About Rick McCord:
Rick McCord has been a golf professional for 34 years and is a member of the North Florida section of the Professional Golfer's Association of America. Orange Lake Resort and Country Club has retained him as their golf professional since its inception in 1982. Rick has been the Golf Director, Director of the Swing’s the Thing golf schools, and The McCord Golf Academy at Orange Lake for over 25 years. In that time he has conducted thousands of private lessons, clinics, and golf schools for the owners and guests of Orange Lake. Rick was hired by Holiday Inn and Orange Lake founder Kemmons Wilson to coordinate and build the original 27-hole resort golf course and direct the golf operation, which has presently grown to a 54-hole golf destination resort.

McCord is widely recognized for his reputation as a golf instructor. In 1991 Golf Magazine recognized him on their original “50 Best Teachers” in America list. He has been a fixture on that list every year since. Golf Digest magazine also recognizes him on their best teachers list. The North Florida PGA has distinguished him as their Teacher of the Year three times. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and has authored numerous instructional articles for Golf Magazine as well as appearing on the magazine’s cover multiple times. Rick has recorded several instruction videos, and was featured in a weekly instructional series by the Japanese television network NHK that reached over a million Japanese households. He has appeared on the Golf Channel Academy Live show several times as well as hosting instructional infomercials on network television.

McCord has conducted his Swing’s the Thing golf show every week at Orange Lake since the resorts inception. The complimentary golf show is an entertaining exhibition with an instructional theme that is performed by the members of The McCord Golf Academy instructional staff. It has been performed over thirteen hundred times for the owners and guests of Orange Lake and at other resorts around the world. Rick has been recruited to teach, conduct golf schools and lecture on his teaching philosophy throughout the world. He has spoken at numerous teaching seminars for the PGA of America and has been retained at private clubs around the United States to teach their members. During the summer season for the past ten years, he has served as the Director of Instruction at Canterbury Golf Club and Barrington Golf Club in Cleveland, Ohio.