Taking the Final Step ... Signing the NLI (National Letter of Intent)

The second Wednesday in November is always a special day for high school seniors, many prospective student-athletes, and families across the globe.

This day signifies the opening of the National Letter of Intent (NLI) signing window and the first-day high school seniors can sign the NLI for college golf. Most of the top nationally-ranked junior players sign an NLI very early during the signing period.

Typically, these student-athletes have made verbal commitments to coaches anywhere from six months to a year prior to signing. 

National Letter of Intent

With the current NCAA rules and legislation, prospective collegiate golfers can sign the NLI anytime between the 2nd Wednesday in November until August 1st before they enroll at a college or university.

What is the NLI?  

The National Letter of Intent is a legally binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution. D1 & D2 athletes typically sign the NLI to formally STOP the recruiting process with other schools. D3 & NAIA schools do NOT sign the NLI, instead, they sign a “celebratory form,” which is non-binding. It’s also important to remember that the NLI is a one-year agreement and most scholarships will be renewed year-after-year.

What you need to know about signing the NLI…

• Only High School Seniors sign the NLI

• The NLI Signing Period is a “window” that begins on the 2nd Wednesday in November and stays open through August 1 of the following summer 

• NLI is a legal, binding 1yr agreement between the SCHOOL and the player, not a Coach and player 

• Only D1&D2 athletes receiving athletic scholarship will sign the NLI 

• Walk-ons & non-scholarship athletes will NOT sign the NLI 

• D3 athletes will NOT sign the NLI, instead they sign what’s called a “celebratory form” 

• Players have 7 days after receipt to sign the NLI 

• Players need to be registered (not certified) with the NCAA Eligibility Center before signing the NLI 

• Signing the NLI will officially “stop” your recruiting process 

Interestingly enough, once the top prospects sign their NLI each year, a “domino effect” begins when other schools, who may have missed out on securing their top prospects, will offer the remaining uncommitted players, creating new recruiting opportunities for players who have yet to commit.  

For this reason, it’s important to stay patient during the recruiting process and ultimately select the best-fit school, rather than rushing into a decision. Remember, choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life and it will have a significant impact on your future. Be patient, make informed decisions, and choose the school that best-fits your goals and priorities and one where you are confident that you can succeed both athletically and academically. 

Hear what College Coaches are saying…

For our program at North Georgia, the NLI allows us to have the security and satisfaction of securing a student-athlete, many of which we have spent a great deal of time recruiting. The process, although extended now, allows us at the D2 level to find any prospects that may be “late bloomers” or “falling through the cracks” and haven’t committed. After we sign who we target, we turn our focus to future classes. Signing the NLI early allows us to develop closer relationships with the guys we’ve signed. Coach Bryson Worley, North Georgia (D2), Head Coach

Signing an NLI is a major accomplishment for any athlete and should be celebrated. It’s exciting for both the player and the school on what lies ahead. The NLI marks the start of a new level of competition, hard work and dedication for an athlete. It is a reward for the success already achieved and the promise of what’s to come. Coach Carter Cheves, James Madison University (D1), Head Coach

Overall, our process at Furman officially closes the book on the incoming recruiting class. As Coaches, we can then move on to recruit the next graduating class. However, the transitional process to recruit the next class typically begins when we receive our last verbal commitment for the prior recruiting class. At Furman, we take our verbal commitments extremely seriously and the student-athletes we recruit operate that way as well, but the NLI signing day does take that necessary next step in the commitment between a school and an athlete. More than anything, it is a day to celebrate the incoming players for that recruiting class and publicly welcome them to your program. It’s a memorable day in the process for coaches and students. Coach Matt Davidson, Furman University (D1), Head Coach

 For us, the NLI is relatively new only having athletic scholarships for the past three years. Signing the NLI has been a game-changer for the Eckerd program. Having signed players brings better players to the program. I’ve lost too many players over the years because of lack of scholarship and have relied on walk-ons for so many years with random results. Coach Bill Buttner, Eckerd College (D2), Head Coach

Contact us if you would like us to provide an assessment on your current situation or qualified advice regarding commitments and NLI signings in college golf.

Many thanks for reading,

Mike

Michael J. Smith

Founder, ForeCollegeGolf

Mike Smith is the founder of ForeCollegeGolf, a college placement and recruiting business where he applies his background in competitive golf and recruiting education to help educate players, their families, and coaches about the college recruiting process. 

If you have any questions about the article above, any feedback, an article idea you would like to provide; you can find me at mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com or www.ForeCollegeGolf.com.

Prepare like a “Pro” for Practice Rounds

Arnold Palmer once said “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”

At ForeCollegeGolf, we believe that golf is an extremely variable risk-aversion game.

Let’s break that down…

The conditions of golf courses are extremely variable, and we rarely see the same shot twice, ever! Our competitive environment (golf course) is very different from our practice environment (driving range), and therefore, we shouldn’t treat them the same.

Risk aversion explains how the best players can recognize a risk and how to make the proper decision in each moment. Making the proper decision isn’t only about being informed, it’s about being disciplined. The best players have learned to implement proper strategy under pressure, time and time again. It doesn’t matter if you are a junior golfer or a tour pro, establishing a solid game plan and a strategy should be a top priority because it’s one of the most overlooked areas of performance!

Playing a practice round while being hyper-aware of a few things will allow you to create an effective game plan for each tournament, have more confidence going in, and be more ready to handle the pressure, stress, and nerves of competition. Additionally, if players create purposeful preparation habits early on in their junior golf career, they will be more prepared for higher-level events on even harder golf courses in the future.

·       Do you go into tournaments second-guessing your strategy?

·       Do you feel like you forget everything you learned in your practice round?

·       Do you feel unprepared after only seeing the course one time?

·       Do you think you could gather better information, like a tour caddie?

Tour pros have caddies that scope out the conditions of the course over a few days, sometimes even a few weeks, before the event begins. These professional caddies gather as much quality information as possible to give their player a slight edge during competition. Fractional shots matter here, so hitting one more fairway or one more green or taking one less penalty stroke could mean the difference of winning and losing. Caddies are hyper-aware of things like the firmness of the greens, pin locations, landing areas, and expected weather conditions for the week. Commonly, you will see them on the golf course testing ground conditions, rolling putts to see the break of the green, or testing things like rough depth or sand density. Caddies also set up drills, practice training stations, carry gear or prepare their player with things like towels, gloves, food, hydration, etc. The best players/caddies understand that shaving 1 shot off their scoring average could mean the difference between being 50th on the money list and 126th and losing their Tour card each year, essentially keeping or losing their job.

So how can we “Prepare Like a ‘Pro’…with a Tour Caddie”? Here are some simple, yet often overlooked, ideas to incorporate BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER your practice rounds:

Before the Practice Round

·       Order a yardage book (w/ USGA green maps) – Puttview or Strakaline are great options

·       Use Google Maps or Google Earth to view the general layout of the course, shape of the holes, greens, and landing areas off the tee.

• Make initial measurements for “boundaries” (distance between penalty areas at your carry distance) and fairway widths. Pencil-in these measurements into your yardage book for reference during the practice round.

• Write down which clubs you’ll be hitting into the Par 3’s and 4’s and begin to consider the risk/reward tradeoff is on the Par 5’s.

·       Check the prevailing wind direction and weather forecast for the week ahead and be sure to monitor it as the tournament gets closer.

·       Pre-round workout, warm up, and stretch!

Day of the Practice Round

·       Full workout, warm-up, and stretch. Just like you plan to warm-up on tournament day.

·       Check the wind for the day and compare it to the predicted wind for the next few tournament days.

·       Test the speed/break of the greens with a digital level to confirm what your eyes are seeing (or feet are feeling).

·       Keep your yardage book handy to confirm specific targets and where the widest “landing zone” is off the tee.

·       Locate the proposed hole locations or “dots” for the tournament rounds and ask yourself “based on the approach shot yardage and foreseeable challenges, where should I aim and where do I want my ball to end up?” (Short left of a back right hole location OR add 3 yards to the shot because of a deep bunker)

·       Games/Ideas: 

• Full Swings:

  • Hit a shot or two from the rough, fairway bunker, and/or green side bunkers during the practice round to ensure you are comfortable with the effect these conditions may have on the golf ball. PGA Tour average is 9 FWRY’s and 12 GIR’s per round, prepare for the unexpected!

  • Play worst ball on the 3 easiest tee shots, and best ball on the 3 hardest tee shots

  • After you hit your approach shots, walk up to the green and observe your surroundings

  • Write down each approach shot you hit, how far it went, and the wind direction. This extra information may become useful in subsequent rounds.

• Around the green:

  • Spend most of your time on & around the greens establishing a feel for the firmness and speed of the greens.

  • Locate a proposed hole location that’s close to the edge of the green (within 5yds) and hit 30+ ft speed putts on the “fat side of the flag” and hit difficult chip shots on the “short-side”. Watch how chips/pitches react on their first bounce.

  • Use a digital level or the TourRead app to measure slopes near hole locations, while testing your green reading.

After the Practice Round

·       Take a break to refresh, relax, and have a meal/shower

·       Reflect on your experiences that day and ask yourself:

• What did you do WELL?

• What could you have done BETTER?

• How will you do it BETTER next time?

·       Review your gameplan from before the practice round and ask yourself: Do I need to make any adjustments to my yardage book or gameplan? i.e. Club changes off tees, targets, spots to “miss” around the greens”, tricky hole locations)

·       Create a final game plan off the tee by knowing the “boundaries” (distance between penalty areas) for par 4s and par 5s, and pick SPECIFIC targets for YOUR desired landing area, preferred shot shape, and tee location, especially on holes with potential hazards/doglegs. Tee shot “boundaries” on some holes may be fairly wide (80+ yds) and not include much risk, while other landing areas may be narrow (less than 40yds wide) and include deep bunkers, penalty areas, and/or doglegs requiring a much more risk-averse strategy.

Best of luck in preparation for your upcoming events, please reach out to us if you have any questions about the above information or if you have any ideas, games, or prep techniques that YOU would be willing to share with ForeCollegeGolf.

Mike, President & Founder, ForeCollegeGolf

Understanding The NCAA Transfer Portal

The Emergence of the Transfer Portal 

By Michael J. Smith, ForeCollegeGolf 

In October 2018, the NCAA modified the rules for transferring from “permission to contact” to “notification to transfer”, which has made it much easier for student-athletes to freely transfer from school to school. Essentially, in order to initiate the transfer, all a player has to do is notify their athletic department they would like to transfer and within 48 hours the school is required to add them to the online transfer portal. The recent rule change removes the step where the Coach has to “give permission” for that player to speak with other schools. 

Surprisingly, since these changes took place, we’ve seen an 8% surge of players in the NCAA Transfer portal in all sports.

College Golf Transfers - By the Numbers 

During the third season of the online transfer portal, the 2020-2021 school year, the NCAA saw a significant uptick in the number of transfers in college golf.

Here’s proof…

In 2020-2021, there were 729 total transfers in golf! 487 of those were in Men’s golf and 242 were on the Women’s side.

In 2019-2020, there were 534 total transfers in golf, 346 of those were in Men’s golf and 188 were on the Women’s side.

In 2018-2019, before COVID-19 and the NCAA “Extention of Eligibility”, there were considerably fewer transfers, 359 total, 220 on the men’s side and 139 on the women’s side.

***In September 2022, the NCAA introduced 45-day Transfer Portal “windows” beginning the day after Championship selections are made for Division 1 Golf. Therefore, student-athletes wishing to transfer can only do so from December 1st - 15th and during the 45-day window in May.

NCAA Division I Transfer Process 

1. SA* asks Coach or School compliance administrator to be placed in the transfer portal, at which point the school has 2 business days to do so. 

2. Once in the portal, SA information is available to every NCAA Coach via the NCAA Apps website. 

3. Transfers are initially listed in the portal as “active”, but administrators must change that status to “matriculated” if the SA has officially transferred or “withdrawn” if the SA has changed his/her mind and plans on returning. 

4. While in the portal, SA’s are subject to their Coach reducing or taking away their athletics aid. (*Note: Once in the portal, SA’s can transfer anytime under the “one-time transfer exception rule” but if the SA is receiving athletic aid they can’t compete at their new school in the Spring in D1. Essentially if you are a D1 golfer on athletic-aid, you can’t compete on 2 different teams in the same season.)

*SA= student-athlete 

Transfer Rule – What’s changed?

• Players’ “power” vs. Coaches “power“ – players have more power than ever and control their own destiny 

• Transfers are visible – the online transfer portal is easy to access and helps streamline the process by being visible 24/7. 

• Online Portal – In the past, coaches didn’t know who was transferring so they didn’t call players looking to transfer. Now, Coaches have the online portal with NCAA ID #s and contact information at their fingertips. 

• Level(ed) playing field - Bigger schools have more recruiting “pull” but smaller schools will now have a clear picture of which SA’s are transferring and have the ability to make phone calls. 

  • TBD: Recruiting implications o Scholarship $ - Will there be enough $ for these transfers? 

  • Will the risk be worth the move? (ex. Player wants to transfer who is on 75% scholarship, and new school only has 30% to offer) 

• APR impact – programs are penalized if a player doesn’t finish a semester. Note: this will not affect players who transfer in between semesters. 

• Recruiting “eyes” – Coaches didn’t really look at the transfer portal as a viable way to recruit talent but now there will be many teams utilizing the portal as a way to obtain players. 

Notable transfers for 2020: 

To Florida – 

• • Carlos Bustos (SR) – transferring from Lynn, DII national champ 2x, top20 at Latin American Amateur 

• • Giovanni Manzoni (SR) – transferring from Lynn, DII 2nd Team All-American, 71.14 scoring average 

To Florida State University 

• • Vincent Norman (SR) – transferring from Georgia Southwestern 

• • Connor Futrell (JR) – transferring from Troy 

To UAB 

• • Drew Mathers (SR)– transferring from Huntingdon, Jack Nicklaus award finalist, 6 career wins, and top 3 in 10 of his last 12 events. 

To UCF 

• • Max O’ Hagan (SR)– transferring from Florida Tech, finished top8 in 6 of 7 starts. Was a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus award this year and was a semifinalist the past two seasons 

To Ohio State 

• • Elis Svard (SR)– transferring from Cal State – Monterey, top10 in all 6 starts, 5 career wins 

To Oklahoma 

• • Jonathan Brightwell (SR)– transferring from UNCG, 2 wins in 6 starts in 2019-2020 season 

To Oklahoma State 

• • Leo Oyo (SO)– transferring from San Diego State 

• • Eugenio Chacarra (SO)– transferring from Wake Forest  (*Now on LIV golf)

To Texas 

• • Hunter Ostrom (SR) – transferring from Notre Dame, posted the lowest season stroke average in program history with 70.68 strokes per round. Played in all 19 possible rounds. 

To South Florida 

• • Ian Peng (SO) – transferring from VCU 

To Florida Atlantic 

• • Davis Lamb (SR) – transferring from Notre Dame 

To Oregon 

• • Owen Avrit (FR) – transferring from Long Beach State 

To FCGU 

• • Frankie Capan (FR) – transferring from Alabama (now on Korn Ferry Tour)

What are Coaches saying about the transfer portal? 

“In my opinion, the transfer portal was not as big a deal in golf as other sports because we already had the one-time transfer rule which allowed players to transfer to another school and play immediately. However, now that we are living with Covid-19 and all current players were given an extra year of eligibility, I think the transfer portal will be an invaluable tool for golfers who are stuck in a logjam of players on swollen rosters looking for playing time. I think it will also be a boon for coaches looking for good players from higher-ranked programs that can’t offer enough playing time for all their athletes.”  J.T. Higgins, Head Coach, Southern California 

“There are Pros and Cons to the Transfer Portal. For the players and coaches, the portal provides an opportunity for a fresh start to those who need it. In my opinion, it will affect even junior golfers. Due to the pandemic, coaches have seen how easy it is to find really talented, more experienced players through the portal. Because of that, there’s not as much incentive to bring in a big freshman class.” Lee White, Head Coach, Florida Southern 

“I see the transfer portal as a positive tool for the student-athlete and the coach. It empowers the student-athlete in the transfer process. For the coach, it allows us to see who wants to transfer and how to contact them. If the student-athlete has already transferred or decides to stay at their current school, coaches can see that right away.” Grant Wallace, Head Coach, Kenyon College (DIII) 

If you are considering a transfer here’s my advice: 

• Write down your long-term vision – It’s imperative to acknowledge what you are looking for – ask yourself:

  • What am I really looking for? A better team environment, social culture, practice facilities? 

  • What is my long-term plan? Do I want to be a lawyer or doctor? Will I turn professional after college? How much this decision influence my decision? 

  • How important is the ability to be close to home and see my “team”? 

  • Why didn’t I find my best-fit school the first time? 

• Learn the transfer & eligibility rules - When you begin to think about going to a new school, understand that the rules are different depending on whether you want to transfer to an NCAA D1,2, or 3, and whether you are currently enrolled at a two-year or a four-year school. In some cases, conference rules can be more restrictive than NCAA rules. 

• Stick it out – many players transfer prematurely after a semester or after a year. My advice is to stick it out for at least a year or two. Most college class credits are likely to transfer if you transfer before Junior year. 

• Keep a healthy relationship with your Coach/Team – it’s important to note that the transfer process is much less frightening when you have people to assist you. No one wants “skeletons in their closet” during the transfer process, and no Coaches are interested in recruiting someone who isn’t a “team player”. 

• Be realistic – understand most Coaches are looking for transfers who will make an immediate impact on their program, have good grades, and have quality leadership skills. Remember, transferring “up” is much harder than transferring “down”. We estimate that about 80% of transfers were players who transferred to lesser competitive programs.

• If you do transfer, be ready to move! - Transfers in recruiting are much different than recruiting in junior golf because in most cases, Coaches have a much shorter window to make a decision on you, which can be a very positive thing if you’re ready to open up and build relationships with Coaches immediately, be ready to research the costs of the school, your intended major, and if your current college credits will transfer over to your new university.

Contact us if you would like us to provide an assessment on your current situation or need advice regarding transferring in college golf. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Michael J. Smith 

Founder, ForeCollegeGolf 

Mike Smith is the founder of ForeCollegeGolf, a college placement and recruiting business where he aims to apply his background in competitive golf and recruiting education to help educate players, their families, and coaches about the college recruiting process. 

If you have any questions about the article above, any feedback, an article idea you would like to provide; you can find me at mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com or www.ForeCollegeGolf.com. 

"How to Find the right Swing Coach"

For junior golfers, we believe it’s paramount to nail down the fundamentals of golf early in their careers. Fundamentals such as grip, posture, and alignment. During their teenage years, especially in/around their growth spurts, they should also work on adding speed. For Boys, the critical speed windows are 7-9 and 13-16 years old. For Girls, it’s 6-8 and 11-13 years old. Then, once a player begins to build good fundamentals, adds speed, and understands the nuances to the competitive game, then it’s definitely time to begin to work with a qualified swing coach.

Have all successful players had swing coaches?

No, not all, but if you walk down the range at any modern-day PGA Tour event, you’ll see few players without them!

Bubba Watson is one of the few players on the PGA tour that was self-made. A few others like Boo Weekly, Jason Day, and Zach Johnson didn’t have Coaches until they were competitive players but use them regularly on Tour. Tiger worked with his Dad primarily until he was 6 years old and then transitioned to Randy Duran and knowingly has trusted many Coaches with his swing: Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, Chris Como, Sean Foley, and sometimes even falling back on his vast knowledge and trusting himself with his own swing for short periods of time.

There are over 30,000 PGA Professionals but unfortunately, only a small percentage of them are truly qualified to assist elite juniors toward their goals and dreams. Bottom line, it’s not only important that you find the right swing coach for your needs at the right time, but also that you have the proper equipment and are developing the proper technical skills during the right development “windows”.

We narrowed down the following factors to look for and consider when looking for a swing coach:

Important Factors

• Values/Connection - Player & Coach

• Trust/Relationship

• Availability 

• Communication

• Style/Model

• Coach Experience/Accolades

Here are some important questions to ask when considering a Player/Coach relationship and the factors above:

• Values/Connection

  • What do you value? 

    • Do you have any strong beliefs that can’t be changed/broken? 

    • Are you open to change? If so, to what extent? 

  • What does the Coach value? 

    • Does this Coach have any strong beliefs that can’t be broken? 

    • Are they open to help you based on your own beliefs? Or do they have a tendency to tell players what to do, not ask? 

  • Do your values match up? 

  • Do you have a “spark” or connection with this Coach? 

    • Does this Coach care about my development? 

    • Does this Coach say the right thing at the right time? 

      • Or does this Coach just tell ppl what they want to hear? 

      • Or does this Coach “push players over the edge” 

    • Does this Coach deliver information in a good way for me? 

    • Does this Coach’s values make me more motivated to put more work in over time?

• Availability

  • Does this coach have the ability to give feedback on a swing video or are they too busy?

  • Is the bulk of their lesson book junior golfers or 15 Handicaps? 

  • Coaching vs 1hr golf instruction 

• Trust/Relationship

  • Do I feel a connection with this Coach and feel like we can build a relationship over time? 

  • Can I trust this Coach with my game and to get me to where I want to go? 

  • Will this Coach be honest with me about my progress/ or lack thereof? 

    • How does this Coach speak to his players? 

      • Does this Coach know when to speak up and when not to? 

      • Does this Coach know when to “needle” a player and when to “put their arm around a player”?

      • Will I be able to resolve confusion/conflict easily with this Coach? 

• Communication

  • How does this Coach communicate his/her information?

  • Does this Coach package his information in a way that’s easy for me to understand? 

    • Are they communicating in simple terms, and keeping it to 1 or 2 thoughts? 

    • Or are they throwing the kitchen sink at you and hoping something sticks?  

  • How does this Coach utilize Video, Trackman, feels, drills? 

    • Do they really understand you and your swing or are they giving you quick fixes? 

  • Does this coach ask me about my preferred ball flight and the “patterns” I’m seeing in my game? 

  • Q’s to ask the Coach…

    • If we work together, how would we do the following? 

      • Define success?

      • Create a long-term plan? 

      • Communicate in-between lessons? 

      • How often would we schedule lessons? 

      • How significant/serious would the changes be? 

      • Will you help me review my on-course stats?

      • Will you help me create a practice schedule?

• Style/Model

  • Most good coaches operate under a narrow set of principles and teach the same thing to everyone. Great coaches, however, can take the same principles and apply it to the student/player in front of them. 

  • Technical development or Skill development? Which is the Coach more focused on? Does that suit you? 

  • There is a BIG difference and some Coaches teach a little of both but most are one or the other

• Technical Development - Training your mechanics and motor patterns

  • Typically, Coaches like Mike Bender or David Leadbetter or Mike Adams. Much more technique based in their Coaching.

    • Efficiency - the ability to do something consistently in a repeatable way, aka matchups (start line, and curve)

    • Horsepower -  speed first, (aka. Gankas, Berkshire, Bryson changes)

  • This training will ultimately “set your ceiling” for performance

• Skill Development - 

  • Coaches like Cameron McCormick, Butch Harmon or Pia Nielson

  • This type of training will ultimately help you perform your best under pressure but your “ceiling” limits you.

• Remember, “Two Steps backward, then three steps forward” is mostly a MYTH!

  • Meaning..  “I have to get worse before I get better” 

    • You should be seeing small improvements immediately! Note: some players assume the are getting worse because of their scores or a few bad shots, when in reality they are actually changing technique for the better and also building a skillset.

    • The difference is most great players Understand & Trust what they are working on for a longer period of time. Whereas, other players give up and begin “searching” for the next quick-fix. Don’t go fishing!

    • Great players have a really really really clear PLAN.

• When Making a Swing Change

  • Changing the “movement” should be the primary focus

    • Focus on changing your “motor patterns”, not controlling the ball flight/outcome

    • Slow it down! Do most of your technical work at 60% speed or less

    • Stick to your plan. Most swing changes take 6mo or longer, not weeks!

  • Ask your Coach to “Define great, define good, and define bad” in terms of technical movements and outcome.

    • How do we define a “good” move? 

    • What does a “preferred or great” shot look like? (start line, and shape)

    • How do I control the clubface? 

    • How do I create speed? 

  • How can we define success overall? OR How do you judge progress? 

    • Shooting a score? Win a tournament?

      OR

    • Increasing skill level or raising my technical “ceiling”

• Coach Experience/Accolades 

  • Has this Coach taught players or been around players at the level where you’re trying to go? (I.e. college level or PGA Tour level players)

  • Has this Coach helped good junior players become great?

  • Has this Coach helped great junior players become exceptional? 

  • Has this Coach played/competed at the level where you are trying to go? 

  • Other important Coaching Q’s

    • Has this coach learned or been mentored by other great instructors? 

    • Does this Coach have any Top100 accolades? 

    • TPI (fitness) or PGA certified? (Business)

    • Remember: Most Head PGA pros get judged on revenue and member satisfaction, NOT helping young players build a technical skillset.   

We hope these questions help you find the right Coach for YOU!

Best of luck in your search and please let us know if we can assist you!

Mike