HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire a golf professional in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists golf coaches. Here is what to ask about status and lessons, the vetting for juniors, and the terms to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a golf professional in five steps

  1. Say what you want to fixA first block of lessons, a slice, the short game or course management. A golf professional plans each differently.
  2. Ask which check they holdA golf professional should name it: an enhanced DBS check in England and Wales, PVG membership in Scotland or an AccessNI check in Northern Ireland — and show the date.
  3. Ask about their coachingThe award a golf professional holds, who gave it, and the level of the people they coach now.
  4. Try one lesson before a blockA first golf lesson should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another golf professional.
  5. Agree the terms in writingRange balls, green fees, non-member charges and the block refund rule — in writing before the first payment. A message on Locufy counts.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no register of golf professionals anywhere in the UK, and the title is not protected, and sessions run on the range or the course at a club. A coaching award is something to ask about and verify with the body that gave it.

Ask the golf professional for the award and the body that gave it, and for two people or families they coach now.

Criminal record check for a young learner

In England and Wales, teaching or instructing a child on more than three days in any 30, or once overnight, is regulated activity — so a golf professional seeing your child in a block of thirty- to sixty-minute lessons should hold an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list. The definition changed on 1 September 2026: a golf professional who is supervised is now inside regulated activity too. Scotland uses PVG scheme membership, and mygov.scot names tutors and instructors a parent engages for a child as a role to ask about; in Northern Ireland, a self-employed golf professional gets an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list through an Umbrella Body.

You cannot apply on a golf professional's behalf. Ask to see their own certificate and read its issue date — it has no official expiry — or PVG proof in Scotland, or an AccessNI certificate shared from their nidirect account. gov.uk →

Coaching qualification

Coaching awards in golf are voluntary and no register lists them — the certificate and its awarding body are what you check. Ask whether they are a qualified professional or a trainee — both may teach, at different rates.

Ask the golf professional for the award, the year and the awarding body, and check it with that body.

First aid and insurance

The law on first aid at work covers a golf professional's own needs, not yours, but HSE strongly recommends that anyone running sessions plans for the public too. If an injury happens on the range or the course at a club, public liability insurance is what pays — ask, since it is not compulsory.

Ask the golf professional for the insurer's name, the policy dates, and whether they hold a current first-aid certificate. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Golf tuition from a golf professional is exempt only when given personally as a sole trader or partner in a subject ordinarily taught in schools; lessons sold by a club company, a range business or their employed professionals are standard-rated. Anyone teaching alone below the £90,000 registration threshold charges no VAT at all, so there is no VAT number to ask for.

Ask whether the golf professional invoices personally or the club or range does; a sole trader under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

“Which criminal record check do you hold, and when was it issued?”

A good answer: The right one for your nation — enhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI — with a date, shown before a golf professional starts.

“Are you a qualified golf professional or a trainee?”

A good answer: A clear answer, and the price for each.

“Do you use video or a launch monitor?”

A good answer: If so, whether it costs extra.

“Do you offer playing lessons on the course?”

A good answer: Yes or no, the price, and green fees.

“Do you charge non-members more for golf lessons?”

A good answer: A clear answer before you book.

“Can you check my clubs?”

A good answer: A quick look at length and lie, and advice before buying.

“What is your notice period, both ways?”

A good answer: Notice periods that fit a block of lessons, written down, with the golf professional's own cancellations made up.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour or per lesson, and whether weekend or playing lessons cost more
  • The minimum booking — often a 30-minute lesson — and what happens if rain stops it early
  • What each side brings: your clubs, shoes and glove; range balls, video analysis or launch monitor from the professional
  • The fault or goal agreed before the first hour: the swing, the short game, putting or a handicap
  • ID checked and the rating, and public liability insurance on the range or course

Walk away if

  • They brush off the DBS, PVG or AccessNI question for golf lessons with your child
  • No insurance, or a golf professional who cannot name the insurer
  • They offer injury treatment as a physiotherapist but are not on the HCPC Register
  • A new set of clubs pushed before the first lesson
  • A large upfront payment beyond a block of lessons, with nothing in writing
LOW
£35
TYPICAL
£50
HIGH
£80

What a golf professional costs: £35–£80 per hour

Golf professionals charge by the lesson; playing lessons and non-member rates cost more. Golf Lessons price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Golf professionals near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. AssessA few swings filmed or watched.
  2. One changeA single fix to grip, set-up or swing.
  3. DrillsPractice that makes the change stick.
  4. Range or courseTrying it under real conditions.
  5. Practice planWhat to work on before the next golf lesson.

Slice
A shot that curves away to the right for a right-handed player.
Short game
Chipping, pitching and putting.
Launch monitor
A device measuring ball speed and spin.
Playing lesson
A lesson on the course rather than the range.
Handicap
A measure of a golfer's playing ability.
Club fitting
Matching club length and lie to the player.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the recordsKeep the lesson notes and the receipts, with the written terms.
Test the progressAfter a block of lessons, play a round and compare the problem shot with before.
The guarantee, honestlyNobody honest promises a single-figure handicap. Hold the golf professional to the golf lessons agreed, taught with care.
Leave the reviewOnly booked golf lessons can be reviewed on Locufy; if something went wrong, the make-it-right step sends it to the golf professional first.

STEP 1Write to the golf professional firstSet out the problem (green fees for a playing lesson that nobody mentioned is a common one) and ask for a fix or a refund by a date. Ask for the remedy the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives — the golf lessons again, or money back for what fell short.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the golf professional first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers golf professionals, so a consumer complaint goes to Trading Standards through your nation's helpline: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeSmall claims handle a dispute with a golf professional without a solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales (small claims track), £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland. The lesson notes and the receipts will be your evidence.

Hiring a golf professional: questions people ask

No law makes every golf professional hold one. But teaching a child in a block of thirty- to sixty-minute lessons becomes regulated activity in England and Wales once it passes three days in 30, and a barred person must not do it — so ask for the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list, PVG membership in Scotland, or an enhanced AccessNI check in Northern Ireland.

No UK nation licenses this work or keeps a register of it. Ask whether they are a qualified golf professional or a trainee, and who awarded the qualification.

£35–£80 an hour, with £50 typical for a head professional outside London. See the golf lessons price guide for the full range; type your town above for real golf professionals nearby.

Not from a golf professional teaching as a sole trader or partner: that tuition is exempt. Lessons sold by a club company, a range business or their employed professionals are standard-rated, and VAT is added once the business is over £90,000.

A first block of four to six lessons, with practice between, is common.

Not at first; most professionals lend clubs to beginners.

MORE GUIDES

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Golf professionals near you

Golf professionals in LondonGolf professionals in ManchesterGolf professionals in BirminghamGolf professionals in GlasgowGolf professionals in BelfastAll golf professionals on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  2. gov.uk — change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
  3. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  4. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  5. HSE — first aid FAQs (first aid for the public)
  6. HSE — get insurance for your business
  7. HCPC — check the Register
  8. gov.uk — Sport supplies that are VAT exempt (VAT Notice 701/45)
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from cancellation
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  12. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  13. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  14. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  15. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  16. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  17. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register