A Memoir
The Swing, The Mentor,
and the Journey
Tom Martty, as told to Julia Byrd — six decades building a life in golf, one player at a time.
Tom Martty, as told to Julia Byrd — six decades building a life in golf, one player at a time.
Tom Martty has been teaching golf for more than six decades — first as a young assistant pro, later as a course superintendent, then as a PGA chapter president, and finally as one of the most trusted junior coaches in Texas and Louisiana.
He roughnecked on an oil rig to pay his way through LSU before ever picking up a teaching career, and that same stubborn work ethic has followed him onto every course he's set foot on.
In 2001, he was inducted into the Gulf States Section PGA Hall of Fame — a long way from the teenager laying board roads in the Louisiana heat. Along the way he's coached countless junior players into college golf programs, and he's mentored more students than he can count into careers, marriages, and lives well beyond the course.
He still teaches today at Woodforest Golf Club in Montgomery, Texas, still believes discomfort is where the real growth happens, and still tells it to his students straight.
The Swing, the Mentor, and the Journey is Tom Martty's own account of a life built one lesson at a time — from backbreaking summers on oil rigs and board-road crews to a single, blunt golf lesson from Masters champion Jackie Burke Jr. ("That's the worst grip I've ever seen") that he never forgot.
It follows Tom through decades of coaching, club-building, and PGA leadership, and through the players who shaped him as much as he shaped them — kids who became college golfers, Tour professionals, lawyers, and lifelong friends. Told in Tom's own folksy, no-nonsense voice, it's a coach's memoir about patience, hard work, and what it really takes to help someone else get better.
"There is something in this book that resonates with all of us and that we can apply to our lives, and I encourage readers to think about the lessons of this great story. If Tommy's wisdom has shaped my life over four decades, I have no doubt his story will leave a lasting mark on yours as well."
— Bryan D'Agostino, student and friend
"Just finished reading your book. Vaughn told me about it over dinner last week, and we ordered it right then. An enjoyable and easy read. Congratulations."
— Mickey (a former LSU player) and Nancy
Tom will be out signing copies and talking golf over the coming weeks. Dates below are being finalized — check back soon, or send us an email to be notified first.
For media, coaching inquiries, or event bookings, please email Julia at CoachTomMartty@gmail.com.