Brad Clayton….
….turned professional in 1987 giving him over 37 years experience as a golf professional….
….became a PGA of America Member in 1992….
….has been a full time PGA of America Teaching Professional since 1994…
….became PGA of America Specialty Certified in Teaching and Coaching in 2001….
….became a PGA of America Master Professional in Teaching and Coaching in 2004 {currently 1 of 211 in the country of approximately 30,000 PGA Professionals}….
….was the Carolinas Section PGA Teacher of the Year in 2008….
….was the Carolinas Section PGA Player Development Award Recipient in 2015….
….was the National PGA of America Deacon Palmer Award Recipient in 2015….
….was the Carolinas Section PGA Patriot Award Recipient in 2020….
….served on the Carolinas Section PGA Teaching and Coaching Committee from 2014 to 2022….
….has been on the Golf Digest “Best Teachers in State” list several times….
….published his book Brad Clayton’s PuzzleDuck Golf in 2012….
A few more fun facts….
Brad….
….was introduced to golf by his father Wallace at age 7 in 1974….
….won his first junior tournament at 13 in 1980….
….played on the golf teams of Elon College and Campbell University….
….played professionally in Florida, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Austria….
….entered PGA Qualifying Schools in Canada, England, and Spain….
….has had lessons from Luke Veasey, Wimpy Caldwell, Ronnie Reitz, Bill Lytton, Ed Ibarguen, David Leadbetter, Dick Tiddy, Bill Strausbaugh….
….took his last lesson in 1996….
….has held positions and taught in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida / Myrtle Beach and Beaufort, South Carolina / Pinehurst, Oxford, Raleigh, Durham, Henderson, Burlington, and Linville, North Carolina / Bad Uberkingen and Tegernsee, Germany / and Knittelf eld, Austria….
….was a PGA of Austria Member in 1996…….
….has two solid children, Wallace Nickolas and Winona Juliana Clayton….
….built, opened, and operated his Teaching Facility, The Golf Zone, from 1999 to 2018….
….broke his right hand off in 2000….
….coordinated and moderated the 2007 Carolinas PGA Section Teaching Summit featuring David Leadbetter….
….rides his horse Gypsy over 300 miles per year….
….has been the guest speaker at multiple events from North Carolina to California….
….began teaching Combat Wounded Veterans in 2006….
….started his Non Profit for Combat Wounded Vets “The Brotherhood of Warriors” in 2014….
….organizes and conducts six to eight large events for The Brotherhood of Warriors every year….
….has personally put over 500 Combat Wounded Veterans through his Programs for SMGA….
…..Is blessed to have a very special girl….
Brad’s Personal Mission
- To keep getting better and better at communicating his thoughts in a simple and understandable manner.
- To learn something new and improve his teaching knowledge every day so that tomorrow he is a better person and teacher than today!
- To help his students improve quickly with long lasting results and exceed their expectations!
- To continuously create effective vehicles to help his students reach higher levels of performance!
- To help someone get excited about playing golf and getting better; make them smile, because they have more understanding, direction, motivation, and hope!
- To help people understand the importance of practicing properly….
- To promote the importance of playing golf with proper etiquette, by the rules, and setting higher standards for both!
- To help players experience the game and challenge the game in ways they have never known or considered….