Matt Henderson, the 2021 Southwest PGA Section Teacher of the Year and multi-year Southern Nevada Chapter Special Awards winner, is the PGA of America Director of Instruction at TPC Las Vegas (NV).

Matt Henderson on the importance of implementing a Collegiate Development Program:

With more than two decades of coaching experience, I have had students who’ve competed in 12 USGA championships, four R&A championships and three professional tours. I am proud of my game improvement programs that have yielded many success stories and now have 13 juniors who’ve received college scholarships via our Collegiate Development Program. The CDP is for the competitive junior who wants to take his or her game to the next level. In fact, the sole goal of the program is to guide these young golfers on the path to college golf. The CDP not only provides player development coaching but also tournament preparation, goal-setting, resume building, physical development, college counseling and recruiting advice, based on my years of experience as a Division I college golf coach. We use online communication tools to ensure the students and their parents are abreast of pertinent topics and to support them in our effort to achieve our mutual goals for the prospective collegiate golfers. We customize every program based on the needs of the player, and do not omit the psychological, emotional and mental triggers that we all experience as golfers.

Matt Henderson on the business impact of implementing a Collegiate Development Program:

Each new relationship starts on the range with a New Student Assessment, during which we conduct a TPI screening, a short game assessment, a putting evaluation and a conversation about the player’s whole game. I use Foresight Sports and FlightScope launch monitors, as well as video from Onform and Thrive Coach in my day-to-day coaching. Building success at a high level of junior golf leads to new students down the road and a more diverse student base of new golfers, seasoned players and high-level juniors. It leads to increased programming across the board. Looking ahead at trends in the industry, I believe indoor golf will continue to increase in popularity, providing programming opportunities for golf professionals.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email matthenderson@pgatourtpc.com.