By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
You might say that Caitlin Cannon is on a roll. The 2020 graduate of Clemson University and PGA of America Teaching Professional at the Atlanta Athletic Club was recognized for her coaching efforts with the 2023 Georgia PGA Section Player Development Award and recently earned her third consecutive Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching professional honor.
“I started golf rather late in life, considering the career path I’m on,” she tells us. “I was 19 and finishing my first year of college when I went out to a course with my grandpa. I was ‘bit by the bug’ and became obsessed with the game. A little lost on what I wanted to do with my life, I spent the next year living with my grandpa, taking some classes at the local community college and golfing. The local courses were public in our very small North Carolina town, and only one of them had a driving range. I would go there every day and hit two large buckets of balls and got to know the head pro, Dave Long. He would eventually give me my first job at a golf course at the sandwich counter, and when I wasn’t working, I was playing and practicing. Without Dave’s generosity when I was beginning, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Cannon didn’t play golf in college, but did land at Clemson University, studying in its PGA Professional Golf Management Program.
“PGA Member Rick Lucas, the Director of the PGA Program at the time, let me into the program despite my lack of playing experience,” she recalls. “I promised him I would work hard to continue developing my game, and luckily, he took my word for it. Rick is one of those rare professionals who pours into others generously as long as they’re open to growth, and I took full advantage. It was Rick and Assistant Director and PGA Member Adam Savedra who guided me through my years at Clemson and helped me develop the foundation that my career sits on now.”
Cannon currently teaches at the Atlanta Athletic Club, a facility with a ton of history and a huge membership. After five years under her belt, Cannon has had great success with women’s programs. She runs two 8-week Operation 36 sessions per year, which consistently have 80-100 participants in each session. This program includes a weekly group lesson and several playing opportunities on their Par 3 course. Cannon credits the laid-back, unintimidating environment as the key to its success. In fact, since the program’s inception, they have seen record numbers of women playing on the course and also joining their nine- and 18-hole groups. This growth has also moved Cannon to add summer and winter scramble leagues, as well as clinic programs during the off-season. She credits the success of these group programs with her attaining the 2023 Georgia PGA Section Player Development Award, as well as her three GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professionals awards.
When giving private lessons, Cannon uses V1 video software, Coach360 and Trackman.
“I find that students respond well to seeing videos of themselves, and I believe that visual learning through these technologies is a powerful teaching tool,” she explains.
Looking ahead, Cannon says that golf is trending up, and it’s never been a better time to be a PGA of America Golf Professional.
“We’re seeing record numbers of women and juniors on the course, and there is a huge opportunity for professionals at any club to target these groups,” she says. “I encourage any golf professional to conduct group programming for women and juniors at their club. It’s more affordable for the golfer and more profitable for the professional. On top of that, I think it’s an easier hour working with six golfers rather than with just one.”
Cannon believes we will see more golfers wanting to play public courses due to their affordability and laid-back nature.
“I think as golf professionals we need to be very adaptable as we welcome this new wave of golfers and accept all of them with open arms,” she concludes.
The future of the game is bright with new players and young PGA of America Golf Professionals like Caitlin Cannon.
