Carolina Coastal Golf Instruction
Golf is simply the best. A game of honor, passion, respect, tradition, and much much more. Golf is an individual game that tests your mental strength as much as it does your physical capabilities. The best business deals are completed on the golf course. Best friends meet every Saturday morning at the golf course for a competitive 18 hole match. And then there are those times we play just to see if we can beat our previous best score. So with all of that in mind, my goal in creating a golf instruction business was to give golfers what golfers long for - the best. Carolina Coastal Golf Instruction is committed to providing premier golf instruction to students of all skill levels in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Kirk Baker, PGA
Director of Instruction
In today's fast paced and high demand world, golf professionals are doing it all. They are teachers, business managers, accountants, marketers, web designers, rules officials, and most often therapists. After spending more than 10 years working as a club professional, Kirk decided to focus on what he does best - teach students how to swing the golf club!
A North Carolina native, I attended Methodist University from 2002-2006. I received a Business Administration degree and a concentration in Professional Golf Management. After graduating college, I spent two years at Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Florida. Not long into my time at Doral, I moved into the Head Golf Professional role at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando where I spent the next 7 years. It was in this role that my passion for teaching golf really took off. During my time in Orlando, I had the privilege to learn from some of the worlds greatest golf instruction programs including PGA Tour Academy, Marriott Golf Academy, Golf Digest Schools, and Rotary Swing Tour. The most significant opportunity of my career came during my last year as Head Professional when we hired Larry Rinker, short game expert and former PGA Tour player, as the Director of Instruction. Larry played in more than 500 PGA Tour events and even led the PGA Tour in putting in 1990. He taught me his methods to the short game, provided me with insight on what great players are looking for, and ultimately convinced me to follow my dream of becoming a full time golf instructor.
In May of 2015, my wife and I moved back to North Carolina to be closer to our families and to start my passion of teaching golf full time. I completed the Rotary Swing Tour certification in September of 2015, becoming 1 of approximately 20 certified instructors worldwide. The Rotary Swing Tour instruction teaching method is a fundamental step by step process to learn the correct way to swing the golf club. It is by far the most factual, most researched, and most effective teaching method today. To learn more about The Rotary Swing Tour click on the link below.
Josh Rackley, PGA
Teaching Professional
Josh grew up in Wilmington, NC and started playing golf at the age of 15. He fell in love with the game and decided to make a career out of it. He attended NC State where he earned a degree in Professional Golf Management.
After Graduation he traveled to the Philadelphia Section to become an assistant golf professional at Gulph Mills Golf Club. He stayed in Philadelphia for 3 years where he was able to hone in on his own golf game while working at Gulph Mills GC. He earned Player of the Year in 2015 in the Philadelphia Section where he won 4 section events.
In 2016 he left Philadelphia for the MET Section in New York to become a teaching professional at Tam O'Shanter Golf Club where he stayed for 4 years. While teaching at the club and playing in section events he was able to win Player of the Year in the MET Section in 2017 and Assistant Player of the Year in 2018.
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After some success on the golf course he went to PGA Tour Qualifying School for the PGA Tour Latino America where he earned a spot on the tour in 2020. He competed on the PGA Tour Latino America for 3 years with some success and a lot of memories. After time down in South America he decided to get back into the PGA of America to teach the game that he loves.
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With over 7 years of teaching experience, shadowing countless hours of lessons from the MET Section Teacher of the Year in 2022, and with his on course knowledge competing in tournaments, we are excited to have Josh join our team at Carolina Coastal Golf Instruction.