Heather Angell Brings an LPGA Tour Player’s Talents to the Lesson Tee as a PGA Coach

PGA Professional, Coach, Adjunct Professor, Master’s Graduate, Writer — these are among the many titles and accolades earned by Heather Angell, PGA. 

But behind the professional lingo is someone who found a deep passion for the game of golf as an 11-year-old girl and turned it into a career, impacting people’s lives every day and standing as an example of the great need for more women in the golf industry.

“My parents exposed me to all kinds of sports and activities growing up,” says Angell, a PGA Member since 2015. “I was tall and awkward in soccer, gymnastics, ballet and other activities. One summer, my parents sent me to a golf camp and I never looked back. I loved the focus required to practice and play the game.”

Flash forward to 2023, Angell is the PGA Director of Instruction at Heritage Palms Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, elevating the club and the profession as a PGA Coach. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“I knew when I was in grade school that golf would be a huge part of my life,” remembers Angell. “Always competing against boys in high school meant I had to work harder and hone my competitive mindset, as well as my skills. In 7th grade, I made the boy’s JV team and made the varsity team as an 8th grader, playing second seed. 

“I continued to play throughout high school and earned a golf scholarship to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon graduation from UNC, I turned pro.”

Not only did Angell join the professional golf ranks, she enrolled in graduate school at High Point University around the same time, earning a master’s degree in sports management. 

“Education has always been important to me,” says Angell. “I was always a focused student excelling in academics, and I have had that same focus and drive to excel in golf.”

Angell competed on the LPGA, Symetra (now Epson) and Canadian Women’s Tours from 2003-19. It also was during that time she discovered a new passion: coaching.

“I always thought of playing golf competitively as my passion,” says Angell. “On tour, the LPGA afforded players the opportunity to lead clinics at each event. Helping people improve their golf games led me to my real passion, sharing my knowledge of golf with others, and helping them learn and enjoy golf. I enjoy seeing my students achieve their golf goals as much as I enjoy achieving my own.”

She’s implementing the same determination and work ethic she used in academics and professional golf, to develop a career as a PGA Professional.

After achieving PGA Membership, Angell became a Senior Golf Instructor at North Carolina Golf Academy. In 2018, she became an Adjunct Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, Florida, and developed the school’s “Golf for Business and Life” curriculum.

Angell positively impacts the lives of college students at FGCU, all while helping people learn the game through excellent coaching programs at Heritage Palms Golf & Country Club, her new home since 2019.

“Taking on a new position at Heritage Palms as PGA Director of Instruction and developing the entire teaching program from the ground up is one of my most proud accomplishments,” says Angell. “Prior to my arrival, the five golf staff members gave approximately 350 lessons a year. Last year, I gave over 1,200 lessons and ran over 125 clinics.”

With her expertise in coaching flourishing and a game honed from years on tour, winning awards like the South Florida PGA’s Women’s Player of the Year, Southwest Chapter Teacher of the Year and Player Development Award came naturally.

Along the way, Angell also took part in PGA LEAD, a leadership development program created to identify, mentor and progress PGA Members from diverse backgrounds along a path to volunteer leadership roles at the Chapter, Section and National levels of the Association. She participated in PGA LEAD’s Cohort V throughout 2020-21.

“Growth for women in the golf industry is limitless,” says Angell. “To excel in the golf industry, women must be knowledgeable and credible. The leadership skills I acquired in PGA LEAD have opened doors for me nationally, as well as in my PGA Section.”

Most recently, a door opened to help raise money by making birdies alongside teammate Warren Bottke, PGA, at The Honda Classic Cares Play Yellow Birdie Bash to support the South Florida PGA Foundation & Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation. 

Together, they raised $14,993 to help impact the lives of many youth, families and military personnel throughout South Florida.

Accomplishment by accomplishment, Angell is excelling within the golf industry and demonstrating the success women are achieving in the business of golf. Her efforts in this historically male-dominated industry and sport welcome more and more women into the game, and oftentimes, that starts on the lesson tee.

“Golf is a unique sport that you can play your entire life. It’s never too late to learn to play the game — I have students in their 80s who are learning to play,” says Angell. “Golf provides a social aspect that other sports do not, with the ability to network while enjoying the game giving women the opportunity to advance their careers and make new connections.”

The underlying factor to Heather Angell’s success and advice to those looking for a career in the golf industry?

“Learn all you can about your job. Learn all you can about the industry,” she says.

“Never stop learning.”