James C. McLean is a leading American golf instructor. He is known for coining the phrase “X-Factor”, observing that the greater the differential between a player's hips and shoulders at the top of the swing, the more power the golfer can create. McLean is CEO of the Jim McLean Golf School, which operates from eight locations.
Amateur career
McLean was Washington State Junior Champion two times. McLean was an All-American at the University of Houston where he played for the golf team from 1969 to 1973. He had three college victories. He qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Amateur three times. His best result at the U.S. Amateur was fourth in 1971. McLean played in the 1972 Masters Tournament as an amateur, finishing tied for 43rd. He won the Pacific Coast Amateur in 1971 and was named first alternate to the U.S. Amateur World Cup team in 1972. McLean won 10 USGA medals for the U.S. Junior, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, and U.S. Senior Open.
Professional career
McLean was a touring professional golfer for two years. He qualified for ten national club professional events, won the Westchester PGA Championship in the PGA Met Section, and won the National Skins Game held in Palm Springs, California. His first club professional position was as an assistant at Westchester Country Club.
Teaching
In 1991, McLean became the Director of Golf at Doral Resort in Miami, Florida. McLean started to run golf schools in the winter at Doral. In 1993, he established The Jim McLean Golf School.He has taught Tom Kite, Cristie Kerr, Liselotte Neumann, Lexi Thompson, Keegan Bradley, and Gary Woodland, all of whom have won professional major championships. In 2017, McLean announced the relocation of the headquarters to the Miami Biltmore Hotel. He has worked with Lucy Li, Lexi Thompson, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Sergio García, and Gary Player among others. He pioneered the use of video for golf instruction and was one of the first adopters of radar technology used in swing analysis tools like TrackMan. McLean's teaching philosophy is based on the individual and not on a specific method.
18 Ways to Become the Undisputed #1 Business in Your Category.
Recognition
McLean was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf AssociationHall of Fame in 2003. He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame, the MET PGA Hall of Fame, the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame, the Miami Sports Hall of Fame, and the Long Island Hall of Fame. He has consistently been recognized as a leading golf teacher and was inducted into the World Teachers Hall of Fame. McLean has won the following PGA Awards:
