Chelsea Soda

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:
Golf Digest Best Young Teachers in America 2025-2026

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 300
Female: 225
Junior: 300

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
100

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
This year I custom group classes for one non-member group working with Young Professionals Club of Iowa. We did a 6-week series, meeting for 60 minutes each week. The 1st class was putting and chipping, the 2nd class was pitching and irons, the 3rd class was driving and tee shots, the 4th class was on the golf course, the 5th class was specialty shots, and the 6th class was a competition on the golf course. This was great for all experience levels, and allowed participants to gain confidence to play golf with friends and in work events. The majority of classes were to groups of female friends.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
In the summer months we do Operation36, PGA Junior League, have a high school competitive program, on course clinics, and skills clinics. The Operation36 and PGA Jr League match days are a huge success at Echo Valley, with many members showing up to support and spectate these events. The kids really feel encouraged to continue golfing and the supportive environment we have created at Echo Valley for junior golfers is really something special. This year junior program participation increased by 18% over last year. Since I started at EVCC 4 years ago, we have gone from 35 junior golfers to over 90 at our club.

For adults I offer "custom group classes". People seem to be more comfortable doing group instruction with a group of their friends, rather than signing up for classes offered to the whole membership. This has been very successful in terms of bringing new golfers to the game, and keeping seasoned golfers motivated to improve and play more golf.

I am fortunate to have an indoor studio to teach in during the winter months in the Midwest, this allows me to continue programming for students all year round. In the studio we have 2 Uneekor simulators, a GC Quad bay, and a putting surface. I have released 4 winter sessions for Operation36, PGA Jr League, and High School Competitive Program. In January I will incorporate a speed and fitness program for members using a combination of BodiTrak, Stack System, Mach3 Speed Training tools, Golf Forever, and TPI.

In the studio I run a "wedge challenge" and have a whiteboard where I have split up age divisions and gender (Juniors under 12, 13-16, 17+, over 60), they're all competing for a "prize pack" from Callaway. The person with the highest score by the course's opening day will win the package. This was a big hit last winter, and I would often have students ask me if they could come in to just practice and work on improving their wedge score.

Throughout the year I have a monthly newsletter where I highlight student accomplishments, ranging from shooting their best Operation36 score, to making it into the US Amateur Matchplay. This has been great for the students, and also it lets people know that there are different pathways for success.