Finding the Right Coach

Finding the right junior golf coach is one of the highest-leverage decisions you'll make in a competitive junior's development. The wrong coach can stall a player for years; the right one can compress years of progress into months. But "the right coach" varies based on the junior's age, level, and goals. Here is how to find one without wasting money or development time. Credentials that actually matter In rough order of importance: 1. Experience with junior players specifically. A great adult-only instructor often doesn't translate. Junior bodies, attention spans, and developmental stages need a coach who has worked through them. Ask: "How many of your students are juniors? What ages?" Below 10 juniors → probably not their focus. 2. PGA Class A membership. This is the basic credential — completion of the PGA Professional program, ongoing continuing education, malpractice insurance. Not every great coach is PGA, but most are. 3. Track record with players at your junior's level. A coach with multiple students who shoot in the 70s isn't necessarily right for an 80-shooter, and vice versa. Ask: "What's your typical student's scoring range?" 4. TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certification. Useful for coaches working on the physical/biomechanics side. Less critical for pure swing instruction. 5. U.S. Kids Top 50 Instructor recognition. A clear signal of junior-specialist credibility. What is NOT a credential: - Being a former pro player (different skill from coaching) - Owning a fancy facility with TrackMan and a fitness studio (the tools don't teach; the coach does) - Active social media presence (some great coaches don't post; some poor ones post constantly) Match the coach to the player's level The right coach for a junior shooting 100 is not the same person as the right coach for a junior shooting 73. Beginners (100+): Look for a coach who can teach fundamentals patiently and make golf fun. A junior who learns to love practice early will outdevelop a junior who learns "proper technique" but burns out. Group clinics are often better than private lessons at this level. Intermediate (80-100): Look for a coach who can identify the 2-3 biggest swing issues and prioritize them. At this stage, working on too many things slows progress. A coach who can simplify is worth their weight. Competitive (sub-80, tournament regular): Look for a coach who works with tournament players. The difference: a competitive-player coach thinks about course management, mental game, tournament prep, and *how the swing holds up under pressure* — not just what the swing looks like on the range. Ask: "What's a recent tournament you've helped a student prepare for?" Elite (sub-75, ranked): Look for a coach with multiple students competing at AJGA, USGA, and college-prep levels. At this stage, coach networks matter — they help with college connections, mental coaches, fitness pros, and elite event prep. Where to find candidates - Local PGA section. PGA of America's "Find a Professional" tool, filterable by junior focus. - U.S. Kids Top 50 Instructor list. Published annually. The most respected junior-coach list in the industry. - Ask other junior golf families. Especially families with players a year or two ahead of yours. Word of mouth is the best source. - State golf association. Most state associations maintain lists of junior coaches and clinic providers. - Top junior tour directors (NTPGA, PKBGT, HJGT, SCPGA, etc.). They know who's producing tournament players. What to avoid: golf retail stores pushing in-house "free" lessons (often used to sell equipment), brand-affiliated free clinics with no real curriculum, and any coach who promises "instant" results. Evaluating a coach Most coaches will offer a free or low-cost first session. Use it. Look for: - Do they ask questions or just talk? Good coaches ask about the player's goals, recent results, and what they're working on. Bad coaches launch into instruction. - Do they watch a few shots before commenting? Bad coaches start fixing in the first 30 seconds. Good coaches gather information first. - Do they make one or two clear changes, or 12? Good coaches prioritize. - Does the junior respond well? This is the most important question. Some kids click with quiet, methodical coaches. Others need energetic, encouraging ones. Watch your kid's body language. - Are they honest about what they can fix and what they can't? A coach who promises everything is selling. After the session, ask your junior: "Did you like working with them? Would you go back?" If the answer is hesitant, that's your answer. Lesson frequency — what actually works This depends heavily on the player's level and the coach's style. Reasonable guidelines: Beginners and intermediate (90+ scores): Once every 2-4 weeks during active season. More frequent than that and the player doesn't have time to practice the changes. Less frequent and habits regress. Competitive (70s scores): Once every 1-2 weeks during tournament season, monthly in offseason. Add video reviews or remote feedback between in-person sessions. Elite (sub-75): Weekly or biweekly in-person sessions, plus video review and tournament debriefs. A second specialist (mental game coach, putting coach, short game coach) is common at this level. What doesn't work: weekly lessons for a beginner. They can't absorb that fast. They need practice time, not more instruction. Online and remote coaching Online coaching has gotten genuinely good. Done right, it can work for many juniors: - Best use case: Supplementing in-person lessons with weekly video swing reviews ($30-50 vs. $150 for in-person) - Works well for: Maintenance, light tweaks, accountability between in-person sessions - Doesn't work for: Major swing rebuilds, beginners who need hands-on positioning, or juniors who don't self-record well - Tools: Most coaches use Coach Now, V1 Sports, or Hudl Technique. Submit a face-on and down-the-line video; coach returns markup and notes in 24-48 hours. A common hybrid that works: in-person lessons every 4-6 weeks plus weekly online video reviews. Costs less than weekly in-person, keeps the player accountable, gives the coach more touch points. When to switch coaches Sometimes a coach who was right for one stage isn't right for the next. Signs it might be time: - The player has stopped improving for 12+ months despite consistent practice - The coach can't articulate what the player should work on next - The player dreads lessons - The coach's approach is fundamentally a mismatch (e.g., highly technical with a feel-based player) - The player has outgrown the coach's typical clientele level Switching coaches isn't a betrayal — it's a normal part of long-term development. Most college players have had 2-3 primary coaches by the time they sign. Just don't coach-hop every 6 months looking for magic. What to expect to pay Rough ranges: - Group clinics: $20-50 per session - Private lessons (intermediate): $75-150 per hour - Private lessons (elite-level coach): $150-400 per hour - Online video review: $30-75 per submission - Tournament prep package: $200-500 (e.g., pre-tournament range session + course strategy session) - Yearly junior development package: $2,000-8,000 depending on level If a coach charges far above these ranges without a clear track record of elite-level results, push back. For how to structure practice time between lessons (which is where 90% of improvement actually happens), see [Practice Plans by Skill Level](/topic/player-development/practice-plans).