Sarah Bidney

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
PGA Section Teacher of the Year, GRAA Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Golf Digest Best in State, Other (Indicate specific awards in 3-a below)

Other awards won (if provided):
Iowa PGA Section Instruction Awards • 3-time Iowa Teacher of the Year • 3-time Iowa Youth Player Development Award National Instruction Awards • 5-time Master Top 50 Operation 36 Coach • 4-time Golf Digest’s Best in State (Iowa ‘19-‘27) • 14-time GRAA Growth of the Game award recipient

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 175
Female: 175
Junior: 200

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
225

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
Over the past year, I have continued to expand Hyperion Field Club’s player-development model with a focus on creating new entry points into golf, retaining golfers through a clear developmental pathway, and providing more opportunities to transition from instruction to on-course play and competition.
Launched PGA Jr. League 17U: In 2026, I launched Hyperion’s first 17U PGA Jr. League team, creating a much-needed next step for juniors aging out of 13U. Our inaugural team included 11 girls, all of whom I coach. Nine previously participated in Operation 36 and eight progressed through Leading Edge, demonstrating how my pathway is retaining golfers into their teenage and high-school years.
Expanded PGA Jr. League & Served as Des Moines Area All-Star Captain: Our Hyperion 13U PGA Jr. League program included 22 players in 2026. I was also selected to captain two PGA Jr. League All-Star teams representing the Des Moines area, expanding from one All-Star team to two and providing 16 juniors with the opportunity to continue into postseason competition. This allowed me to positively impact junior golfers beyond my own facility while creating additional competitive opportunities for young players throughout our area.
Expanded Entry-Level Junior Development: I continued growing Future 36ers, our introductory program for ages 4–6. Fourteen juniors participated this year, including nine new golfers. This program is a wonderful entry into the developmental pathway I have built at Hyperion: Future 36ers → Operation 36 → Leading Edge Elite → advanced/tournament and high-school development. 200+ members have participated in programming at Hyperion this year.
Expanded Community Access: As Junior Golf Chair for the Johnston Golf Foundation since it's inception in 2025, I helped develop, promote and lead free junior clinics designed to remove financial and access barriers to golf. This clinic has provided free golf instruction to 121 children over the past two years.
Created More Appropriate Competitive Pathways: I added a new 150-yard boys division to our Junior Club Championship to bridge the developmental gap between the 100-yard division and junior tees. This allows golfers to compete from a distance appropriate to their ability and continue progressing rather than being forced into too large of a jump. Our Junior Club Championship itself has grown from approximately 12 participants in 2024 to hosting 160+ juniors in the past 2 annual events.
Provided Golf Education Beyond Hyperion: Through the Iowa Golf Association Winter Workshop, I presented nine one-hour sessions over three Saturdays to more than 150 high-school golfers and coaches. Topics included skill development, deliberate practice, performance statistics, practice planning, focus strategies and improving during the competitive season.
Developing Future PGA Professionals: I also continued my PGA Golf Management instruction internship program. In 2026, Mississippi State PGM student Daniel Tuma spent three months working alongside me, gaining experience teaching juniors ages 4–18, coaching on and off the course, running Operation 36 events and assisting with our Junior Club Championship before ultimately directing his own four-day junior camp.
My goal is not simply to increase participation, but to create golfers who stay in the game. By providing an appropriate next step at every stage—from a child’s first experience with golf through competitive junior and high-school play—I have built a sustainable player-development pathway. In 2026, I coached more than 420 unique golfers through Hyperion programs, private and semi-private instruction, and over 250+ outside of Hyperion through Johnston Golf Foundation clinics, PGA Jr League, and IGA High School Workshops.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
Keeping Golfers Engaged – A Year-Round Development Pathway
As Director of Instruction at Hyperion Field Club, I have built a year-round development model designed not simply to introduce people to golf, but to keep them playing, improving and connected to the game. Programming runs January through October, with private and semi-private lessons offered year-round and indoor winter teaching bays allowing development to continue through Iowa’s off-season.
A key to retention is providing a clear “what’s next?” for every golfer. Juniors progress from Future 36ers (ages 4–6) → Operation 36 → Leading Edge Elite → tournament/high-school development, private coaching and PGA Jr. League. Adults can progress through Sips & Swings, New Golfer Bootcamps, Operation 36, and three-month Adult Performance Coaching. This provides social, recreational, developmental, and competitive options within one instructional environment.
That pathway is producing measurable retention. In 2026 Summer Operation 36, 34 of 46 juniors returned, while 12 were new. Future 36ers served 14 children, including nine new golfers, with sell out classes. I also launched Hyperion’s first 17U PGA Jr. League team to keep teenagers engaged after 13U. All 11 players were girls I coach; nine were former Operation 36 participants and eight had participated in Leading Edge. Our 13U program included another 11 players.
On-course opportunities are another critical part of retention. Operation 36 nine-hole events provide measurable goals and regular opportunities to play. Our Junior Club Championship has grown from approximately 12 participants in 2024 to over 160 participants in the last 2 years. In 2026, I added a 150-yard boys division to bridge the gap between the 100-yard division and junior tees, ensuring developing players have an appropriate next competitive step.
Technology keeps students engaged between sessions. I provide CoachNow video recaps with actionable feedback and use SportsBox AI and individualized biomechanics screening to demonstrate progress and personalize instruction.
In 2026, I coached or instructed 700+ unique golfers, through programs, lessons, workshops, and clinics, generating more than 2,400 instructional visits and 3,200+ participant-hours at Hyperion. My engagement also extends beyond the lesson tee: 15 instructional videos on the Hyperion Field Club socials over the past two years have generated approximately 453,000 TikTok views, 605,000 Instagram views and 31,000 Facebook views—more than 1.089 million combined views.
Ultimately, my engagement strategy centers on relationships, progression, and opportunity. From a four-year-old’s first golf experience to an adult beginner or competitive high-school player, my goal is to always provide another achievable goal, another opportunity to play, and a clear next step that keeps them connected to golf.
Thank you for the opportunity!