AUBURN - One of the first and most important tenants of being a PGA professional is to promote the game of golf and to instruct.

These are the directives by which Tony Biata has guided his career ever since he first received his PGA card.

“That is the goal,” Biata said. “It is to teach others and bring a love of the game to other people.”

For 18 years, Biata has dedicated a great deal of his time to promoting these goals.

Biata has worked with high school teams throughout Cayuga and Seneca Counties and has been extremely active in junior golf.

“I get a certain gratification out of it,” Biata said. “I like to see the look on people's faces when they get it and they can come back and tell me how much they have improved and that is what keeps me interested in teaching.”

Since 2002 Biata has focused a lot of attention on the CNY Junior Golf Foundation, helping to develop the organization which brings the game of golf to kids from the ages of six to 17.

Biata said that one of his proudest accomplishments during this time has been to bring the Tiger Wood's Golf Fesitival to Syracuse in 2005.

“They only pick four cities,” Biata said. “So that was a really big accomplishment and we were able to send 12 kids on to a national clinic in Orlando with Tiger that was really nice to be able to do.”

For his efforts, Biata has been honored with numerous accolades including 1997 CNY PGA Teacher of the Year, naming in GOLF Magazine#'s Top Teacher in the country from 1999-2007 and the Junior Golf Leader Award.

Biata believes that it is the way he approaches instruction with both children and adults that has helped him be a successful instructor.

“I don#'t go in with a plan,” Biata said. “I let people show me what they have and then I work with what they are showing me. It has worked well and I get results. I think this is the best way to teach, to work with the skills people have. There are a lot of people that don't think they are very athletic, but once they see what they can do they are amazed.”

In the new year, Biata will be bringing his knowledge of the game to Champions For Life, where he will begin instruction.

After discussing the idea with Mike Henty of Champions For Life and looking over the mission statement of the organization, Biata felt that his teaching would be a good fit with the ideals of Champions For Life.

“It says right in their mission statement that they want to bring sports to people and pull families together,” Biata said. “That really reached me and made this something that I wanted to do and something that we all thought would be a good fit for Champions For Life.”

Biata said that much of the appeal of golf is the egalitarian nature of the game.

Unlike many other sports it is truly a game the whole family can play together.

“It doesn't matter if you are six or 86,” Biata said. “Everyone can play. Bowling might be the one other sport that is like that, that the whole family can play together and that is something that really appeals to me.”

Work has been going on at Champions For Life making the necessary adjustments to the indoor soccer arena so that is can serve as both a soccer field and an indoor instruction range.

Biata said that all that is missing is a sand trap, but other wise he will be able to fully instruct.

“We can work on the complete movements of a swing,” Biata said. “Also chipping and the short game as well. We#'ll be able to work on everything here.”

Biata said that now that the practice area is complete instruction will begin after the holidays for both individual and group lessons.

For more information on rates or to register for instruction, contact Champions For Life at 252-9305.