About Maria

Maria Palozola's Life in Golf

Maria first started swinging a golf club in the back yard at the age of 5. Maria's father's passion for the game was the catalyst of her career. She joined the junior golf program at Forest Hills C.C. at the age of 7 and later became the Junior Club Champion and a National Junior PGA Qualifier.

After flying to Florida for the Junior PGA and finishing nearly dead last, she was determined to perfect her golf swing and win the high school state championship. Although she was also a varsity basketball and soccer player, she was already realizing that golf could be her ticket to a collegiate scholarship and this led her passion for the game to be almost out of control.

After hiring a pro to teach her for the summer and practicing every day, Maria did win the 1987 Missouri State High School State Championship that fall. That earned her a scholarship to a Division 1 program at the University of South Alabama where she was a 1993 All Sun-Belt Conference Player.

At the end of her college career she won the 1992 and 1993 St. Louis District Championship and the 1993 Missouri State Amateur. She soon decided to turn professional and spent 6 months on the mini-tours. The lifestyle was not for Maria as she was anxious to get married, teach others to play and start a family.

While working as Director of Instruction for the Michael Jordan Golf Center she became the LPGA Midwest Section Champion qualifying her for a major - the LPGA Championship. In the years that followed she qualified for or was exempted into a handful of LPGA tournaments and won the 2002 Illinois Open.

Maria's peers in Chicago recognized her as a Top 10 Golf Digest Instructor in the state of Illinois. Golf Magazine also recognized her as Top Teacher in the Midwest. Recent awards include Top 50 LPGA Instructor in the World and 2-time LPGA Midwest Section Teacher of the Year.

Maria has now been instructing players of all levels for 18 years. Her entire career has been spent on the lesson tee and not in the pro shop like most golf professionals. Not having a purely natural swing, Maria went through many swing adjustments and took lessons from the game's top instructors including: The David Leadbetter Academy, Jimmy Ballard, Michael Hebron, Manuel De La Torre, Mike LaBauve, Jack Lumpkin and John Elliott Jr..

Maria has learned what works and what doesn't and the quickest ways to improvement. There isn't a specific method taught on Maria's lesson tee. Instruction is individualized and tailored to your personal needs. Maria's strengths lie in video analysis, communication and a honest approach. Maria hopes to share with you her 18 years of teaching experience and 36 years of competitive golf to help you achieve your goals.