Growing up in Morganton, North Carolina, Dana Rader was all-around athlete playing a wide variety of sports. Over time, golf surfaced as her passion, and she hasn’t looked back since. “Golf was more challenging than any sport I’ve ever played,” says Rader, “and I have played
all sports.” 

Rader’s determination to meet golf’s challenges landed her on the men’s team at Pfeiffer University. In 1980, she joined Myers Park Country Club as assistant professional; four years later, she earned her LPGA Class A status. “Teaching golf is all I’ve ever done and all I want
to do,” notes Rader, who once qualified for the LPGA Tour in 1982. “Once was enough for me,” says Rader, who turned her full attention to instruction after that. 

“I was advised to open my own golf school and name it Dana Rader Golf School,” recalls
Rader. Rader took the advice and ran with it. In 1982, she moved to Raintree Country Club
in South Charlotte, where she founded the Dana Rader Golf School. Today she owns and operates one of the best golf schools in the country, recognized by Golf Magazine as a
Top 25 School in the United States.  

The Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, North Carolina also features a Dana Rader Golf School. Rader shared the range with Jane Blalock, LPGA Legends Tour, at the inaugural LPGA Golf Clinic for Women held there in 2008. Rader and Blalock put on a 15-minute golf swing exhibition for Clinic attendees as part of the one-day instructional and networking program. 

“Ballantyne Resort is a women-friendly golf course that has a variety of tee boxes - it's very fun, challenging, and fair,” notes Rader. LPGA Golf Clinics for Women looks forward to revisiting Rader and Ballantyne for a second Clinic in the future.  

Patient, knowledgeable, results-driven and student-centered are just a few words to describe Rader’s teaching style. One of her favorite students is attentive to the advice she offers and provides feedback to her teaching style. Clearly, she’s listening, as Rader has been named to Golf for Women’s Top 50 Teachers, Golf Digest’s America’s 50 Greatest Teachers and GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Instructors. 

“I am most often asked by my students how to not be embarrassed on the course,” says Rader. To help them overcome this anxiety and build confidence in their game, Rader approaches each student based on his or her current level of play. “For beginner students, I start with the grip. For the more advanced player, my focus is on concise management and performance-based coaching,” explains Rader. 

After many years playing and teaching the game, Rader recognizes that the rules of golf can
be intimidating and somewhat restricting for the average player. Perhaps some could be re-evaluated. Recommends Rader, “I would eliminate the 14 club maximum rule. We need all the help we can get.” 

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