By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
When it comes to the boys of summer – baseball players, that is – they say pitchers are often the best golfers because they pitch once a week and have plenty of time to hit the links after they get their daily reps in on the diamond or in the bullpen or batting cage. According to former Mets and Red Sox player Greg Graham, the PGA of America Director of Instruction at Graham Golf Academy at Different Strokes Golf Center in Louisville, Kentucky, with most games scheduled at night and the occasional day off, even position players like our shortstop turned golf pro have ample opportunity to work on their golf skills.
Greg Graham was introduced to the game of golf by his uncle when he was just 11 years old. The Bowling Green, Kentucky native played baseball, basketball and football in high school, and baseball at the University of Louisville before getting drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the June 1990 amateur draft. Graham spent eight seasons in the Red Sox and New York Mets organizations and ended his baseball career with a season in Italy, while actually competing in some European Challenge Tour qualifiers.
While working for University of Louisville coaching legend, Denny Crum, Graham met Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame member and two-time Kentucky PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year, Gene Sullivan, who recognized Graham’s knack for teaching and encouraged him to get into golf instruction professionally.
Over his two decades at Different Strokes, he’s built his teaching business to the point where he’s teaching 10-12 hours per day, seeing upwards of two dozen students on any given day. “I’m very proud of the teaching business I have created and am considered one of the busiest teaching professionals in Kentucky,” Graham boasts.
Graham is a huge proponent of half-hour lessons, even highlighting the benefits of the shorter sessions to students who’ve paid for one hour’s worth of his time so they split the time into two visits. “It makes the day go by faster, and I can see twice as many students,” he explains. “An hour is a long time for most of my older clients to hit golf balls, and there’s too much information being disseminated in a 60-minute session. Most students will retain more of what the instructor has to say in a shorter lesson.”
Graham focuses on one topic at a time and promotes package deals that create ample opportunities for him and his students to get together and tackle the goals they’ve set. “If a student buys a five-hour package, I’m going to see them 10 times, and they’re going to be better than they were before,” he added.
With such long days on the lesson tee, Greg Graham teaches eight months per year and takes four months off to rejuvenate his battery. In season, he’ll employ FlightScope, video analysis and Toptracer Range in his instruction.
He started the Graham Golf Academy in 1997 and has seen the transition from just golfers playing golf to a broader base of athletes playing the game. “I have a lot of kids who play,” he says, “and I encourage them to play other sports as well.”
Graham has a dedicated area on the range at Different Strokes Golf Center and conducts playing lessons at a few local golf courses with which he has relationships. He is, however, very excited about the state of his primary facility at Different Strokes.
“Our owners have made a great investment of time, money and resources into our golf center,” Graham says.
With 150 grass tee hitting spots and Toptracer Range installed a few years ago, the proof is in the presentation, and golfers going out to Different Strokes Golf Center are treated to a top-notch practice experience every time. As a result, the range attracts many high school and college golf teams who utilize the facility for their primary practice sessions, enabling Graham to foster relationships with other golf professionals and coaches.
Graham’s website is excellent, so simple and clean, exactly how he wants it to be. And his attitude about attracting new clients is refreshing and very positive.
“If I can get a golfer to come out and take one lesson, they’re going to improve and come back for more lessons and practice between sessions,” Graham explains. “I really put my heart and soul into it, and my students get the desired results.”
