A Day in the Life of a Golf Instructor
By John Callahan, Keiser University College of Golf Professor and PGA Professional
I have been a golf professional for a long time, since 1968, to be exact. And in all that time, no two days have been exactly alike. However, they all have one thing in common—they are all good days because they center around golf and people who love it as much as I do. So, by adding context and elaboration to the appointments in my lesson book from a Wednesday when I was the PGA Teaching Professional at the Brea Burn Country Club in Purchase, NY, below is a day in the life of a golf instructor.
Arrival at the Golf Course
I get to the course around 6:15 am. The maintenance crew is already out there mowing greens and setting up the course. It’s quiet at that hour, which is one of my favorite parts of the day. The range is empty, the air feels cool, and for a little while, it’s just me and the sound of golf carts in the distance.
Preparation
Before my first lesson, I set up my teaching area. I organize range balls, put out alignment sticks, and check that my video equipment is working properly. Technology has become a huge part of teaching golf. Students want video analysis, swing data, spin rates, launch angles, all of it. Some days I feel like part coach and part IT guy.
First Lesson – 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM
My first lesson is usually with someone squeezing a golf session before work. Many adult students come to me because they’re frustrated. Most golfers don’t book lessons because things are going well. They come because they slice the ball, can’t chip, or have “suddenly forgotten how to putt.”
Today my lesson is with Mr. Wollf, one of my regular students. He’s a lawyer who likes to take an early lesson before taking the train into Manhattan. Every lesson starts the same way.
“I think I’ve completely lost my swing,” he says. Of course, he hasn’t. Golf just makes people feel that way. That’s something I’ve learned after years of teaching: people usually think the problem is bigger than it really is. A student will want to rebuild their entire swing when really they just need to fix their grip or improve their setup.
During lessons, I try not to overload people with information. That’s one of the biggest mistakes instructors can make. If I give a student six swing thoughts at once, they’ll freeze over the ball and play even worse. Most improvement comes from simple adjustments repeated consistently.
A lot of teaching is communication. Two instructors can know the exact same things about the golf swing, but the better teacher is usually the one who explains it in a way the student understands.
Kids Clinic – 9:30 AM to 11:30 PM
On Wednesday mornings, I have a junior clinic, a duty I share with the club’s LPGA Teaching Professional. Teaching kids is completely different from teaching adults. Kids tend to learn movements faster, but they also get discouraged quickly if they struggle. Some are naturally competitive. Others are only there because their parents signed them up.
The serious junior golfers are interesting to work with because they treat golf almost like a full-time job. I have one high school player trying to earn a college scholarship, and she practices harder than many of the adults I know. With younger players, I spend a lot of time teaching course management and emotional control, not just swing mechanics. Parents sometimes think improvement should happen immediately, but golf doesn’t work like that. Progress usually comes slowly, then all at once. A kid can struggle for weeks, and suddenly something clicks.
By late morning, the course gets busier. Members stop by the range to say hello or ask quick questions. Sometimes someone will walk up while I’m teaching and say, “Can you fix my slice in two minutes?” People underestimate how hard golf is. Social media makes improvements look fast because instructional videos are always titled “Fix Your Swing Instantly.” Real improvement takes repetition and patience, which isn’t very exciting to advertise.
12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM – Group Clinic for Beginners
These are fun because beginners are often less tense than experienced golfers. New golfers don’t expect perfection yet. They laugh when they miss the ball. Experienced golfers sometimes act like every bad shot is a personal crisis.
In beginner clinics, I focus on basics: grip, posture, alignment, and making clean contact. Most people swing too hard immediately. Everyone wants to hit the ball far before they can hit it solidly. One thing I always notice is how nervous people are during their first lesson. Many beginners are embarrassed to look bad, especially in front of strangers. I spend a lot of time reminding them that literally everyone was terrible when they started. Golf is awkward at first. There’s no way around it. I often tell beginners how I shot 144 the first time I played golf. And it was actually more because I didn’t know the rules of golf and didn’t count my whiffs. Goodness knows I had a few. That story usually puts them at ease.
Lunch – 1:00 PM to 1:45
After the clinic, I eat lunch quickly in the clubhouse while answering emails and texts. Being a golf instructor involves way more administrative work than people realize. Scheduling lessons, following up with students, posting on social media, and handling cancellations.
2:00 PM – Playing Lesson
Afternoons are usually reserved for playing lessons or more advanced students. Playing lessons are important because golfers behave differently on the course than they do on the range. Someone can hit beautiful shots during practice and completely fall apart once they start keeping score.
Today I have Mrs. Springer. She is a 6-handicap and a 14-time winner of the ladies’ club championship. She rarely has swing issues, but we talk a lot about course strategy and how shots around the green will react from various lies.
Part of my job is helping students manage expectations. Even good golfers hit bad shots constantly. Tour players also miss fairways and three-putt. Recreational golfers sometimes expect perfection from themselves, even though they only play once a week.
As the day goes on, teaching becomes physically tiring. I’m standing outside for hours, demonstrating swings repeatedly, bending over to move balls around, and staying mentally focused for every student. Summer heat can be brutal, especially during afternoon lessons. People sometimes assume instructors spend all day casually hitting golf balls, but teaching requires concentration. Every student learns differently. Some need technical explanations. Others respond better to visual examples or simple feelings. A big part of the job is figuring out how each person thinks.
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Semi-Private Lesson
Late afternoons are usually more relaxing. Retired couples, casual golfers, or people getting off work come in for lessons. These sessions tend to feel less intense. Today I have a retired couple, Dr. and Mrs. Brotman.
Couples’ lessons are always interesting because partners naturally coach each other, whether they should or not.
I’ve heard things like:
“You lifted your head.”
“You swung too fast.”
“That’s not what the instructor said.”
Sometimes I feel more like a referee than a coach.
Still, those lessons can be really rewarding because golf gives people a way to spend time together. I’ve taught families who now play together every weekend because someone finally convinced them that golf could actually be fun.
Personal Practice 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Around sunset, the course starts to quiet down again. This is usually when I finally get time to practice my own game. People are always surprised that instructors still work on their swings, but we do. Teaching doesn’t magically make someone immune to bad habits.
When I practice, I try to keep it simple. A few wedges, some irons, maybe putting for half an hour. Honestly, I enjoy practicing more now than I did when I was younger and trying to shoot low scores all the time. These days, I appreciate the quiet more than competition.
Never stop learning
When I get home, I’ll often read the latest golf science or instruction book or watch the Golf Channel before bed. Golf instructors are always learning because the game keeps evolving. New technology changes how we analyze swings. Different training methods have come into vogue. There’s always another opinion about the “right” way to swing a club. The funny thing is that after years of teaching, I think the simple things matter most: a good grip, a good setup, and patience.
Most golfers improve when they get better at boring fundamentals, not when they chase complicated swing theories.
