518 Woodlawn Ave
Greensboro NC USA 27401
(336) 790-8176 home
(336) 340-9079 cell

Hi, I'm Geoff Mangum and I teach putting, write on golf, and live with my family in Greensboro, North Carolina, just a short drive west of Pinehurst, the golf capital of America. The climate is moderate so I get to play year-round!

Over twenty years ago, I set out to learn all I could about putting. Since then I've spent innumerable hours researching, reading, observing, experimenting, analyzing, and practicing putting. During this research, I compiled a comprehensive, searchable electronic database of over 11,000 references and resources for putting covering 1880-2008, and today this powerful collection is available to anyone who wants it. Still learning, too!

Throughout this time, I learned the critical role the brain plays in all human targeting and movement, and concentrated study on the neuroscience of perception and motor control. Rigorously applying this science, along with the physics of golf and over 100 years of putting lore, I spend my time pushing the envelope on putting performance and developing and refining physical routines and procedures for optimizing targeting and stroke control in putting.

This study has already received favorable notice from the Human Kinetics Institute in Champaign, Illinois -- the premier sports science publishers in the US -- and from the World Scientific Congress on Golf in St. Andrews, Scotland -- the top golf science organization in the world supported by the Royal and Ancient Society of Golf. My book, Optimal Putting: Brain Science, Instincts, and the Four Skills of Putting, debuted in January 2008 at the PGA Merchandise Show and sold out within months --the eBook is still available (PDF download) and a second printing of the hardback is scheduled soon.

In addition to teaching and playing, I enjoy helping people with putting problems and just discussing putting with anyone. I correspond daily with golfers around the world and I'll be glad to try to help anyone via email, if I can. I have a special interest in International golf, especially Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India, and Asia.

Some of the things I do: I play, learn, write, and teach. I conduct private and group lessons, on-site and on-course clinics, corporate outings and resort clinics, lectures to sports classes, and free presentations and one-on-one work with junior golfers and collegiate team golfers. I recently began appearing on radio golf talk programs, starting with WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama ("ain't no 'ham like Birmingham") on Mark Friedman's Golfing Alabama, and then Sacramento's Golf Talk Radio Show, and Bob Adams' Golf Pinehurst Morning Show. I travel around and give free live presentations to any golf teaching pro, on-course pro, or golf media representative. And I'm available for retail store sessions for groups. And of course I help any touring pro make more money! Lots more! So let me hear from you!

My Greenkeeping Jobs

(What putting instructors do you know who go this far to learn the craft?)

Cape Fear CC, Wilmington NC - a real old, fine Donald Ross course on the Carolina Coast (Mike Claffey, Super).

Black Hawk GC, Pflugerville TX - typically Texas, just north of Austin, armadillos included (Grant Collyns, GM).

Grandover Resort Golf -- two VERY pricey tracks in Greensboro NC - plus the Ken Venturi Academy and my bud John King (Kevin Redfern, Super).

Greensboro CC, Greensboro NC - a 1911 Donald Ross course with a long history, very nice grounds crew! (Doug Lowe, Super).

See my Greenkeeping Section - one of the top sites in the world for this stuff.

• 20 years daily working out putting with well over 3.5 million thoughtful putts, reading everything there is to read about putting, and studying the neurophysiology of perceptual and movement processes strictly for the purposes of putting
• 100+ articles in the past 5 years in print and electronic media
• Putting expert for NBC Sports' Golf.com and many others, including Germany's Golf Journal, Florida Golf Magazine, Carolina Fairways, Eurogolfnet.com
• Top website in the world for putting instruction with 200,000+ visits monthly and over 3,100,0,000 visits to date
• Twelve PuttingZone Academies and 72 Certified PZ Coaches in 15 countries around the world
• Academy Owners: Andy Taylor, German National Headquarters Adendorf Golf Resort, John Eyre, Yorkshire England, Damon Lucas, Baltimore, Bruce Howard, Sydney Australia and Ontario Canada, Michael Jacobs, Long Island NY, Simon Hilton, Gams Switzerland and Mallorca Spain, James Marshall, Barcelona Spain, and Henrik Jentsch, Southern Germany, Andrew Pakes, Vejen Denmark, Bryan Seton, Golf Centrum, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Paul Vaarwerk, Gol-In, Heesch, the Netherlands
• PuttingZone Certified Coaches: Martin Wiklund, Malmo Sweden, Andrew Pakes, Vejen Denmark, Alan Renz, NY City NY, Greg Hawk, Buffalo NY, Brian Tulk, Kankakee IL, Jason Crerar, Breitenberg Germany, Gary Hilson, Gary Kershaw, Mel Johnson, and Dylan Bawden, Hamburg Germany, Darren Scholes and Peter Eisenhuth, Karlsrhue Germany, Jay Harvey, Mannheim Germany, Tim Boechtrager, Vienna Austria, Steve Chapman, Milton Ontario Canada, Won Park, Seoul Korea, Bob Montello, Pinehurst and Asheboro NC, Alan Martini, Asheboro NC, Mike Thurston, Hickory NC, Steve Bourbon, Orlando FL, Andy Thompson, St Paul MN, Lynn Anderson, St Paul MN, David Grant Geier, Cleveland OH, Gary Cottrell, Fenton MI, Thomas Ambuehl, South Africa, Lucky Kusuma Chandra, Jakarta Indonesia, William Watere, New Zealand, Todd Oerhlein, Madison WI, Marcus Poehnl, Koeningsberg-Stein Germany, Phil Kinney, Totteridge Golf Club, Pittsburgh PA, Jack Challender, Natural Goolf Washington, Seattle and Gold Canyon AZ
• Member of the World Scientific Congress on Golf, St Andrews, Scotland
• Most extensive putting research in history, written up by the Human Kinetics Institute and used by the World Scientific Congress on Golf
• First scratch amateur student fired course-record personal best 63 within two months; first mini-tour pro student shot personal best course-record, Tour record 62 the next morning and won going away; first PGA Tour student won a Major (PGA Championship) in two months with his putting, also his first PGA Tour win
• Consultant in putting to top collegiate teams and coaches, including Todd Oerhlein of the University of Wisconsin, Robert Linville of Greensboro College, and Larry Penley of Clemson
• Greenskeeping knowledge praised by top agronomists at Penn State, Geulph Turfgrass Institute, Golfdom Magazine, Georgia GCSAA and others
• Putting specialist resource for PGA and LPGA teaching pros and top teachers at Golf Schools, including Leadbetter Academy and Jim McLean Golf School
• Technique surveys of all top putters in golf, from Willie Park Jr and Walter Travis right through Bobby Locke, Paul Runyan, Billy Casper, Bob Rosburg, Loren Roberts, Ben Crenshaw, George Low, Dave Stockton, and many others
• Knowledgeable about every tip or drill ever published in Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golf Tips Magazine, and many other publications
• Respected by top sports scientists and putter designers worldwide, including David Edel, top putter designer, Jim McLean, top world teacher, Jason Carbone, Master Instructor and Director at Jim McLean Golf School Phoenix, Dr Robert Christina, national expert on golf skills learning and PGA National Coaches & Teachers lecturer, Dr Patrick Cohn, Peak Performance Sports - Orlando, Dr Robert Winters, Leadbetter School at ChampionsGate - Orlando, Art Chou, President of Pixl Golf, Bruce Hutchinson, National Sales Manager for SeeMore Putters, Bobby Grace, Robert Bettinardi, Kirk Curry, Luis Pedraza of Axis1 Golf, Alan Strand, President of Dandy Putters, Tim Sheredy, Champions Junior Golf Academy, Founders Club, Srasota FL, David Whitlam, President of Gauge Design Putters, Ed Opie, Breeds Confidence Putters, Tim Durnin, Penneagle Putters, many more...
• A few students: Travis Lethco, Steven Tate, Cary Schoen, David Chung, Andy Rouse, Jason Carbone, Ben Parker, Henri Reis, Christian Nilsson, Henrik Stenson, Chris Hanson, Matt Mighty, Stuart Dowsett, Nick Rose, Rory Hie, Josh Koch, Paul Spicer, Craig Miller, Gary Hilson, Katja Dammann, Noel Fox, Geoff Dixon, Joakim Thrane, Michelle Grilli, Floretyna Parker, Alison Foush, Megan McCrystal, Ally Bodeman, Marcy Hart-Newton, Tom Milton, Mike Goodes, David Geiger, Marty Sciene, Kelly Cap, Tommy Langley, Chip Johnson, Rick Murphy, Rich Moss, Shaun Micheel, Blake Adams, Hernan Rey, Tim Parker, Michael Long, Pia Mellerstam, Jason Semelsberger, Josh Smith, Bart Burton, Jared Gusso, Jeff Krumpelman, David Finholt, Rodney Morrow, Chris Evans, Geo Yang, Rocky Manning, Robert Linville, Chris Tucker, Jason Moon, Jessica Vincent, Jayce Strandberg, Bruce Woodall, Ted Sheftic, Mark Sheftic, Roy Pace, Ben Case, Korky Kemp, Mike Thurston, David Seigel, Mark Hopkins, Scott Fossum, Eddie Cox, Doug Thompson, Bob Daugherty, Alan Martini, Sean Murphy, European PGA, PGA of Czech Republic, Swiss PGA, PGA of Saskatchewan Canada, PGA of Holland, Methodist College, East Carolina University, UNCG, Gary Gilchrist, Greensboro College, Bobby Geiger, Tim Sheredy, Bob Koch, Ben Leong, David Leadbetter staff at Bradenton, Jae Eun Chung, James Song, Hae Yeon Kim, Young In Jeong, Seul Gi Lim, Tae Gyu Park, Jin Mi Kim, Amy Yang (Bruce Howard) , Nikki Garrett (Bruce Howard), Rob Corcoran, Brian Varsey, Bob Toski, Zakiya Randall, Tom Lossinger, George Kelnhofer, Phil Kelnhofer, Anne Cain, Mary Beth McGirr, Joe Clark Sr., Matt Hageman, Margie Bowes, David Flynt, Gerry Knebels, Sharon Gilmore, Joey Hidock, Alan Goldworthy, Lee Lofler, Lee Witkofski, Tom Whang, ...

Salem Glen G & CC
Clemmons, NC

Paul Spicer,
Ben Thomas, Jon Frank

Robert Linville's Precision Golf School

Coach Robert Linville, Chris the Quaker Haarlow, Mike Parker, Simon McGrael, David Horne, Larry Weidel

Hale Irwin's Meadowlands Golf Club, Wallburg / Winston-Salem NC

Mike Kemry, Josh Brownell, Andy Rouse, Kevin Angle, John McKinnon, Jerry, Joel

Jamestown Park, Blair Park & Bryan Park GC

Barry "Scratch" Snyder, Michael Hutcheon, Chip Johnson, Korky Kemp

Greensboro CC

Great Clubhouse Photo from the Bobby Jones & Walter Hagen Era

Juan the Boss Perez, Loco Manuel, Senor Miguel, Steve the Turk, Big Brian, Doug the Judge Lowe, Mustang Kevin, Jerry the Cop, Brooks da Bomb, Old Pro, Candyman Harold, Tiparillo Tim King, Larry Hooker, Gillespie

Gillespie Park GC (9-hole Muni), Greensboro NC

Gillespie Park History

Lots of pals here, but Lord above please save us from career municipal bureaucrats holding down golf jobs! They give the PGA such a bad name .... I've taught myself about putting here daily for 15 years, and I've never seen the head pro practice or teach on his own putting green.

Hampton Heights GC, Hickory NC

Mike Thurston, Wayne Orman, Rodney Teague, David Guy, Otis, Monihan, Joe Headrick

Olde Homeplace GC, Wallburg NC

Mike Crawford, Fred, Jim McCollum, Mike Kemry, Scott Smoot, Josh

The Challenge at Hideaway Farms, Graham NC

Michael Long, Larry, Teri, Bruce Woodall, Jerry Woodall, Joshua and Zachary Martin

Rick Murphy, Leo Halloran

Hyland Hills Golf Club

Doug Thompson
SwingSyncGolf.com

Woodlake Country Club, Vass NC

Bob Montello