Facility: Colwood Golf Center
PGA Member Since: 2005
How did you get into golf as a career?
I grew up in the golf business — my parents met while working at Willamette Valley Country Club in the late 1960s. Spending my childhood around the course, I began helping my father run junior camps at age 14, and by 17, I was assisting with bookkeeping and operations. After finishing college, I made the decision to turn my lifelong connection to the game into a professional career in golf.
Who are/were your mentors:
My father, Fred Bader, PGA; Harold Bluestein, PGA; Mike Clifford, PGA.
Awards won:
Oregon Chapter PGA Youth Player Development Award (2019) and Player Development Award (2020), GRAA “Top 100 Growth of the Game Instructor in America” (2022, 2023, 2024).
What can students expect when they come for a lesson?
New students begin with a comprehensive game assessment, followed by a personalized game plan tailored to their goals. Each lesson includes video analysis of their swing, along with specific drills designed to address key areas for improvement or develop new skills. My coaching approach is holistic, so students can expect to work on all aspects of their game over time.
What is your teaching philosophy?
To ensure lasting improvement and skill development, I emphasize purposeful drills and a building-block approach to instruction. My 5-Star Instructional Program focuses on five key areas:
- Ball Striking
- Short Game
- Putting
- Course Management
- Mental Approach
Each lesson integrates video analysis and the latest technology to provide clear feedback and measurable progress. By addressing all areas of the game, I help students build a complete, confident, and consistent performance on the course. My teaching philosophy is the Traditional Swing Method: I like to emphasize the grip, stance, posture, alignment, and tempo. The basics are what can tend to go away easily and create bigger problems. Realizing that the basics are what start the motion to move properly is huge and can make a difference in understanding the golf swing.
Videos & Publications:
Simple Visual for Training Ball Contact >
Best Practice in PGA Magazine, August 2025 >
