PROFILE
Title: Director of Instruction, West Bay Club, Estero, Florida.
Years as a PGA Professional: 12 as an LPGA Professional.
Top achievements / honors: LPGA Top 50 Teacher (2021), LPGA Southeast Section Teacher of the Year (2022), Golf Digest Best Young Teacher (2021, 2023).
SOCIAL MEDIA / ONLINE
Instagram: @golfprokatie
Website: West Bay Golf Academy.
TAP-INS
What app is a must-have on your phone? Apple Music.
What books would you recommend? Anything by Dr. Bob Rotella is great for golfers.
Who is your favorite golfer? Scottie Scheffler is one of my favorites. A humble, hard worker who has had an amazing stretch of golf recently.
What is your most memorable round of golf? I won a five-person playoff to Monday qualify into my first LPGA event.
RELATED: PGA Professional Spotlight archive
Q&A
The First Call: What made you want to pursue a career in golf?
Katie Dahl: I have had a passion for the game my entire life. I love helping others to experience better results and more fun on the course.
TFC: What is your favorite instructional tip to share with a golfer?
KD: Learn a purposeful pre-shot routine. It will help you to be more consistent and to perform well under pressure.
TFC: What advice do you have for someone considering a career in golf?
KD: Be curious, never stop learning.
TFC: What is the best advice you have received on your career path?
KD: One of my mentors, Rick Smith, encouraged me to really study the swings of top professionals. To learn the similarities, differences, and the matchups that allow these players to excel even though they each have somewhat unique motions. He also taught me that good teachers explain but great teachers inspire.
TFC: Is there a particular area of your job that you find most rewarding?
KD: I love helping golfers to reach their goals, it could be breaking 100 or getting a college golf scholarship. The journey of making a plan and working together to get there is very rewarding.
TFC: Do you have a preferred style or philosophy for teaching golf?
KD: I consider myself a student-centered teacher, I like to help each golfer find the best swing for their mobility, how they are wired, etc.