Former Atherton golfer Krista Dunton named top teacher in country Former Atherton golfer Krista Dunton named top teacher in country (October 01, 2003)

By John Flood
Special to the Almanac

Krista Dunton picked up a golf club at the age of 9. Today, at 36, she is recognized as one of the best teachers in the game.

The Menlo-Atherton High School graduate has been the recipient of prestigious teaching awards for three years in a row including the Top Teacher in the Country for 2003, 2002 and 2001 by Golf Magazine and Golf Digest; and Teacher of the Year for 2002, by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She was also listed as one of the top 50 teachers in the country by Golf for Women magazine.

"I'm honored to receive these awards especially because they were conveyed on me by my peers," she says. "It's great to be recognized for all the hard work. I don't do it for the awards. I enjoy the work and it's something I've tried to become the best at. ... These awards make it worthwhile."

Ms. Dunton played professionally on the Futures Tour from 1989 until 1993, when she began the transition to full-time teaching. "I get tremendous satisfaction from helping others get to the next level of their game," she says.

She recently moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, from New Jersey. She plans to spend 10 months of the year there teaching and, when she has a break, playing golf. "I play to improve my game. It's important for me to be able to hit all the shots that I teach. ... To practice what I preach," she says.

Her athletic legacy traces back to her parents. Her father, Tom Dunton, a retired pitching coach from Stanford University, is considered one of the best pitching coaches in collegiate baseball. Her mother, Anita Dunton of Atherton, was a tennis, swimming and golf teacher.

Both had a big impact on her career. "I grew up in a sports family and I have three brothers who played baseball and basketball; one of them played for the Montreal Expos," she says.

Ms. Dunton started playing in junior golf tournaments when she was 10. When she attended high school, she was the only woman on the golf team.

At the University of Michigan, where she graduated in 1988, she was co-captain of the team. As a pro golfer, she was the first woman to compete in a New Jersey PGA Section Championship.

"From a young age, I've always had that drive and a strong competitive instinct to do the best I can. ... Nothing half way," she recalls.

Tim Baldwin, the Stanford women's golf coach, taught her when she first started playing. "He was my biggest influence," she says. Later, she learned under Wally Goodwin, the men's golf coach who recruited Tiger Woods to Stanford.

She teaches all age levels. "The adult golfers think too much, and the kids not enough," she says. For the adult, when it comes to the mental aspect of the game, "It's important to relax, be patient, trust your instincts, keep your emotions under check and keep the mind quiet," she says.

In addition to coaching at Princeton University and teaching, she organizes charity golf events and writes articles on golf. She is the co-author of the book, "Golf: A Woman's Guide."