About Rich

Rich Marik works with players on the PGA, LPGA, Korn Ferry, PGA Tour Americas, as well as elite collegiate athletes, juniors and competitors in other sports.

Rich Marik, PGA, MA, is widely recognized for helping athletes integrate the mental, physical, and strategic dimensions of performance. A PGA Member with a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and advanced clinical training in psychotherapy, he brings more than 25 years of experience developing players from junior golf to the professional tours.
A former #1-ranked junior golfer in the United States, U.S. Junior Amateur Champion, and captain of the Stanford University men’s golf team, Rich has served as National Director of Instruction for Nike Golf Schools, Head Instructor for Hank Haney, performance coach alongside Julie Elion at CAPE Performance, and a faculty instructor with the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI).
Over the course of his career, he has worked alongside many of the game’s most respected coaches and performance specialists, including Justin Parsons, Hank Haney, John Scott Rattan, Randy Smith, Julie Elion, Mark Blackburn, Jason Baile, and Greg Rose.

The Foundations of Elite Coaching

Rich’s approach reflects a rare integration of experience and training seldom found in a single coach. It brings together:

  • Elite competitive experience
  • Technical mastery
  • Long-term player development
  • Experience within elite performance teams
  • Advanced psychological training
  • Deep work in attention and mental performance

Together, these form a modern model of coaching — one that recognizes that developing champions requires far more than technical instruction alone.

Six Elite Performance Coaching Pillars

These pillars form the foundation of Rich’s work and guide how athletes develop, prepare, and perform.

1. Understanding Elite Competition as an Athlete

Former #1-ranked junior in the U.S., U.S. Junior Amateur Champion, Stanford captain, and professional player.

Rich understands what it takes to become an elite competitor because he lived it — from daily training to performing under pressure.

That experience shapes how he helps athletes build the habits, preparation, and internal foundation required to compete at the highest level.

2. Technical Mastery of the Game

National Director of Instruction — Nike Golf Schools

Head Instructor for Hank Haney

TPI Instructor (U.S. & Europe)

Coach — UC Berkeley

Rich has spent decades developing technical expertise across all areas of the game — from full swing to scoring, practice design, and course strategy.

He focuses not just on fixing swings, but on building complete golf games.

3. Long-Term Player Development

Rich has coached hundreds of players from junior golf through college and into professional careers.

Players he has coached have:

  • Reached #1 in the United States
  • Won NCAA conference championships
  • Competed and won on the PGA, LPGA, and Korn Ferry Tours


This experience provides a clear understanding of how elite players are developed over time.

4. Experience Within Elite Performance Teams

Rich has worked within high-performance teams supporting players at the highest levels of professional golf.

He collaborated closely with Julie Elion of CAPE Performance, working within integrated teams supporting PGA and LPGA Tour players, including major championship environments.

He has also worked alongside leading instructors and coaches across the game.

5. Advanced Psychological Training

Master’s Degree — Depth Psychotherapy

Clinical Training — CIIS Psychological Services Center

Rich’s work addresses the deeper psychological dimensions of performance, including:

  • Confidence
  • Pressure
  • Emotional regulation
  • Identity and self-trust

This allows athletes to perform with greater clarity and consistency.

6. Inner Training for Elite Performance

Beyond traditional coaching, Rich integrates decades of work in attention training, meditation, and performance awareness.

These methods help athletes develop:

  • Focus
  • Presence
  • Emotional stability

Especially in the most demanding competitive environments.

Together these pillars reflect a rare and powerful integration in elite coaching — combining player development, technical mastery, competitive preparation, and deep psychological training into an approach designed to help athletes compete and win at the highest levels of the sport.

Selected Background & Credentials

Competitive Career

  • U.S. Junior Amateur Champion
  • #1 Ranked Junior Golfer in the U.S.
  • AJGA First Team All-American
  • U.S. Junior World Cup Team Member
  • Stanford University Men’s Golf Team Captain
  • Professional Player

Coaching & Instruction

  • National Director of Instruction — Nike Golf Schools & Camps
  • Performance Coach — CAPE Performance (with Julie Elion)
  • Head Instructor for Hank Haney
  • Instructor — Titleist Performance Institute (U.S. & Europe)
  • Director — Nike Junior Camps at Pebble Beach
  • Coach — UC Berkeley Men’s Golf
  • Founder — Pure Golf Academy

Education & Certifications

  • Stanford University — BA English Literature
  • Pacifica Graduate Institute — MA Depth Psychotherapy
  • CIIS Psychological Services Center — Psychotherapy Practicum
  • PGA Class A Professional
  • TPI Certified (Golf, Junior, Power, Fitness)

Coaching players from junior golf to major championships.

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