About Me
Picking the right golf instructor is like picking the right doctor. You want someone who has your best interests at heart and truly cares to help you get better! I believe that you need to trust your instructor to buy-in to their teaching philosophy.
Read my bio to get to know me and how I became a PGA Golf Professional.
Becoming a PGA Pro
Hi, my name is Joe Protexter and I am a PGA Teaching Professional based in Sioux City, IA. I began golfing when I was 11 years old and fell in love with this game instantly.
After playing on the varsity team for three years at East High School, I began attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2014 after being accepted to join their Professional Golf Management (PGM) program. During my time at UNLV I found my love for the game in teaching after completing my second internship in 2017. I performed this internship at "The Golf Practice" located in Chicago, Illinois. This internship focused on teaching junior golfers ranging from toddlers all the way to high school golfers.
After graduating from UNLV with Magna Cum Laude honors, I decided to move back to Sioux City to work full time for the 185th Air National Guard. I began teaching on the side in 2021 at Green Valley Golf Course and my client list has continued to grow exponentially every year since. In the fall of 2024 I finally decided to move to an indoor facility and change my business name to “Siouxland Golf Lessons.”
My ultimate goal in the coming years is to have enough success teaching indoors to continue to grow my business to the point of making it an academy where all golfers at every level can have the opportunity to receive the best instruction at an affordable price.
Military Service
I have been serving in the Air National Guard for over 11 years. I began my military career by joining the Nevada Air National Guard in 2014 while I was finishing up my last couple of months of high school at East High in Sioux City. I completed my initial six year of enlistment with the Nevada Air Guard while I was attending UNLV and earning my PGA accreditation.
In 2020 after graduating from UNLV I re-enlisted for another six years and simultaneously transferred to the 185th Air Refueling Wing within the Iowa Air National Guard. After working at the 185th Air Refueling Wing for a year I interviewed and received an offer to become a 17D Communications Officer within my squadron. I officially graduated from Officer Training School in December of 2022. Last year I graduated from the Cyber Officer school in January of 2024 and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in December of 2024.
I enjoy serving in the military and will continue to do so as long as I am able to. It continues to be my full time employment. It has been an honor to serve my country
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is built around keeping the swing as simple as possible, highlighting movements and their similarities to other activities, and focusing on making the game enjoyable. I believe everyone has the capability to swing a golf club and play well. Golf is already incredibly complicated and trying to focus on too many things at once is why many players become frustrated playing the game.
I try to connect my lessons back to some sport or activity that you have done in the past. I do this because there are so many unique movements in the golf swing that are similar to movements we do during other activities such as baseball, fishing, even cooking! These connections help new or struggling players link the similar movements together to expedite the learning process.
Golf can be an escape for so many people mentally. That's why my main focus is to keep players realizing that golf is supposed to be fun and a break from the everyday grind that can mentally drain us. Golf should work in your favor to boost your physical fitness as well as your social and mental well being.
