Maria Kostina, Staff Coach

A former LPGA Professional passionate for the game of golf and dedicated to share her philosophy and vast experience. She will find a way to help you reach your goals whether you are a beginner, a recreational golfer, or aspiring collegial player or tour player.

“I learned to play golf in Russia, where I was born and raised.  I came to the United States at the age of 17 with one way ticket and without speaking the language. Randy Henry’s family hosted me for a year before I went on to play college golf for Washington State University.  Randy Henry became my teacher my Freshman year of college and continued to teach me throughout my professional career. After I graduated I played professional golf for three years as a member on the LPGA Futures Tour. During my playing career I had a privilege to learn from great teachers like Randy Henry and Chuck Hogan. Now I am proud to be one of Randy Henry’s Certified Teachers and work at his Golf Academy.”

RESULTS MATTER!

Golfers express their satisfaction.

“Added 30 yards to my drive and fixed my slice the first lesson! “

– Chris Matthews

“Randy, words can’t express how much I appreciate that you were willing to spend time helping me become a better player and teacher. You have changed my life – thank you SO much!”

– Kathy Brown

“I gained a greater understanding of my swing[in both] my strengths and weaknesses. The instruction was simple with effective exercises, from which I saw immediate improvement in my ball striking, balance and distance. Prior to taking this lesson I always knew I had the potential to play better more consistent golf.”

– John Kranz

“Randy helped me tremendously in my attempt to gain more distance on my drives. He has really helped me to understand how to make solid contact, and to correct my off-center shots. I feel as though I have a great chance at competing at the highest level of Long Drive Championships.”

– Mike Hayes

Randy Henry
Lead coach

Randy is the Golf Channel Academy lead coach at the Golf Channel Academy at Hayden Lake Country Club in Hayden Lake, ID. One of the foremost authorities in club fitting and instruction, Randy is the co-founder of Henry-Griffitts custom-club fitting company, the originator of the lie board, interchangeable clubheads, dynamic club fittings and club fitting carts. A teacher for more than 40 years, Randy has coached winners on the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours, as well as top collegiate and junior champions. He has also worked with various universities, businesses and national golf teams to develop instructional programs designed specifically for their needs. 

Randy previously held the title of the #1 teacher in the state of Idaho in Golf Digest’s “Best Teachers in Your State” rankings, and has been recognized by the magazine as one of the top teachers in America.

Anastasia Kostina
Staff Coach

When I came to USA in 2003 Randy Henry became my teacher and mentor. He coached me to my wins in College and on the Tour. While competing with Russian National team I got to travel around the world and train at some of the worlds most recognized golf academies, such as David Leadbetter Academy and Sean Foley Academy. While at WSU I also had a privilege of working with Chuck Hogan. I worked as a teaching professional at Pestovo Golf and Yacht Country Club 2010, 2011.

In 2013 got married and retired from playing professionally at the age of 27. Even though I retired from competing, golf remains my passion. After becoming a mother of two girls I discovered a new passion for working with children. I am very fortunate to be able to combine my two passions and teach Junior Golf Academy at Hayden Lake Country Club.

Matt Bunn
Staff Coach

Matt has been the Head Professional at Hayden Lake Country Club for the past 14 years. A graduate of Eastern Washington University with a degree in recreational management, he helped the Fresno State men’s golf team win a conference championship his freshman year while also earning Freshman of the Year honors. Matt works with golfers of all skill levels, including juniors, national amateurs and touring professionals. He specializes in teaching the game of golf to students of all ages.

Club facilities include an 18 hole golf course, three hole practice course, driving and chipping range, pickleball and tennis courts, a marina, private beach and swimming dock, eight hotel rooms, six cabanas, a spacious clubhouse with renown dining opportunities, and our new Red House, home to shuffleboard, ping-pong, two state-of-the-art golf simulators, and more.  

Proud Member of the Golf Channel Academy

WHAT IS GOLF CHANNEL ACADEMY

Golf Channel Academy is a network of carefully selected, top-tier golf coaches across the US supported by Golf Channel, the leader in golf entertainment, news and instruction. Each coach has been carefully selected and vetted to be considered the best of the best. Golfers enrolled at Golf Channel Academy locations will not only have the opportunity to learn from the very best coaches in the game today, but will be able to track their progress using advanced swing analysis tools and a proprietary player-coach communication platform that will accelerate their progress.

FAQS ABOUT GCA

HOW IS GOLF CHANNEL ACADEMY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER GOLF INSTRUCTION OPTIONS?

The underlying philosophy of Golf Channel Academy—which all of our coaches reinforce—is that good coaching takes place over a period of time, not just one lesson. The relationship between coach and student is more than just “one and done.” This is how “teaching” becomes “coaching,” which we describe as an on-going relationship devoted to long-lasting improvement. Everything about Golf Channel Academy is devoted to enhancing the “coaching” experience for both teacher and student.

WHAT’S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THIS GOLF CHANNEL ACADEMY AND THE GOLF CHANNEL ACADEMY I SEE ON TV?

Golf Channel Academy is the hands-on coaching extension of the cable network’s instruction programming, which includes such shows as The Golf Fix, Lesson Tee Live, and School of Golf. Golf Channel Academy allows you to receive personalized instruction from the very best coaches in the game, including many of the teachers who you see on TV. And you should see many more Golf Channel Academy coaches making appearances on Golf Channel instructional programs in the future.

HOW ARE THE COACHES CHOSEN TO BE PART OF GOLF CHANNEL ACADEMY?

Golf Channel Academy’s primary mission is to bring together the best coaches throughout North America under one network. These coaches have a proven track record of creating significant and sustained improvement in their students. They demonstrate a clear passion for their craft and learning, and are continually striving to enhance their teaching skills so that they can produce even better results for their students. Golf Channel Academy’s executive team–as well as experts from the golf world and academia– has put years of extensive research into identifying these qualities and assembling its initial group of coaches. A number of these coaches were selected with the help of Proponent Group, a golf instructor membership-based organization that features hundreds of the game’s top coaches (a large percentage of which form the nucleus of Golf Channel Academy). Golf Channel Academy will continue to study the instruction landscape and add coaches in the future to provide golfers everywhere a chance to learn from the very best.