He Built a Gym Inside a Golf Course. Then He Found DRVN.

Matt Evans did not plan to become a golf fitness coach. For eleven years, he ran CrossFit classes. He understood movement, intensity, and how to build athletes from the ground up. Golf was something he did on the side — not a career.

Then COVID changed everything. He started working at Cultus Lake Golf Club in the Fraser Valley, about an hour east of Vancouver. The course sits at the edge of a park, surrounded by mountains. It is one of the few places in Canada where you can golf year-round. The owner saw what Matt brought to the table and made him an offer: build a gym on the property.

Iron Link Performance was born. A private, one-on-one training facility embedded inside a golf course. No crowds, no commercial gym noise. Just a coach and a client, working.

“I was trying to figure out how to put CrossFit and golf together. Then I found DRVN and realized — somebody already built this.”

The Problem He Was Trying to Solve

Matt had the fitness background. He had earned his TPI certification. What he did not have was a unified system — one framework that connected what he knew about functional movement to what golfers actually need on the course.

He started researching. He came across Michael Dennington and DRVN Golf. He watched the content, looked into the methodology, and recognized the CrossFit DNA immediately. The same emphasis on movement quality, measurable baselines, and performance-driven programming — applied specifically to golf.

“I was like, this is exactly what I have been trying to build for the last two years,” he said. “Same kind of background, same idea. And this guy has already done it.”

Rather than compete, he reached out. Within a month he had completed the DRVN Method Master Course and earned his DRVN Certified Pro designation.

What Certification Changed

The DRVN framework gave Matt a standardized starting point. The Golf Fitness Handicap — a measurable physical baseline that any golfer can establish with minimal equipment — is now central to how he onboards new clients. Before a single weight is lifted, there is a score. A number. Something to work against.

For a coach who spent years inside CrossFit culture — where tracking, benchmarking, and visible progress are non-negotiable — this resonated immediately.

“That shared language matters,” he said. “It is like a golf handicap. Everyone understands it. Now fitness has the same thing.”

“Movement is longevity. I want people out on this course when they are 75, 80 — still swinging, still enjoying it. That is what the work is for.”

The Setup That Sets Him Apart

Iron Link is not a traditional training facility. There is no front desk, no locker room, no line for equipment. The gym holds two, maybe three people at a time. It is intentional.

Many of Matt’s clients have never been inside a commercial gym. The idea makes them uncomfortable. But they will drive to the golf course. They already do three to five days a week. Coming in for a training session before or after a round removes every barrier.

A typical session at Iron Link starts with a banded warm-up — upper and lower body preparation — then moves into strength work scaled to the individual. Some clients go heavy. Others focus on movement quality and general conditioning. From there, a metabolic conditioning block, then mobility and a debrief. What changes week to week is the diagnosis. If a client walks in and something is off — a tight hip flexor, a weaker shoulder, a pattern that is showing up in their swing — Matt adjusts on the spot and rebuilds the next two weeks of programming around it.

He stays in his scope. For anything that requires physiotherapy or massage therapy, he refers out. He keeps a directory of local providers for exactly that reason.

Who He Is Building This For

The Cultus Lake community is golfers in their 60s, 70s, and beyond — people who have played the game for decades and want to keep playing it. Matt sees them on the course constantly. His mission is to keep them there.

“As you get older, your body starts to stop moving,” he said. “You have to keep it moving in the right patterns if you want to enjoy the game — and enjoy your life — for as long as possible. That is why I do this.”

He also works with competitive players pushing toward higher performance. The programming scales. The philosophy does not change: movement quality first, power built on top of that foundation, and longevity as the long game.

Find Matt Evans

Matt Evans operates Iron Link Performance at Cultus Lake Golf Club in Chilliwack, BC — serving golfers across the Fraser Valley including Abbotsford, Langley, Mission, and the greater Vancouver area.

He is a DRVN Certified Pro and TPI Certified Expert. View Matt’s profile or find a certified coach near you in the DRVN Golf directory.