By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Deb Vangellow’s resume is the envy of any golf professional. She’s an LPGA Master Professional, an LPGA Teacher of the Year, an LPGA Professionals Hall of Fame Member and a Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Elite Growth of the Game Teaching Professional. In addition, Deb has been recognized by Golf Digest, GOLF Magazine, U.S. Kids Golf, Golf For Women Magazine and Edwin Watts.
She conducts hundreds of private lessons per year at Riverbend Country Club in Sugar Land, Texas, and conducts group clinics to introduce the game to new golfers. With all those accolades and experience, we are proud to highlight Deb Vangellow’s career in this month’s Five Questions feature.
Golf Range Magazine: When did you get your start in golf, and who got you into the game?
Vangellow: I grew up in Fairport, New York, near Rochester and was a multi-sport athlete who came to golf late in my high school years. Interestingly, I got more active with golf in college and then in graduate school, for sure. I had the opportunity to work with Golf Digest Golf Schools, an incredible experience working with some amazing instructors in the magazine each month. I was a lucky one! Likely, this was the start of my career.
Golf Range Magazine: Did you play golf in high school or college, and when did you know you wanted to be an LPGA Golf Professional?
Vangellow: I got the terrific experience working with Kathy Whitworth and her Japanese Women’s Golf Academy right after graduate school at Miami (Ohio) University. This was WONDERFUL! With Kathy and the wonderful Betsy Cullen, we trained a specially selected group of Japanese women to excel in golf in the United States. And boy, they sure did excel! I caddied for two of our players in the U.S. Open and really assisted Kathy and Betsy, who did most of the teaching for sure. This academy helped me decide to become an LPGA Professional. And it has been a pretty good career for the past 40 years!
Golf Range Magazine: What’s trending in your programming and instruction at your facility?
Vangellow: My longtime schedule as a full-time instructor has been to provide a balance of activity at Riverbend Country Club. Certainly, private and small group sessions (ages 5 to 95…wow) lead the way, as well as ongoing specialty clinics throughout the year here in Texas.
I have some great student success stories ranging from studnets making their high school or college team to playing professionally…really great. Honestly, the best success stories for me are the beginners who grow and develop into fine golfers who really utilize their membership well at our private club. This is really gratifying, especially when they stay as members for a long time.
A variety of specialty clinics helps with golfer development, and I have had great success coaching both juniors and adults to excel with their games. Coupling clinic work with personal/private instruction has been an effective balance for student success.
Golf Range Magazine: What is your favorite part of the game of golf? The business of golf?
Vangellow: My favorite part of the game of golf has always been the short game…even earlier when I could hit it pretty long! A stroke during my later career changed this focus for me, and I was fortunate to continue to teach and play after this event…I was a lucky one!
The business of golf has been really terrific for me too…serving as National President of the LPGA was an amazing experience for sure, and I really enjoyed it. I had a bit more on my plate than usual, but I was able to manage it all. I am grateful for all the experiences I had with the LPGA – they certainly helped me in my teaching career.
Golf Range Magazine: What’s on the horizon in teaching and mentorship for you as a proven leader in golf coaching and instruction?
Vangellow: I am lucky to be able to continue teaching this WONDERFUL game and hope to be able to do this for a while. I am enjoying this greatly, and I am so surprised at how busy my schedule was with LPGA responsibilities while I was teaching, and wonder how I did everything for so long. I am busy enough just teaching now, and I hope I can still do this as I get older and older.
In the industry, a lot is happening with technology. I balance old school and new school coaching to most effectively help my students with their player development goals.
