Coaching the champions
I have coached, mentored and taught numerous golf students who have competed and achieved remarkable success as they have captured coveted titles in national, regional, state, club and local competitions. Some highlights include:
PGA, LPGA and professional Sports Athletes
14 Junior Golfers now PGA/LPGA Professionals
3 College All-Americans
Boy’s High School All-American
Boy’s AJGA Champion
3 Women’s State Amateur Champions
Men’s State Governor’s Cup Champion
6 Boy’s Junior State Amateur Champions
Girl’s Junior State Amateur Champion
6 Boy’s State High School Champions
Boy’s Westfield State Junior Champion
3 Boy’s State High School Team Championships
Girl’s State Country Club Championship
Boy’s and Girl’s State High School Tournament Qualifiers
Men, Women, and Junior Club Champions
Boy’s Junior Masters Champion
3 County Amateur Champions
State Father-Son Champions
Capital Times Tournament—Professional and Junior Champions
Success Stories
Here are some snapshot stories of successful golf students I have helped develop in over five decades as a PGA Teaching Professional:
Dr. Leo Malin – When Leo began he was shooting well into the 100’s. After two winter 10-hour sessions he came in with a 76 the second summer.
Tom Gullikson - Former United States Davis Cup Tennis captain lowered his handicap index from 6.0 to 1.0.
Claudia Pilot - Started with Tom when she was 40 years old, carrying a solid 6-handicap, yet not achieving the success she wanted when playing in state competitions. Two years after working with Tom, Claudia won the Minnesota State Women’s Amateur and repeated in the following year. She also won the Minnesota Publinx and was player of the year four out of five years. Claudia also has qualified and reached the Quarter finals of the United States Mid-Amateur Championship. She recently was introduced into the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame.
Bruce Lenio - After winter sessions, Bruce lowered his handicap from 22.0 to an 8.0, with scores now consistently in the mid 70’s.
Dr. Scott Rathgaber - Lowered his scores from the 90’s to lower 80’s after one winter session.
Shar Lewis- Prior to working with Shar, she was in the high 90’s. She now has moved into regular slots in area tournaments and is carding rounds in the 80’s.
Bob and Mary Beth Brooks- Enjoyed such great improvement in their games that they built a home in Florida for winter golf.
Stu Hoel- Increased his skill level so much that he plays in Arizona in club events in the winter.
Dr. Bob Witte- Has improved his game so much that he is a solid single handicapper.
Nick Roush- Has ramped up his game where 300 yard drives are common while lowering his scoring average.
Stephen Noe- Has taken his game to a new level. Breaking 80 is not uncommon.
Tom Molland- He has cut his handicap in half and regularly shoots in the 70’s.
Jay Sparks- He has really cooked his game to a new level. Hitting quality shots unlike never before. Shooting scores in the 70’s on difficult courses.
Hillary Peterson- She was one of my former junior golfers who has come back as an adult and honed her game to a new level, shooting scores in the 80’s.
Amy and Dave Coleman- Coming as a couple they have improved so that they now can enjoy playing many rounds together.
Dr. Dan Mullenbach- Dan has rekindled a floundering game that had him thinking of quitting. He now is back shooting scores he hasn’t shot in years.
There are many more Success Stories of juniors and adults who have accomplished more with their game than they ever thought was possible. Now may be the time to join them!
Where are some of my students now?
Meghan Bolger Stasi
Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion
When Meghan Bolger was a 9th grade student, she worked with me on her golf game in Palm Springs. In spite of her outstanding athletic abilities in both basketball and soccer, she was only the sixth player on her high school golf team and shot scores from 50 to 55 for 9 holes. After golf instruction sessions with me, Meghan returned to her New Jersey home to apply new found enthusiasm, as well as new mental and physical skills for playing golf. The following year Meghan became the #1 player on her high school team.
The next summer she won the New Jersey Independent High School State Championship. Meghan did not quit there. She passed up basketball and soccer to attend Tulane University in New Orleans where she was an outstanding collegiate golfer. After college, Meghan, at age 23, became the youngest Division I golf coach when she was hired by the University of Mississippi and coached there for seven seasons.
Meghan’s competitive golf spirit took her on to win the Philadelphia Amateur Championship seven consecutive times. She has won the United States Mid-Amateur four times. Over the years Meghan has proven she can take her game to new levels of excellence.
George Brett
Baseball Hall of Fame
I first met Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, George Brett, in 1979. After quickly agreeing to help George with his game, he wanted to show off his skills by hitting a driver. I remember seeing tremendous power, but consistent, solid contact and direction needed some work.
I made an instant connection with the baseball star when he compared the golf swing with baseball’s power hitting. Twenty minutes later George was hitting 300-yard straight drives.
The following major league season, George batted .390, with 118 RBI’s, and 24 home runs. Could it have been that his golf power swing carried over to his batting swing? We may never know, but we do know that George Brett felt so confident with his new golf swing that he played in many PGA events and with partner Fred Couples, won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Today, George is a solid, single-digit handicap and enjoys playing in celebrity outings.
Conrad Ray
Men’s Golf Coach Stanford University
Conrad Ray played his collegiate golf at Stanford University, where he was a teammate of Tiger Woods. As a Stanford player and team captain, Conrad helped win the NCAA Collegiate Golf Championship in his freshman year.
Shortly after turning professional, Conrad began to work with me in Wisconsin and also at Conrad’s Hilton Head golf club. The focus was on improving Conrad’s mental game, course management skills and ball striking. Conrad made two appearances at the final stage of the PGA Tour School. He finished two shots away from obtaining his PGA Tour card in his second appearance, shooting 8-under-par 64 the last day. He advanced to play the Nationwide Tour producing a number of top 10 finishes. One day the call came from his alma mater, Stanford University, asking Conrad to become the Head Men’s Golf Coach. Tiger Woods had recommended Conrad for the job.
Conrad quickly fashioned success for his then 55th-ranked Stanford golf team, by taking them to number one, by capturing the NCAA Collegiate Championship. Conrad was named Collegiate Golf Coach of the Year. Still a high-level player, Conrad has qualified and played in the U.S. Open.
Wayne Levi
PGA Tour Player
PGA Tour Player, Wayne Levi, and I became friends in the 1970s while both of us were playing the Mini-Tour circuit in Florida. While I chose a PGA business and teaching career, Wayne joined the PGA Tour. When Wayne came to California for tour events, he would always be our house guest. Needless to say, over the years I have become a trusted resource for Wayne’s golf game as Wayne has gained great respect as one of the most successful PGA pros to play the game…with 12 wins on the PGA Tour and two wins on the Champions Tour.
One of the bonds that fostered a long friendship for Wayne and I was our long-standing, spirited 72 hole putting contest we played against one another for many years. In 1990, Wayne was in California playing in the Bob Hope Desert Classic. Coming into the event, he was really down on his putting effectiveness. He asked me to come out to the course and observe his putting, to see if there was anything that I could detect as the culprit for keeping the ball from falling in the hole. I watched Wayne play and continue to putt poorly during the first round of the tournament. Afterwards, I met Wayne on the practice green and offered him a putting lesson without a single word spoken about putting…and the impact of this lesson would serve Wayne Levi quite well. I approached Wayne on the practice green and proceeded to drop my money clip at Wayne’s feet. It quickly sent Wayne to his bag for a ball for me. Our traditional 72-hole putting match was on! Wayne made the first putt and never looked back, defeating me by making putt after putt. I knew the competitive spirit of my friend. I knew that Wayne would quickly realize that it was more important to beat me than to worry about what putting stroke he was using to drop the putts. In other words, he went back into his subconscious that already knew how to putt. And quite well at that.
That year Wayne won 4 times on the PGA Tour and was player of the year. To this day Wayne Levi has no idea what happened that afternoon when a simple putting contest was able to rekindle a fallen putter. We often reminisce about our many times together and the enjoyment of success our careers have produced.
Tom Gullikson
Former U.S. Davis Cup Tennis Coach
My relationship with the Gullikson twins, Tom and Tim, goes back to the late 1950's when the three of us lived in La Crosse, WI. We were ball boys for the La Crosse state football team and played little league baseball together. In later life, the Gullikson twins chose tennis as their path and went on to play on the ATP tour from the mid-70's to the mid-80's.
Helping to maintain their contact with me, we met in Palm Springs when the pro tennis tournament stopped there. I was the long-time Director of Golf at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and always made time for the Gullikson boys to help shape their golf games when they were in the desert.
After I moved back to La Crosse with my wife, Anne, and our three daughters, Tom Gullikson always checked back in with us when he came back to Onalaska to visit family.
A few years ago, I reworked Gullikson’s swing and what a difference it made, taking Gullikson from a 6-handicap down to a 1 and a career low-score of 66 on the Conservatory, Gullikson’s home course in Florida.
What People Are Saying
“Tom sets himself apart from every instructor I have worked with. He’s one of the most knowledgable people in the game.”
— Ryan Quinn
“Tom’s instruction has greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the game i have loved since childhood. Cutting my handicap in half didn’t hurt either.”
— Dr. Scott Rathgaber
“Tom changeD my daughter’s life. Starting as a beginner, 3 years later her team went to state. She plAced 8th and received a college golf scholarship.”
— Jay Preeschl
“My wife and I are long-time golfers. Before finding Tom, we studied with many pros, even touring pros. None are as effective as Tom Gees.”
— Bob and Mary Beth Brooks