As I sat over an 8-foot putt on the third green at my local park district course – unaware of the significance of that hole – I let the putter stroke freely. Bang. Left it short and on the low side. My friend and playing partner jeers, “you hate to see it”. I hang my head, laugh a little and tap in for par. It was my first legitimate par: no mulligans, no 0-stroke foot wedges, no winter rules in effect that enabled preferred lies in the middle of summer. It was only my 5th round of golf and as I reviewed the shots I took to get there, the dangerous and false simplicity of the game fed my delusion: surely, I could do that 17 more times. I had no idea I had just been bit by the bug. Fast forward over a decade of playing the sport, passion often bordering obsession, lessons here and there, tracking every stat, purchasing a ridiculous amount of golf equipment, I found a fulfilling outlet to express my passion for the sport by teaching my wife how to play.

My name is Franc Bauzon (PGA Teaching Professional, B6). I graduated in 2016 with a B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago and have been working in all facets of the Pharmaceutical Industry, from R&D to Quality. In addition, I have roughly 20 years of retail experience from video game stores to big box golf retailers. For the past 3 years, I’ve been a class B Associate in the PGA of America where I’ve learned industry standards - leveraging some of the best resources and instructors to help hone in my game and teaching styles. This unique blend of work has enabled me to not only develop an empirical approach to understanding the game, but to allow me to articulate the feedback and information in digestible chunks catering to the different learning styles. I’m excited to offer and apply my experiences as an instructor to support players in achieving a level that makes the game more enjoyable – whether that be at a high competitive level or just being more comfortable on the course to spend with friends and family. I will be operating as an independent contractor at Renwood Golf Course in Round Lake, IL on weekends and in the evenings on weeknights.