Interview with a Coach: Lois Kim, Junior Golf Coach

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How long have you coached golf?

‍I've been coaching for about twelve years in total, but more seriously for ten years. My junior career spanned about eight years from when I started competing at ten years old. My amateur years went from college until after I graduated, around four to five years. Then I competed on the tour, including mini tours, for another seven to eight years, though my more serious competing years were the first five because I started coaching towards the end.

I played in a couple of Epson events, though they were pretty expensive. Mostly, I stayed with the Florida tours, like what used to be called the Suncoast tour—I'm not sure what they call it now. I also hit a few events on the Cactus tour and played a bunch around New York on the Met PGA Tour. Like the Met Open, the Long Island Women's Open, the Women's Maryland Open.

What made you decide to teach golf?

‍Playing professionally, you experience a lot of physical injuries and mental burnout. You can overcome physical injuries with time, but the mental burnout from the constant pressure of competing and everything that comes with it sticks with you.

The thing with women's golf is, you don't have endless time to recover and bounce back, especially if you're not in that top 1%. It quickly turned into mental burnout for me. Golf lost stopped being fun when it became all about chasing paychecks. With those high entry and travel fees, missing a cut meant losing all my money for the week. And with the low payouts in women's golf, you're often just trying to break even, which is tough. That pressure sucked the fun out of the game.

Coaching offered a way to stay connected to the game I love without the mental stress and constant threat of burnout.

What was your first lesson as a teacher like?

‍My first lesson was with an adult, and it felt like I messed it up. I tried to teach based on how I played, which ended up being more about putting bandaids on issues rather than fixing them. It highlighted for me the difference between being a good player and a good coach, as understanding how to move someone's body with their limitations is quite different from executing one's own swing.

I now always tell players, just because you know how to play golf and you're good at it doesn't mean that you’ll be a good coach. It's very different. Having an understanding of how to move a person's body with their limitations is very different from actually trying to make that person do what you're trying to do in your own.

Teaching kids is different from teaching adults. You start them off with very simple things, like how to hold a golf club, how to set up, build their foundation, and they just absorb everything so quickly. But when they hit that good shot, their reaction is just so different.They're so happy and they don't get upset, it’s a great feeling.

Other than working with a good coach, what advice would you give parents getting their kids started with golf? Any cautionary tales?

‍I advise enrolling kids in some sort of golf camp or group sessions with their friends, as golf can be boring for kids if they're by themselves. It's important for kids to play in a group to maintain interest. Parents should manage their expectations, especially in the first year of competing, as it's a learning experience for the child. Most of the kids that end up playing in their first event end up playing so badly that they don't want to go back. And then on top of that, a lot of parents lose their cool and will berate them. “Why would you miss a two foot putt?” Or “How could you not hit the driver?” Well, when that's the best club in your bag, they don't need that.

So I'm always telling parents, the first year, or even like the first two years, have some grace for your kids. High expectations can lead to pressure and potentially burnout, taking away the fun and learning aspects of the sport. Let kids learn on their own, because they will. That's my biggest advice for parents, is it's hard. Especially if they grew up not playing the game, then they definitely won't know.

A lot of times when parents actually start signing their kids up for golf tournaments, I tell the parents to go start taking lessons themselves just so they can see how hard it is.

What’s your favorite memory as a junior golf coach?

This is a recent memory but I've got this player who’s now a senior in college. I started coaching him when he was just twelve. He had potential like you wouldn't believe, passionate about golf and set on playing at the college level. From twelve to seventeen, he put in the work, even through the pandemic during his senior year of high school, which was tough for him.

Then one day, he calls me to say he got a full ride to this university for golf. It was incredible because Jason isn't from a well-off background, unlike some of the other kids I coach. He's one of the most giving kids, always thinking of others. When he got that scholarship, my first junior to get a full ride, I was over the moon. I remember he was crying from happiness on the phone, and I felt so proud.

Stories like Jason's really stick with you and make all the hard work worth it. There's bound to be more stories just like his.

What do you think the future of golf looks like?

I'm hoping junior golf continues to grow. It's definitely bigger than ever, especially here in New York. Getting into golf tournaments feels as tough as scoring Taylor Swift tickets. I believe today's young players will be much more knowledgeable about the golf swing, thanks to the technology available. This means kids will advance in golf faster than before, benefiting from both the technology and the enhanced knowledge provided, which has evolved significantly over the past decade.

Coaching methods for juniors have also transformed, moving from simple instructions to integrating data from launch monitors and videos, and tools like the Ollo app, which improves accessibility for both parents and coaches. This advancement has sped up the improvement process for young golfers.

The game is becoming more competitive, with many talented players emerging rapidly. We're likely to see younger athletes on the PGA and LPGA Tours, challenging older competitors. This trend is already visible on the LPGA Tour, where young women are reaching top world rankings. This is my perspective on the future of junior golf.

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