Blake Isakson

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Other (Indicate specific awards below in 3-a)

Other awards won:
US Kids Top 50 Coach – 2020 & 2021; US Kids Top 50 Master Coach – 2022; PGA Game Changer Award – Player Development – 2022, 2023, 2024; GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game – 2022, 2023, 2024 2024; Southwest Section PGA Junior Player Development Award

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 175
Female: 75
Junior: 225

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
Little Chippers (4-6 yrs old): 54; Junior – 108; Summer Camp – MVCC – 12; Summer Camp – Jacoby – 24; Women – 84; Men – 3

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
Wyoming – This year we started a PGA Jr League All Star team. This team was made possible by a year over year increase in participation that qualified us to form a team of 13U players. These All Star players were able to compete in the Western Shootout held in Utah as well as the Section Championship Qualifier in Colorado. These experiences of traveling to play golf outside of the state against an entirely new group of players helped to create excitement and extra interest in going to the golf course to work on their games in preparation for their tournaments.

Jacoby Jr Club Championship – This was the first time that Jacoby GC has had a junior club championship and the participation level was great for a first-year event. We were able to have 3 different divisions: 2-hole, 9-hole, and a 36-hole Championship division. This will be an event that we continue to develop over the coming years.

Arizona – This year we were one of several select sites that helped the PGA pilot a new PGA Jr League program specifically designed for players 9 years old and younger. This program fit perfectly into our philosophy of meeting students where they are with their skills and providing a “next” for them to work towards. We were able to have this younger group play 3-hole matches on our par 3 course, which was the perfect number of holes to match their skill and interest level. This program went so well that the PGA has decided to make 9U an official division for the coming PGA Jr League season nationwide.

We also have expanded the activities around our PGA Jr League Travel team. This is a team made up of our All Star players and other qualifying players who are invited to travel to other courses – both in and out of state – to compete against other teams outside of the regular PGA Jr League post-season.

These are only the programs that launched in the last year; they are in addition to our other programs that have been in place for several years.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
I am particularly focused on group instruction because it allows for the best combination of information and experimentation for the students. Students receive the initial information, then they practice using the associated drill/game. During that practice, not only is specific guidance provided on an individual basis, but students are able to experiment with the shots to find what works best for them and also learn by observing the shots their classmates are hitting. I believe the latter is an underutilized teaching tool and have found it to be very beneficial for students.

One of the things we do in our junior programming is try to create a “next” for the kids. We have a series of classes that progress as the kids move up in age and skill. We also use tournament golf as a goal, including PGA Jr League, US Kids tournaments, PING Junior Interclub, and the tournaments we run at the club. Tournaments help create a “next” for many kids and also help them understand the “why” behind the different skills we are learning in class. We start the kids in our Foundations classes, then once they have a good understanding of the fundamental golf skills, we move them to our on course programs. For the kids who want additional practice, we offer supervised practice sessions with specific drills that change each week. Each group represents a different stage in the players’ growth and commitment level to the game, so this progression meets their different needs and also allows the kids who are more committed to spend more time together working on their games. We also use this path to help parents understand where their child is at and when it would be appropriate to join PGA Jr League on the par 3 course or the full course.

To keep individual students engaged between lessons, I use private YouTube links and Google Sheets to deliver personalized practice plans. The drills help the student create their own feedback loop, allowing them to improve not just when I am present but also when they are practicing on their own. The goal is always that of improving understanding, movement, shot dispersion, and scoring. My philosophy is that not all information is good and not all good information is helpful. By providing specific feedback through drills and activities, I can help my students to improve in a reliable, measurable, consistent manner while helping them to become their own best coach.