Founding Instructor Program · 20 Spots Per Market
Teach on Your Terms.
Keep 90%.
Top Shot Academy handles booking, payments, and student tracking. You focus on coaching. Founding Instructors lock in the best deal on the platform — permanently.
Apply as a Founding Instructor →No deposit required · Takes 5 minutes · We vet you, not the other way around
What You Get
The Founding Instructor Package
✦
Zero Deposit. Forever.
Standard instructors pay a $249 onboarding deposit. Founding Instructors pay nothing — ever.
◎
10% Commission — Permanent.
The standard rate starts at 18%. Yours is 10% from day one and never goes up, no matter how the platform evolves.
▲
Top Placement. Always.
Your profile appears above every future instructor in your market and discipline — permanently. Seniority has compounding value.
✺
$500 Milestone Bonus.
Complete your 25th session and we send you $500 cash. A concrete near-term reward for building early momentum.
⬡
Charter Badge.
Your profile shows Charter Instructor — [City] [Discipline] — #X of 20. A credential that signals you were here first.
◈
Founding Cohort Access.
Private instructor community, direct line to our team, early access to every new platform feature before public launch.
The Math
You See the Difference Immediately
Based on a $95/hr session rate. Founding rate is locked — standard rate declines over time, but Founding is permanent from session 1.
Tier
Sessions
Commission
Your Payout
All sessions
10%
$85.50
Permanent. Locked forever.
1 – 24
18%
$77.90
New instructor rate
25 – 49
15%
$80.75
At 25 sessions
50 – 74
13%
$82.35
At 50 sessions
75+
12%
$83.60
At 75 sessions
At 20 sessions/month, the Founding rate saves you $1,632/year vs. a standard new instructor. That compounds every year.
Quality Standard
Two Tiers. One Standard of Trust.
We don't want paperwork to block a great coach. So we built two levels — one to get on the platform, one to signal excellence. Every instructor starts at Verified. Credentials earn you more.
Verified Instructor
Meets platform minimums
Background Check
Checkr — criminal + sex offender registry
ID Verification
Persona — government-issued ID confirmed
Liability Insurance
Lockton policy — we connect you, you're covered
Skill Evidence
Video, scorecard, match record, or pro reference
Certified Instructor
Holds a recognized credential
Everything in Verified, plus a discipline-recognized certification (PGA, NRA Instructor, USPTA, BCA, etc.).
★ Badge on profile
Immediately visible to every student
Commission benefit
1% off your tier — automatic
Priority placement
Ranks above Verified in search results
Certified filter
Students can search for Certified-only
By Discipline
Golf
✓ To get Verified
Competitive record, handicap index, or coaching reference
★ To earn Certified
PGA · LPGA · USGTF certification earns ★ badge
Firearms
REQUIRED✓ To get Verified
NRA Instructor or USCCA Certified — required. No exceptions.
★ To earn Certified
State compliance + advanced credentials earn ★ badge
Billiards
✓ To get Verified
Tournament record, league standing, or video proof of play
★ To earn Certified
BCA certification earns ★ badge
Darts
✓ To get Verified
League results, national qualifier record, or reference
★ To earn Certified
ADO / BDO certification earns ★ badge
Racket Sports
✓ To get Verified
USTA/UTR rating, match history, or pro reference
★ To earn Certified
USPTA · PTR · USPTA Elite earns ★ badge
Firearms is the only discipline with a hard credential requirement — NRA Instructor or USCCA Certification. This is non-negotiable and protects both you and your students legally.
Currently Recruiting
Open Markets
20 Founding Instructor spots per discipline per city. When they're filled, they're gone.
Dallas
TX
13
spots remaining
Phoenix
AZ
11
spots remaining
Austin
TX
16
spots remaining
Nashville
TN
18
spots remaining
More cities coming: Houston, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa, Las Vegas
Founding Instructor Application
Reserve Your Spot
Takes 5 minutes. We'll reach out within 24 hours to schedule a 15-minute intro call.