Some people find golf. Golf found Coach Shayna before she could even see over the top of the flagstick. Growing up in Unionville, Missouri, Shayna was just 3 when her grandparents cut down a putter and packed her into their three-wheel Harley-Davidson golf cart, heading to their nine-hole course with sand greens.
“My grandparents were intentional about teaching me the game the right way,” she said. “They made sure I understood both the mechanics and the integrity behind golf.”
By 11, Coach Shayna was playing on real grass greens for the first time. By 13, she shot a 79 at the Timber Ridge Junior Golf Tournament in Memphis, Missouri — the best score of the day — with her Grandpa Gary, affectionately known as “Schoonie,” walking every hole beside her.
Blazing her own trail
Golf wasn’t always easy to access, especially for a girl growing up in rural America in that era. There were no First Tee programs nearby, no girls’ golf team at her school and no shortage of moments that tested her resolve. When she was excluded from a Father’s Day tournament because organizers believed there should be “no girls,” she didn’t walk away from the game. She found another way in.
Shayna earned a spot on her high school boys’ varsity golf team — and held her own in the top five all four years, competing weekly for the number one position. Golf was just one chapter in a standout athletic career that earned her 16 varsity letters across golf, softball, basketball and track. Her softball team was later inducted into the Missouri State Hall of Fame.
Finding her way back to golf
Coach Shayna stuck with softball through college, where she earned a degree in psychology before becoming a cosmetologist. Golf took a backseat as she moved to Florida and became a mom of five, but the love of the game never left.
“For years, I mostly daydreamed about it and occasionally hit balls in the yard,” she said. “But the desire to compete and be part of the golf community never left me.”
When Shayna began working with Dixon Golf, a tournament consulting company, the golf world started pulling her back in. The more she played, the more one organization kept coming to mind: First Tee.
“I knew firsthand how transformative starting young in golf could be,” she said.
About three years ago, she met First Tee – Gulf Coast executive director Marty Stanovich and signed on as a volunteer. In the fall of 2025, she achieved her goal of becoming head coach at Fort Walton Beach Golf Club.
The joy of coaching
Coach Shayna’s background is uniquely suited for the work. Her degree in developmental psychology, combined with raising five kids of her own, gives her a nuanced lens when working with young people.
“I know they are constantly growing,” she said. “They are resilient, perceptive and capable of more than they realize.”
With support from First Tee partner, Morgan Stanley, Coach Shayna recently reached another milestone – she attended First Tee’s Level 2 coach training in Tampa, where she learned more about the youth development organization’s Coach Philosophy.
“Being surrounded by others who care deeply about youth development and the game itself was energizing,” she said. “Learning together reinforced that coaching doesn’t have to be done alone.”
A message to future coaches
“My favorite part of coaching is all of it,” Coach Shayna said. “I love showing up, maximizing our time and creating an environment that is both fun and challenging. I see kids as intelligent, capable and full of possibility. My goal is to draw that potential out of them and empower them.”
For anyone on the fence about getting involved with First Tee, her advice is direct: Don’t wait.
It’s rewarding to impact not only children, but the broader community, she said. Almost every class, an older club member stops her or another First Tee coach to thank them for introducing the next generation to the sport they love.
“And that is what First Tee is really about — building the future of the game and the character of the kids who will carry it forward,” she said.
First Tee coaches shape character, build confidence and create supportive environments where every participant feels inspired to grow.
In collaboration with The Harris Poll, our research shows parents believe trained coaches are better equipped to teach new skills, demonstrate a dedication to safety and adapt to the needs of individual children.
Morgan Stanley donates $5,000 for each Eagle recorded at THE PLAYERS Championship to support First Tee’s coach training efforts. Over the last five years, First Tee has been able to send hundreds of coaches to valuable, in-person trainings, where they learn to teach golf and serve as crucial mentors for the next generation.
