By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Lauren Tallman has several PGA Section awards on her resume, including the 2016 Central New York PGA Section Assistant Golf Professional of the Year and the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Western New York PGA Section Youth Player Development Award. The PGA of America owner/operator of Finger Lakes Golf Academy recently added a Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional Award to her growing list of accolades. She’s also won several Western New York PGA Section Player of the Year Awards, proving that she can play the game as well as she can teach it.
“My father introduced me to golf when I was just eight years old,” she recalls. “We’d go to the driving range together, and my highlight was getting a hot dog and a soda after our driving range session!”
Tallman worked as a cart attendant at the local public course in her hometown, and during the summers, she’d get free range practice privileges after helping with the junior golf camps.
“This is where I fell in love with teaching juniors and golf,” she says. “Since that time, I have been lucky to work with some great PGA of America Professionals during my brief career so far. All of these mentors have taught me to be patient, kind and supportive of all golfers that I encounter daily.”
As the owner of Finger Lakes Golf Academy in Victor, New York, Tallman recently invested in a Foresight Sports GCQuad predominantly for use indoors during the winter season. Through her academy, she offers a variety of programs, one of the most popular ones being their spring adult bootcamp clinics.
“These clinics are hosted in April and May, and are designed to get golfers back into golf after the long winter,” she explains. “The clinics are two-day sessions and cover all aspects of the game from putting to driver, etiquette and various basic rules.”
Tallman has also partnered with local women’s golf associations in her area and hosts monthly clinics for them that welcome upwards of three dozen participants and are designed to be educational and a great social experience as well.
Some other player development programs she has run include:
- Birdie Bash – Play Yellow fundraising event
- PGA Junior League
- PGA Family Cup
- PGA Junior Golf ADM model
- Women-specific golf clinics for the LPGA Amateur Association
- U.S. Kids Golf weekly learning programs
- LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Greater Rochester
- Adult golf clinics for beginners and intermediate players
- Finger Lakes Junior Golf League (spring, summer and fall seasons)
- Various indoor programs to keep students engaged year-round
“I love how more young women are getting involved in the game of golf,” Tallman adds. “I have noticed more women under the age of 45 playing with their friends and think online golf channels are reaching many young golfers in a way that wasn’t done before. I’m sure this trend will continue.”
For more information on the Finger Lakes Golf Academy, log on to its website today!
