Golf Schools

[gjbike]

Hi Everybody
As any forum members been to a residential golf school for 2/3 days if so would you recommend the venue, were did you go, did you get value for money, on looking back do you think that you would have you benefited more from booking a block of lessons from the club pro can't make up my mind up which way to go, any thoughts welcome,

 

[TonyN]

Sorry to Hi-jack (a little) because I aint been, but my opinion would be block lessons everytime because

A)less to take in at once
B)your pro gets to know you, what you need, how you learn
C) lots of practice inbetween to work on certain things without overload.

I wouldn't want to go to a 3 day school because

A) Too much to take in at once
B) The pro's wont get to know you, your game
C) Alot to learn in short space of time
D) No practice inbetween lessons to groove things in
E) probably not able to go back and tweak things when they go wrong.

Just my thoughts, hope it helps in making a decision.

 

[Ken_A]

I am currently looking at a few in Ireland- I have not been to any but as it is my birthday soon I was thinking that HID might treat me.

Unbeknown my club pro runs a golf clinic for 4 days every few months in Donegal. I was unaware of this before searching the internet. I have asked a few friends what they think. Some prefer to have a lesson then practice then another lesson etc. Where I am in the category that would benefit from these schools I find it good to get a lesson then practice but ensure the Pro can see me practice then fix me ASAP.
I also respond better to human interaction than reading books etc.
So I think I will book myself in for a day-

I know these are in Ireland but here are some of my finds-

My club pro - a very nice lady and a fantastic teacher - www.rosapenna.ie/golf_clinics.php

Dave Pelz - bit out of my league
http://www.pelzgolf.com/shortgame/home.aspx

GUI - this is the one I might go on-
http://www.gui.ie/template1.asp?parent=3&parent2=139&pid=139&area=1

 

[Ken_A]

I wouldn't want to go to a 3 day school because

A) Too much to take in at once
B) The pro's wont get to know you, your game
C) Alot to learn in short space of time
D) No practice inbetween lessons to groove things in
E) probably not able to go back and tweak things when they go wrong.

I think one day is enough for my wee brain - but I disagree I think the pro will get to know you quite well. Ther is practice - however, this is for a smaller time ie 1 hour per item - where you may practice for several houirs on one item of the swing. The point to note is this hour is supervised.
You return to your normal Pro when things go wrong - I Love the idea of intensive lessons as it can be hard to get a lesson when you need it - I normally have to wait for 6 days or so for one.

 

[TonyN]

I suppose it just all depends on our needs. I get a feeling that these schools will have anythin between 10-20 people in and you might not get as much 1on1 as i'd like.

I know each time i go for a lesson it normally takes me a good week to get it groved and then a few round sto be confident using out on the course. This is normally just for one swing change.

However, if it was more to do with how to play bump and runs, set up correctly, ways to practice, things to consider, etc etc I would love to go on one.

 

[RGuk]

Hard to say. Personally I like to go for a lesson and then not go back until I'm satisfied I've got it right. This can be 2 days to 2 months! I can't see how a 2-3 day school can give you enough time to ingrain new swing thought/plans/drills in between the lessons. BUT, for short game, putting, swing "tweaking" I'd say you could learn a lot. I'd do it.....sure.....but I'd be on the range permanently once a pro had spotted something to work on.

 

[viscount17]

I like the sound of the residential course.
I find that the practice immediately after a lesson is fine but a few days later it's 'what did he say, how did I do that again?' so a lesson can be wasted.
Plus there are fewer distractions,

 

[Adjani]

I spent 3 days at the James Andrews Golf School, near Hastings, 3 or 4 pupils per tutor, video anyalsys booth, all the facilities are free for the stay;
the tutor will tailor the lessons a bit to address any specific parts of the game you want to work on, chipping, putting, bunkers etc.

Its a good way to to cram some drills in, as long as you go away and practice them, improved my swing and game, you can spend the morning or afternoon learning, the rest of the time practicing.

I`ve found a great coach now, so staying with him, but would recommend golf schools to some people.

 

[TonyN]

do you get to play a round or two with the pro's out? Course management etc?

 

[Adjani]

We didn`t, it wasnt something that crossed my mind, but im sure if you asked about that, they might be able to work it into the schedule.
The school i went to was very relaxed, very accomodating, i enjoyed every second of it (he helped with my putting lots!)
they provide different levels of coaching; beginner to advanced (check their website) it certainly raised my level a notch or two.

 

[TonyN]

Something I have always dismissed very quickly is a golf school for the reasons I highlighted at the top, but if the price was decent I would consider giving it ago.

I think I read about one somewhere and they mentioned that they were able to play a few full rounds over the 3 days. Was this the case for you? did you get the chance to put into practice what you had learnt?

 

[Adjani]

Yes it was, i had a 4 hour lesson in the morning 8 - 12, worked on my swing, short game, putting etc; then had full use of the course facilities for the rest of the day, putting greens, short game area and 18 hole course (all for free) to practice anything learnt earlier in the day.

The bar/restaurant was very good, the accommodation was good, didnt have to leave the site for the whole time i was there.

 

[TonyN]

sounds like fun actually, even for just a few days away maybe. I will look into them over the net and see whats on offer.

Who knows, if enough of us on here were interested,would be a great way to get to know people.

Could even get the gm staff in on it somehow! Bet they'd get some discount.

 

[golfjunkie]

Having just returned home from the James Andrews
School of Golf I thought I would share with you the thank you letter send to the school.

The tuition course

I thought this was excellently structured. Although we didn't stick rigidly to the structure as described in the course plan, the new arrangements fitted together perfectly and allowed us to start practicing our skills and enjoying ourselves on the Par 3 course on the first day, which I didn't think would be possible. The course covered all the major areas to enable us to go out on the main course within three days of picking up a golf club for pretty much the first time.

The professional (Philip)

Philip taught us during the course and we found him to be an excellent tutor, very knowledgeable, witty and patient. He imparted knowledge in an easy going manner, which really helped us to gain a greater understanding of the game. Considering how much there is to learn for a beginner, we found that with his help things just started to come together naturally. I would have no hesitation in asking for Philip again if/when we come back for further courses.

The playing facilities

First rate. The driving range and putting greens were excellent. The video analysis centre really helped to show how/where we were going wrong and bring improvements to our game. The Par 3 course, while fun, was somewhat difficult for beginners, particularly the very narrow 4th, which has impenetrable rough on both sides of the "fairway". Generally though all the holes were somewhat narrow/tough and didn't leave much room for error and I would recommend cutting back and managing the rough on the entire course to make it easier for beginners to master. The main course, which we played a few holes on briefly on the last day with our professional looked absolutely stunning and was clearly beautifully kept.

The club house, bar & food

All very good. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner there every day apart from the Saturday night. The food was very good quality and the service was very good too. The terrace was particularly nice in the hot weather. Although a chess set was in evidence, maybe you could consider some other games (e.g. board games like scrabble, or maybe a pool table) for enjoying quiet nights in?

The lodge

We stayed three nights in one of the family rooms. The room was comfortable, clean and quiet. My major gripe would be the lack of a proper stand-up shower. While baths are nice to soothe aching muscles, by the end of the stay I was yearning for a proper shower. For me this would be a very high priority improvement. Also one of the TV's in our room did not work (not a big deal as we had two in the family room), and it was slightly disappointing in these days of Freeview to only have 4 channels to choose from anyway.

Conclusion

Altogether, we had an immensely enjoyable time and would highly recommend your golf school to friends and associates. We were particularly grateful for your flexibility in moving the course to Sat-Mon from Fri-Sun when we realised that we couldn't make the Friday.

 

[Cernunnos]

I wouldn't mind going on one of these types of courses, something over the period of several days & intensive I think would help to ingrain good practice & get me up to the next level.

The only thing that has really prevented me doing something like that is lack of sufficient funds.

There again if I sold some of my spare golf gear & some of my guitars & basses I'd probably have more than enough for a good long weekend away on something like this.

Wonder if there is anything like that in or near the Midlands.

Looks like a google seach is coming on.