LifeLong Golf

10/01/2026

It’s that time of year where the industry recognizes talented professionals who are creating innovative and impactful teaching programs. I am so proud of Chelsea Soda. She took a huge leap of faith joining our Sankaty Head team in 2019 as our instructional intern. It was immediately apparent that Chelsea had the intuitive coaching chops, insatiable need to learn, insane work ethic and interpersonal skills needed to become a leader in the industry. She coaches players of all levels from USGA championship participants to college players to juniors to recreational players. Since her summer at Sankaty Head she has coached full time with Top 100 Teacher Trent Weather and now is Director of Instruction at Echo Valley CC in Des Moines IA.

I knew when I launched my company LifeLong Golf in 2021 that Chelsea would be a core teacher at many of my destination golf school programs. So far we have taught over 135 students together in 3 countries and we will keep on inspiring students and helping them reach their goals in 2027!

In addition to this recent recognition, Chelsea is just won the Iowa PGA Section women’s championship and is a new member of the Titleist staff.

It’s so awesome to be a small part of any teacher’s rise as they grow and develop. Thanks for letting me part of your journey Chelsea. Onward!

Chelsea Harris Soda Titleist Golf Digest Sankaty Head Golf Shop Echo Valley Golf Club

09/26/2026

As the nor’easter rolls through Nantucket, I am reviewing our 2026 instructional season and feeling so grateful for this season. Our 2026 Top 100 Guest Teacher this year was Short Game Chef, a.k.a. Parker McLachlin. We hosted 4 immersive short game clinics learning Parker’s short game families. If you are a teacher, I highly recommend learning about Parker’s system as a clear, effective way to communicate the nuances of difference scoring game shots. It’s a framework our members quickly adapted to and executed.

We had all types of players in these classes from a former D1 college player to scratch players to 20 handicappers to beginners. They ALL greatly benefited from Parker’s framework and drills. We covered putting, chipping, pitching, bunker play and special scenarios including uneven lies.

As in all our guest teachers schools, our staff also benefitted from time with our guest pro. Thank you Parker for taking the time to share your scoring game system and help our pros with their games too!

Finally, thank you to our members whose support has helped us to host over 14 sold out guest teacher schools since 2018. Your enthusiasm and continued passion for improvement makes Sankaty a dream job to be Director of Instruction.

Thank you Parker for being such a compassionate, helping me to become a better short game coach.

08/29/2026

Congratulations again to our 2026 Sankaty Head Ladies Featured LPGA Tour Player Alena Sharp! Earlier this month Alena was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall-Of-Fame. This is an incredibly well deserved honor and we are grateful that Alena was able to coach in this season's ladies' golf school. What an honor to learn from such a skilled player and up-and-coming teacher!

Over two days, our Sankaty Head ladies learned the keys to shot making, improved ball striking, bunker fundamentals, Alena's recipe for drives and fairway woods and the essential skills needed for on-course performance.

Of all of Alena's nuggets, my favorite was her message about trust and belief in yourself, balance in life and golf and the importance of a positive support system.

Alena was honest in sharing her highs and challenges over the course of her on-going 20+ year career as an LPGA Tour player. We can all relate to how rocky this game can be...a testament to Alena's longevity and the real gift she shared with our members is how we can build the tools we use to improve and be resilient!

Thank you to our Sankaty Head members who support our guest teacher program. It's so fun to coach alongside the best tour players and Top 100 teachers each season. I am forever grateful for your enthusiasm for our instructional program!

Thank you to Titleist & FootJoy who continue to provide incredible products to our participants, supporting them alongside their game improvement journey. Both Alena and I are proud to grow women's golf as Titleist ambassadors!

Here's to a wonderful fall golf season ahead-- always learning!

Titleist Sankaty Head Golf Shop FootJoy GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine Alena Sharp

08/27/2026

08/25/2026

What a glorious day at Sankaty Head. I never tire of this view. Every walk down these fairways, whether I am coaching or playing, is special. ❤️ Grateful beyond words.

Sankaty Head Golf Shop

08/19/2026

Your finish position can be one of the simplest ways to create consistency with your short game distances.
When you give your mind a clear finish position, your body can begin to organize how far the club needs to swing to produce that motion. This gives you a much more distinctive way to control distance around the greens rather than trying to guess how far back the club should go.
Try creating three different finish positions:
Level 1: The end of the grip points toward your left hip. Think of this as your chip shot.
Level 2: The end of the grip could go into your left pocket.
Level 3: The end of the grip points toward the ground.
Now experiment! Hit each of these finishes with different wedges and take note of how far the ball travels. You’re building a clear system of distances that is easy to recognize, repeat, and most importantly, transfer onto the golf course.
When you practice, hold your finish and observe. Where did the club finish? Was the distance correct? Are you balanced? Did you choose the right club for the shot?
Practice is your opportunity to gather information. The more you understand how each club responds to each finish, the easier it becomes to make smart, confident decisions on the course! Titleist FootJoy GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine

08/16/2026

We’ve all heard the idea of hitting the “dollar bill” out from underneath the golf ball in a bunker. But that visual can actually put our focus too far behind the ball and lead to taking too much sand. 

Instead, think about entering the sand much closer to the back of the ball, with the club still traveling downward as it enters the sand.

Think of your swing more like a Ferris wheel. The club is working more vertically, allowing it to dive into the sand rather than traveling too shallow underneath it.

From there, you still have to keep the club moving! Speed is your friend in the bunker. Let the club enter slightly behind the ball, continue moving down into the sand, and maintain your speed all the way through the shot.

Don’t make bunker shots harder by trying to take a huge amount of sand. Get the club entering in the right place, keep it moving, and let the sand do the work! Titleist FootJoy GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine

08/14/2026

Your pre shot routine is more than just getting ready to hit the ball. It’s about creating comfort in uncomfortable situations.

Golf constantly puts us in environments that feel unfamiliar. A new course, a difficult lie, a little wind, or a shot that simply doesn’t look appealing to your eye. Having a routine gives you something familiar to fall back on, no matter where you are or what the shot looks like.

A good pre shot routine also helps you make smarter decisions before you ever step over the ball. In a pre shot routine we often consider the following:

What’s my yardage to the pin?
How far to the front and back of the green?
What is the lie telling me?
What is the wind doing?
What is my target?

Then take your practice swing, create a clear picture of what you’re trying to do, and go.

The environment and the shot may change, but your process doesn’t have to. Build a routine you can trust and take it with you everywhere you play! Titleist FootJoy GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine

08/12/2026

The golf course rarely gives us a perfectly flat lie!

When the ball is above your feet, a few simple setup adjustments can help you make your normal golf swing and create the shot you want.

First, grip down on the club.

Because the ball is above your feet, it is now closer to you than it would be from a level lie. Gripping down allows you to account for that difference while maintaining your normal posture. Instead of changing how you stand to reach the ball, adjust the length of the club to fit the lie.

From there, think about ball position and direction.

A ball above your feet will naturally have a tendency to travel to the left for a right handed golfer. Rather than changing your swing to compensate, you can use your ball position to help influence the direction of the shot. Moving the ball slightly back in your stance can help the ball start farther to the right.

For uneven lies, the goal is to understand what the lie is going to do and use your setup to create the shot you need. Then trust your setup and make your normal swing!

The golf course is never perfectly flat. Learning how to adapt your setup to the environment in front of you is part of becoming a better player! Titleist FootJoy GOLF.com // GOLF Magazine

08/11/2026

Are you an athlete when you swing a golf club?

Think about throwing a ball to a target. As an athlete, your intention is simple, you see where you want the ball to go and your body responds by creating and sending energy toward that target.

You aren’t thinking about every position your body needs to move through along the way. You have a task, you have a target, and you react.

The golf swing is no different.

Too often, we become completely focused on the golf ball sitting in front of us. We make the ball the destination of the swing instead of remembering that we are trying to send energy, and ultimately the golf ball, toward a target out in front of us.

Try changing your intention.

Instead of making a swing at the golf ball, pick a target in front of you and allow yourself to be an athlete. Where are you trying to send the energy? Where do you want the motion to go?

A simple throwing exercise can be a great way to experience this. Pick your target, react to it, and throw. Then bring that same intention into your golf swing.

Take some of the focus away from the ball and put it back where it belongs: on your target.

Be an athlete. See the target. Send the energy. Titleist FootJoy