How a Former Golf Pro Built a Coaching Business

About Andy

Andy Matthews spent 10 years chasing the PGA TOUR—only to watch that dream slip away, one shot at a time.

He could stripe balls perfectly on the range, but when the cameras rolled and money was on the line, something always went wrong. That crushing gap between practice and performance became Andy’s obsession and eventually, his goldmine.

Today, Andy works with golfers ranging from high-level amateurs to some of the highest-ranked players in the world—including Jordan Spieth—helping them bridge the gap between practice and performance through science-backed breathing techniques.

When Elite Skills Don’t Equal Business Success

When Andy first launched his coaching business, he discovered that having elite expertise and even high-profile clients wasn’t enough.

Despite 7+ years of success at Neuropeak Pro, a performance training company trusted by high performers and top athletes across every major sport, Andy faced the same challenges many expert coaches encounter:

Lack of Structure: “I knew in the back of my head the process that I wanted to take somebody through that was going to help them realize the best results, but it really didn’t have the structure and I didn’t know how to communicate that.”

Productizing Services: Andy had the expertise and client demand, but couldn’t clearly package his knowledge into scalable offerings that prospects could easily understand and purchase.

Business vs. Coaching Time: Like many coaches, Andy found himself spending more time on business development, lead follow-up, and administrative tasks than actually coaching, which was the work he was most passionate about.

Even with a global client base spanning China, South Africa, and Australia, Andy knew he needed a systematic approach to grow beyond trading time for money.

The Structure That Unlocked Andy’s Potential

When Andy joined Coach Builder, the timing was serendipitous. He had just transitioned to becoming an independent coach under the Neuropeak Pro umbrella and knew he needed to add structure and scalability to his practice.

The Coach Builder Framework gave Andy:

✅ Clear Service Structure: Andy transformed his expertise into a productized 12-week program broken into three 4-week sprints, making it easy for clients to understand and commit to the process.

✅ Communication Clarity: “The biggest takeaway for me from Coach Builder was productizing my services,” Andy explains. He could finally articulate his value proposition clearly to prospects.

✅ Systematic Business Growth: Rather than winging it, Andy now had a step-by-step framework for growing his coaching business alongside his expertise.

✅ Confidence to Scale: The structure gave Andy the confidence to position himself as the go-to specialist for golf coaches whose players “look great in practice but struggle to take it to the golf course.”

Building a Global Coaching Empire

The transformation was immediate and lasting:

Strategic Positioning: Rather than competing with golf swing coaches (which would be crowded and difficult), Andy positioned himself as the specialist resource they refer to for this specific mental/performance issue. This created a steady stream of referrals from coaching networks.

Systematic Client Process: Andy now offers a clear discovery call where he demonstrates immediate value, followed by his structured 12-week program with weekly 40-45 minute sessions and specific homework.

Global Reach with Structure: Working across multiple time zones from his base in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Andy serves clients worldwide while maintaining consistent delivery and results.

Speaking Opportunities: Just three months after completing Coach Builder certification, Andy was invited to speak at the PGA of America’s National Teaching and Coaching Summit, “the biggest instructional stage in golf.”

Unexpected Wins: The Jordan Spieth Success Story

Perhaps Andy’s most notable success came when Jordan Spieth, former world #1 golfer and major champion, reached out during a performance decline.

Jordan’s world golf ranking and performance had been on a steady decline, and stress was getting in the way of his best golf. Andy worked with Jordan on breathing techniques and stress management, focusing on the fundamentals of nervous system regulation.

About four weeks into their work together, Jordan opened with a pair of 67s and then shot 61 in the third round of the WM Phoenix Open—“a number he hadn’t come close to in a long time.” His performance took off from there, climbing from the edge of the world’s top 100 players back into the top 10.

While Andy notes his work wasn’t “the silver bullet,” it was part of Jordan’s comprehensive approach to getting back to elite performance. This success story opened doors to other high-level players and coaching opportunities.

But perhaps the most telling success came from a college golfer who texted Andy after finals: “I used my golf breathing for my chemistry final, and I did better than I thought.” This perfectly illustrates how Andy’s work transcends sport to help people manage stress in every area of life.

The 4 Pillars of Andy’s Winning Strategy

1. Universal Problem, Specific Solution
Andy identified that stress management affects everyone, from PGA Tour pros to college students, but specialized in the golf market where he had credibility.

2. Specialist Positioning
Instead of competing with swing coaches, Andy became the expert they refer to for mental performance issues.

3. Science-Based Credibility
Using Neuropeak Pro’s patented precision breathing training device, Andy provides objective data that proves his methods work.

4. Coach Builder Framework Application
“If you go through Coach Builder, you don’t have to coach those frameworks. If you just use it to help build your own business, it’s going to be so, so valuable.”

Key Takeaways from Andy’s Success

Andy’s journey from struggling tour pro to elite performance coach offers powerful lessons for any expert looking to build a coaching business.

• Turn your biggest struggle into your specialty
• Build scalable systems instead of trading time for money
• Create your own lane rather than competing directly
• Solve a problem that exists across multiple industries
• Leverage community support for exponential growth
 

“Coach Builder has given me a lot of confidence to be able to push forward. The community has been, bar none, the best thing I’ve ever been a part of.” — Andy Matthews

Ready to systematize your expertise like Andy? Coach Builder provides the frameworks, structure, and community support to transform your knowledge into a scalable coaching business, whether you’re working with everyday clients or world champions.