Steve Whidden, PGA

Steve has been named 2013 Edwin Watts Top Instructors in America, 2013 North Florida PGA Section’s Teacher of the Year, Southwest Chapter Teacher of the Year. Steve is the founder and chair of the Instruction Division of the North Florida PGA Section, and the Southwest Chapter.

Facility type: Public

Past awards/recognitions:

• GRAA Top 50 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional
• PGA Section Teacher of the Year
• PGA Chapter Teacher of the Year
• PGA Section Horton Smith Award
• PGA Chapter Horton Smith Award
• Edwin Watts Top Instructor

Technology used in instruction:

• V1 Pro
• Trackman
• SwingByte
• SKLZ Golf
• EyeLine Putting
• TOMI Putting Lab
• ES12 launch monitor
• Explanar
• Flightscope
• Str8 Pull

Approximate number of free “tune-ups” or lessons given per year: 150

Growth of the game initiatives:

• Teaching Expos in 3 of the 4 Chapters n the North Florida PGA, to entice new and lapsed players into golf
• FREE Golf Makeover: 7 week FREE program to contest winner…got people thinking about getting into golf again
• Coaching Sessions: win, win, win. $400 for 6 weeks, 6 people per class, The student sees it as a bargain since i charge 110/hr
• Introduction to golf programs to 5 local churches
• FREE Welcome to Golf clinics once a month
• Pay by the minute Program: they can take a 5, 10, 15 minute lesson…HUGE success getting more people into golf
• New Junior Program for kids under the age of 6
• Continue to run the largest Women Only Golf Clinics in the area