Originally from England Mark Blackburn arrived in America in 1994 on a college golf scholarship. A multiple Lettermen and Team Captain at The University of Southern Mississippi, Mark received a BS in Coaching and Exercise Science. 

While playing professionally, inconsistencies and injury led Mark to questioning golf’s traditional teaching theories and ideas. Those discoveries transitioned into a COACHING CODE which applies a holistic sport science approach to developing high performance in golfers of all levels.  Blending modern teaching technology and artistic coaching students learn their swing’s recipe and ingredients for successful scoring.

Founding Blackburn Golf in 2000, Mark a Certified PGA Member was voted Golf Digest’s #1 Teacher & Coach in America for 2024 / 2025 & again for 2026 / 2027. Has been one of Golf Magazines TOP 100 Teachers since 2010 & was the 2020 PGA Of America National Teacher & Coach Of The Year.  In 2025 Mark authored and published his first book The Coaching Code.

As Director of Instruction for The Blackburn Golf Academy at Greystone Country Club in Birmingham, AL Mark works with golfers of all levels.  The Blackburn Golf Coaching Philosophy focuses on each student’s unique BODY SWING CONNECTION to develop an efficient and repeatable blueprint for their desired shot outcome.  The Blackburn Golf Academy develops and coaches juniors, club golfers, elite amateurs, college and professional clients from around the world. 

Professional clients who have utilized Mark’s coaching include;  Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Daniel Berger, Max Homa, Rasmus Hojgaard, Russell Henley, Adam Hadwin, Charley Hoffman, Trey Mullinax, Collin Morikawa, Jake Knapp, Davis Riley, JJ Spaun, Gary Woodland, Sean O’Hair, Hudson Swafford, Chez Reavie, Kevin Chappell, Harris English, Matt Pavon, Chad Campbell, YE Yang, Andrew Putnam, Heath Slocum, Robert Karlsson, Arjun Atwal, Boo Weekley, Morgane, Metraux, Janie Jackson and Julieta Granada.

Originally from Milton Florida.  Brian received his BS in Marketing from Auburn University in 1994, then earned his MBA from UAB in 1999.

Brian earned his PGA membership in 2002 and furthered his PGA of America education completing the PGA Instructor certification in 2009. 

Brian brings a wealth of golf experience to the Blackburn Golf Team as the former Head Professional and General Manager at Perdido Bay Golf Club in Perdido Key Florida. 

Brian pursued his passion for teaching in 2008 when he transitioned into a full-time teacher at Birmingham’s renowned Eagle Point. 

In 2010 he joined the Instructional team to Greystone as a Guest Instructor. Brian joined the Blackburn Golf team as a lead instructor when The Academy moved operations to Greystone CC in 2014. 

With the completion of the The Greystone Performance Center in 2015 Brian became the Operations Director and Lead Instructor for Blackburn Golf.  

Brian teaches beginners to tour players and oversees all lesson programming at Blackburn Golf.

He is TPI Level 3 Certified, SAM Putt Lab Level 3 certified, and AimPoint Express certified. 

Brian taught Nick Dunlap, the 2021 US Junior Amateur champion and 2023 US Amateur Champion. 

In 2017 and 2024 Brian was acknowledged by his peers for his teaching with the Alabama NW Florida Section PGA Teacher of The Year. 

Liz moved to Birmingham from the Chicagoland area in 2002 to attend college at UAB. She played on UAB’s Women’s Golf team and graduated in 2005, with a degree in Business Management. She then played professionally on the Duramed Futures Tour, where she competed during the 2006 and 2007 tournament seasons. Liz began her teaching career working junior golf camps at the Tom O’Connor Golf Academy in her hometown of Lockport, Illinois, during summer breaks from UAB.

She continued teaching at Gainesville Country Club in Florida, working mostly with the Gainesville Women’s Golf Association, then at Mountain Brook Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Additionally, much her teaching knowledge and experience came from working with the Hank Johnson School of Golf. Liz studied the golf swing and administrated women’s and junior golf programs under Mr. Johnson’s direction for several years. She taught multiple Greystone Senior Club Champions and the 2010 Greystone Ladies Club Champion, as well as several players on the 2009 Spain Park Girl’s State Championship golf team. For the past several years, Liz has taught alongside Wayne Flint at Highland Park Golf Course, where she developed a women's golf program and a strong relationship with the EWGA Birmingham Chapter.

Since arriving at Greystone to join the Blackburn Golf Academy faculty as a Lead Instructor she has become a site director for LPGA*USGA Girls Golf and is growing the golf among young girls in our community. Liz works with players of all ages and skill levels from those just getting into the game to seasoned veterans. She was the UAB Women’s Golf Team’s volunteer assistant coach for several seasons, and teaches several collegiate golfers and successful competitive amateur players. As a LPGA Class A Member, a "Teaching Her" approved instructor, and TPI Level 1 certified. She enjoys appealing to each person’s uniqueness and individual learning style . She is passionate about helping golfers find a swing that works well for their body, building their short game skills, practice routines and course management techniques so they can reach their full potential in golf.

Layne Savoie is a co-founder of WedgeCraft, a wedge play data collective he created with Dr. Rob Neal, a biomechanist, that is committed to developing a comprehensive model for learning the wedge play art form through coaching and science-based methods. Savoie was a member of the Auburn University golf team from 1993-98. A New Orleans native, Layne has been a playing professional, teacher, NCAA coach (University of Arkansas and Florida State University), and PGA professional around the southeastern US. With a love for competitive golf and player development, He has been mentored by some of the best teachers in the game including Chuck Cook, Ben Doyle, David Leadbetter, Mac O’Grady, and Mark Blackburn throughout the years. Now living in Birmingham, AL, Savoie enjoys wedge data research, PGA Tour coaching, and full swing instruction at the Greystone Performance Center.

Originally from Pascagoula, MS Max Doster, PGA has been passionately involved in the game for the past 19 years. In 2013 Max graduated from Mississippi State University with a BBA in Marketing and a concentration of PGA Golf Management. Upon graduation he began teaching at Highland Park Golf Course in Birmingham, Alabama.

Over the past five years, Max has had over 10,000 participations to more than 850 people across 9 different player development programs designed to grow the game and improv all golfers. In addition, he was an Adjunct Professor for the golf class at the University of Alabama Birmingham from 2015-2017.

Many of Max’s students have had great success, most notably junior golfers. Under Max’s tutelage 4 different juniors have won a total of 6 age division overall points series totals for the Magic City Junior Tour, hosted in the Birmingham area. Five juniors have combined for 27 tournament victories and 53 Top 3 finishes in the past few years, with 8 victories and 14 Top 3 finishes in 2018. In addition, a couple have advanced to the regional qualifiers for the Drive, Chip, and Putt Championship, with one qualifying twice for the US Kids World Championship hosted at Pinehurst Resort. In 2015, Max received the PGA Alabama Chapter Youth Player Development award, and in 2018 he received the PGA Alabama-NW Florida Section Player Development Award.

Max’s passion to excel as a teacher and coach drives his desire to continue learning from and working with the best instructors, shadowing hundreds of lessons with 8 of Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers over the last 5 years. In an effort to understand how to help all golfers maximize their abilities with their personal biomechanics and functional movement patterns, Max has earned certifications in BioSwing Dynamics, TPI, Adaptive Golf, US Kids Golf & Operation 36. This education has created a foundation to help each person reach their golfing potential efficiently.

Parker recently graduated from Mississippi State University with a double major in Marketing and Finance through the PGA Golf Management Program. This June, he joins the Performance Center for his first full year, bringing private club experience and a strong passion for junior golf development.

Originally from Destin, Florida, Parker grew up in a real estate family and built an impressive resume on and off the course. He won the 2024 Montgomery Country Club Invitational, earned multiple Player of the Semester honors, and was named Student of the Year. As President of the PGM program, he showcased strong leadership and dedication to the game.

Parker’s professional development includes internships at Wade Hampton Golf Club (NC), The Country Club of Birmingham (AL), and Jupiter Hills Club (FL), where he trained under Jason Baile—2025 PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year—and honed his passion for instruction.