MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH WITH ERIC, BROOKE, AND KRISTINE – A SPECIAL DAY CELEBRATING FAMILY
As a way to stay active, social, and have fun indoors during long winter months in Savage, Minnesota, Heritage Palms’ new golf teaching pro, Kristine Bonham, played basketball. In middle school, her teammates invited Kristine to play golf in the summers on the JV/Spring golf team. Her parents, who played golf, introduced her to the driving range. Kristine reminisces, “Basketball kept me competitive in the winters, but golf quickly became the sport I couldn’t put down. Our team winning the State Title in 2007 fueled me to take golf to another level.” Kristine’s passion for golf was born.
Kristine chose to play golf for the University of Wisconsin – Stout, double majoring in Golf Enterprise Management and Business Administration. Her success led to an internship at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where Kristine continued to build practical knowledge of golf course management. “At Whistling Straits, the iconic place that had already hosted many major tournaments, I fortunately met mentors who showed me the path to becoming a PGA Pro.” However, winters in Wisconsin meant the golf courses lay dormant for months.
A college golf teammate approached Kristine about moving to Naples together for the winter, and the two caravaned down from Wisconsin and never left! Kristine’s plan was to gain more experience in Golf Operations and return to Whistling Straits. “Living in the Naples area allowed me to research golf communities. SWFL was a competitive golf market, but I immediately appreciated the prospects here.” A colleague from Whistling Straits, who was a Florida Gulf Coast University graduate, connected Kristine with Tara McKenna, the Director of Golf Management at FGCU, opening doors for enticing opportunities to work in the golf industry. Florida became Kristine’s permanent home.
KRISTINE, BROOKE, AND ERIC ENJOYING NINE HOLES TOGETHER ON THE SABAL COURSE ON FATHER’S DAY.
From 2012 to 2015, Kristine learned more about the operations end of the golfing industry as the assistant golf professional at Vasari Country Club, a private golf community in Bonita Springs. Another door opened when Kristine was asked to give lessons. “My first lesson was supposed to be 30 minutes. After that first half hour, my pupil asked if the lesson could be extended to an hour. That first lesson showed me how much I loved helping someone improve. I knew right away I wanted to focus on coaching.” Kristine’s delight, due to the success of that lesson and subsequent lessons where she honed her craft, served to clarify what she wanted to do with her life.
As Kristine watched for coaching opportunities, she continued to build her knowledge of all aspects of the golf industry at Estero’s West Bay Golf Club, where she served as an assistant pro in 2015-2016. Kristine took another step toward achieving her goals in 2017-2018 at Stonybrook in Estero, exclusively teaching/coaching golf as Lead Instructor. When an opportunity to be the Worthington Head Golf Professional emerged, Kristine assumed that role. During most of her first six years in FL, Kristine coached the Girls’ High School Varsity team at Community School of Naples. Kristine notes, “Each stop was a stepping stone. Every role gave me a different experience. Yet I kept finding myself drawn more and more to teaching.” Little did she know, but each experience was leading Kristine to Heritage Palms.
The COVID years turned a stable job situation into a challenging time in Kristine’s life before she found the silver lining at Golf Galaxy. In the 4½ years Kristine worked for Golf Galaxy, she gained experience with club fitting. She took a deeper dive and built skill in the craft of teaching and coaching as she gave hundreds of lessons. Using a Launch Monitor added dimension and information to strengthen golf swings. Golf Galaxy fit all of Kristine’s goals and her lifestyle as she added her husband, Eric, and then Brooke, her 2-year-old, to her satisfying life. Eric loves to golf, and fortunately, so does Brooke.
A little-known fact: there are only 12 or so Directors of Golf Instruction at all the golf courses in the Fort Myers to Naples area. When one of these positions became available at Heritage Palms late last year, Kristine knew 100% that this could be her dream career. She remembers, “Heritage Palms’ reputation in the golf world was wonderful. The vibe from Bob Kelly was friendly and encouraging.”
Kristine’s first day at HP was December 18, 2024. From January 1 to May 1, she gave 550 lessons and 35 clinics, exceeding her expectations. She says, “It means the world to me to have such overwhelming support in my first season at HP. It’s rewarding to hear that what we’re working on out there together is making a difference.” Comments in HP’s 2025 Member Survey laud Kristine’s coaching.
THEIR GRADUATES. SHE’S PASSIONATE ABOUT GIVING BACK TO VETERANS
AND SUPPORTING UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING MENTORING
PATH 2 FREEDOM, GIRLS IN FOSTER CARE, AND USING GOLF AS A FORM OF THERAPY
Kristine notes that basically there are two kinds of lessons. The first is a one-off, where the golfer is looking for a quick, simple fix of a specific, isolated issue. She likens the one-off lesson to a chiropractor who performs a quick adjustment of a patient to relieve the immediate pain. “I love helping with a quick fix if someone needs it, but my real passion is digging deeper into what is holding a player back long-term.” Thus, the second type of lesson is an exploration as to the root cause of a golf game challenge. Kristine sees herself as a coach of all aspects of the game. She believes that 95% of the golf game is training the mind: a pre-shot routine, eliminating over-thinking, and keeping the fundamentals simple, repeatable, and disciplined.
Kristine determines an individual’s learning style, and asks what physical activities a golfer does off the course that might contribute to success on the course. Fundamental, sound golf techniques require time on task. She asserts, “If you can give me 150 minutes a week at the practice facility, broken up however works best, you’ll see real, lasting improvement.” Otherwise, the previous golf swing will prevail. Kristine emphasizes that her goal is not to radically change golf swings or to make everyone’s golf swing look the same. “I want every student to leave with something simple and clear they can build on,” she states. Her goal is to listen and to work in partnership with a golfer to individualize, wholistically working 360 degrees on the fundamentals of golf and variables that golfer can control.
BOTH “HAVAPOOS” (HAVANESE –
TOY POODLE MIX). WHEN BOGEY
WAS A MISCHIEVOUS PUPPY, HE
EARNED THE NICKNAME “DOUBLE”
… – A LITTLE GOLF HUMOR
A lesson with Kristine includes coaching for targeted golf results. A video with analysis is taken and emailed for a student’s review of a coaching experience, along with specific goals and results of the lesson. Her goal is to keep the coaching sessions individualized, simple, and sound. Kristine also uses a Launch Monitor to determine swing speed, spin, and distance to aid in swing efficiency.
Lessons and clinic information can be found right on the Heritage Palms website under “Golf.” Here’s the link: https://hpgcc.com/Golf/Golf_Instruction. She is available all year round.
