“PRO” FILE – USGTF PROFESSIONAL CHRIS WARNER
By Chris Warner
The first golf club I remember having in my hands was in 1965, when I was given a four-piece set of iron beginner clubs for Christmas. I remember playing with them in the back yard and hitting balls around. However, I have no idea what happened to them.
In March 1970, I was introduced to the game of golf on a real course. It was a par-3 18-hole course where the holes ranged from 75 to 150 yards, but it was my real start in stroke play and actually keeping score. I borrowed my father’s clubs and would play with my grandfather and his group of retirees from the railroad every Tuesday. In 1974, Jack Nicklaus released his book Golf My Way, which covered the entire game and was very instrumental in advancing my skill level. It was then that I started playing on full-size regulation courses, which changed everything for me.
Although I never had any formal lessons, I was gathering any instructional material I could find to learn from. Like most youngsters, I ventured into other sports and when they didn’t really intrigue me, I found myself back into golf. My father spent time with his 8mm video camera in the back yard filming my swing and together, we would look at them. I played every chance I could and even played on the high school golf team. I was limited by using my father’s Kroydon golf clubs, which were already 20+ years old, but it was what I had to work with. This included the 1 through 4 persimmon woods.
Although I pursued the game for many years, playing in any sanctioned events I could, it seemed rather expensive and difficult to completely commit to because of my responsibilities at the time. I did, however, introduce the game to as many people as I could with the idea of having interested friends and co-workers to play with. I didn’t realize at the time that I was developing a skill that would one day be my passion, teaching golf. After competing at a very high level, I discovered the true difference between competition and teaching others. This is when things changed in my direction.
Pursuing my newly found passion, I became a PGA apprentice and was able to eventually achieve my Class A card. I pursued every teaching avenue and gathered any material that was available and became certified in as many organizations as I could. I taught night classes at a junior college, and volunteered as a marshal in PGA Tour events, mainly the TPC in Sawgrass, Florida.
I have since amassed numerous full certifications and still teach golfers of all levels and walks of life. This would include special needs students, autistic children, military veterans, collegiate students, pro-am, school, coaches, etc. I have volunteered with The First Tee organization including the Ben Hogan training center in Fort Worth, Texas. I also acquired my Global Pass, allowing me to work with high school golf teams in multiple counties. This has opened the door to many opportunities in helping young players advance in their future aspirations, resulting in a multitude of them achieving full-ride college scholarships.
In 2014, I was blessed to be the recipient of the Harvey Pennick award in Las Vegas, which was featured on the internet. I soon received a call from a gentleman in Cuernavaca, Mexico, asking if I would be interested in traveling internationally to teach golf clinics. It wasn’t until I accepted the offer and traveled there that this would be an event happening three times every year, working with the American Express Centurion’s Elite members at different locations. I have had the privilege of traveling to numerous locations ever since.
I continuously study the physics involved in the swing, seeking the most efficient process using science and physics to accomplish that as well as validate advice given, offering simple explanations to individuals learning the game. After all, as with any subject, there is an unlimited number of opinions based on people’s understanding and interpretations, I find that when explained correctly and backed by logic, the student is more likely to understand the directions and commit to the effort of learning.
