BIOGRAPHY

Dori O’Rourke, aka “Coach Dori,” is a professional golfer, an esteemed member of the LPGA, and an LPGA “Class A” Professional with 25+ years teaching experience. Her influence has positively impacted the lives of thousands of men and women golfers worldwide.

Born a natural athlete, competitive sports always came easy to Dori. She was an all-star softball player and tournament water skier as a young girl; winner of the Senior Athlete Award in high school for four high-achieving years of tennis, basketball, and softball; and awarded a scholarship to play tennis in college.

As a junior in college, she was required to take a two-week golf class as part of her Sports Medicine major. She quickly fell in love with the sport, opting to turn in her tennis scholarship her senior year to pursue a career playing golf.

Two years after taking up the game, Dori was a 3-handicap. She shot a blazing back nine score of 33 to qualify for the National Publinx Championship in Rapid City, South Dakota, and won her flight at the California State Amateur at Pebble Beach. She graduated from University of the Pacific in Stockton, California in 1983 with a degree in Sports Medicine and an emphasis in Psychology and Communication.

Committed to becoming a golf professional, Coach Dori sought methods and opportunities for improving her own game that eventually led to the development of The Golfthentic Approach. From 1989 to 1991 she was the General Manager and Head Golf Professional at Mission Bay Golf Resort in San Diego.

Since 1986, she has been a national speaker and seminar leader and she became a featured clinic instructor for the Al Geiberger “Mr. 59” and Lee Elder Boys and Girls Club charity tournaments. She was a magazine Columnist for GOLF NEWS from 1990-1995, a spokesperson on the Golf Channel from 2000-2002 and the Golf Video Host for Swing Your Best with the I-Swing System, a 2003 video release.

Coach Dori has written dozens of golf books and manuals, and has had over 100 magazine articles published. She has presented golf schools and clinics all over the country including cutting-edge mental game seminars. She published I Found the Golf God in 1990, The Mystery of Feeling Great in 1995 and Custom-Fit YOUR Golf Swing in 2006.

The combination of 25 years of playing on the WPGT, Futures, and Player’s West Tours and discovering the secrets to a good swing, along with her passion for sharing the game with novices and professionals led to the evolutionary CUSTOM-FIT Swing Program and The Golfthentic Approach.

17 Things You Probably Didn’t Know
About Coach Dori …

  • Dori used to think golf was the most boring game ever created, and didn’t start golfing until her junior year of college, when she was required to take a 2-week golf class as part of her Sports Medicine major.

  • Dori went to college on a tennis scholarship, but the summer following the 2-week golf class, she became so hooked on the game, she turned in her tennis scholarship her senior year to focus 100% on golf.

  • Dori once gave a golf lesson to singing superstar, Mariah Carey, at DisneyWorld in Florida — “Rush Hour” star and family friend, Chris Tucker, set it up, and Mariah arrived in high heels (luckily, she did it as a joke and had tennis shoes with her).

  • Dori was a tournament water skier in the Sacramento Water Ski Club as a kid, but was always 2nd best to fellow club member, Deena Brush. It’s no wonder — Deena Brush Mapple went on to become one of the best water skiers of all time, and was inducted into the Water Ski Hall of Fame in 2000.

  • Dori was already a seasoned LPGA Professional in 1995, when her Mom married PGA Tour Legend, Lee Elder – the first African-American man to play in the Masters; Ryder Cup Member; and winner of 15 Tour events. Dori thinks Lee is a great addition to the family, and loves playing golf with him!

  • Dori’s favorite tennis player of all time, Martina Navratilova, once sent her a handwritten note thanking Dori for her book, “I Found the Golf God,” and stating that the concept of “Target Golf” had helped her golf game.

  • Dori’s favorite LPGA Professionals are Nancy Lopez, Amy Alcott, and Annika Sorenstam; Favorite PGA Professionals are Lee Elder, Fred Couples, and Phil Michelson; Michelle Wie is also a favorite.

  • Speaking of favorites, Dori feels honored to have had the chance to watch famous Canadian golfer, “Pipeline” Moe Norman, hit balls on 10 different occasions, and treasures that they became friends.

  • Dori took up ice hockey in her late 30′s, and learned how to play wearing hand-me-down skates previously used by NHL great, Chris Chelios. (Unfortunately, the skates had no memory of their earlier experience when Dori wore them!)

  • Dori hosted the first television show at her elementary school, which was broadcast into the classrooms each morning. Later, she became the co-host of a 30-minute television show created fully by kids as part of the Sheriff’s Explorer Program.

  • According to a newspaper reporter, Dori was the youngest (and possibly first) female General Manager of an 18-hole golf resort, taking the reins of the Mission Bay Golf Center in San Diego at age 30.

  • In addition to teaching golf, Dori founded two not-for-profit organizations, volunteered as a Crisis Counselor, and worked as a paid Life Coach for several years, before founding her own golf company.

  • Dori became the communication instructor for the volunteer Crisis Counselor training, and also gave “Personal Empowerment Talks” (her P.E.T. project), to “high-risk” high school students as part of a rape prevention grant.

  • Dori was a straight “A” student in high school and college, graduating with honors and the 3rd and 5th highest grade point average, respectively.

  • Dori is a major animal lover. For 15 years, she had a pet cockatiel named “Boy,” that she trained to talk, fly to her on command, and whistle the chorus of “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” And, while she used to prefer dogs to cats, now her favorite playmate is “Winnie” – a beautiful black cat!

  • Dori loves to help people anonymously, and is more motivated to raise money for charitable causes than for herself (so she wisely ties the two together whenever possible).

  • Dori was once the lead singer in an airband, and is often caught dancing and singing through the house and in the car while driving.