By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Tom Bach has quite a resume as a PGA Professional. With almost 30 years of green grass experience, some of it as a PGA General Manager, Bach has a lot of knowledge and expertise to share. He’s earned several awards in the Southern Ohio PGA Section, is a Quarter Century PGA Member and is currently the Secretary of the Southern Ohio PGA Section.
His most recent endeavor is called the Bach Scoring Academy. Located at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro, Ohio, Bach recently started his own golf academy that places a focus on the short game.
“I probably spent five or 10 years thinking of what I would do when it was time to retire,” Bach admits. “Do I want to get another job with fewer managerial responsibilities? Do I want to teach?”
Bach decided to start his own business and enjoy the freedom to make his own schedule.
“As PGA Professionals, we want to be around the game, and we want to help people,” Bach says. “We want people to enjoy this glorious game. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else but being in the golf industry.”
Bach’s idea is to isolate his instruction and mentorship on the short game – wedge play, chipping, pitching, bunker play and putting – the scoring shots. On-course instruction will also be a significant component of Bach’s teaching, as he applies his teachings on the field of play, in specific circumstances and with the added pressure of being on the course.
“The more people I can get onto the golf course, the greater impact I can have on their player development,” Bach says. “And more importantly on their enjoyment level in the game. We usually correlate more fun to playing better; so, I want to give them the tools they need to manage themselves around the golf course, both physically and mentally, and figure out where their boat’s taking on water – let’s plug it and fix it!”
Bach says these aspects of the game have always been a strong point of his own game. “My peers would tell you that I might hit it all over the place, but could get up and down from anywhere, and I’m dangerous with a wedge in my hand,” he admits. Bach adds that he’s always enjoyed practicing this aspect of the game.
The Bach Scoring Academy had a soft opening in January but is now going strong at Heatherwoode Golf Club. Bach offers several different programs – a lot of private and semi-private coaching, as well as small group programs with four students per session. He also offers putting and short game clinics. In fact, he recently had some special boot camps that tied into the start of Heatherwoode’s 2023 ladies league.
“On the course, we can schedule one-on-one or multiple people for nine holes to work on strategy and course management, helping them find the most logical path to success in a round,” Bach explains.
He also has a “Champion’s Program” that is more geared towards middle school, high school and college players, as well as adults who seek a competitive edge. These sessions will be customized based on the wants and needs of the students in front of him – private sessions, on-course instruction and preparation for competition to include practice rounds and mapping out of courses where his students will be competing. With the newness of his academy, Bach will put these programs in place and see what works and what needs tweaking.
The Bach Scoring Academy website has a variety of offerings in Adult Short Game Instruction with titles like Laser Sharp Putting Clinic, Sharpen Your Short Game Clinic, Play With Your Coach! and Champions Tournament Package.
Junior Golf Instruction includes Make Your Golf Team Camp, Play With Your Coach! and Champions Tournament Package and Private Golf Instruction includes Private Short Game Coaching and Take Your Game to the Next Level. There are also On-Course Instruction options that will help students play better and reap the social, physical and mental benefits that playing golf provides.
Right now, it’s just Bach doing the teaching, but adding a team to his academy isn’t out of the question as he grows the business. Heatherwoode Golf Club has a PGA Director of Instruction in Brad Smith, with whom Bach foresees the possibility of collaboration with their students. Perhaps Smith handles the full swing and Bach concentrates on the short game. It’s a very dynamic situation and an exciting one for any golf pro who’s ever considered starting his or her own business. The possibilities are endless.
The facilities at Heatherwoode Golf Club are world-class, one of the best public courses in the state of Ohio. The short game area that Bach uses includes 30-40-yard shots to a target green and a grass bunker where Bach works on deep rough and uneven lie shots. There’s also a greenside bunker that also hits towards that target green. For longer wedge shots of more than 40 yards, Bach takes his students to the tee line of the range to hit towards an array of targets – baskets, poles and new target green.
There’s a permanent fitting and teaching room in the clubhouse with Foresight GC Quad technology and multiple fitting systems. They also convert a banquet room into a golf practice area during the winter that has hitting nets with technology and a practice putting green installed with PuttView.
Bach looks forward to making a substantial impact on his students, as he always has as a PGA Professional. This time, it will be more focused on these scoring shots, lowering scores and helping golfers achieve their goals. That could be to break 100 or make their college golf team. We’ll check back with Bach in the fall or winter to get an update and hear some great stories from the 2023 golf season.
