By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Eva Rogers, a five-time Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, is a PGA of America Teaching Professional at the storied Medinah Country Club in the Illinois PGA Section. She has been recognized as a Golf Digest Best Young Instructor and a U.S. Kids Top 50 Coach. Most recently, she earned the Illinois PGA Section Player Development Award in 2024 and was named a 2026-2027 Golf Digest Top 50 Teacher in Illinois.
Rogers’ introduction to the game of golf was an interesting one. “I was at a family reunion when I was 13 years old, and several family members were going to play a round of golf,” she explains. “They asked if I wanted to tag along to drive the golf cart since they knew I had no interest in playing. I was asked during the round if I wanted to hit a shot. I had no idea what I was doing since I had never swung a golf club before. But, of course, the only club I wanted to hit was the driver. I grabbed the club with a baseball grip and just whacked it. I thought I had a pretty good shot because it was in the fairway compared to everyone else’s balls that kept finding the trees and the water! That one drive impressed everyone, and I remember my uncle recommending to my dad that I take up golf. After hearing that suggestion, my response was a quick ‘no thanks!’ I had no interest in playing a sport that I considered slow and boring.”
With Rogers’ sport of choice at the time being basketball, she admits that the joke was on her. She started playing golf in high school when she was 14 years old and found it to be a challenge during her first two years. She just wanted to hit the driver and hope for the best during the rest of the round.
“I didn’t care to practice putting or short game; there was nothing fun about that,” she recalls. “However, after my coach told me that I had a chance to play in college and scholarships might be available, working on those boring parts of the game didn’t sound that bad anymore!”
With aspirations of being a CEO of a company or owning her own business, Rogers’ journey to becoming a golf professional wasn’t something she expected. After playing two years at Seminole State College of Florida, Eva transferred to West Texas A&M University.
“During my senior year of college, I suffered an injury that forced me to take a medical redshirt,” she tells us. “While it was tough not being able to compete, it turned out to be a pivotal moment in my life. Unable to play, I spent the year assisting my coach and helping my teammates with their swings. My coach recognized that I had a natural ability to understand the mechanics of the golf swing. What felt like a setback at the time opened the door to a new path, one that ultimately led me into coaching and, eventually, to my career as a golf professional.”
After college, Rogers started working at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and then moved to Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando before joining Jim McLean’s Golf School. Those early years gave her a foundation of professional experience and a chance to see different teaching environments at high levels. From there, she accepted a full-time teaching position at Medinah Country Club, where she is completing her eighth season.
“Today, as a golf professional, I see how it all connects,” Rogers reflects. “I may not be a CEO in the traditional sense, but golf has given me opportunities to lead, coach and inspire in ways I never dreamed of. It feels like the career I was meant to have, even if I didn’t see it coming at first.”
At Medinah, Rogers has built programs that give golfers at every level a pathway to success. She introduced Operation 36 into their junior program in 2025, making on-course play and practice fun, competitive and goal-oriented. She is proud of some substantial improvements among her young students.
“What stood out most was the kids’ excitement, the way they celebrated shooting even par, or in some cases under par, and their continued advancing levels,” she says. “The parents embraced it alongside the kids and enjoyed playing the Op 36 format with their junior golfers outside of the program. It made golf feel like a shared journey for the whole family.”
Group programs have become a growing facet of Eva’s coaching. She feels there’s no better way to accelerate growth and improvement in golf than by surrounding players with other hard-working individuals who share the same mindset and are willing to trust the process week after week. She appreciates that the energy and accountability within a small group setting create an environment where players push and inspire each other to improve and work on accomplishing their goals. Some believe that practicing alone can be boring, but being part of a group can make the practices and on-course play more enjoyable.
“On-course development programs are all about exposing students to real-course situations and teaching them how to transfer their range skills to practical play,” she advises. “By practicing in this environment, players build the confidence and skills needed to navigate challenges, execute strategies and ultimately lower their scores.”
Rogers implements various facets of today’s golf teaching technology into her coaching, including Trackman, CoachNow, Motion2Coach and an AI video analysis app called SWEE. “Using these tools, I can create a more efficient, engaging and results-driven coaching experience for every player,” she says.
Finally, one of the best practices Rogers has embraced is mentoring, which she says has become one of the most fulfilling aspects of her work.
“Over the past several years, I’ve welcomed interns and young professionals into our summer junior programs, giving them the opportunity to learn instruction, participate in program development and take ownership of coaching sessions,” she explains. “This hands-on approach allows them to build confidence and discover their own voice as coaches. More than just teaching skills, mentoring creates future leaders who are prepared to grow the game and strengthen the golf industry for years to come. In fact, mentoring is a best practice that strengthens the entire golf industry. What began as an opportunity to share my knowledge has become one of the most rewarding parts of my career, as I’ve watched young professionals flourish in their roles and discover their own voice in the game. Mentorship shapes character, sharpens leadership and instills the values of service and resilience that define the PGA of America. Through mentoring, we safeguard the future of the game by equipping tomorrow’s leaders with the tools, confidence and vision to thrive.”
