Meet Our Instructors and Club Fitters

"The Perfect Place for the Perfect Fit"

At Northway Golf, we pride ourselves in the reputation of being community first, approachable, and patient to the needs of our customers. We believe in the joy of the process—the achievement of hitting incremental goals, along with the personal interactions that make outfitting easy, memorable, and tailored to everyone who walks in the door.

Below are the staff who will be your guides as both instructors and fitters—ready and waiting to meet you where you are at in your golf journey and help you usher in the next chapter thereof.


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We encourage you to leave a review of our staff following a class or fitting session!


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Questions? Call us at 518-371-3141.

Adam Drake

Fitting Specialist | Instructor

Favorite Brand: Titleist—Pro V1

Adam Drake has been a club-fitting specialist at Northway Golf Center for the past decade. Originally from Latham, NY, he is certified by all major club manufacturers and has trained extensively with master fitters and industry sales representatives. Adam’s expertise has helped hundreds of golfers optimize their equipment and improve on-course performance. In addition to fitting, he serves as a lead Junior Camp instructor and oversees the tournament promotion program throughout the season.


Adam plays regularly at many Capital Region courses, with recent memorable rounds at Ballyowen, Centennial, and Leatherstocking. Outside of golf, he enjoys hiking, biking, and snowboarding—often joking that if he made it to Gore Mountain as frequently as he golfs, he’d consider it early retirement.


Reviews for Adam D.

Joy P

My husband and I went to Northway Golf Center looking for a new set of clubs. We worked with Adam, he was great! Adam took the time to listen to my husband’s needs and help him select a set that was perfect for him. Adam was patient when explaining options and once we had it narrowed down he took us out to the range to test them out. Thank you Adam, we are very pleased with our purchase and will be up for lessons soon.

Fred E

The service and professionalism of the staff is second to none. John and Adam and the rest of the professionals and fitting specialists are extremely knowledgeable and competent whenever I need assistance with reshafting regripping or changing the swing weight of a club. I will not take any golf club related needs anywhere else

Adam Panagopoulos

Director of Instruction

Email: lessons@northway8golf.com

Favorite Brand: TaylorMade

Adam Panagopoulos is the Director of Instruction at Northway Golf Center and a PGA Class A Professional with over 20 years of experience in the golf industry. ADM certified, he specializes in body and club mechanics, helping players of all levels develop efficient, repeatable, and high-performance swings. Adam is commited to delivering a modern, student-focused approach to instruction that builds skill, confidence, and long-term improvement.

Reviews for Adam P.

Mike McGraw — 3x NCAA Basketball National Champion Head Coach

Adam,

Thank you so much for your help in getting a club for me and taking your time in getting it the way I wanted it. Your phone conversation skills were most professional, but respectful and humorous. It was most refreshing for me as this is not always the case in our current culture. Product is important, but human contact and exchange? So much more. You're the real deal—

Most Respectfully,

Mike

Connie Bramer

Adam is a FANTASTIC instructor! I’ve learned so much during his clinics at Exit 8 Golf. It’s a jammed packed hour of learning some very useful golf skills. Thanks so much Adam!

Dan Bense

I recently went to Northway Golf. Adam P. Came up to me and helped my swing and recommended a driver shaft instead of a new driver. Really good guy!!

Matthew Bense

Great customer service getting irons for me Adam P. Was awesome getting me fixed up. Definitely will be getting clubs there every time for the future.

Gerard Ecker

Great experience working with Adam P. getting fitted for new irons…He was very knowledgeable and helpful!!!

Dave Donlon

Instructor | Fitting Specialist

Favorite Brand: PING Clubs, Titleist Balls

Dave has been instructing and fitting clubs for decades. He came to Northway after 18 years as a Teaching Professional at the Fairways of Halfmoon, NY. Working directly for Titleist, he was a Fitting Specialist for over 20 years. His wealth of experience has resided at Northway Golf since 2023.

Reviews for Dave

Tom Mongeon

I had a great full bag fitting in June. Dave worked with me and helped find the right club head and shaft combination to help my game. We decided on ping g425 green dot irons with dynamic gold s300 shafts. What surprised me was the driver fitting. With my misses being nasty push slices, I figured a high MOI, or draw biased driver would be where I would end up. We went through a

few drivers and shafts. He then brought in a Titleist TSI3 driver. I started to see my carry go up and my shot dispersion was getting better. He then set me up with a Mitsubishi Tensei White 65 X-Stiff shaft...

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Kevin Beaver

Overall, we had an incredible experience. Our club fitter Dave took as much time as needed for us to be comfortable with our purchase.


The Trackman data was so useful to dial in the best fit for my father and his new equipment. Dave answered every question we had and gave us fantastic recommendations.


Well worth the trip from Saugerties!

InTune Marine

I'm very happy with my fitter, Dave. He's a great guy! I've had multiple fittings, at different places in the last few weeks, and I have to say, Dave made me feel the most comfortable, unrushed, and helpful. I just couldn't give 5 stars because when it comes to buy, I just didn't get that homie feeling we are all after. But Dave gets 5 stars. A couple other employees were super helpful, too.

Simon Shaus

Awesome golf shop, great selection and good pricing. Recently did an iron fitting with Dave, super knowledgeable/friendly guy and he found the perfect set for me.

Glenn Goldman

Fitting Specialist

Glenn has worked as a club fitter for Northway Golf Center since 2020 and has been in the golf retail business over 20 years. He carries certifications by Callaway, Cobra, Mizuno, PING, Srixon, and TaylorMade. During his time, he has fitted men and women 4'8" to 7' tall, ages 12 to 94, and skill levels from brand new to golf to club champion.

An avid player most of his adult life, Glenn enjoys travelling for golf vacations, as well as to see and experience different cultures. He is a big fan of all spectator sports including Syracuse and Siena basketball, attending PGA golf events, and promoting the great game of golf.

Reviews for Glenn

Eric Cushing

Got fitted by Glenn today. Spent a lot of time with me and worked with me through multiple shafts and heads until we found the best fit. I would never buy a club again without going through the fitting process. What a difference. Great place and top notch service.

Tim Podeswa

Lesson Instructor

Favorite Brand: TaylorMade

Tim Podeswa is a dedicated PGA-certified Golf Professional with over 40 years of teaching experience. Tim's patient coaching style, positive energy and strong focus on fundamentals, has helped many golfers of all levels improve their game. Over the years, Tim has taught private lessons to all ages, youth and adult golf clinics, and military veterans through the PGA Hope Program. Tim’s favorite part of teaching is truly getting to know each student, allowing him to customize his approach and help them grow in the game of golf.

Reviews for Tim