TO find the head professional at the Marine Park Golf Course in Brooklyn, look for a flamboyant outfit of plaids and pastels, and follow the smoke.

You will most likely spot him over on the driving range, enjoying a cigar, bantering with players and fixing swings. He is Hunter Watkins, 41, and he mastered golf by playing the guitar.

A veteran of hard-core punk rock bands, Mr. Watkins turned to teaching golf 10 years ago after he tired of record deals falling through. But instead of leaving music behind, he used it as his basis for instruction.

“He’s the punk golfer,” said Andy Cichon, who plays bass for Billy Joel and Shania Twain, and takes lessons with Mr. Watkins.