Teaching “PRO” File – Dr. Sharon Barley

(Editor’s note: Dr. Sharon Barley earned her USGTF certification in 2015 and has an impressive resume and backstory. In addition to being an accomplished golf instructor, she is a minister with a doctorate in minister theology and arts. She is a golf teaching professional at Manor Golf Course in Reading, Pennsylvania, and works for Setup 4 Impact Golf. She is also a U.S. Kids Golf certified teacher and works with The First Tee. Her experience in the ministry also allows her insight into a golfer’s mind that is unique to the golf teaching profession. Here is her story.)

Over the last ten years, I was on a quest to learn diverse swing mechanics by studying some top professional golfers and coaches. Among so many variables, I found one key area that made the difference between a golfer who continued to improve and those who never improved. That difference is the “impact position.” Golfers who continued to improve their scores were more consistent at impact. Coaching the impact position capitalizes on your natural swing, tailored to your body type, flexibility, balance and physical abilities.

I earned a black belt in Kung Fu at 22, then picked up archery in college. After making four U.S. Olympic Festival teams, I won the gold medal in archery at age 27. I played golf in high school and continued casually while serving in clergy ministry. As an athlete and minister, I set my life goal on inspiring others to be their best self. But after years of playing golf, coaching and training hard, I couldn’t achieve my own best self in golf and continued to be inconsistent and stagnant in my scores. Then I discovered a training methodology, taught by Kirk Junge, uniquely focused on a one-plane swing into the impact position, while using the best in sports psychology and the body/brain connection. As I practiced his drills over months, through our Pennsylvania winters and afterward, I discovered that my accuracy, distance and consistency improved dramatically within just a four-month time period. I knew I wanted to teach his methods.

Now, not only am I the NE/Eastern Regional Instructor for Setup4Impact Golf Schools, but also will be the golf teaching pro for a new business launch combining indoor golf with golf fitness, “InJoy Golf,” in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. My long-time career in clergy has given me tremendous insight into the mental game and spiritual nature of golf (the inner game) that often drives performance and outcomes.

Dr. Sharon Barley, USGTF Certified Teaching Professional, Denver, PA