Cape Region Pro-File: Sam Cresta
February 21, 2025
Sam Cresta knows there is more than one way to learn to play golf. That is why his new golf instruction book gives readers two options.
Last November the 26-year-old head golf pro at American Classic Golf Club off Postal Lane came out with his new book, A Lifelong Hobby: How to Play Golf and Why You Should at a well-attended signing party at the club.
Cresta’s instructional innovation places QR codes at the end of most of the book’s short, punchy chapters, enabling readers to also become viewers.
In drafting the book Cresta began with the records of past lessons. “I had a lot of these written notes to use as a start,” he said. “Then I had the idea to put the QR codes in the book. Each of the QR codes links to a short video I filmed of me explaining that part. I knew that whatever format I did, I wanted to have a visual and a written so it wouldn’t just be one or the other.”
“Some people tell me they read the book and are then going to watch the videos. Other people do the videos first and then skim the book,” he said.
Cresta took a circuitous route to the Cape Region, but one that will be familiar to many. Born in Chester, PA, he moved with his family from Wilmington, DE to Plainfield, IL as a 3-year-old. Cresta’s parents moved back east to Rehoboth Beach a few years before the Covid pandemic to be closer to family and friends, after he graduated from Plainfield North High School.
Cresta attended Coastal Carolina University for two years and returned to Delaware. He completed a two-year associate’s degree in elementary education at the DelTech Georgetown campus while working at American Classic.
“Austin [Ebersole, the club manager] suggested I should be one of their golf instructors since I was playing a lot of golf and getting the education degree,” he said. Cresta decided to go for the credential offered by the United States Golf Teachers Federation.
“Their Associate certification gets you started. There are a couple rules tests and instructional videos to watch and test on – it’s basically introductory,” Cresta said.
Sam Cresta
He then passed the player ability test at The Rookery, which required an 18-hole score with a maximum of 9 over par. John Ray, a local USGTF member, played with Cresta and kept score.
“Once you do that you have to do a teaching demonstration,” he said. “It’s an oral exam. Two instructors take you to a driving range and tell you to show them how to hold a club, describe and hit a draw, fade, and so on. Then they’ll take a swing and do it wrong, like a chicken wing, and you have to explain what they’re doing and fix it. I finished the credentialling in 2022,” Cresta said.
Working at American Classic with beginner golfers and others inspired him to write his book. “I used to do a lot of handwritten notes and emails saying here’s what I want you to work on. People liked that. I liked doing the teaching, but the book could also be a good supplement to what I’m doing in person. I could also expand on some of the parts.”
“My goal was to take it from the very start for beginners,” Cresta said. “What do you need to play, how do you get on the course, what are the rules you should follow, what are the etiquette rules. Once you got that down, how do you hold a club, which club do you use when, and then get into the basics of the mechanics, too.”
“When I’m giving a lesson, I can tell them to go to the same chapter or watch the video. That’s how I intended the book to be used. It could be used for somebody that wants to start from the beginning and work out from there, or if you’re somebody that struggles in the bunkers you can just skip to that chapter and read about that. You don’t have to necessarily go in order,” Cresta said.
His older sister Emily helped him in two ways. “We used our mother’s camera to take the shots that appear on the cover and inside the book. Also, she’s not a golfer, so she gave me a good perspective on whether what I was writing made sense to her,” he said.
Cresta also noted the assistance of his friend and editor, James Witherite. “I thought I did [the first draft] really well, but when I looked at what he did with the edits, I was really thankful. He was a huge help for me,” he said.
He is pleased with the book’s reception thus far. “I’ve had beginners tell me that they like it. I also have others that are experienced golfers tell me that it was a good tune-up for them – stuff they knew before but forgot about,” Cresta said.
The book is available locally at American Classic and Bethany Beach Books, and online at Amazon.com and Cresta’s website.