"If you asked me a few years ago if I would consider playing in a golf tournament I would have thought you’re nuts. No way. How could I? I never played golf before and I didn’t even own a set of clubs. Not only that but why would I? Golf isn’t an easy game, especially for beginners. Just hitting balls at the practice range wasn’t enjoyable for me so I couldn’t see myself going out and playing a four or five hour round, it sounded like pure misery. Admittedly, I knew next to nothing about the game but I did have an interest in learning a new sport that I could enjoy with my kids.

Since then, my kids and I have played in more tournaments than I can remember and had a great time learning about a fascinating game, not to mention last year, my kids had three first place finishes. How? Wink made this possible. He’s been with us every step of the way. His personal commitment to instruction, mentoring, and guiding us has been tremendous. Not only was he able to teach us solid fundamentals but he was able to turn a difficult game full of idiosyncracies into an enjoyable pursuit with much less guesswork on our part.

I noticed from my experience with other teachers that typical golf instruction was strictly limited to the practice mat grinding out bucket after bucket. The difference with Wink was night and day, Wink held nothing back.. His approach was much more involved and complete and didn’t just focus on random swing tips, mechanics, and do’s and don’ts. That type of instruction wasn’t enough to make any lasting improvement in my game and that of my kids. Far more than just swing mechanics and drills on the practice range his instruction was comprehensive and included help with equipment choices and real world playing lessons that emphasizes course management and mental preparation. So much more than just hitting ball after ball on the range.

The golfing world can be a very strange place to find yourself in. I’m convinced that his instruction has eliminated many frustrating years of trial and error on my own. You simply can’t learn this stuff by reading an issue of GolfDigest every month. Finding the right teacher is important, particularly if you’re new to golf. I wasn't able to find such a comprehensive knowledge base that was friendly, relaxed and understandable for not only me but my kids as well.

If you’re content on grinding away, pounding bucket after bucket on the range, that’s fine. For some people that may be effective. It didn’t work for me, all it did was enable me to hit the same bad shots over and over, plus it taught me nothing about how to actually go out and play with the techniques and strategies needed to score. www.winkgolf.com is the place for you or anyone you know, junior or adult, that is looking for a more comprehensive approach to not just learn golf but also enjoy the process."

- Taben Chung

"After I made the decision to learn how to play golf, it was fortunate that I took my first lessons with Mike Winkenbach. Not only was he a professional and knowledgeable instructor but he was also a patient and encouraging instructor. He explained and demonstrated what to do and what not to do. He stressed the importance of building a repeatable swing. I’ll always remember when he hit a ball off the mat with his eyes closed; proof that he had mastered the art of a repeatable swing and proof that even a blind person could play golf.

When it came time for me to invest in clubs, he gave me sound advice on how I could go about building a personal set of clubs. I trusted his advice on clubs rather than the advice I got from a well known golf & tennis store sales associate who suggested I go to a “big box sporting good store and buy a set of clubs in a box.” After many talks with Mike, much thoughtful consideration, much research, many experiences with demo clubs and careful buying, I finally ended up with a decent set of clubs in my bag.

Having such a positive first experience with golf lessons from Mike is so much of the reason why I continue to stick with golf hoping that one day when I have more time to play golf I will know how to play well."

- Connie Wong