Aaron Bergman, PGA

Aaron has spent his life dedicated to touching the lives of people through the game of golf. He has become an international ambassador of the game, teaching lessons in nine countries and to all different walks of life. Aaron is a recipient of the Southern Texas PGA's Youth Development Award and is a member of the World Golf Foundation's Diversity Taskforce. He is determined to broaden the reach of the game, believing that golf has the power to enrich lives and connect people across class and cultures.

After earning his Golf Management Degree from New Mexico State University, Aaron traveled to the Kingdom of Bhutan to work for the Bhutan Youth Golf Association (BYGA) as a golf coach to local children. There he toured the country, introducing the game and teaching life skills to children. His work left an indelible mark on the country and quickly caught the eye of the monarchy — he was soon befriending and giving lessons to the royal family. His golf training with the Prince of Bhutan became well known.

Aaron's efforts caught the attention of the Nepal Golf Association. After his five-month tenure in Bhutan, Aaron traveled to Nepal to help institute similar golf programs in that country. He spent his time increasing golf awareness and conducting seminars to local instructors, children, caddies and golf members at the Royal Nepal Golf Club. Aaron was a true golf pioneer in Nepal, becoming the first American PGA instructor to conduct seminars in the country. Since then he has traveled back to Nepal three times to continue his coaching, including preparing the national team for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. His student, Shiva Ram Shrestha, became the first Nepalese Professional to win on the Indian Tour, and the first ever Nepalese to play in an Asian Tour Event.

From Nepal Aaron ventured to Thailand and began working with Heartland Golf Schools as Director of Education, helping set up golf academies in the Philippines and Singapore. He traveled to several countries in the region, conducting caddie training programs in Cambodia, corporate golf clinics in Shenzhen and Kun Ming, China, and writing golf instruction articles for a magazine in Indonesia. While working in Southeast Asia, Aaron also hosted a golf television show on Bangkok's Thai Channel 3 — the program ran daily for nearly two years.

After almost three years working throughout Asia, Aaron spent two seasons teaching at the prestigious Whippoorwill Club in Armonk, NY, conducting private lessons, youth clinics, and junior summer camps. He also volunteered for the First Tee, helping conduct golf clinics for inner-city youth. From New York, Aaron moved to Chicago to teach at Northmoor Country Club, where he expanded the club's junior golf development.

In 2010 Aaron co-founded Golf in Schools, an after-school enrichment program for school-aged children. What started as a class in four schools in West Austin quickly grew to over 85 schools in Central Texas, with over 2,000 students per year participating in an after-school class, PE program, or summer camp.

In 2015 Aaron started an indoor learning center, The Golf School, as a place for students introduced to golf through the school programs to further their development and training. The Golf School grew to be a true family learning center, with over 250 members of all ages participating in learning programs on a monthly basis. The Golf School was the first brick-and-mortar subscription-based golf academy in the U.S.

Aaron is a student of PGA Hall of Fame instructor Manuel de la Torre — best known for teaching the swing principles introduced by Ernest Jones, the first ever PGA Teacher of the Year, and ranked among the country's top instructors by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine before his passing in 2016. Aaron spent numerous hours studying under de la Torre and credits his success in teaching to that relationship and training.

The success of The Golf School and its ability to reach the large non-golfing segment inspired Aaron to continue his vision of breaking down the long-standing barriers to golf. In 2022 he founded Golfinity, an indoor social golf experience where people can discover and develop their game. The 20,000 sq ft facility is home to over 600 members. In 2023, Golf Inc. Magazine named Golfinity its Development of the Year.