Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

Director of Golf, PGA

Eric Pickering oversees all facets of the golf facility at Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo. Eric earned his business degree from the University of Vermont and later went on to pursue a degree from the Golf Academy of Arizona, where he graduated as valedictorian. With more than 10 years of experience teaching and coaching, Eric uses his knowledge, skills and passion for golf to teach all levels. His focus is on making golf simple to understand while achieving specific results. Eric has extensive experience working at a variety of courses, most notably Desert Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, and The International Golf Club, located near Boston, Massachusetts.

Head Golf Pro, PGA

Rod Cook is a talented golf instructor who actively competes in professional events around the country. He previously served as Head Golf Instructor at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas and host of the Byron Nelson PGA Tour event. Prior to that, he was Director of Instruction at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida. Rod is an outstanding player with more than 20 professional wins to his credit. He won the 2001 Minnesota State Open and is a six-time Minnesota PGA Section Assistants Champion. Rod has qualified for the National Club Professional Championship four times. He holds four course records. A member of the PGA of America since 1997, he has also been a Titleist National Leadership Advisor Staff member since 1998.

Golf Superintendent

Jay has 29 years of golf business experience and has been involved in the construction of eight courses, including two in Costa Rica. An 11-year Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) member, Jay has earned certification from Audubon International at Four Seasons. He has worked with the University of Costa Rica for years, testing mixtures of fresh- and saltwater used to irrigate the paspalum turfgrass, and has accomplished a sizeable reduction in the course's consumption of fresh water.