How to Get the Most from a Golf School

I have been blessed to teach several hundred golfers each year for the last six or so years in a Golf School setting and as a result I’ve learned a tremendous amount about how any golfer can make the most of this special ‘golf education and vacation’ experience.

Beyond the basics of sunblock, a big hat, finger tape and lots of hydration, my intent with this article is to share a few ideas and concepts you may not consider as you prepare for your school. Some people do this, but most don’t. I feel that we could all benefit from this approach…

1. Write down five important notes or objectives that you feel your coach should be aware of. This will serve as your list of the things you hope to upgrade during your time together.

2. Manage your expectations. You will not be a scratch golfer at the end of the school, but you will certainly have the necessary tools to start making improvements in the upcoming weeks. Remember that frustration is the product of unreal expectations!

3. Don’t come flying out of the gate on the opening day and burn yourself out. Pace yourself. This is going to be an environment where you will most likely hit more golf balls than you’ve ever hit in a two or three day period, so take it easy. You will get the job done!

4. Failure is part of the learning process - embrace the challenge and how strange the changes might feel. If you fail early, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it, it just means you are not yet accustomed to doing it properly. Look at how many things you’ve learned to do in your life. Nothing happens instantaneously.

5. Keep an open mind. You are here to change and part of that evolution might mean letting go of some long held opinions and beliefs. Knowledge is powerful and the quality of your golf IQ is going to be elevated.

6. Be curious and ask questions. The last thing you want to have happen is to get home and regret not asking about that new wedge or how to stretch before going out to play. It might be good to build a list of questions you hope to have answered during the school.

Before I started teaching golf schools I used to think there would be too much information dumped on the student. They couldn’t possibly absorb all this STUFF! Thankfully, my experience has been completely the opposite. I have had more success with my Three Day Golf School than just about any other form of teaching I do. Why is that you might ask? I believe the reason is due to the fact that the golfer gets to hear the same theme and concept for three straight days versus just for an hour here and there. They simply cannot escape the fact that their coaches will not let them get away with the “old” version of their game and as a result the upgrades start to take hold.

Should you decide to attend a Golf School, above all else enjoy yourself. What could be better than a golf education vacation? Book some great restaurants and be sure to interact and chat with the like-minded folks who have joined you in the school. It will only make for a memorable and effective experience.

Thanks for reading.

Hitting Up on the Driver

I often conduct this demonstration for my Three Day Golf students where I hit back to back shots and attempt to illustrate the value of hitting up on the driver and what it could mean to their tee shots. For good measure I also throw in a little fade versus draw at the same time. 

My intent is to maintain a similar club speed from one swing to the next and if possible strike the ball in a similar location on the club face. As you'll see this was an occasion where I managed to get pretty close...

This TrackMan screenshot illustrates the first shot where the idea was to hit down and across the target line, imparting a low launching and fading ball flight...

The First Shot

This TrackMan screenshot illustrates the follow-up shot where the plan was to deliver the club head to the ball with it traveling up and outward, imparting a higher launch and gentle draw to the ball flight...

The Second Shot

Let's take a deeper look to see what some of the important differences are between these two interesting shots:

1. Attack Angle - The 9.1º difference is the primary reason why the second shot traveled significantly further than the initial attempt. This was achieved with a change in tee height, address position and intent.
2. Club Path - The almost 14º difference here will generally lead to a huge change in ball flight curvature. My findings have shown that when it comes to shot shape the club path plays a primary role.
3. Launch Angle - The old adage of 'hit down to make the ball go up' takes a beating here as the shot hit with an ascending strike launches significantly higher.
4. Club Speed - Nothing much to see here other than to verify that the club head for each shot is traveling at virtually identical speeds.
5. Ball Speed - Another interesting nugget here is that while the carry and total distances are significantly different there is very little difference in the ball speed from shot to shot.
6. Carry - Wow! That's amazing isn't it? While impact location for the second shot was slightly higher on the face (and a hint more toward the toe) which might lend to slightly longer carry distance the direction the club head was traveling (up and out) is the primary difference maker here.
7. Total - As you might imagine the increase in total distance follows suit along with the increase in carry distance.

I know we could all benefit from a gain in almost 30 yards off the tee. And keep in mind that's at the same speed and with the same club! No need to hit the gym or shop for a new driver. This video gives some insight into what's required to affect the changes you've seen in this demonstration...

Thanks for reading/watching. If you need hands-on help with your game I'd love to host you in Savannah at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort for either a lesson or a Three Day Golf School. Email terri(at)andrewricegolf.com for details.