Meet Petra Cole-Lempa
The Pebble Beach Golf Academy recently welcomed Petra Cole-Lempa to their team. From her professional excellence to her competitive accolades, Petra brings a wealth of knowledge that further bolsters the esteemed lineup of instructors. Get to know more about her journey to North America’s No. 1 Golf Resort and take a few tips with you to the range as the golf season comes into full bloom across the country.
Petra has golf in her genes. The daughter of a PGA Member with a half-century of experience under his belt, she had a club in her hand by the age of two and hasn’t looked back since. Excelling in high school, she went on to play competitively in college while at San Diego State University, where she was twice a member of the conference all-academic team en route to earning her Master’s in Public Administration. Career highlights for Petra include her victory at the San Diego City Amateur and a runner-up finish just down the road from Pebble Beach at the California Women’s State Amateur played at Quail Lodge in 2011. Throughout the years, she has been a fixture on USGA leaderboards, advancing as far as the round of 32 in the 2013 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.
Success has followed since becoming a PGA Professional. Petra has earned honors including 2014 SCPGA Women’s Player of the Year while her family received the San Diego Chapter PGA Heritage Award in 2016. In 2021 she received the San Diego Chapter Junior Player Development Award, following that up with the Southern California Player Development Award in 2022.
Just last year, she was featured in California Golf +Travel and the SCPGA’s Teaching Summit’s “The Book”. In summary, there are no shortage of accolades throughout her decorated career. And when it comes to the game, golf remains a family affair – Petra earned her PGA Class A membership teaching at Torrey Pines while running a teaching business both at Torrey Pines and Coronado Golf Courses with her husband, who is also a PGA Professional.
So, who better to share a few tips as golfers across the country dust off their clubs and return to the fairways? We asked the newest member of Team Pebble Beach to share a few tips to get you into mid-season form in short order.
Tip #1 Warming Up
Begin with a variety of stretches: Legs, shoulders, hips, our entire body. We do not want to strain our bodies since we have taken some time away. Direct your focus on wedges first. Most of us like hitting driver and want to bomb it out there, but let’s go through a routine of starting with the shorter clubs that are easier to control so we can build confidence.
Tip #2 Putting
You can use a putting mirror or alignment rods to get back to basics. See the ball rolling on the line. This is a nice way to ensure you are coming back into good habits. If you like technology, here at The Academy, we offer PuttView which can also quickly check your alignment and pace.
Tip #3 Short Game
Feel is the first thing to go when not playing in a while. Hit some chips and pitches and get yourself into a nice tempo and rhythm. Try not to be so picky on hitting perfect shots. Structure your practice to get some repetitions in here, all while finding the ground and getting comfortable again. Fine-tuning with these shots can come later.
Tip #4 Driver
Start with half swings and see if you can find the middle of the clubface. You can even put impact stickers on your clubface to make sure you are familiar with the center. Slowly add speed and lengthen it out.
Tip #5 Keep expectations Low
After taking a few months off, try not to be so hard on yourself coming back. Your game will not be as sharp as you would like, and that is ok. Have fun and no keeping score for a while when playing.
Visit Petra at the world-class Pebble Beach Golf Academy, featuring state-of-the-art technology and a robust team of instructors – that just got even stronger.