Matt is a GOLF DIGEST Top Teacher in the State of Florida and is regarded as one of the top elite junior golf coaches in the world. His students are from all corners of the world. He is an expert in golf techniques, motor learning, skill development and peak performance coaching. His mission is to help give golfers of all levels the direction they need to play their best golf and achieve their goals. The results from all the student's that have gone through his development programs speak for themselves.
Matt grew up in Geneva, New York where he quickly found a passion for the game of golf. At a young age, while being a competitive junior player Matt was disciple of top coaches Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer (Golf Digest Top 50 instructors, Voted Top 3 instructors on the PGATOUR by the players, and founders of Stack & Tilt), David Wedzik (5 Simple Keys Founder), Marty Nowicki (Impact Snap Founder), and John Graham (Short Game Secrets Co-Founder). Matt has always been a student of the game and continues searching for the best information available to help his students improve the most and reach their goals.
Matt played NCAA Division I golf at Central Connecticut State University where he won two tournaments and had seven top-ten finishes. He served as the team captain his senior year mentoring a young team and helping his teammates with their practice. Matt was a Cleveland/Srixon Academic All-American (2014), a member of the Traveler’s Insurance Athletic Director’s All-Academic team (2012-2014), and had numerous other academic and athletic honors. After obtaining a master’s degree in Technology Management, Matt moved to South Florida in June of 2014 to begin playing and teaching golf professionally. Matt's teaching philosophy focuses on measurable differences between skill & handicap levels and laying out a systematic approach that is highly adaptive and individualized for each specific student and their own patterns and golf games. His goal is to help the student develop an understanding of their own tendencies, swings, thinking, and overall golf game while helping them play their best golf. Simply, Matt's instruction revolves heavily around the golfers movement dynamics (pivot) and understanding of how the body needs to move in order to most efficiently perform the intended shot or task, club face control, impact alignments, and the overall geometry of the club (swing plane) and hand action resulting in a swing that is efficient, repeatable, and reliable under pressure. Every player is built differently, posses different patterns, different movements and have swing characteristics that are unique to them based on their anatomy, but they all play golf abiding by the same laws of physics and geometry which govern the game this is why a highly adaptive system is necessary. Having a system that organizes the golfers progression, allows them to diagnose problems on their own, organizes their practice, and simplifies the game allows golfers to improve faster and find more enjoyment in their practice and on the course. Matt is an expert in swing techniques, but also an expert coach helping his players reach their peak performance.
Multiple SFPGA Championship, Challenge, and Prep Tour winners
20+ NCAA Division I scholarship recipients
Mike Berger, PGA
Head PGA Professional and Director of Player Development
Mike is a 12 year coaching veteran and has always been a student of the game. He uses his vast knowledge and experiences from his junior, collegiate and professional playing careers to help develop high level players. He is proficient with technologies such as TrackMan, FlightScope, SAM Puttlab, and V1. He also uses the DECADE golf system and statistical analysis to help players learn to manage themselves around the golf course. His competitive nature combined with a passion for the game reflects on his students and their success. Using a systematic approach, Mike can identify weaknesses and apply solutions to any part of a player’s game to see faster results.
Growing up in southeast Florida, Mike began playing at the age of 6. A successful junior career led to a golf scholarship to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. Mike started all four years and captained the team his team senior year while earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
After graduating college, Mike turned his attention to teaching, coaching and playing professionally. Mike had the honor and privilege to train and mentor under 2012 PGA National Junior Golf Leader recipient Don Law, Top 50 Golf Digest instructor Mike Bennett, Top 100 Golf Digest instructor Brad Brewer, and PGA Tour player Jim Herman.
As a PGA of America professional Mike continues to compete on the professional level and has successfully won on the South Florida PGA Section and the Southeast FL PGA Chapter tours. In 2016, Mike recorded a victory, four top 3 finishes and two top 5 finishes between the two tours. In 2013, Mike qualified for the PGA of America Assistant Championship, Southeast Schmidt Cup and Nelson Cup teams.
From 2015-2019, Mike was the Director of the Club Med Golf Academy located in Port Saint Lucie, FL. As a coach and teacher there Mike helped his students win on the AJGA, FCWT, HJGT, FSGA and SFPGA tours. Some of his highlight student successes includes, 2016 USGA Amateur Championship participant, 2016 & 2017 USGA Four-ball participants, 2015 & 2016 FSGA Boys State Champion, 2016 FSGA Boys player of year, 2016 SFPGA Player of the year and 2016 most improved boy and girl players.
In 2019, Mike took over the after school junior program at Johnathan's Landing Golf Club where he helped continue and grow the program into one of the largest junior programs in South Florida.
In 2020, Mike joined Matt DeJohn at his academy in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Matt believes Mike is one of the top coaches in Florida and could not be more excited to have him teaching and running all level player development programs at his academy. Matt highly recommends Mike for any golfer looking to improve their golf games!
Player successes include:
Victories on the FSGA, HJGT, U.S. Kids, South FL PGA Jr, FCWT and AJGA tours
U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur Participants
U.S. Four-ball participants
3 time Florida State Boys Junior Amateur Champion
Florida State Boys Junior Match play champion
FSGA – Boys Junior Player of the Year
2 time South FL PGA Junior Player of the Year
Most improved South FL PGA – Boys
2 time South FL most improved player - Girls
Playing Career:
Played 4 years for D-1 Florida Atlantic University
Captained the team his senior year
1 college victory, multiple top 5 finishes
3 professional victories on the PGA South Florida Section and Chapter tours, multiple top 5 finishes.
Has qualified for the PGA of America Assistants championship and the South FL PGA Schmidt and Nelson Cup Teams.