On the first day of golf school

On the first day of golf school, when orientation begins, the first thing we tell the students to do is to listen to their own information that they will be given individually. From the beginning of the Academy of Golf’s existence, we have worked with each student on an individual basis. Prior to attending an Academy school, we have seen many students trying things that do not fit their golf swing or meet their specific needs. Because of the different physical builds and body types, some people might need more left-sided thoughts or right-sided thoughts……or it could be that they need to work on balance, timing, arc or path. We stress that each student listen to their own information so that they can begin to immediately work on thoughts and keys that apply to them. The next question we ask students is what are they working on in their games? What books, videos or recent lessons have they read, watched or taken? With the vast amount of information that is available either in print, television or online, experimentation can take place daily if desired. It’s not that all information out there is bad, it’s that it is not personalized to the individual. We’ll also ask them to best describe their current ball flight if they have established one. This is done to later help them read their ball flight correctly and to be able to help them in the future if the need should arise. We offer help on a continual basis after completion of the school because the students’ continued progress is just as important as the knowledge they obtain while here. We keep record of the student’s current keys and video on file and they can always contact us through e-mail or phone. Students may even send us a video to analyze at no charge so the we can continue to help them stay on track and be better prepared for their next school and get to the next level. We also have a list of generalized swing keys that we go through and ask the students if they currently attempt or have attempted them. These keys are common and are thoughts you might hear someone say or try on any given day at any course or range. Some of these keys are ok and some are not. Making sure the student’s thoughts and keys match is an important part of the process. We then ask everyone to tell us how much they practice. It is true, you will have to practice in order to improve. However, we are of the mindset that you don’t have to practice a lot, but you do need to practice effectively in order to improve. So we ask that they watch what we do as far as time frames are concerned. We don’t spend the whole time on the driving range nor on the putting green. We always have a good mix and balance between all areas of the game and with the Jack Nicklaus practice hole course available, we can apply what is learned on the range and short game areas in real playing conditions. This is stressed with each student so they have a good idea of how to allocate their time appropriately to help them be proficient in all areas of the game. Also, if students are interested in new clubs, they need just ask. We always immediately evaluate each golfer’s clubs to see if they misfit in any way such as loft, lie angle, shaft flex etc., and if they do, we will make honest recommendations for clubs that would best suit their needs. We do not sell clubs. The last couple of things we ask is that they be good listeners as we do give presentations in the different areas of the game. It is important that each student knows how the presentations apply to their swing. Finally, we tell all that make a fundamental change, especially with the grip, to not associate comfort with what is correct. Because we are changing the feel and/or optics, it might not feel or look quite right until there is plenty of repetition under the belt. So before your next trip to The Academy, be ahead of the game by knowing what to expect during orientation.