Valerie Melvin is co-founder and Managing Director of Frankly Golf.
Her career in golf started at an early age when she won the British Under-16 Age Group Championship and found herself sharing the stage with Lee Westwood, who won the Boys Championship the very same year.
She went on to represent her native Scotland at all international levels of the game, playing around the world. She has won the Women’s Metropolitan Championship as well as playing for the state of Florida in team competition.
As a member of the highly successful sports bursary scheme at the University of Stirling in Scotland, Valerie obtained a B. Sc. (Honours) Degree in Psychology, focusing her final year dissertation on brain activity when putting. She went on to the University of Glasgow where she obtained an M.Sc. (Medical Science) Sport and Exercise Science degree.
Her first position in golf was as a Research and Information Officer for the World Scientific Congress of Golf Trust, funded by the R&A and USGA, where she edited Golf Science International a publication of the Trust, turning academic research into informative articles that golfers could understand.
In 2000, Valerie left her native Scotland to join Frank Thomas in the USA to start Frankly Golf, with a mission of helping golfers.
She applied her research knowledge to putting, recognizing the need for solid information about the science of putting, helping to develop the innovative Frankly Frog putter line, introducing the first ever putter accompanied by instructions for use, as well as developing a state of the art putting academy to help all levels of golfers perform, nurturing some of the best young talent from around the world.
At the request of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, Valerie and Frank together developed the online Certified Putting Instructor learning qualification which has now been adopted by 8 PGA’s around the world for ongoing education.
She has also co-authored 3 books: Dear Frank, From Sticks and Stones, and The Fundamentals of Putting.
Valerie was responsible for managing and conducting the “Growing the Game” survey, which was the largest survey ever conducted in golf at the time. The results of this research have been used throughout the golf industry, and a summary report is available on this site.
Every day, Valerie continues to pursue the mission of Frankly Golf to help golfers, by developing interesting, informative content for http://www.Franklygolf.com visitors, which include Weekly Putting Tips and a Golf Equipment Q&A. She uses her creative and innovative talents working with other golf associations to help grow the game.
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