Today we’d like to introduce you to Wills Murray.
Hi Wills, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was a three-sport athlete (baseball, football, and basketball) until I had a ruptured ACL during my senior year of high school. This began a very dark period in my life. My best friend throughout high school went to jail for drug-related issues, I lost my grandfather, and was living a reckless lifestyle which led to depression and a diagnosis of clinical anxiety. During this time, I started hanging out at a local golf shop where I became friends with the golf pro. I started going to the shop every day and hitting balls, watching lessons, reading years’ worth of old golf digest instruction articles, and soaked up all of the game I could. I started having visions of coaching at the highest level one day, an obsession I couldn’t let go of. I moved from Bluefield, VA to Orlando, FL to pursue golf coaching at age 20. My first couple of years in Orlando were spent teaching free lessons and studying on my own while taking classes at a golf trade school and interning/volunteering for every golf tournament or event I could find to build a resume. When I was 21 years old, I got the break of my life when I met my coaching idol, Sean Foley, who I had read about and studied. I summoned up the courage to ask him if I could speak with him for a few minutes and get some advice on how to get into the game. Sean invited me to shadow his lessons the next day and that was basically the start of everything for me. Having someone of his stature take an interest in me gave me a renewed sense of hope and belief that maybe this crazy idea was possible after all. If this could happen then what else could happen? The way I viewed life and possibility changed when he gave me a chance. I’ve been studying/assisting Sean for over a decade now and honestly, it’s still surreal to me that it played out this way. I’m also forever grateful to David Lee, the founder of Gravity Golf, coach to numerous major champions, and one of the best coaches in the history of golf who took an interest in me as well. David would talk to me for hours about players he coached, golf swing, or just life in general. I’m now based at The Vault Performance at Orange County National Golf Club with Dr. Craig Davies, Dr. Brendan McLaughlin, and Dr. Atay Varli who are the top chiropractors/therapists/trainers on the PGA Tour. I have learned so much about the body and human movement from working with the team at the Vault. When you combine the golf education with the knowledge I’ve learned from the fitness side, I feel like I have a unique and very well-rounded knowledge base to teach from.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The golf business, especially coaching or teaching is very difficult. These jobs are highly sought after and there are so many coaches in the area that it’s become a very competitive environment. When I first moved to Florida, I found it very difficult to get my foot in the door anywhere to teach. My age at the time being in my early 20s, and not having a background playing the game at a high level made getting even entry-level teaching or coaching positions very difficult. I had to be somewhat naïve and extremely aggressive to work my way into the game.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I coach private lessons to professional players, competitive amateurs, and business professionals. I’m most known for full swing teaching and I specialize in performance coaching for tournament players. I feel like my unique education and career path has given me a great perspective on what my job really is and given me the ability to help so many different types of players. Much more than my golf career I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do with mental health care. I’ve done several interviews over the years for different health publications, and have been open about my mental health and life struggles. I’ve had people reach out to me from all over the country over the years who had read my story and gave their support and shared their stories with me as well. As my golf career continues to grow, I hope to be able to continue to push the mental health conversation forward.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
If you’d like to take private lessons from me in the Orlando area, look me up on The Vault Performance website or email me directly (willsmurraygolf@gmail.com). I also teach remotely through the Skillest App, so you can find me there also.
Contact Info:
- Email: Willsmurraygolf@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.thevaultperformance.com/the-team
- Instagram: @willsmurraygolf
