"With beginners I try to teach them the golf swing itself-not to try to hit the ball but to think about swinging the club head in a pendulum motion. Yes, a golf swing requires an athletic motion, and it takes time to learn the game. I want my students to understand what they are trying to do in the swing and why they are doing it. Nobody said it was easy!"

As a former softball and basketball standout in high school in her native Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Joan found sports to be easy to master, until she discovered golf at age 27.

"Golf was a challenge to me. Why did it seem so hard? I was determined to get this game down!"

Joan attended LPGA Hall of Famer Carol Mann’s Golf School at Wykagyl Country Club in NY and discovered her future career. In 1980 she won the RI Publinx Championship and turned professional in 1981. She continued to compete but found that teaching golf to others is her first love.

"I love to see people improve their swings. The average golfer needs to understand her swing more than anything else. For intermediate golfers, we work on timing- coordinating the arm swing with lower body movement, and getting the upper and lower body to work together. For advanced golfers whose mechanics are already pretty good, we work on swing "feeling" and not thinking about the mechanics."

Joan teaches both privately through Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln, RI, and at several public facilities in RI and southeastern MA. She has also taught beginning golf at adult education classes through Brown University. She also teaches in the LPGA Golf Clinics for Women held nationwide.

What do students like about lessons with Joan? They walk away from a half hour or hour lesson with a better understanding of their swings. Joan believes in giving students the details when analyzing their swings, so she breaks it down into easy to grasp sections and offers drills for specific weaknesses. She willingly spends extra time to go over a seemingly minor lesson until she can see that the student has learned and demonstrated the correct movement

"One swing thought at a time seems to work with everyone from teenage girls to senior citizens," says Joan, who welcomes both men and women of all skill levels.

Until she gets an email address, Joan can be reached at her business phone at 401-729-8045.