Kevin Kim's golf blueprint can turn any struggle into a success

Kevin Kim has had an unorthodox journey in the golf world, but for a game as crazy and ridiculous as this one, it might as well be the new normal. A golfer from a very young age, he grew up playing in junior tournaments and for his school team, not just enjoying them but excelling in them. This success followed him throughout his entire early career, but golf is a game of ups and downs, figuratively and literally. Throughout his sophomore and junior year, Kevin struggled, not finding the ease in winning he was used to. As many people do at this time of their lives, Kevin had to face the fact that his future may not be what he always imagined; for him, he had to deal with the reality that he might not make it as a PGA Tour pro. But, like any good golfer, he knows the most important part is not the action, but the reaction. He pivoted, not just in his career path, but in his game. Knowing he may not be able to take his talents to a top D1 school, but still yearning for the joy of competitive golf, he decided to bet on himself, combining his talents in the course and the classroom to make him a competitive candidate at high level schools. NYU, for him, was that perfect mixture of high level golf and education. After having positive meetings with the coaches, and taking his SAT’s like everyone else, Kevin was admitted to NYU and became a member of the golf team. But, this is NYC in 2021, the first year after COVID. The city and the school completely changed, and Kevin followed suit. 

As a former NYU student myself, I am no stranger to the difficulties and experiences that golfing in NYC entails. Even for a complete fanatic like myself, there are days where I don’t have the time to travel an hour to the course and back to play a 5 hour round. Some days I have the time, but it just seems like too much effort; rare, but they do happen. So, one of the things I was eager to talk to Kevin about was what it was like when you have to play golf, no matter how tired or busy you may be. I always imagined that the NYU team would frequent Chelsea Piers, but that is not the case at all. The team is bussed (vanned) out to Jersey every day, either Skyway or Galloping Hills, to practice and maybe get a few holes in, and then driven back. With four hours of allotted time to practice, but an hour each way to drive, they were only able to practice 2 hours a day as a team. With no simulators at NYU (seriously?), this was their only way of getting the team together physically on a course. To the team’s credit they are quite good, which just shows their resilience in being able to perform even without the facilities of some other schools in the division that may not be located in the heart of downtown New York City. Kevin likes to use the classic Tiger windows drill, trying to hit nine different types of shots through invisible targets. As someone who hits these windows just by luck, this is just one example of how high level the golfers are here at NYU. This is all while balancing school, work, social life, and of course, the golf. I asked Kevin what his favorite memory was in tournament play, and his answer was shocking; in the same tournament, in back to back rounds, he shot a 90, and then followed it up with an under par 70. A testament to Kevin’s mental fortitude, it also shows his willingness to be as transparent as possible. 

When Kevin and I talked, one of the things that struck me was how easily open he was about his struggles and his tribulations. This is reflected heavily in his content as well, where he speaks about his experiences in golf, school, and life in general to an audience of 21,000+. It wasn’t always this way, as with anything it takes time and experience to be comfortable, especially when talking about things that are emotional and close to the heart. This has a lot to do with who this content is geared for. Of course, there is a clear idea of who is supposed to be watching these videos, just on subject matter alone. While Kevin’s advice is sage and applicable to many aspects of life, it is obviously geared towards golfers. But Kevin has an even smaller focus, one on junior golfers who may be in a position that Kevin once was in himself. The youngest in his family, Kevin told me about how he always yearned to be in that mentor position, a role that over time has proven to come naturally to him. With all the struggles and successes under his belt, he is in prime position to help lead others who may be going through similar events. Not only is he able to do this through his content, but also during his time as the captain of the NYU golf team. In fact, it was that time as captain that led him to realize that his yearning to be a leader for those around him was more than just ambition. Being able to set an example and help make sure that those looking up to you are doing the right thing is important to Kevin. It wasn’t just his stellar play that led him to this role, but his extensive research on the mental game and his natural ability to help and uplift those around him. 

“DECADE Golf is a course management system that uses certain parameters to ensure certain things happen throughout your round to lead to lower scores.”

Near the end of his high school career is when Kevin was first introduced to the program, and he credits it for turning his golf game around. Halfway through high school, Kevin hit a slump. His mind would always jump around the endless outcomes of the shot before he even stepped up to the ball, something that plagues many amatuers who can’t rely on their swing or course knowledge. The DECADE system helped Kevin to introduce a new level of strategy into his golf game, one that deals with percentages and analytics. For a feel player like Kevin, this didn’t revolutionize his game as much as refine it. Instead of just putting all of his eggs in one basket and trusting only his feel for every shot, he could use that alongside a top to bottom analytical system that uses data to assess golf shots as well as experience. Kevin took this concept and ran with it, leading to a stellar senior season, the aforementioned commitment to play Division III golf at NYU, and his skyrocketing journey into content creation.

As Kevin continued his college career, he started toying around with posting videos of him golfing with his friends. As he grew more comfortable in the role as captain, and with himself, he started realizing that content creation can be used for more than just showing off cool shots and competitive matches. Kevin’s eagerness to improve his mental fortitude and become a better golfer (and person) was rubbing off on his teammates; he could see that as captain or not, he truly was able to make a real impact. It came to him that content creation could be the way to truly realize his vision and become the older brother figure that he never had the chance to be. It was tough at first; imagine opening up to the entire internet about your student athlete struggles, stress in golf and school, your doubts and fears. But, Kevin realized that the feeling he gets when people reach out to him to say how he has helped teach them and guide them, whether in golf or life, overpowers any fear or embarrassment that could be had. And, it also has become a place for him and his community to share their triumphs and successes. This vulnerability and sincerity Kevin brings to his content is what has enabled him to grow so fast. The first few months, even year, were a grind, with Kevin posting constantly and sometimes not seeing the results he wanted. But, he stayed committed, found his voice and stayed true to it, and now he’s snowballing; he went from 10k to 20k in about an eighth of the time it took him just to get that first 10,000 followers. And it’s all organic; not just saying his followers are all real people, of course, but people that truly use Kevin as a resource, or even an inspiration. 

While Kevin’s content is varied, a common theme throughout is how personal it all is. He really bares it all, whether it’s talking about his recent scores, or how to balance life in NYC (it’s really hard), or what it’s like to be a D3 golfer. One of Kevin’s videos, and something we talked about, was how his life changed so fast and so drastically, yet he was able to adapt. When his D1 and pro dreams seemed too far away, he doubled down on NYU and playing D3. THis is reflective of his skills and attitude towards golf. While DECADE is a system that can help golfers from pro to weekend warrior, for Kevin it really just opened the door to the immense amount of mental strength he could gain in his golf game. In fact, it inspired him to create his own mental strategy that he employs on the course, which is what really made him own his game and lead to a lot of stellar play in college. Like with his teammates, he shares this knowledge with the world, as a lot of his golf centric videos deal with mental strategy, mindset towards shots and the aftermath, and how his own experiences are a blueprint for those who want to learn as well. He even released an ebook (completely free) that compiles a lot of his mental strategies to serve as a guide for, well, just about any level of golfer. I’ve read his ebook, and as someone who also does a lot of research and study into the mental side of golf, it’s information that is imperative to becoming a great golfer that can legitimately score. Videos with titles like “Gratitude and Acceptance” do even better than videos like “ranking my top shots of the summer.” This goes to show just how he’s built a community that really is passionate about bettering themselves in golf and life, but also just how impactful Kevin can be. 

While Kevin’s lack of younger siblings and enjoyment in leadership were big parts in leading him to create this account, he also cited his entrepreneurial spirit (don’t forget, he’s also a Stern major). This desire to build a brand, build a business, is a large motivation for him, and it really influenced his decision to take a gap semester and focus solely on content. Betting on himself again, Kevin is going neck deep into the content creation world, and has dreams of going even larger. Like how DECADE was made to be a guidebook for golf strategy, he yearns to create an entirely new system of teaching mental strength and resilience in golf. A proprietary guide using his own experiences and ideas that, in his words, “gamifies” the mental side of golf the way that DECADE did for course management. But, beyond everything else that motivates Kevin, that helps him rebound no matter what comes his way, is his strong following of Christianity and faith in God. He spoke of how his faith has helped him on his journey, guiding him towards the right decisions and helping him stay confident no matter what he is facing. He even talked of ideas to create a faith based golf YouTube channel, a way to incorporate two of the things he holds closest, and another avenue to connect people and help impart them with lessons that they can utilize in any capacity. Although the road ahead is uncertain, Kevin’s wisdom, faith, and love for all things golf ground him and help him choose the right path. So far, he’s definitely heading in the right direction.