By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
With every new year comes the wonder of “what could be.” Awards are announced across the PGA of America and golf publications throughout the industry. At the Golf Range Association of America (GRAA), we welcome the opportunity to cite the country’s top public, private and stand-alone facilities, as well as the Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professionals and our Elite Teaching Professionals, of course. Matt Henderson, the PGA of America Director of Instruction at TPC Las Vegas, is a first-time GRAA award winner but has enjoyed an esteemed career in golf.
“It all started in Cheyenne, Wyoming where I was born and raised,” Henderson says. “I was introduced to the game by my parents, and my first touches with the game were hitting balls into the open prairie that surrounded our home. I eventually started tagging along to a local executive course and my love of the game just grew from there.”
Henderson says he was the quintessential golf nerd. Starting when he was 13 years old, he’d spend many summer hours at Airport Golf Club, his local municipal course, where he met several individuals who would be his initial mentors in the game.
“Lew and Mike Lepore were the PGA of America Golf Professionals at the club – they gave me my first job in the industry,” Henderson recalls. “I picked up range balls and tended to the cart fleet. Later I would also take on my first assistant professional role at the club and teach my first lessons. I got my first big break in teaching and coaching when I landed an internship with Dave Pelz. After spending several seasons with Pelz, I was able to get on board with the PGA Tour Academies, which would lead to my current role in the TPC Network. In that time, I have had the privilege of studying under and learning from some of the finest coaches in the industry and benefited from stellar mentors like Brandon Stooksbury, the PGA of America Head Golf Professional at Metairie Country Club.”
Henderson, a multi-year Southern Nevada PGA Chapter Teacher of the Year, Player Development Award Winner and PGA Professional Development Award Winner, and the 2021 Southwest PGA Section Teacher of the Year, has had students who’ve competed in 12 USGA championships, four R&A championships and three professional tours.
He facilitates game improvement programs that have yielded many success stories and now has 13 juniors who’ve received college scholarships out of his Collegiate Development Program, which not only provides player development coaching but also recruiting advice based on his years as a Division I college golf coach.
“These game improvement programs center around full game improvement, including an online portal from FlowCode with tools for players to work on the psychological, emotional and mental triggers we all experience as golfers,” Henderson explains. “I use Foresight Sports and FlightScope launch monitors, as well as video from Onform and Thrive Coach in my day-to-day coaching.”
Looking ahead at trends in the industry, Henderson sees indoor golf continuing to increase in popularity. With launch monitor companies doing such a great job with their hardware/software, their services have become more accessible and feasible to own for the average golfer.
“With the water issues in the desert and winter climate in most of the country, it seems to be a natural extension of the game, and as technology gets better and better, I think the sky is the limit for virtual league play,” Henderson advises. “On the teaching and coaching side, I see house calls becoming a more frequent service offered, something I already offer for many of my clients.”
For more information on Matt Henderson and his programming, log on to his website today!
