Mark Steitz still hasn’t yet played his way into a U.S. Open qualifier. But it’s not for lack of trying. And he’s much closer today than he once was. After all, it wasn't that long ago that his handicap was in the 20s. But through perseverance and dedication, he has been on a journey to get to a single-digit index.
Like many, Steitz has also battled injuries and surgery setbacks over the past few years. Along the way, however, he’s had a secret weapon: GolfForever.
“I love the game,” said Steitz, a 53-year-old probation/parole officer for the Department of Corrections in Missouri, who first started working with the GolfForever program about three years ago. “I’m absolutely obsessed with it.”
This is why Steitz has done everything he can to play his best golf, which includes physical training through GolfForever. He figured out that the best players in the world were training like athletes, so he decided he would do the same.
The payoffs would be big, including an unexpected one, most recently when he decided to take on the GolfForever 28-Day Challenge, which was designed to encourage users to complete daily workouts and post their progress.
Steitz, who lives in Warrensburg, Mo., about an hour east of Kansas City, took it on big time. He made such an impression that he wound up winning the Challenge. For his efforts, he received a lifetime membership to the program.
“That Challenge really kicked me into gear. By winning this thing, I feel even more obligated than ever to do the workouts. If I don’t do it, then I’m a phony,” he said with a laugh.
The fact that Steitz wasn’t a phony came through loud and clear in his posts during the Challenge. Not only did he post screenshots of his workouts, but he also put up other inspirational messages. For example, in one of his posts at the end of the Challenge, Steitz said, “I just want to ask you all... why not you? Why not today? Whatever your dreams are, you deserve them. Put in the work. Earn it. We. Can. Do. This.”
Even cooler, he said, was the response he got from GolfForever’s Senior Marketing Programs Manager Mia West: “Love that you're still in here sharing the motivation, Mark! That mindset is exactly what makes this community so special. Let’s keep going.”
In fact, West wasn't the only one weighing in on Steitz’s posts. He also got likes from Dr. Jeremy James, the founder of GolfForever, and others on the GolfForever team. He said that’s one of the things that he loves about the company. It’s not faceless. They may have the world’s best player, Scottie Scheffler, endorsing the company, but you can call there, and you never know who’s going to answer the phone. It’s been obvious from the beginning that GolfForever is passionate about what it does.
And while Scheffler's examples might have been what caught Steitz’s attention in the first place, it was the deeper dives that got him going.
When he first started looking into GolfForever, he didn’t even buy the Swing Trainer. Still, he did understand one thing: The workouts are golf-specific, which sets them apart from just going to the gym, or even working with a non-golf-specific personal trainer.
It wasn’t long after he joined, however, that he knew he needed the Swing Trainer. And that took his workouts to a whole new level. “When I saw that Swing Trainer, I wanted it,” he said.
So that he did, plus a one-year subscription to go with it. “It’s so versatile, I love it,” he said of the Swing Trainer. “You can use it for warmups, and I prefer the workouts that use it.”
Unfortunately, Steitz underwent a couple of surgeries in 2024. One of them was for a torn rotator cuff that his surgeon said he would take at least six months to recover from. But once he was cleared for rehab, he slowly incorporated GolfForever workouts into his routine. He wound up being cleared to play golf a couple of months earlier than his doctor predicted. He had another shoulder surgery later that year, but again, supplemented his recovery by getting back into GolfForever as soon as he could, targeting workouts for shoulder stability, for example.
Of course, the workouts provided more benefits, especially to his golf game. That was especially true in 2025. His handicap started dropping, not just from more distance, but from a better motion and more flexibility and stability, which the workouts are designed to train. But there was more distance, so when he gets out on the course and outdrives experienced players who are 10 years or more his junior, he can’t help but feel good.
“You're not doing this just for strength,” he said. “You’re getting your body in the right positions. Because you’re moving the way you’re supposed to, you’re not hurting yourself.”
Another benefit Steitz realized from GolfForever is less pain and discomfort after playing golf, overall.
“One thing I really noticed is that I’m not nearly as sore as I used to be after a round,” he said.
Steitz is still holding hope he may someday qualify for a U.S. Open, but he’ll take the gains he’s made over the past three years with GolfForever. Overall, he just feels better on the course and in everyday life. And his golf game continues to improve, which continues to motivate him.
“I tell everybody I can about GolfForever,” Steitz said. “It’s so affordable, and it’s such an effective system.”
Learn more at GolfForever.com.