Who We Are
At age 60, my USTA rating, DUPR rating, and golf handicap all sit in the 5 range. I still whisper to all those balls with love and passion and believe I hear them whisper back. While I coached 7 high school girls tennis teams, the bulk of my coaching cycles through the years was in the form of mentoring exceptional junior players, often nationally ranked. For me, seeing improvement catalyzed by my participation is one of my life's greatest joys.
Our Philosophy
The ball has lots of stuff going on. It has velocity, spin, trajectory, and a rebound coefficient (how bouncy the ball and paddle are together) that all have a huge effect on the outcome of your ball strike. Navigating all of this to produce good shots is essentially what experience will deliver to all of us. But for those who don't want to wait for that deliverance, getting quality guidance will get you there faster.
A Typical Session
Sessions start with a gratitude infused evocation. Most instruction focuses on understanding the 'why' behind all aspects of the game which informs our actions and intentions. Concepts like preparation, loading and executing are easier to grasp when you know the why. With the greater understanding, the sessions become live ball drill, often where I am the ball machine putting your ball back in the exact position to apply what we are working on. I put significant effort in modeling the behavior I want my students to exhibit, like split stepping and chasing every ball like your life depends on it.
An Experience vs a lesson
Eckhart Tolle has suggested that sports deliver a substantial and effective meditative practice. So that autopilot that is executing without you thinking is what presence is all about. You aren't feeling guilty when chasing or hitting a ball nor do you stress about anything other than what is happening at the moment. Some use a lotus position, we chase balls. Mindsets like gratitude enhance brain function. Balance gives the cerebellum extra resources to smack your shot. Balance + Presence = a sweet shot = joy. It's just science!
"Before and after every point or ball in play, be centered, breathe and be grateful that you are playing a game."
Tennis has a combative quality unlike almost any other sport. Ancient parts of the brain light up — the same circuits wired for survival — and in doing so, the game hands us a rare opportunity: to confront the ego directly, point by point, rally by rally. The Zen tradition speaks of "dying before you die," surrendering attachment to outcome so that presence can fill the space. Tennis offers exactly that classroom, whether we show up as a student or not.
The challenge, of course, is detachment. We are asked to care deeply about winning while holding the result loosely — to play with full commitment and zero clinging. This is perhaps the most difficult thing a human being can attempt. It is also the most rewarding. As the Bhagavad Gita puts it: act without attachment to the fruits of the action. Every point is the entire practice.
The fitness dimension is almost a side effect. When your ego is on the line chasing a ball down, the fatigue barely registers. Tennis delivers genuine cardiovascular conditioning, a flood of endorphins, and — according to several longitudinal studies — a life expectancy roughly ten years beyond the average. Free exercise has never been so engrossing.
And then there is the sweet spot. Physically speaking, it is the node where the racket's natural vibration frequency cancels itself out — meaning virtually zero energy is lost to the frame on impact, and nearly all of it transfers directly into the ball. The forces at work are remarkable: rotational momentum stored in the swing, the spring-like rebound of the strings, and the lever mechanics of a 27-inch frame all converge in a region about the size of a silver dollar. Hit it, and the racket feels like it weighs nothing. The ball simply leaves — fast, clean, and deep — with an almost embarrassing lack of effort. That contrast between minimal input and outsized output is the mechanical magic of the sweet spot, and the brain knows it immediately. Dopamine floods in. The body files it away and quietly starts scheming to make it happen again. This is why tennis players keep coming back — not just to win, but to feel that again.
Pickleball is far more accessible than tennis, and uniquely friendly to players of different skill levels — which is exactly why it's the fastest growing sport in America, and it isn't close.
Here are the vital skills you will develop working with Tim:
No skill simplifies the game more than footwork. Players who skip it compensate by swinging harder — which is far less repeatable than using the feet and torso to set up every shot.
Ironically the most accessible shot for beginners, yet a genuine challenge for tennis players conditioned to drive through the ball. The dink has the smallest margin of error in the game — which is exactly why learning its technique pays off so quickly and so well.
Many players take the long and winding road with their backswing — a habit that is deeply counter-productive and quietly ruins footwork at the same time. We address this early, and the results tend to be immediate.
A high-leverage skill you can practice entirely on your own. Learn to mix velocity, trajectory, and spin to keep opponents perpetually off balance — before the rally even begins.
Second only to footwork in its impact on swing mechanics. Getting the paddle ready early is one of those adjustments that delivers visible improvement almost immediately — and it tends to surprise people.
Topspin allows you to swing more aggressively without the ball sailing out — a freedom that proves transformative for most students. Once you have it, you won't remember how you played without it.
The offensive topspin lob, the defensive lob, the touch drop shot, the Around the Post — these shots change what's possible on the court. You'll learn not just how to hit them, but when to attempt them and why.
The most neglected dimension of most practice routines. Learning to manage the mind, emotions, ego, and even the cardiovascular system pays enormous dividends — and requires far less practice than people expect.
Golf is the most humbling game ever invented — and also the most rewarding. Unlike racket sports where reaction time carries you, golf is entirely premeditated: every shot is a deliberate act of intention, physics, and feel. The good news is that deliberate can be coached, measured, and transformed.
All golf sessions are held at BetterGolf in the Capitola Mall, where a Uneekor launch monitor running GSPro captures your swing with two high-speed cameras at up to 500 frames per second. Every session generates a complete data portrait of your ball and club — club path, face angle, attack angle, smash factor, spin axis, carry distance, and dozens more — all analyzed in real time by AI. There is nowhere for a flaw to hide, and nowhere for a breakthrough to go unnoticed. You will see your improvement as it happens.
Here is the curriculum Tim works through with every golfer:
The only point of contact between you and the club — and the single most overlooked fundamental in the game. A faulty grip quietly corrupts everything downstream: face angle, wrist hinge, release, and impact. We establish a neutral, pressure-aware grip early, and the launch monitor confirms it instantly through face-to-path data. Get this right and the rest of the game becomes learnable.
Posture, ball position, alignment, and weight distribution are the architecture the swing is built on. The Uneekor cameras measure attack angle and dynamic loft at impact — metrics that expose setup errors invisible to the naked eye. Small adjustments here create leverage gains that no amount of swing work can replicate. As with all ball sports, preparation is everything.
The golf swing is a kinetic chain: ground force travels through the feet, hips rotate and lead, the torso follows, the arms are passengers, and the club is the caboose. When each link fires in sequence, the result is effortless power — the golf equivalent of a tennis sweet spot. And this sweetspot should carry a warning label. The sweetest in all sports, addiction to the dopamine it creates is a real threat. GSPro's smash factor metric (ball speed ÷ club speed) tells us precisely how efficiently energy is being transferred. We chase that number, and the yards take care of themselves.
Roughly 60% of all golf shots happen within 100 yards of the hole. Most amateurs spend 90% of their practice time ignoring this. We flip that equation. You'll learn a reliable chip technique built on consistent contact, controlled spin, and predictable landing zones — and the simulator's spin rate and launch angle data makes the feedback instantaneous and unambiguous.
Putting is a game within the game — one where feel, rhythm, and green-reading matter more than power. We work on stroke path, face angle at contact, and tempo, developing a repeatable motion that holds up under pressure. The simulator allows us to play real courses so you develop touch across different green speeds and slopes, not just a flat practice mat.
Bunkers, tight lies, uneven stances, punching under branches, playing from the rough — these are the shots that separate scorers from sufferers. Each demands a specific adjustment to setup and swing mechanics, and each can be drilled in the simulator before you ever face them on the course. Confidence in trouble is a skill. It is teachable.
The ability to intentionally shape shots — a controlled draw around a dogleg, a high fade into a tight pin — is where golf becomes truly artistic. The Uneekor captures spin axis in real time, which makes learning to curve the ball a concrete, feedback-rich process rather than guesswork. The data shows exactly which swing adjustments produce which ball flights. This is the part where the game starts to feel like a conversation.
The smartest shot is rarely the most aggressive one. GSPro lets us play full 18-hole rounds on world-class courses in the simulator, which creates real strategic decisions in real time: club selection, target lines, risk/reward on the par 5, playing away from the trouble on the right. Good course management is pattern recognition — and patterns develop faster when you play 18 holes in 60 minutes.
Golf is the sport most ruthlessly governed by the mind. There is simply too much time between shots for an undisciplined mind to stay out of its own way. We work on pre-shot routines that anchor attention in the present, breathing techniques that lower heart rate and cortisol before high-stakes shots, and the art of forgetting the last hole — which, as any Zen teacher will tell you, is the same art as living well. Balance, presence, execution: the same three words that govern every sport we teach apply here with full force. The simulator removes the noise of the outdoor environment and lets us practice mental protocols in a focused, distraction-free space — so when you're standing over a critical putt on a real course, the calm isn't something you hope for. It's something you've rehearsed.
What students and players say — the words that matter most.
Tim is a great pickleball coach and in general an enthusiastic ambassador for the sport! He quickly assesses what I am doing and offers coaching that is accessible and I am able to put his suggestions into practice right away. He really understands body mechanics well and his style of coaching borrows from his vast tennis experience. I feel like he really understands where you are and what you need to hear to make immediate changes, improvement and have a blast while doing it all!
Tim is a fantastic instructor! As a beginner he helped me learn good habits, developed my swing, and also taught me how to process the swing analytics the simulator gives. He was also extremely patient and good at explaining concepts in terms a beginner could understand. Highly recommend!
Tim is an excellent tennis coach. He is known in the tennis community. He provides excellent coaching feedback for all levels of play. Clearly, I would recommend him to any serious tennis players.
If you're looking to level up your game, Tim is the person to see. He's an exceptional player in both singles and doubles, which is rare to find. His movement is incredibly efficient, and his shot repertoire is deep — specifically his slices, which are a nightmare to deal with. He has a great eye for mechanics and has given me pointers that were game-changers. Highly recommend him for anyone that wants to improve their game!
I've been taking lessons with Tim for a while and have seen clear improvement in my game. What I really like is his flexible, player-focused approach. He lets me take the lead on what to focus on each session — sometimes we do targeted drills, other times we focus on match play. It keeps lessons engaging and tailored to what I actually need. Tim gives clear, practical feedback that's easy to apply, and I've noticed better consistency and more confidence during matches as a result.
Tim's an awesome, friendly, skilled, & communicative coach. He's perceptive & positive in pointing out & adjusting his coaching with the various skills I need to improve my game. Sessions with Tim are always great fun & also challenging in a good way. I highly recommend him if you want to up level your game or see what incredible top spin can do 👊
Awesome coach. My kid progressed a lot. Kids keep losing focus but not a problem for the coach. The simulator at Better Golf could help us analyze all details. The atmosphere, the people, other kids — we love it all. Best golf practice for our family.
For both local golfers, and new golfers alike, Better Golf is a well needed addition to the Capitola Mall. The simulators are awesome — not only realistic, but informative, with all the stats of your game and nuances of whatever golf course you want to experience. Tim Handley is the golf pro and a super nice guy. He has helped my game considerably with the video, stats, and his thoughtful instruction. Careful, it's addictive!
Tim is an amazing coach and taught me my 2 handed tennis backhand that has really elevated my game as yet another middle of the road singles and doubles 3.5 player. He was and is patient, skilled and most of all an active practitioner still playing at a high level across tennis and pickleball. Above all else, Tim is a solid human being and makes practice fun and makes my tennis game better with every lesson.
Tim is so talented. He has a great eye for proper technique and potential issues and is quick to correct any problems preventing you from being a better player. Also very patient. Plus, he's a nice guy 😊
Tim's the best coach — super fun and very knowledgeable!
Tim is the best! Not only is he a kind human who cares about you as a person and as an athlete but he can quickly pin point your strengths and weaknesses with great constructive criticism to instantly improve your game and make you a more effective player. He's relentlessly positive, extremely encouraging and so fun to learn from. I've only been coached and played doubles with him in pickleball but would trust his advice in any sport he's played as he is a master of that in which he's passionate about.
Tim is an incredible instructor for us at BetterGolf! He's especially great with kids — patient, encouraging, and really knows how to keep them engaged. His teaching style is very holistic, focusing not just on swing mechanics but on confidence and overall enjoyment of the game. Every session feels positive and uplifting, and students leave feeling better about their game and themselves. Highly recommend working with him!
Tim brings an infectious energy to every lesson that makes learning pickleball genuinely fun, whether you're a complete beginner or already competitive. His background as a high-level tennis player makes him a uniquely effective instructor. If you're looking for a coach who will push you to improve while keeping every session upbeat and engaging, Tim is your guy.
Tim is an AMAZING tennis instructor! He has vastly improved my game. He is so kind and so fun to play with!
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Leave a Google ReviewBarely used, strung with Luxilon ALU Power at 52 lbs. Grip size 4¼. Perfect for the intermediate-to-advanced player looking to upgrade their confidence on the court.
Tournament-approved with patented Acoustene™ technology that cuts noise by over 50% — a genuine silent killer on the court. Huge sweet spot, soft feel for drops and resets, anti-head-heavy balance for maximum hand speed. Great for players who want control and touch without sacrificing pop. Lightly used, excellent condition.
Ready to level up your game? Whether you're picking up a paddle for the first time or looking to sharpen a specific part of your game, reach out and let's make it happen. Sessions are available in the South Bay and beyond.
"Thank you — I'll be in touch soon. Something good is ahead."
Location
Skypark · Willowbrook · Brommer · Cabrillo · Callahan Park
Session Rates
Private · $80 / hr
Semi-Private (up to 3) · $90 / hr
4-pack packages available at a discount — a great way to commit to the game and your own improvement.
A Note
Every great player started exactly where you are right now. The best move you can make is simply to begin — the improvement that follows has a way of exceeding what you thought possible.