Who Is Justin Thomas’ Coach?

Who Is Justin Thomas' Coach?

Justin Thomas' father Mike is his coach and has been teaching him the game since he took it up as a youngster. Mike is a PGA Pro and the former head pro at Harmony Landing Golf Club in Kentucky.

Mike himself was the son of a teaching professional, Paul Thomas, and Mike has admitted on more than occasion that whilst he loved the game, he occasionally did not enjoy it one bit. It was because of this that Mike was always wary of over-instruction when teaching Justin the game.

For example, from a young age Mike allowed Justin to correct his own swing. When he was roughly four years old, Justin held the club cross handed and eventually changed this himself. He also worked out how to hit draws and fades himself.

“My goal with him was every time you come out here, we’re going to have fun,” Mike Thomas said. “It wasn’t instruction. It was fun. Then, I was able to sneak some instruction in just because he’d ask me.”

“Sometimes he’s tentative to tell me stuff,” Justin said to The Wall Street Journal. “Like I won’t play well one day, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I saw something in your warm-up.’ I’m like, ‘Well why didn’t you tell me?’”

Thomas has also talked about the different relationships he and his father have given he is also his swing coach, especially when Justin is playing poorly.

“It’s a lot different,” Thomas acknowledged to Golf.com on their relationship. “I get pissed at him sometimes, and I think as a dad he doesn’t want to — he’s not going to go full Butch Harmon (opens in new tab) or Pete Cowan and tell me I suck or ‘that’s not very good’ or whatever it is, and sometimes I would love for him to say that just because I want to hear it.”

“I mean, I have to remind him sometimes, you’re not my dad out here, you’re my swing coach, and I need you to tell me if something is wrong. I don’t need my ego boosted. I’m here to try to win a golf tournament and play well, so do your job kind of thing. It’s gotten a lot better over the last couple years, but it’s like any player-coach relationship. You need that accountability, I think.”

Since December 2020, Thomas has also had putting improvement coach John Graham as part of his team. After finishing outside the top 100 for strokes gained putting in the 2018 and 2019 season - despite finishing in the top 5 of the FedEx in both of those seasons - Thomas sought added help with his putting. The Thomas-Graham partnership also focusses on how Thomas prepares for on course situations. We believe Thomas has also worked with a man called Matt Killen on his short game as well and it is not unrealistic to say that his caddie Jim 'Bones' McKay (opens in new tab) acts as a coach of sorts when out on the golf course as well!

For more content on the American, take a look at our Justin Thomas what's in the bag (opens in new tab) or what is Justin Thomas's net worth (opens in new tab) pages.