PLAYER & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Lauren Fesler first started playing golf at 12 years old as an SCGA Junior program participant. She grew up playing at LA City golf courses and spent most of her time at Hansen Dam GC. She was an SCGA Junior Golf Foundation Scholar and played on the golf team at Cal Lutheran University. Lauren now serves as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams. Lauren is passionate about developing junior golfers on and beyond the course. Her philosophy is that everyone swings their own swing based on physical mobility. She finds it most important that her students understand the “why” behind swing mechanics.  

CREDENTIALS

• LPGA Apprentice, LPGA TEP (Level 2 LGPA TEP in-progress)
• Body-Swing Connection Level 1, Junior Level 2, Junior Level 3 and Golf Level 2 Certified, Titleist Performance Institute
•  US Kids Certified Coach, US Kids Golf
• Site Director, LPGA*USGA Girls Golf
• Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED, American Red Cross
• Assistant Golf Coach, Cal Lutheran University

YEARS TEACHING: 4 years  

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS 

• 4x Scholar-Athlete Society, Cal Lutheran University  
• 2x WGCA All-American Scholar  
• Nominee SCIAC Student-Athlete of the Year  
• 2x Nominee Sandy La Bauve Spirit Award, LPGA*USGA Girls Golf  
• SCGA Junior Golf Foundation Scholar Alumni 

COLLEGE: Cal Lutheran University

ROLE IN COMMUNITY: Assistant Director

• Oversees curriculum development, LPGA*USGA Girls Golf programming, educational outings, conducts one-on-one lessons, emphasis on building intermediate/advanced players in community

Eric is passionate about growing the game of golf and junior golf development. He started working in the golf industry in 2003 and began teaching golf as an instructor in 2009. Since then, he’s given over 11,000 hours of instruction to adults and juniors. Over the years, Eric has had many PGA teaching professionals as mentors. These mentors have not only grown his golf knowledge but have also shown him the life skills that can be learned from playing the game. It is extremely rewarding to be able to teach these skills to his students.  

CREDENTIALS

• PGA Associate
• Junior Level 3 Certified, Titleist Performance Institute
• American Development Model Certified, PGA of America
• CPR Certified, American Red Cross 

YEARS TEACHING: 14 years

COLLEGE: Cal State Fullerton 

ROLE IN COMMUNITY: Senior Golf Instructor (Southeast Los Angeles)

• Develops curriculum and leads programming for levels 1-3, levels 4+ and the Advanced Player Program 
• Conducts one-on-one lessons for beginner, intermediate and advanced juniors
• Creates competitive leagues for intermediate and advanced players
• Lead coach for PGA Jr League teams, travel teams and in-house teams
• Played an integral role in the relaunch of SCGA Junior programming at Don Knabe GC in 2017

Payton graduated from William Jewell College in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Communication and Critical Thought & Inquiry. She played on William Jewell’s women’s golf team and was the team captain for three of her four years. Payton was a member of various organizations on campus, such as Delta Zeta Sorority, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Lamda Pi Eta and Delta Mu Delta. She moved to California from Missouri in 2021 and started working for SCGA Junior shortly after as a part-time coach.

CREDENTIALS

• Level 1 and 2 Certified, Titleist Performance Institute
• US Kids Level 1 Coach, US Kids Golf

YEARS TEACHING: 1.5 years

COLLEGE: William Jewell College

ROLE IN COMMUNITY: Program Manager

• Oversees the Southeast LA Community and programming operations
• Manages the equipment program
• Develops curriculum
• Conducts one-on-one lessons

Cory grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He started golfing at 7 years old in a junior golf program. He enjoys teaching the new generation of golfers how to have fun playing the sport while developing their skills. 

CREDENTIALS

• Certified, Titleist Performance Institute
• CPR Certified, American Red Cross
• US Kids Certified, US Kids Golf
• Played 4 years of Varsity HS Golf (Notre Dame High School and Alemany High School) 

YEARS TEACHING: 1 year

COLLEGE: CSU Northridge 

ROLE IN COMMUNITY: Golf Instructor 

• Develops curriculum
• Leads classes
• Leads leagues and tournaments between programming sessions