PGA professional Charles Wright has built his reputation on clarity, adaptability, and a deep understanding of the game. This piece explores how his competitive experience and years of coaching shaped a practical, player-first philosophy that helps golfers improve with confidence. It reveals why his approach has made him a trusted figure in Australian golf coaching.
It always starts with grip.
Not some complicated swing theory. Not a flashy drill. Grip.
When Harry asked Charles how he figures out which issue to fix first ā especially when someone rocks up with āmultipleā problems ā the answer was simple. Strip it back.
Charles Wright is a PGA-qualified golf coach based at Burleigh Golf Club on the Gold Coast. Six years into coaching, running CW Golf Coaching, and heās all about beginner clinics and 1:1 private sessions.
His biggest recent win? Not his own trophy.
It was one of his clients ā someone who came through his beginner clinics, stuck at it with ongoing private lessons, and ended up winning her division in the ladies Club Championships. Thatās the good stuff. Long game. Development. Watching someone grow.
Andrew Raines has seen it up close:
Iāve had the pleasure of having a few lessons with Charles here on the GC. After not having a lesson in years and years!! Gave me a couple of simple tweaks and I was able to hit the ball a lot more effectively. Love my golf. Best thing about golf is anyone can play or start it up. For me as another coach to be coached by someone else was great for me personally. I kept thinking how for eg. Set shot goal kicking relates to your tee shot!! Pressure, routine and hitting/kicking through the ball.
Thatās when you know a coach knows their craft ā when another coach walks away better.
For me, almost every 'fault' can be loosely traced back to fundamental mistakes (grip, posture, alignment etc.) I like to start with grip and work through from there.
No drama. No panic.
Most faults? Fundamentals. Grip. Posture. Alignment. Work through it in order.
Itās not sexy. It works.
The takeaway: If in doubt, go back to basics.
Eg, does their grip match the directional issue they are having or does it affect the direction the wrists hinge. Then work through other fundamentals before moving on to their actual movement patterns (arm structure, rotation, sequence).
Thereās a process to it.
Does the grip actually match the miss? Is it changing the wrist hinge? Fix that first. Then move to movement patterns.
Itās calm. Measured. No guessing.
The takeaway: Fix the cause, not the symptom.
There's a lot to look at but with club level golfers you can certainly overcomplicate it which is why so many people go their whole lives without lessons but are happy watching YouTube videos which never ends well!!
You can almost hear the smile in that one.
Golfās full of noise. Charles isnāt adding to it. Especially with club golfers, overcomplicating things just kills confidence.
Keep it clear. Keep it manageable.
The takeaway: Clarity beats chaos.
The process to find the issue with most recreational golfers can be fairly obvious and easy to see but with more elite level players it can be harder to spot but working on the basics wins everytime.
Elite players might mask errors better. But the solution? Still the basics.
Even at higher levels, it still comes back to the same thing.
The basics.
That consistency in philosophy is what makes Charlesā approach scalable ā from beginners to better players.
That consistency is what makes good coaches different from loud ones.
Heās not reinventing the game. Heās refining it.
And when Andrew wrapped up his thoughts, Charles kept it simple:
Thanks @āØAndrew Rainesā©, love what I do.
Thatās it, really.
He loves the game. He loves helping people get better at it. And heās not trying to make it more complicated than it needs to be.
The takeaway: Mastery is built on repetition of the right things.
What stands out about Charles isnāt just his technical eye. Itās his steadiness.
No ego. No overcomplication. Just a clear belief that improvement starts with foundations and builds outward.
When Andrew thanked him publicly in the thread, Charlesā reply said everything:
Thanks @āØAndrew Rainesā©, love what I do.
Thatās the thread running through it all.
He loves the craft. And it shows.
Want to connect with Charles? Jump in and say gāday!
Sources:
Burleigh Golf Club. (n.d.-a). Coaching team. Burleigh Golf Club. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.burleighgolfclub.com.au/cms/pro-shop/coaching-team/
Burleigh Golf Club. (n.d.-b). Golf coaching. Burleigh Golf Club. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.burleighgolfclub.com.au/cms/pro-shop/golf-coaching/
Burleigh Golf Club. (2025). Annual report 2025. Burleigh Golf Club. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.burleighgolfclub.com.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Annual-Report-2025.pdf
CW Golf Coaching. (n.d.-a). Home. CW Golf Coaching. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.cwgolfcoaching.com.au/
CW Golf Coaching. (n.d.-b). About. CW Golf Coaching. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.cwgolfcoaching.com.au/about-3
GolfPost. (n.d.-a). Charles Wright: Scores. GolfPost. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.golfpost.com/players/charles-wright/scores
GolfPost. (n.d.-b). Charles Wright: Tournaments. GolfPost. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.golfpost.com/players/charles-wright/tournaments
Queensland Golf Industry Awards. (n.d.). Qld Golf Industry Awards finalists. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://qldgolfindustryawards.com.au/qld-golf-industry-awards-finalists/
Reddit. (2023, July 15). Recommendations for golf coaches on the Gold Coast [Online forum comment]. Reddit. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldCoast/comments/14nj262