PLAY BETTER GOLF ACADEMY

What PLAY BETTER GOLF ACADEMY does

Play Better Golf Academy (legal entity Play Better Golf Inc., DBA "PBGA" and "Play Better Golf") is a privately held, founder-led golf instruction company founded by PGA Teaching Professional Chuck Lynch approximately 26 years ago and headquartered in Illinois. The company provides PGA-led golf instruction to juniors (ages 4-18) and adults (co-ed, ladies-only, family) across four Chicago-area facility partnerships in the northwest and west suburbs: Golf VX (Arlington Heights), Twin Lakes Recreation Facility (Palatine), the PBGA Learning Lab at Salt Creek Sports Center (Palatine), and Oak Brook Golf Club (Oak Brook). Its programming is built around a proprietary teaching methodology called "PBGA Building Blocks of The Golf Swing" that progresses students from putting through full swing, segmented into tiered series such as TOTS, Bogey Players, Par Shooters, Junior Accelerated, and High School Prep/Player Combine, alongside adult co-ed, ladies-only, and family sessions, plus customizable corporate events and birthday parties.

Instruction is delivered by a roster of five named PGA professionals (Chuck Lynch as Director of Golf, Matt Lynch as Director of Instruction, David Hannon as Senior PGA Instructor, plus Kyle Carter and Brian King) using a combination of conventional PGA hands-on coaching and technology tools: V1 Video Academy for frame-by-frame swing analysis, SkyTrak launch monitor/simulator at the Learning Lab, multi-camera video capture, and a patent-pending mechanical swing training aid called Swing Trak. The Swing Trak is the company's sole hardware product and is commercialized through a wholly-owned related entity, Play Better Golf Products LLC. A custom club fitting service is listed on the website as "coming soon."

Revenue is generated through series-based program registrations ($300 per series), private lessons sold in hour and half-hour formats with package discounts, Swing Trak product sales, corporate clinics, and birthday parties. Registration is direct-to-business via phone, text, email, or in-person with credit card guarantee and a 50% cancellation fee within 7 days. The firm operates with 1-10 employees, has no institutional investment, no parent company, and no public revenue disclosure.

Name

PLAY BETTER GOLF ACADEMY

Legal name

Play Better Golf Inc.

Website

https://playbettergolfacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Play Better Golf Academy is a privately held, PGA-led golf instruction company serving juniors (ages 4-18) and adults across four Chicago-area facility partnerships, delivering age-appropriate group programs, private lessons, corporate events, and the proprietary Swing Trak training aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Instruction Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Golf Courses and Country Clubs (71391)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Training Aids & Swing Analytics Retail (CRAMAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD), Golf Clubs & Club Fitting Retail (CRAMAGAA)

Keywords

• Golf instruction services
• Junior golf programs
• Private golf lessons
• Swing training aids
• Video swing analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Bensenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Golf Instruction - Group Classes: Age-appropriate group instruction programs for juniors (TOTS through High School Prep) and adults (co-ed, ladies-only, family). Series-based programs with registration fees.
2. Golf Instruction - Private Lessons: Hour and half-hour private lessons for juniors and adults with PGA professionals. Packages available for savings.
3. Swing Trak Training Aid Sales: Sales of patented Swing Trak swing training aid through Play Better Golf Products LLC.
4. Corporate Events and Birthday Parties: Custom corporate golf clinics and birthday party programs for groups.
5. Custom Club Fitting: Club fitting services (coming soon according to website).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Play Better Golf Academy is a PGA-led golf instruction business that delivers private lessons, junior and adult group programs, corporate events, and custom club fitting. The academy supplements its coaching with video-based swing analysis (V1 Video Academy) and the proprietary Swing Trak training aid to help golfers improve mechanics, consistency, and on-course performance.

Product overview

Play Better Golf Academy offers golf instruction services as its primary offering, featuring private lessons, age-appropriate group instruction programs for juniors (ages 4-18), and adult group classes. The academy's sole product is the Swing Trak, a patented swing training aid sold through Play Better Golf Products LLC. Instruction is enhanced through technology including V1 Video Academy for swing analysis and SkyTrak simulators at their Learning Lab facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Golf Lessons
• Junior Golf Camps and Group Instruction
• Adult Group Instruction
• Corporate Events and Birthday Parties
• Swing Trak Training Aid
• Custom Club Fitting

Quantifiable outcome

• Students have reduced handicaps significantly (e.g., 18-20 handicap to 9 handicap; 110+ to mid-high 70s)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Golf VX Arlington HeightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndoor golf facility partnership where PBGA provides traditional PGA hands-on instruction combined with sophisticated golf AI technology. PBGA operates fall, winter, and spring indoor camps and small group clinics at this location.
• Oak Brook Golf ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntering second season at Oak Brook Golf Club in 2026, providing first full range of community private and group instruction at this west suburban location. Summer outdoor instruction (April-October) for youth and adults.
• Twin Lakes Recreation FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier instruction location for every level of golfer. PBGA Professional and Director of Instruction Matt Lynch leads programs at Twin Lakes along with PGA professional Chuck Lynch and team.
• Salt Creek Sports CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouses the PBGA Learning Lab for private 1-on-1 coaching and training. Facility equipped with multiple cameras, V1 technology, SkyTrak simulator, and Swing Trak machine.
• Play Better Golf Products LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity founded by Chuck Lynch for developing and selling golf training products including the Swing Trak training aid. Products supported by PGA Professionals.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hank Haney Golf: Hank Haney operates branded junior and adult golf instruction programs nationally. Similar instructor-brand model to PBGA but with a much broader geographic reach and digital instruction offerings.
• Leadbetter Golf Academy: David Leadbetter's globally branded golf instruction academies with proprietary teaching methodology. Comparable to PBGA as a coach-driven instruction brand with a signature curriculum, but operating at much larger scale and multiple geographies.
• Jim McLean Golf School: Long-running branded golf instruction school with a signature teaching methodology (the 'Eight-Step Swing'), similar in product structure to PBGA's Building Blocks curriculum. Operates at multiple premium venues and competes for the same premium student segment.
• Butch Harmon School of Golf: High-profile PGA instructor running branded golf schools; comparable as a celebrity-coach instruction brand, although operating at a higher price point and broader geographic footprint than PBGA.
• PGA of America — PGA Professional Instruction Network: The PGA's broader network of certified teaching professionals is the structural backdrop against which PBGA competes for student enrollment; the same Illinois PGA awarding PBGA also certifies competing instructors in the same metro.

Direct peers

• GOLFTEC: National tech-enabled golf instruction chain using video swing analysis, launch monitors (similar to V1/SkyTrak stack), and a dedicated coaching model. Closest direct comparable to PBGA's technology-augmented, lesson-based business.

Emerging players

• X-Golf: Indoor golf simulator venues that bundle lessons with simulator access. Comparable to PBGA's PBGA Learning Lab at Salt Creek Sports Center, which also combines SkyTrak simulator tech with coaching.
• Club Champion: National custom club fitting chain. Directly comparable to PBGA's newly planned Custom Club Fitting offering; overlap in target customer (premium golf consumers in the same Midwest markets).
• Topgolf: While primarily entertainment-focused, Topgolf offers group lessons and coaching at its venues. Represents an alternative consumer channel for introductory and family golf instruction that competes for PBGA's adult and family segments.

Regional players

• Medinah Country Club Instruction Program: Private club instruction program where Chuck Lynch previously worked as assistant professional. Operates in the same Chicago-area market as PBGA and competes for similar junior and adult golfers at a private-club setting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/play-better-golf-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PLAY BETTER GOLF ACADEMY