About Martin du Toit & ATX Golf Performance

Golf didn’t start as a career for me. It started as a fun, obsession.

I spent entire summers riding my bike to the course at sunrise and coming home only after sunset. I practiced relentlessly, driven by a need to understand the game and improve every part of it.

I had been a competitive tennis player before golf, but once I discovered golf, it consumed me. The complexity and the challenge pulled me in completely.

I was a good student in high school and got into Medical School.

Then I left it behind to pursue golf full-time. That decision became the foundation of my life in the game.

I came to the United States on a golf scholarship and became Southeastern Louisiana University’s first-ever All-American.

Martin Du Toit on a golf course whilst at Southeastern Louisiana University

Southeastern Louisiana University.

I had a standout college career and was SLU’s first ever All American.

I competed professionally around the world — from Florida to Kenya and many stops in between — and even played in European Tour events. 

I once led after the first round of the Zambian Open on my wife’s birthday and talked the reporter into adding a birthday message for her in the headline. Not exactly a trophy moment — but a pretty good snapshot of how immersed I was in the game.

Golf Coach Martin Du Toit at the Zambian Open

I scored some brownie points in Zambia.

I once took the 1st round lead in the Zambian Open on his wife’s birthday and managed to get the reporter to write a headline that said

“Martin’s birthday gift to Marielle”

You’ve got to take those opportunities when they come your way.

By the time I reached that level, I had done most of it with very little formal coaching.

I knew I was talented. But I also knew something was missing. My results didn’t always match my ability, and I couldn’t clearly explain why. So I did what serious players do — I went looking for answers.

I worked with different coaches in different places. Some were well-meaning. Some were confident. Many had strong opinions. What they didn’t have was a clear, consistent way to diagnose what actually mattered.

Instead of clarity, I got conflicting advice.
Instead of structure, I got more thoughts to manage.

Slowly, my game suffered. Scores that once felt routine became harder to find. I didn’t lose my work ethic — I lost my direction.

That experience changed how I see golf forever.

I realized that improvement isn’t about collecting tips. It’s about understanding cause and effect. Ball flight. Impact. Patterns. What actually moves the needle — and what just creates noise.

So I stepped back and began figuring it out for myself. I studied the swing. I studied ball flight laws. I tested ideas, discarded others, and learned what held up under pressure. Not theory — reality.

That process didn’t just help me as a player.
It showed me how golfers truly improve.

That’s when coaching stopped being an interest and became a calling.

That journey — the good scores and the frustrating ones — taught me the deeper truth about improvement.

It’s not about practicing harder.
It’s about getting smarter coaching.

That realization led me into coaching full-time.

I trained with some of the best coaches in the world. I studied modern performance methods and dug deep into swing mechanics, ball-flight laws, and effective practice strategies. I worked at Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida — my first true step into professional coaching — and later founded and operated golf academies in South Africa.

Leadbetter Golf Academy

First job in Golf Coaching - 1999.

Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, FL is where it all started.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching golfers at every level:

  • Juniors who became national champions

  • College players who earned scholarships and All-American honors

  • Tour professionals and winners

  • Scratch golfers refining their games

  • Dedicated amateurs finally breaking personal scoring barriers

Through it all, one thing has remained constant:

Golf improvement doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens with clarity.
It happens with structure.
It happens with a plan built around why your ball does what it does — not just how your swing looks.

That’s the philosophy behind ATX Golf Performance.

We don’t guess.
We diagnose.
We plan.
We execute.

We help Austin golfers — from first-time players to seasoned competitors — understand their game and build a swing they can trust. Every relationship starts with a clear evaluation, an honest assessment of what’s really holding you back, and a personalized roadmap designed for real, measurable improvement.

If you’re tired of guessing and ready to improve with clarity, you’re in the right place.

– Martin du Toit