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GOLF Magazine's 2024-2025 Top 100 Teachers in America: The full list

Nick Dimengo — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 03:21:08 +0000

Launching in 1991, GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers in America franchise has established itself as the preeminent list for recognizing excellence in golf instruction.

Not only do we hold ourselves to a high standard with our selections, but the rigorous process allows us to identify the most innovative, committed, accomplished, and passionate golf teachers in the United States. Each shares our vision, and carry themselves with the utmost professionalism.

As GOLF continues its mission to expand the game and provide the best instruction content for players of all skill-levels, we collaborate with our Top 100 Teachers to help lead the charge. Together, we provide the leadership, wisdom, and fresh ideas to help every golfer improve. We’re sure to see you on the lesson tee soon!

How we pick our Top 100 Teachers

The biennial process is powered by the Top 100 Teachers Credentials Committee, and is the only national golf instructor search that combines outside academic and PGA peer review.

As mentioned above, the process is both rigorous and competitive, with candidates being screened against a set of criteria that evaluates a number of different guidelines. These include their teaching experience and accomplishments, student portfolio and peer ratings, along with their overall commitment to the growth of the game, both through volunteerism and their ability to use digital platforms.

Along with the public application, candidates are nominated by the PGA, LPGA and United States Golf Teachers Federation, among others. The committee reviews 250 applications, on average, before selecting the new members.

MORE: Meet the Lifetime Achievement teachers
MORE: Meet the Top 100 Hall of Fame inductees
MORE: Meet the Top 100 Alumni teachers
MORE: Meet GOLF’s Teachers to Watch

Meet GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers

All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Meet GOLF’s Top 100 Lifetime Members

To honor GOLF Top 100 Teachers who have remained on the Top 100 list for 20 consecutive years or more.

Steve Bosdosh
Ijamsville, Md.

Michael Breed
CBS Sports and Golf Digest

John Elliott, Jr.
Ocala, Fla.

Bryan Gathright
Boerne, Texas

David Glenz
Long Valley, N.J.

Rick Grayson
Springfield, Mo.

Fred Griffin
Orlando, Fla.

Ron Gring
Prescott, Ariz.

Martin Hall
West Palm Beach, Fla.

Craig Harmon
Delray Beach, Fla.

Peter Kostis
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Mike Labauve
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Keith Lyford
Rocklin, Calif.

Mike Malaska
Superstition Mountain, Ariz.

Tim Mahoney
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Lynn Marriott
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Rick McCord
Kissimmee, Fla.

Bill Moretti
Austin, Texas

Pia Nilsson
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Dave Phillips
Oceanside, Ca.

Dana Rader
Charlotte, N.C.

Craig Shankland
Daytona Beach, Fla.

Ted Sheftic
New Oxford, Pa.

Laird Small
Pebble Beach, Calif.

Randy Smith
Dallas, Texas

Rick Smith
Miami, Fla.

Mitchell Spearman
Rye Brook, N.Y.

T.J. Tomasi
Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Meet GOLF’s Hall of Fame Teachers

Mike Adams
Bedminster Township, N.J.

Chuck Cook
Austin, Texas

Hank Haney
McKinney, Texas

Jim Hardy
Houston, Texas

Butch Harmon
Henderson, Nev.

Michael Hebron
Smithtown, N.Y.

David Leadbetter
Orlando, Fla.

Jack Lumpkin
St. Simons Island, Ga.

Mike McGetrick
Gainesville, Va.

Jim McLean
Miami, Fla.

Eddie Merrins
Los Angeles, Calif.

Dave Pelz
Austin, Texas

Dr. Jim Suttie
Naples, Fla.

Bob Toski
Coconut Creek, Fla.

Gary Wiren
West Palm Beach, Fla.

Meet GOLF’S Top 100 Alumni Members (2024-2025)

Jason Carbone
Cleveland, Ohio

Chuck Evans
Apache Junction, Ariz.

Wayne Flint
Birmingham, Ala.

Matt Killen
College Grove, Tenn.

Jeff Leishman
Jupiter, Fla.

Kate Tempesta
New Canaan, Conn.

David F. Wright, Ph.D.
Redmond, Wash.

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InsideGOLF Exclusive: Martin Chuck shares tips to turn a training aid concept into sales and success

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 22:12:11 +0000

Tour Striker Golf Academy’s Martin Chuck shares his best practices to turn a training aid concept into sales and success.

The post InsideGOLF Exclusive: Martin Chuck shares tips to turn a training aid concept into sales and success appeared first on Golf.

The easiest way to understand turning in your swing, according to Tiger Woods' former coach

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 14:17:59 +0000

The golf swing certainly isn’t a natural athletic motion, so it’s up to us to give our bodies cues to follow. In this Skillest lesson, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Sean Foley walks through what he’s focusing on when teaching the best players in the world.

The post The easiest way to understand turning in your swing, according to Tiger Woods’ former coach appeared first on Golf.

Top 100 Teacher: If you struggle around the greens, try my 'Chip-Putt' shot

Lou Guzzi, GOLF Top 100 Teacher — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 12:44:19 +0000

We’ve all had that situation where we just hit our ball over the green and face a fast, delicate downhill chip.

Such a touchy shot this can become a real knee knocker. It’s not always the case but most greens are built where the back of the green is higher than the front of the green. This design is ideal for accepting a properly hit golf shot. On greens like this, it’s often better to miss short, rather than go long and have a downhill chip coming back.

Now, that’s great planning but we all know that plans change, and those fast downhill chips are going to be there for us to deal with.

As for how to deal with chips like this?

I could use my chipping technique, but it’s real fast and I don’t want to put any unneeded power into the shot. Instead, I’m going to what is called a “Chip Putt” with my 60 degree wedge.

With this technique, I’m going to use my putting stroke. I’m going to take out my wedge and get set up exactly the way I would set up for a putt. Because the wedge is longer, I am going to grip down on it, stand the club up more, getting it to feel like my putter, make a couple of practice strokes and then go ahead and hit this shot. It will come out nice and soft and this shot is going to feel like about a 20-foot putt.

This technique can be used all around the greens and with many different clubs — just experiment with it when you have some time to go to the short-game area.

Watch the PGA and LPGA Tour players and you will notice that they use this technique many times on the course. With a little bit of practice, you can master this shot, too.

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Why this common piece of swing advice is actually a huge myth

Zephyr Melton — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 17:57:28 +0000

If you’ve been around golf for any meaningful amount of time, you’ve likely heard the advice to “keep your head down” or “keep your head still.” When someone starts struggling to make consistent contact, there’s always someone nearby to suggest they keep they focus on the movement of their head.

The advice is well-intentioned, and to the uninformed, it makes perfect sense! Too much movement with your head means that you’re (theoretically) taking your eyes off the ball. And it’s tough to hit something you aren’t actively looking at.

However well-intentioned this advice may be, though, it’s actually not all that helpful. In fact, according to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jonathan Yarwood, the advice is a huge myth.

So many myths in golf….Swing slowly, low n slow, big turn creates power, wider the better etc….but here’s the big one, Head still! Causes so many issues The head moves people, the head moves pic.twitter.com/JWe4fUjI3J
— JonathanYarwood (@JonathanYarwood) August 30, 2022

“As soon as you keep your head still, your body stops turning,” Yarwood says. “You get kind of too close to the ball and your extremities have to start fishing for the ball. You’ve actually got more chance of topping the ball and hitting a bad shot while keeping your head still than you have when actually letting it do what it’s supposed to do.”

With an iron, your head should slightly move off the ball (to the right) when you take it to the top of the backswing. Then, on the way down, your head will move down as you push into the ground and then forward from where it was at the top of the swing. After impact, it will continue moving forward and then up as you follow the ball on its flight.

“Your head is moving quite a lot with an iron shot,” Yarwood says. “It’s not staying still. That allows me to move my body and keep my body flowing, which pulls the club and allows me to hit a decent shot.”

The same is true with a driver, although the head movement is slightly different. Once again, your head will sway off the ball on the way back and then slightly down to begin the downswing. But as you near impact, your head will actually shift a little backward in order to create an upward angle of attack.

“It definitely does not stay still,” Yarwood says. “Let your head move around as it’s supposed to … Do not keep it still. That is yet another myth.”

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Securing Victory: Preparing for The Open's demanding conditions

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 01:22:46 +0000

On the eve of the 150th Open, we’ve partnered with CDW to break down all that goes into winning the year’s final major championship. Luke Kerr-Dineen and GOLF Top 100 Teacher Tony Ruggiero discuss the physical aspects of a pro’s preparation.

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Kordas' coach: These 4 'simple' rules will improve any golf swing

Luke Kerr-Dineen — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 15:49:38 +0000

In some ways it must be a daunting task for a coach.

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jamie Mulligan truly has one of the best track records in the game. He’s shepherded both Luke List and Patrick Cantlay‘s rises from junior golf all the way to the PGA Tour, with Cantlay winning a FedEx Cup title in 2021.

And then, in late 2021, Mulligan got a call from Jessica and Nelly Korda, two of the best swings — and players — on the LPGA Tour. How do you begin improving such an impressive slate of players? That’s the question we put to Mulligan in the latest episode of Swing Whisperers, which you can watch above.

You can learn from Mulligan’s system, too. Here are 4 ways his teaching philosophy can take strokes off your game:

1. Simpler is better

If there is one word that best describes coach Mulligan’s approach, it’s “simple.” To turn a good swing into a great one — or a bad one into a good one — he says the trick is learning to eliminate excess movement.

“If anything, their golf swings get simpler over time,” he says of the Kordas. “They make the right movements at the right time, and they do the same things over and over again.”

Being part of the Nelly Korda cover issue was so rewarding, especially because it means I now have about a thousand videos of Nelly’s golf swing on my phone.

Instruction piece of the cover story is dropping tomorrow. In the meantime, here she is silking a 9 iron pic.twitter.com/LAmHYuqdhT

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) May 10, 2022

2. Start your swing right

Another key component of a good swing, Mulligan says, is starting your swing on the right foot. These means making sure the fundamentals of your ball position, grip, and stance are all in a place that puts your swing in a position to succeed. Most important: your posture, which will allow your body to power the rest of your swing, moving the club on the takeaway and then into the downswing.

“Her posture is beautiful,” Mulligan says of Jess Korda’s swing. “It’s what allows her body to move the club on the takeaway, and create what I call a ‘loaded takeaway.’”

3. Body guides the hands

Many teachers try to take the hands out of the swing, but Mulligan prefers to see the hands as an asset that can help you square the clubface.

“I always liked the phrase your hands are angels not devils,” he said. “But they should follow the movement of your body.”

In Mulligan’s mind, that means nailing the sequence of your transition: Shifting to your front foot, then rotating through. To help with this, he often uses a drill with his students where he puts the grip end of the club on his players’ lead hip and pushes them toward their front foot as they begin their downswing.

4. “Shots to spots”

When Mulligan talks about one of his longtime students, Patrick Cantlay, he praises above all else something that has nothing to do with his swing.

“His mentality, even as a junior golfer, was always so impressive,” he said. “He was always wise beyond his years.”

How can you adopt a similar mindset? Mulligan says to approach golf like a game of chess: When you hit your ball out of position, focus on getting safely back into position, and then continuing. It’s about limiting mistakes, and again, keeping things simple.

“It’s shots to spots,” Mulligan says. “That’s what golf is.”

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How I picked up 26 yards of extra distance in a 1-hour lesson

Zephyr Melton — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 21:23:35 +0000

I’ve become a pretty solid golfer in my time working at GOLF.com. When I started here a little over two years ago, my handicap index hovered around 7. Now, I’m at a 4.2.

But in recent months, I’ve felt as if my game has plateaued. Improvement can be difficult to come by in this maddening game, and its been in short supply for me of late. I haven’t played particularly poorly, but I also haven’t done anything too exciting.

Getting down to scratch is a huge goal of mine. It’s proven more difficult than I expected, though. The main culprit for my plateau? Lack of power.

Gear

I gained 22 yards with my first-ever clubfitting — here’s what I learned

By: Claire Rogers

My clubhead speed with my driver hovers in the mid-90s. I typically fly it around 220, and it finishes out there around 240. Short and straight is my game, and it’s been an effective one. But to take my game to the next level, I know I need more pop.

So I enlisted the help of an expert; specifically, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jonathan Yarwood.

Yarwood and I have been friends for a couple years now. We “met” on social media, and I’ve since gotten to know him on the road at LPGA events and other golf-related functions. I love the way he teaches, and the results he produces are impressive. He’s coached a couple pros to major wins, including 2005 U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell.

Lucky for me, Yarwood has taken up residence in the northeast this summer, teaching at northern New Jersey’s Alpine Country Club. So, I decided to pay him a visit.

Upon arrival, Yarwood had me hit 20 balls to establish baseline numbers — 10 7-irons and 10 drivers. The results were as I expected, with a reliable pull-cut dominating my shot chart.

When I finished, Yarwood gave me a frank assessment.

“Man, you don’t hit it anywhere, do you?”

Harsh, but true.

Then, he gave me some heartening news.

“This is going to be the easiest lesson of your life.”

The culprit for the lack of power started with my posture. As Yarwood put it, I looked like a “90-year-old man” when I addressed the ball. My feet were too close together, and my hips were too flat. Simply put, I wasn’t in an athletic position to attack the ball.

A before and after of the author’s swing.

Because of my setup position, I had a steep angle of attack that caused me to cut across the ball. With a narrow stance, I’d spin my hips incredibly fast from the top, throwing the club head outside the path and sapping me of almost all of my power.

The data backed up his hypothesis. My swing speed with the driver was in the mid-90s, and my path was 5 degrees to the left. Not good.

“The path is miles left, dead slow, and with a downward angle of attack,” Yarwood said. “The whole thing is just cutting across is.”

He explained that my tailbone was too far underneath me and my swing too narrow on the way back. All wee needed to do was adjust the setup position to get a more athletic posture and my speed would increase.

“I think if you stood wider, got a little lower and stood further away, things will get better,” he said. “Your trail hip is going to spin phase too quickly.”

With a more athletic setup established, all I needed to do with my swing was “surf” toward the target more on my downswing.

“Keep your trail side more down as you come into it,” Yarwood said.

With the problems diagnosed, I hopped back up on the Trackman and started hitting a few more shots. Athletic setup. Surf toward the target. Keep the trail side down. The improvement was immediate.

Had my first proper lesson with @JonathanYarwood this afternoon, and he worked magic.

A couple tweaks to my posture and setup, plus a little clean up on my sequencing, and I hit the ball better than ever.

He’s a Top 100 Teacher for a reason pic.twitter.com/kEJDqOvvtB
— Zephyr Melton (@zephyrmelton) April 27, 2022

I saw myself effortlessly shallowing the shaft on video, and my path went from 5 degree left, to exiting 1-2 degrees right. And my cluhead speed improved, too. I went from the mid-90s to up over 101 mph with a driver. That 240-yard fade I had when I walked in the door was a now-respectable 272-yard draw.

I might need to start seeing a Top 100 Teacher more often.

The post How I picked up 26 yards of extra distance in a 1-hour lesson appeared first on Golf.

Top 100 teacher roundtable: How do women coach, learn and play golf differently than men?

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:15:19 +0000

An expert panel of women golf coaches gather to discuss the differences between how women and men approach golf. They talk about how they tailor coaching techniques for men and women, and provide insight on how to further grow the women’s game.

The post Top 100 teacher roundtable: How do women coach, learn and play golf differently than men? appeared first on Golf.

How to 'cut' your pitch shots, like players were required to do at fire-breathing Bay Hill

Zephyr Melton,Jonathan Yarwood, Top 100 Teacher — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 20:35:48 +0000

If you watched the Arnold Palmer Invitational over the weekend, you saw a tournament played under U.S. Open-like conditions. The winds were swirling, the rough was gnarly and the greens were firm and fast. It made for a prime viewing experience and misery for those who had to play through it.

Bay Hill was a battlefield in a war of attrition. Pars came with a sigh of relief and big numbers lurked with every mis-hit shot. Gary Woodland summed it up best when he came off the course following a bruising final-round 73.

Instruction

The 2 most important psychological elements of golf

By: Zephyr Melton

“I’m glad I’m off that golf course,” he said. “I’m glad I’m done.”

It was that type of week in Orlando. And with the conditions so difficult, players were forced to use every shot in their bags — especially around the greens. Standard driving-range chips and pitches were largely ineffective.

Sometimes, reaching those tough-to-reach hole locations required shaping the ball — even on pitches inside 75 yards. It’s a high-level play, but one that is required when playing a brute of a course like Bay Hill. GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jonathan Yarwood shared a video over the weekend explaining the technique behind these shots so you can add it to your arsenal as well.

With the tight pins, fast and firm greens as well as a swirling wind, you’ll be seeing players at Bayhill subtly shaping their pitch shots. He’s how and why you need this skill. pic.twitter.com/XASzfPv6Xa
— JonathanYarwood (@JonathanYarwood) March 5, 2022

“Imagine the flag is 12 o’clock on the clock face,” Yarwood says. “Aim your body at 11 o’clock.”

With a slightly open setup, you now want to set up the clubface behind the ball. But instead of having the face square to the target, open it up just slightly.

Stand closer to the ball than you would on a normal pitch, and pull the handle of the club down and toward your lead knee.

“From this setup, I’ve got no choice but to lift the club up and away from me,” he says. “But then the key move from here is feeling like the left pocket keeps moving, the ribs keep moving, the belt buckle keeps moving — so the handle gets pulled sharply left. It almost feels like I’m pulling the handle into my pocket.”

By releasing the club to the left, you’re effectively cutting across the ball through impact. And as long as you keep the clubface open and don’t roll it shut, you should create cut spin that will work the ball from left to right.

“It increases spin as well if you really rip your body open,” he says. “It’s a great shot to have in your bag.”

Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

The post How to ‘cut’ your pitch shots, like players were required to do at fire-breathing Bay Hill appeared first on Golf.

Golf.com

GOLF Magazine's 2024-2025 Top 100 Teachers in America: The full list

How we pick our Top 100 Teachers

Meet GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers

Dale Abraham

Rob Akins

Eric Alpenfels

Cheryl Anderson

Todd Anderson

Jason Baile

Mike Bender

Jason Birnbaum

Mark Blackburn

Shawn Callahan

Martin Chuck

Nick Clearwater

Chris Como

Tim Cooke

Tim Cusick

Dana Dahlquist

Mike Dickson

Dom DiJulia

Debbie Doniger

John Dunigan

Krista Dunton

Mark Durland

Sean Foley

George Gankas

Gary Gilchrist

Lou Guzzi

Mark Hackett

Joe Hallett

Scott Hamilton

Claude Harmon III

Sean Hogan

Michael Hunt

Edward (Ed) Ibarguen

Michael Jacobs

Eric Johnson

Jerry King

Kevin Kirk

Erika Larkin

Bryan Lebedevitch

James Leitz

Mike Malizia

Brian Manzella

Chris Mayson

Cameron McCormick

Susie Meyers

Brian Mogg

Liam Mucklow

Jamie Mulligan

Scott Munroe

Jim Murphy

Bernie Najar

Rob Noel

Chris O’Connell

Ed Oldham

David Orr

Andrew Park

Justin Parsons

Mike Perpich

Gale Peterson

E.J. Pfister

Joe Plecker

Andy Plummer

Carol Preisinger

John Scott Rattan

Andrew Rice

Brady Riggs

Trillium Rose

Terry Rowles

Tony Ruggiero

Don Sargent Jr.

Adam Schriber

Mike Shannon

James Sieckmann

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith

Todd Sones