Brad Pluth

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Golf Digest Best in State

Other awards won:
PGA Master Professional, Teaching and Coaching (2025). Golf Digest Best Teachers in Minnesota, No. 5 (2019 to 2020). Golf Digest Best Young Instructor (2017 to 2018). Minnesota PGA Professional Development Award (2011). Minnesota PGA Player Development Award (2016). Minnesota PGA Youth Player Development Award (2018). U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Master Instructor. Callaway Top 25 Elite Golf Coach and Callaway Master Staff. Founder and Director, Minnesota PGA Teaching Division. Golf Range Association Growth of the Game Professional (2026). Author of Purposeful Conversations: Family Connection Through Golf.

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 800
Female: 250
Junior: 300

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
25

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
Golf loses players when it becomes only scores, pressure and instruction. My initiatives address that by bringing new golfers in, giving families a reason to play together, and keeping adult golfers improving so they stay in the game.

PGA Junior Golf Camps at Dick's House of Sport, Minnetonka. As camp director, I run structured camps that introduce kids to golf in a retail setting where families already shop. That puts golf in front of people who have never been to a course. [Number of camps and campers in 2026]
Purposeful Conversations family program. My book, Purposeful Conversations: Family Connection Through Golf, gives parents, couples and coaches conversation frameworks for before, during and after a round. It changes "How did you play?" to "What did you discover today?" I teach it in family coaching sessions and coach workshops, and share it with youth programs such as FCA and First Tee. The goal is to keep kids playing past ages 12 to 14, which is when participation drops sharply. [Number of families or workshops]
FCA golf camps. I lead golf camps as a volunteer, combining skill development with character and faith-based mentoring. [Number of participants]
Special Olympics golf. As a volunteer program leader, I help athletes with intellectual disabilities learn the game and compete. [Number of athletes]
Break 100 Blueprint. This is a 40-session coaching system for adults stuck between 95 and 115. Many golfers in that range quit because they stop improving. The program replaces random tips with a measured system (movement, scoring mindset, purposeful practice and course strategy) that eliminates penalty strokes and makes golf more fun. It's available in person and remotely, so golfers far from a qualified coach can join.
Remote coaching reach. Through GolfAchievement.com I coach golfers by phone, iPad and Google Meet. Over my career I have coached golfers in 46 states and 16 countries.
Corporate golf programs. I use golf as a tool for team connection at corporate outings and workshops, bringing in employees who would not otherwise pick up a club. Past clients include Wells Fargo, CH Robinson, Apple and Stein Financial.
Industry education. I have spoken at the Minnesota Golf Show (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025) and to the Minnesota PGA, LPGA Midwest Section and First Tee. I founded the Minnesota PGA Teaching Division to help other professionals grow their instruction programs and reach more golfers.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
Break 100 Blueprint progression. The 40 sessions have clear phases: assessment and foundation (1 to 8), skill-building with benchmarks (9 to 24), strategy and on-course application (25 to 36), and self-coaching independence (37 to 40). Students always know where they are and what comes next.
Performance scorecards. More than 60 custom scorecards turn practice into measurable sessions, so students see their progress in numbers instead of guessing.
CoachNow between lessons. Students send practice videos and get feedback between sessions, which keeps them accountable and connected to their plan.
Lesson summaries. After each session, every student gets a written summary with key concepts, practice activities and next steps.
Scoring mindset system. A three-phase routine (Assessment, Performance, Reinforcement) and a five-step pre-shot routine give students a way to review their rounds and improve after every one.
Family and relationship programming. Purposeful Conversations gives families and playing partners a framework that makes each round a shared experience, which keeps them coming back together.
Remote continuity. Students who travel or live out of state keep training through remote sessions, so the coaching relationship doesn't end when they leave Minnesota.