About "Coach Mo"

Coach Mo Gesualdi is a PGA, LPGA, TPI certified Director of Instruction at St. Johns Golf & CC.  The Golf Academy at St. Johns offers one of the best junior and adult golf development programs in northeast Florida. 

 
Junior golf had a very strong impact on Gesualdi's life, so she enthusiastically shares her passion for golf and tournament competition with the next generation. Coach Mo was named 2024 North Florida PGA Youth Player Development Coach of the Year & 2024 Troon Coach of the Year.

 Coach Mo takes a holistic coaching approach, focusing on understanding each player's individual swing tendencies, physical condition, mental approach, nutritional habits, and other factors. This approach aims to optimize performance by addressing all aspects of their development.   Ensuring cohesion among the developmental team, parents, and player is essential for the player's success. This unified approach plays a pivotal role in achieving their goals and maximizing their potential.  

 Scottsdale, Ariz. (August 6, 2024) – Monique “Mo” Gesualdi, PGA and LPGA Director of Instruction at St. Johns Golf & Country Club in St. Augustine, Florida, has been named “2024 Troon Coach of the Year” by Troon’s Education and Player Development team. Gesualdi oversees the golf instruction program at The Golf Academy at St. Johns while coaching juniors, women and men to reach their highest potential by getting their mind, body and swing all working together. 

 Q: What Troon Value that resonates most with you?

Troon clearly defines its values, and while all of them are crucial to Troon’s success, the one I personally resonate with the most is “Relentlessly Dedicated.” Both words—“relentlessly” and “dedicated”—are powerful on their own, but together, they truly define me and my approach to instruction, relationships, and building my businesses. I don’t back down from obstacles and setbacks; instead, I always find another way. Through my experiences both inside and outside of work, I’ve learned that setbacks often serve a purpose and ultimately become more beneficial for my development, networking, and outlook than if everything had gone smoothly. For these reasons, I choose to be relentlessly dedicated in my work, my life, and my relationships with those who matter most to me.

Gesualdi's coaching expertise extends to the 2021 and 2020 Florida Times Union and the 2019 St. Augustine Record Player of the Year. Coach Mo has an impressive coaching track record, having coached the FSGA 2021 Women's Amateur Stroke Play Runner-Up and the 2020 HJGT Girls 14-18 National Champion and Player of the Year. Additionally, Coach Mo's student shot every post-season round under-par in the 2020 FHSAA post-season and finished the season with a  Runner-Up finish at the Florida State Championship.  Coach Mo has led athletes to over 75 wins and 80+ medalists since 2018, many of whom have secured full scholarships at prestigious universities. For beginners in competitive play under Gesualdi's guidance, an impressive achievement is the average reduction of 10-20+ strokes within 6-12 months and has a track record of students beginning with her shooting in the 100's and progressing down the 70's and even under-par.

As a Player:

Gesualdi had a distinguished junior and high school golf career at Nease High School, where she was consistently ranked in the Top 50 by Golfweek, reaching as high as the Top 20 in national junior rankings her senior year. 

Gesualdi's Junior Golf achievements include:

*Two-time AJGA All-American (2002 & 2003)

*Back-to-back national championship victories at the prestigious Women's Western Junior (2002 & 2003)

*1999/2000 and 2000/2001 FCWT Player of the Year

*Two-time St. Augustine Record Player of the Year

*Two-time Florida Times Union Player of the Year 

*Recognized by the St. Augustine Record as the Athlete of the Decade for Girls' Golf for the 2000s

Collegiate Golf:

Gesualdi's  hard-work and competitive spirit earned her a full scholarship to play at Furman University, a Top 20 D1 Women’s Golf program at the time. I was also offered scholarships by Wake Forest, Tulane, UF, USF, Northwestern, and Memphis. Identified as a “Freshman to Watch” by Golfweek, Gesualdi led the Paladins to team and individual victories at the 2004 Furman Lady Paladin, where she set a 36-hole tournament school record (69-70, -5) that stood for 10 years in a program preceded by LPGA Hall-of-Famers Betsy King, Beth Daniel, & Dottie Pepper. 

At the 2004 Hooter's Match Play D1 Championship, Gesualdi defeated Elizabeth Janagelo of Duke, who was the individually the top-ranked NCAA female player at the time. Gesualid's college career highlights also include:

*2004 Lady Paladin Individual and Team Champion (Furman)

*Two team victories with Furman

*First Team All-American honors as a sophomore

*Southern Conference Player of the Month (October 2004)

*Golfweek Player of the Week (October 2004).

In the spring of 2012 Gesualdi received a life-saving liver transplant shortly followed by two miraculous craniotomies to remove a lethal fungal infection (invasive aspergillosis) that developed in her brain while immunosuppressed in the hospital. Her renowned doctor, said "You can count on one hand, world-wide, the number of immuno-compromised patients who have survived this infection." Invasive aspergillus is associated with very poor response  rates, leading to nearly 90%. mortality rate in liver transplant patients.  While Mo had beat the odds, she still had a very long road to recovery. 

After her transplant, Gesualdi spent 4-5 days a week receiving countless treatments and therapies to regain her health, strength, endurance, vision, and speech skills. After two years of extensive therapy, Mo was able to slowly grind her way back to golf. She started by volunteering and working at junior golf camps and First Tee. With time, she was able to keep adding on more work and responsibilities, eventually honoring her love of teaching and becoming a certified Class-A PGA/LPGA and TPI Level 2/Junior Golf Instructor.

Mo is extremely grateful for the life-saving gift of a donated organ. She pays it forward by advocating for organ donation through volunteer, outreach and philanthropic organizations like Donate Life, the American Liver Foundation, and the Transplant Games.