie, for his many contributions to the game of golf as a player and as an ambassador. He is the only individual to be so honored by these golf associations.

Charles Seaver was the epitome of a gentleman on and off the course. It is his spirit and example that serves as the guiding principle for Seaver Golf. Click on the link for more interesting stories from and about Charlie Seaver.

Eric Jones

Eric Jones is the founder and lead instructor for the Seaver Golf Academy and is the Director of Instruction at Poppy Ridge Golf Course. Eric is the 2003 Re/Max Senior World Long Drive Champion, the 2004 LDA Long Drive Tour Senior Rookie of the Year, and when he won the Players Tour Championship in 2006 he became the only golfer to ever win both the Senior and the Open Division titles in the same event. Eric played college golf at Stanford University. He began his teaching career there in the early 90's with the Stanford Junior Summer camps, and he was also the JV Coach and Men's Varsity Assistant Coach at Stanford. He has also taught at the Golf Lab facilities in Palo Alto, and at the Pleasanton Golf Center. Prior to turning pro in 2003 Eric spent more than 20 years in a variety of executive leadership positions with several high tech software and hardware companies, a biotech firm, a clothing company, a couple of large corporate banking institutions, and he had his own management consulting firm. Along the way he remained a competitive golfer and played in the California State Amateur as well as the Northern California amateur championships. Eric is also the grandson of Charlie Seaver.
For more about Eric, please visit his website at www.longdrivechamp.com.

What's In the Bag?

Driver: Alpha 7.5 degree with a custom Harrison Shaft
3 Wood: Nike Ignite with a Fujikara shaft
Irons: Miura blades
Wedges: Miura 56 and 60, Titliest 52 gap wedge
Putter: Odessey 2-ball

Rick Laforet

"Students tell me that I have an easily understood, supportive style and that they really like the step by step approach to learning." says Rick Laforet of the Seaver Golf Academy. But don't let his gentle demeanor and calm disposition fool you: underneath lies a real love for golf and a passion for teaching. "The greatest joy for me is watching a student's face light up when they hit a shot they like."
Originally from Ontario, Canada, Rick first learned golf by caddying in high school. After a long and successful career in the high tech industry he came back to golf in the late 90's and eventually decided to share his love for the game with new and aspiring players.
In 2002, Rick became a USGTF Certified Golf Professional and started teaching locally. Rick joined the Nike Golf Learning Center in Milpitas where he launched the Junior Academy and summer camp programs. Rick is now a PGA teaching pro with a steadily expanding clientele of private and group clients of all abilities.
A constant student of the game, Rick developed his teaching skills through the PGA program and by working with other top instructors throughout the country, including the Golf Digest schools and Dave Pelz short game schools. His philosophy is to empower students to become their own golf coach by helping them understand the proper set up, swing movements, and flight of the golf ball to produce a repeatable, natural swing. His mission is to transfer his passion for golf to each student so that they can build a safe and fun golf game for themselves that is 100% RICK:

Repeatable: combining good golf technique with an easy & fun approach to the game;
Intuitive: using common sense to play the game & learn;
Confident: mastering one's emotions and abilities to get the best out of their game.
Kinematic:, using the body's natural mechanics to develop a swing that withstands the test of time.







Heather Hughes
Heather is the Seaver Golf Academy "Short Game Guru" and she can really help you lower your scores. In addition to winning the San Francisco City Women's Championship an amazing two time, Heather was also the Medalist at the US Public Links, she qualified for match play three times for the US Amateur and three times for the US Mid-Amateur. She was also a three-time alternate for the US Women's Open, and placed 2nd in the Players West LPGA Professional Tournament. Heather has a passion for sharing her knowledge and experience with others, but she is only available by appointment, so please call early to book time with her. 650-793-4399