By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Mike Richards is a PGA of America Teaching Professional at Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida and is celebrating a quarter century as the owner of the Mike Richards Golf Academy. He’s been a PGA of America Member for 35 years and is a Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Elite Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, one of only 52 golf professionals on our elite roster.
With all those years of teaching and coaching under his belt, Richards brings a world of expertise to his students. He was the South Florida PGA Section Teacher of the Year in 2014 and earned his section’s Player Development Award in 2023. He’s also garnered several SFPGA Southern Chapter awards and has been recognized for his teaching success by U.S. Kids Golf on multiple occasions.
Despite his busy schedule, Richards was gracious enough to share a few minutes to answer our Five Questions for the August 2024 issue of Golf Range Magazine.
Golf Range Magazine: Please tell us about your start in golf. How old were you and who got you into the game?
Richards: My dad introduced me to the game of golf when I was eight years old growing up in Delaware, Ohio – just north of Columbus. I began practicing and playing golf at a local nine-hole track called Hidden Valley Golf Course, and my family later joined Mill Creek Golf Course, a nearby 18-hole facility. I remember playing in my first tournament when I was 11 years old, winning my division.
Golf Range Magazine: Did you play golf in high school or college, and when did you know you wanted to be a PGA of America Golf Professional?
Richards: I played varsity golf for four years in high school and four years in college, earning 1st Team All-American honors at Ohio Wesleyan University. Although I was a decent baseball player growing up, I really enjoyed golf and knew at 12 or 13 years of age that I wanted to do something in golf as a career.
Golf Range Magazine: What’s trending in your programming, instruction and use of social media?
Richards: The current trend for me is technology. My students are very astute and want to understand how to make their golf game better by improving their numbers. We do this through the use of simulators, launch monitors and BodiTrak. My job is to help each student understand what he or she needs to know and what they shouldn’t concern themselves with when analyzing their numbers.
I use V1 Swing Analysis for my lessons with each student receiving up to four videos per lesson to review at any time. They’ll sometimes post about their lessons on social media, but the only time I post on social media is when we have successes and accomplishments on the golf course. This not only motivates them but also confirms they are doing the correct things within our lessons and their practice time. Through technology, I am available to my students at any time.
Golf Range Magazine: What is your favorite part of the game of golf? The business of golf?
Richards: My favorite part of the game of golf is changing someone’s game. I really enjoy the challenges of taking someone’s current skills, no matter the handicap, and helping them play better. One of my philosophies is making my students their own coach. I want them to understand their faults and how to fix them. They should be able to recognize when their game goes sideways and know how and what to practice to get it back. I get a big smile when a student sends me a text or I receive a phone call to tell me about their success for the day – whatever that success is.
It takes a lot to run a successful golf academy for 25 years. When you have instructors with the same passion for teaching the game, not worrying about making money but rather growing the game, the business will take care of itself. If you put a good product out, people will find you. My passion has never changed during my 37 years of teaching. My goal has always been to improve each and every student and never stop learning myself.
Golf Range Magazine: What’s on the horizon in teaching and mentorship for Mike Richards as a proven leader in golf coaching and instruction?
Richards: My future in golf is bright. Currently, I have my private lesson business, and I’m starting my ninth year as head golf coach for the boys and girls varsity players at a local private high school. But I became a junior golf consultant in January of this year.
With experience in all aspects of junior golf, I mentor kids and families and help guide them through the process. This guidance, expertise and knowledge helps parents and kids navigate their way to becoming a collegiate golfer. An initial two-hour meeting helps me understand their goals to get them started on the right path. Here are some examples of the questions or concerns that often arise in this initial consulting meeting:
- How do I get a coach to notice me?
- When can a coach talk to me?
- What tours should I focus on?
- How many tournaments should I play each month?
- How do I establish a handicap?
- How do I get NCAA eligible?
- What golf camps, if any, should I attend?
- How much practice time do I have?
As a proven leader in my community, I continue to grow the game every day. I make golf fun for everyone through my years of experience, having learned from the best teachers in the industry. And I never stop learning myself.
