Today’s successful golf instruction programs offer something for everyone.
By no means is golf just a gentlemen’s game these days. It’s a sport that is being enjoyed across generations, bringing not only business colleagues and friends together, but families and couples, too.
And while there are still many skilled golfers on the links, more courses are welcoming beginners with an array of classes and instruction tailored to their needs—and schedules.
“People are working longer hours and have less free time, so offering instruction that fits within the student’s schedule is important,” says John Lindert, PGA, Director of Golf for the Country Club of Lansing, in Michigan’s capital city. “We offer lessons for golfers who want to come in before work as early as 6:30 AM, and after work as well.”
SUMMING IT UP
• Students should be made to feel comfortable on the course from day one. |
Judy Alvarez, PGA, LPGA, an Instruction Consultant at Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart, Fla., points out that time spent on the golf course should be a positive experience, regardless of where your skill level may be. “If you’re a member, you should feel like this is your clubhouse, your range,” she says. “We want people to be able to say, ‘I didn’t win, but I had fun.’ That experience is important in getting them to return.”
To that end, Alvarez focuses on golf fundamentals and etiquette in her classes. “I want my students to feel proud of themselves and to be able to hold their own on the course, and to not feel like they’re holding up others,” she says. “We talk a lot about self-confidence, too, and numerous members have said this has helped them in other areas of their lives.”
Jon DePriest, PGA, Director of Golf and Membership at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, Ill., agrees that getting the student into the comfort zone is essential to success. “Before we begin instruction with a student, we meet with them to learn their goals and objectives,” he explains. “We try to tailor the program to the individual as much as possible.”
Getting students of every type and age into the comfort zone is essential to the success of any golf lesson. |
Classrooms Without Walls
Classes at Mariner Sands are usually limited to 10 students and held outdoors whenever possible. “We set up outdoor stations for impact bag, swing fan and balance exercises, so that everyone is working on the game in some aspect throughout the lesson,” Alvarez explains.
At the Country Club of Lansing, Lindert notes, many members have childcare issues that would otherwise prevent them from taking lessons. So for this summer, the club is planning a couples clinic that will run during a “Flicks and Float Night” poolside movie event for kids. In fact, he says, for novice golfers clinics seem to be more popular than individual lessons, especially for the junior set.
“The duration of the clinic depends on the age of the student,” Lindert continues. “For most juniors, two-hour clinics are about as long as you can hold their attention. They need a more active program. You can run longer clinics for adults, because it’s easier to hold their attention and they have more questions.”
For those juniors who outpace their peers, the Country Club of Lansing offers an Elite Junior Academy to challenge and sharpen their skills.
“It’s just fun to watch a 6-ft., 3-in. dad share an 18-inch putter with his four-year-old,” says Jon DePriest, Director of Golf and Membership, Sunset Hills CC. |
At the other end of the student spectrum are recent retirees looking to take up golf as a pastime, as well as perhaps once-avid golfers who have been sidelined by surgery, stroke or other medical conditions. Mariner Sands specializes in helping students who can use modified techniques to help them get back in the game.
“It’s important for members who may have balance issues as a result of a stroke, for example, to once again feel comfortable on the golf course,” says Alvarez. “We focus on what they can do as opposed to what they can’t do—what abilities they do bring to the table, practicing in uneven lie situations in and out of the sand.”
DePriest’s wife, Tracee, is a physical therapy assistant who is a frequent sight at Sunset Hills. “She talks to golf groups about stretching and warming up correctly, and how to properly use heat on sore muscles,” DePriest explains. “We even have a booklet on it that we give to students.”
Getting Technical
As DePriest quips, “Golfers are well-informed consumers. Any technology we run across, they’re learning about, too.” Because of that, he says, Sunset Hills is home to Titleist Performance Institute-certified trainer Paul Durkee, who creates individualized exercise regimens for students to help improve their swings based on an MRI profile. DePriest also uses the V-1 Digital Video Teaching system.
“A picture truly is worth 1,000 words,” he says. “We can tell someone again and again that their backswing is too long, but until they see it, they won’t believe it.”
Putting Preschoolers
THE TINY TOUR program has been held for kids 6 and under at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, Ill., for about a decade now. While the club’s Director of Golf and Membership, Jon DePriest, PGA, chuckles that the program can be described as “organized chaos,” he also reports that it’s clearly paid off: The earliest members are now teenagers, many of whom play regularly with their parents and grandparents, and some even for their high school golf teams. The Tiny Tour draws about 25 to 30 kids to the course from 2 to 3 PM every Sunday during the summer season. Under the watchful eyes of their parents and several instructors, kids hit marshmallows, water balloons and tennis balls with snag equipment, working their way up to an actual golf ball. They learn about swing fundamentals, basic game etiquette and even a little bit of teamwork. If the kids get too hot or tired, they can head to the nearby pool, but DePriest reports that rarely happens. The 1:4 ratio of kids to instructor means everyone gets frequent turns. The undivided attention and admiration of Mom or Dad goes a long way, too. “This program gives them a positive experience with golf,” he says. “After baseball and soccer, they often come back to us. Plus, it’s a multi-generational game they can play with their family.” The five-week program culminates with the Tiny Tour Championship: two holes, played with parents, where everyone’s a winner. Trophies and U.S. Kids Golf books are awarded, and there’s a delicious celebratory banquet of chicken strips, French fries and watermelon. And it’s not just the kids who reap the rewards; the adults also admit to having a blast. “If nothing else, it’s just fun to watch a 6-ft., 3-in. dad share an 18-inch putter with his four-year-old,” DePriest points out. |
Like DePriest, Alvarez uses video of her students’ swings—albeit with a very portable device, her i-Phone. “I’m able to e-mail [the video] to them right there on the course,” she says. “I also upload still photos for them to study—but in reality, video is the best way for them to study their swing.”
While the Country Club of Lansing also uses video, it’s applied more to avid players who want their swings dissected, not beginners who are working out the fundamentals.
“We have two cameras in our indoor bays, one for face-on and one for down the line,” says Lindert, who plans to eventually add a third camera overhead. “I also use a high-speed camera outdoors that has the capability of filming at 400 frames per second. I purchased this camera last year, and all of our better player instruction is done using it. We also have a launch monitor, which helps with spin rate and shot pattern when we are indoors.
“Almost as critical will be some form of physical limitation evaluation,” Lindert adds, “as we can’t teach someone to do something their body won’t allow them to do.”
This year, for beginner Ladies Clinics at Sunset Hills CC, DePriest and his team have begun filming the first lesson and e-mailing it to the individual student, with a split screen of an LPGA player taking a similar shot.
“We point out what the student is doing well, because they’re usually more athletic than they think,” he says. “We figure out what is working right, and build on that foundation.”
Talking About the Teachers
Alvarez, DePriest and Lindert agree that the best instruction curriculum on the planet doesn’t mean a thing if no one knows about it. With his dual role as Sunset Hills’ membership director, DePriest finds it fairly easy to get the word out about upcoming clinics and private lesson availability.
“I meet daily with our member services coordinator, and my assistant, Scott Hood, also assists with IT,” he says, “so it’s easy for us to make announcements online and in our newsletter, to let our members know what’s available to them.”
The Country Club of Lansing sends an e-blast to members three times a week, Lindert notes, to promote upcoming clinics and classes. The club’s programs are also publicized on PlayGolfAmerica.com, to attract prospective students—and potential members.
In addition to e-mail, Alvarez reports, Mariner Sands uses a local community channel to promote its golf programs. The club also keeps an on-site bulletin board, dubbed “Golf Instruction Central,” updated for members who want to stop by and see what’s new.
But marketing only works if, as Lindert advises, you “know your clientele.” By listening to the feedback of beginners and avid players alike, he says, you’ll develop a program that suits the needs of all levels. “Learning the game of golf is an ongoing and evolving process,” he stresses.
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