Nick Kumpis has spent more than two decades helping golfers of every skill level – from novices to tour professionals – unlock their potential. As Director of Instruction at Santa Ana Country Club, he is known for personalized, results-oriented coaching built on video swing analysis, tailored performance plans, and long-term player-development programs.
Trained by legendary teachers Jim Flick, Mike Malaska, and Hank Haney, Nick refined his craft as the youngest instructor on the Nicklaus/Flick Golf Schools staff, traveling to 17 states to deliver hands-on lessons. Today he is also a featured coach on the TaylorMade Golf app, where his drills reach players worldwide.
Named Golf Digest’s “Best Young Teachers in America” (2017) – the only instructor from Orange County to receive this honor – and twice honored as the Southern California PGA Metro Chapter Teacher of the Year.
Nick believes there is no single “correct” swing—only the motion that fits each golfer’s body, goals, and style. That philosophy guides both his in-person sessions and his expanding library of online courses, which provide step-by-step instruction and personalized feedback to players anywhere in the world.
An innovator at heart, Nick created iJuniorGolf—the first junior-instruction app in the Apple store—and developed SmartLine Putting, a green-reading system used by golfers at every level to help players read greens more easily and improve their aim.
He is TPI certified – Level 1 certified and TPI Junior Level 2 – TrackMan certified, and has led programs at venues such as Pelican Hill Resort and the Anaheim Golf Academy.
He also co-founded the Southpaw Golf Academy, golf instruction tailored to the needs of left-handed golfers.
Nick has written articles for Golf Tips Magazine, and as an ESPN Golf Schools Top 25 instructor, contributed to ESPN.com’s Instructor Mailbag, offering tips and answering golf questions.
A University of Redlands alumnus and former collegiate golfer and football player, Nick lives in Huntington Beach, California, with his family and continues to write for golf publications, host clinics, and mentor players of all ages.
Accolades
• Southern California PGA Metro Chapter Teacher of the Year (2020, 2022)
• Golf Digest “Best Young Teachers in America” (2017)
• GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional (2021-24)
• TPI Golf, Power, and Junior Level 2 Certified
• U.S. Kids Master Kids Teacher and Top 50 Kids Instructor
• Golf Tips Magazine Top 25 Instructor