Dave Pelz, Renowned Golf Instructor Who Helped Many Major Champions, Dies at 85

Pelz taught Phil Mickelson, Tom Kite, Lee Janzen, Steve Elkington, Vijay Singh, Payne Stewart and Patrick Reed, with his students winning a total of 20 majors.

Dave Pelz helped many major winners with their short game, including Phil Mickelson. / David Cannon/Getty Images

Dave Pelz, a renowned golf instructor and innovator, died Sunday at his Dripping Springs, Texas, home. He was 85. 

Pelz started his career as NASA scientist, but later became a golf researcher, revolutionizing how the game is taught, played and understood, especially with aspects of the short game. He was one of the first to scientifically analyze the short game as the primary factor in scoring success, uncovering that almost 80% of shots lost to par happen within 100 yards of the hole.  

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson tweeted, “I have so many things to say about this incredible man. I owe so much of my success to the many things he taught me and he lives on as I share those same insights to numerous other golfers. The laughs we shared along the way is what I cherish most and I look forward to paying.”

Pelz helped Mickelson immensely with his short game, while also working with Tom Kite, Lee Janzen, D.A. Weibring, Beth Daniel, Steve Elkington, Vijay Singh, Jane Geddes, Payne Stewart, Mike Weir and Patrick Reed. In total, his students have won 20 major titles. 

I have so many things to say about this incredible man. I owe so much of my success to the many things he taught me and he lives on as I share those same insights to numerous other golfers. The laughs we shared along the way is what I cherish most and I look forward to paying… https://t.co/oquBZEwEUQ

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) March 26, 2025

“I was saddened to hear about the passing of my friend, Dave Pelz,” said Reed, the 2018 Masters champion. “Dave made an indelible mark on the game of golf. He was an incredibly kind and gentle man with a generous spirit. The way he used his scientific brilliance to influence what the rest of us could accomplish through the game of golf will always be remembered.”

Pelz was born in Indiana and raised in Kentucky. He began playing golf at an early age and earned a four-year golf scholarship to Indiana University, once recalling, “I kept being beaten by other Big Ten golfers ... especially a kid from Ohio State named [Jack] Nicklaus.” 

Many years later, he developed the Dave Pelz Putting Tutor—a staple for those aiming to improve their alignment and roll—and the “3X4 Wedge System,” transforming how golfers control the distance and accuracy of their wedges. Collectively, he had 20 patents for golf equipment and training. 

“His work with Tom Kite on the 3 wedge theory and its benefits was legendary and one of the many examples of his huge contribution to the game,” said Elkington, the 1995 PGA champion. “Phil Mickelson’s career was enhanced greatly because of his association with Dave! He will be sorely missed and he leaves a wonderful legacy that all of us in the golf industry will benefit from for years to come.”