Good golf instructors are miracle makers for many golfers struggling with their game, whether with putting, chipping, or approach shots.
They can speed up how long it will take you to play golf at a better standard and offer you excellent service simultaneously.
But should you tip them?
Nothing stops you if the club they teach at forbids it or you’re unhappy with your results.
However, there are certain times you should tip, and you will find out below when and why you should tip golf teaching professionals.
Quick Menu
Does Your Golf Club Allow You To Tip Your Golf Instructor?
It’s worth checking with the golf course itself if they allow golf instructors to receive tips from clients, although I’m sure your golf instructor will let you know if they can’t accept it when you offer.
Why would they refuse your tip? Why would the golf clubs not allow tips?
It comes down to giving all their members the same level of service, which is great for the golfers but not so much for the instructors.
The logic behind this is that members with deeper pockets would tip more often, which could result in the instructor paying extra attention to them.
Meanwhile, members who don’t have the luxury of being able to tip every time will get a different amount of attention and focus.
It makes sense; you should always follow the golf club’s rules. However, if you feel like leaving a tip and they are happy to receive it, help them.
Should You Tip Your Golf Instructor?
If They Provided You With Additional Services/Time
When a golf instructor cares about helping you improve your golf game, they usually go that extra mile for you.
It’s easy to spot an instructor who doesn’t have a passion for helping people, only themselves, as they will only give you the bare minimum.
What does going the extra mile look like?
Your instructor will carry on the golf lessons when it’s supposed to be over. They may offer that you can send them videos of your swing in between golf lessons, give you free tips whenever they see you around the golf course/range, or they will ask and want to know how you’re playing,
You’ll know if they are giving you a good service and value for money. A tip only seems fair when you’re confident they are giving it.
If Your Golf Game Has Dramatically Improved
You get golf lessons to get better over time with the help of your professional golf instructor.
Trying to figure out what is going wrong with your swing using TikTok or Youtube videos will take a lot of work.
The advice in the video could make it worse for you, and then you’re scratching your head, wondering why it didn’t work.
For example, it might tell you to correct your swing path. However, your swing path could be fine; the issue is that your clubface is open on impact.
A qualified instructor or golf professional saves you months or years of drilling through tons of driving range golf balls.
An instructor can identify the problem, give you a fix, and then you start hitting the golf ball more consistently.
Giving your instructor a tip only seems fair when and if this happens.
How Much Should You Tip Your Golf Instructor?
It depends on how much cash you have to spare and how much the golf lesson costs.
For example, if your golf lesson costs $90, rounding it to $100 would make sense.
Alternatively, tip them based on a percentage you decide. Let’s say it’s 20%, and your lesson costs $50. Then you would tip them an additional $10.
Ultimately it’s up to you, and you may decide to tip more or less.
What If You’re Short On Cash For A Tip?
Give Them A Review
Giving your instructor a good review online is one way to give back to them without giving them an actual tip.
When searching for anything online, be it a service, product, or just somewhere to eat, you often check the reviews first.
Not all golf instructors will have a review profile set up, but you should ask them. The most common platform to leave a review for instructors would be a Facebook/Meta profile, other platforms that you may use to leave a review are Google My Business or Trust Pilot.
Although you haven’t given them your cash, you’re contributing to their future success in getting new clients.
Almost everybody has a social media profile, small businesses included, and big or small, they all want you to share their posts or profile with your friends/followers.
Doing this gives them more exposure, ideally leading to a few extra followers that will turn into new clients.
Most people will buy from businesses or choose to eat from certain restaurants because they come across them on social media.
Although they can’t see reviews on every platform, they can see their follower count, and they are more likely to trust the business if a close friend or family member shares their profile.
Word Of Mouth
This one is straightforward, as all you have to do is mention your instructor in conversation when the topic comes up.
Whenever somebody asks you how you’ve been playing lately, you can bring up how you’ve been playing much better since you started getting lessons from your instructor.
Another way the topic is likely to come up is when playing golf. Your playing partners might mention they are thinking about getting lessons or, if they compliment your iron shot off the tee box, queuing your chance to mention your instructor.
At the end of the day, although cash is preferred by most, extra business coming from you is just as good.
Give Them A Gift A Golfer Would Enjoy
Lastly, you can always gift them at some point, maybe around Christmas or after a few sessions.
Everyone appreciates a gift no matter who they are.
A few gift ideas for your instructor could be a round of golf, some golf balls, a gift certificate for a restaurant, or some golf clothing autographed by a golf pro.
Whatever you decide to gift them will be welcomed with open arms, and you never know if they may invite you to the round of golf you gifted.
Why Golf Instructors Would Appreciate A Tip…
Golf instructors are people just like the rest of us. It’s nice to feel appreciated when they work hard to provide excellent service and get results for their clients.
One way to show your appreciation is to give them a tip and help them out with costs they have to pay that you probably still need to consider.
They Have To Pay Fees To The Golf Course/Range
Many golf instructors only get to keep some of the cash you gave them for a lesson.
They usually pay a fixed percentage or a sum for each lesson they give on a golf course or driving range.
It works on the same model that personal trainers operate in a gym.
Now there are some golf courses or ranges where they don’t charge a fee or if the instructor is freelance, but most of the time, they must pay their dues.
Of the $50 you gave them, only $40 goes to them. However, if you tip them $10 for the golf lesson, it cancels out the fee they have to pay.
They Don’t All Make A Tone Of Mone
Depending on the golf course or price range your golf instructor belongs to is a good indicator of their salary.
They are not making much money when they charge $50 a lesson; every tip they can get will be much appreciated.
Instructors around this price range probably make an average salary give or take, that some will be lower and others higher than this, especially if they are assistant golf professionals.
Some golf instructors make an excellent salary, and a tip, although appreciated, will make a slight difference to their bank accounts.
These instructors will be in the bigger, more pristine golf clubs, and they will already be charging a hefty price for a lesson with them.