Part III: Golf Instructional Schools
By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Nov. 19, 2001) – In the last two articles,
we discussed what you should and shouldn’t expect from a golf
instructional school, and we provided a list of ten questions to
ask before you shell out your hard earned money on a week’s
worth of lessons.
Now we can get into some of the specifics. Assuming that you’ve
decided that golf instructional school is the thing for you, you’ll
have to make a decision about what type of school is best for you.
The sheer number of school schools available for public consumption
is overwhelming, and it would take an editorial lifetime for us
to cover them all here. Instead, we’ll examine a cross section
of schools based upon teaching methodologies and philosophies.
Nicklaus/Flick Golf Schools
Jack Nicklaus and Jim Flick have been teaming together for years to
provide players with one of the most sought-after and intensive golf
schools in the world. The teaching philosophy is traditional, in that
Nicklaus and Flick adhere to the fundamentals of the golf swing as
practiced by Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, and
other legends.
While the subject matter may be traditional, the teaching tools
are technologically advanced and state-of-the-art. All students
can expect a videotape analysis of their swings, and computer simulation
is being used at some locations.
You can expect to pay between $2000 and $3000 for a three-day
Nicklaus/Flick school, and you can also count on shoring up at some
of the country’s finest resorts. Schools are conducted at the
Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Florida; Superstition
Mountain Golf and Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona; and Lake Las
Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The three-day resort schools are Nicklaus/Flick’s bread and
butter, but they also offer corporate schools, women only schools,
and two-day playing and scoring schools. Nicklaus/Flick’s simple
mantra is to teach golfers to “play their best,” so don’t
expect anything quirky from this camp. For more information, check
out www.nicklausflick.com.
John Jacobs Golf School
John Jacob’s Golf School has long been one of the industry leaders
in golf instructional schools, primarily due to Jacob and his staff’s
philosophy of “teaching people to play golf,” rather than
“teaching golf to people.”
Sounds like a simple difference in semantics, but the Jacobs camp
claims it goes much further than that. Essentially what they are
espousing is that they will not attempt to make you a golfer that
you simply can’t be. They will not try and teach you Tiger
Woods’ hip turn, Fred Couples’ gravity golf swing, or
Loren Woods’ putting stroke.
Instead, Jacob’s staff will spend a day analyzing your physical
parameters, swing and body type, and experience level to develop
an approach to the game that is right for you. Full golf instructional
schools last five days, with four hours a day devoted to instruction
and four hours a day devoted to playing.
This method is popular with students, in that they can be assured
that they won’t be sitting in a classroom or just banging balls
on the range the entire time. Jacobs’ golf schools are available
across the U.S. at a variety of golf resorts and courses.
In addition to the golf instructional school, Jacobs Academy offers
mini courses in the short game, playing and scoring, refresher courses,
schools for juniors and corporate programs. For more information,
log on at www.jacobsgolf.com.
Resort Golf
As we pointed out in the previous two articles, golf instructional
schools are not golf vacations. But let’s face it; these guys
are trying to lure you out to ridiculously posh resorts for three
to five days of golf and golf instruction.
That sounds like a vacation to many golfers, no matter how much
“work” is involved.
Resort Golf Schools have capitalized on this notion, and provide
some of the most attractive locations for rigorous golf instruction.
Resort Golf Schools have “classrooms” in California, Arizona,
Florida, Chicago, Las Vegas and New York at such resorts as Gold
Canyon in Mesa, Arizona, The Golf Club at Vistoso in Tucson, Arizona,
the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida, and Angel Park
at Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Similar to Nicklaus/Flick and John Jacobs, Resort Golf Schools
retain a number of the game’s top instructors, and follow a
fundamentally traditional school of thought when it comes to the
golf swing. Resort Golf offers three, four, and five-day schools,
as well as some of the most technologically advanced swing analysis
on the market.
Golfers are “shocked” into reality upon first arriving
when their swings are matched up with those of professional golfers
using stop-action computer analysis. Its not all fun and games at
the Resort Golf Schools either. Students are issued a 300-page instructional
manual to sort through and memorize. For more information, log on
at www.resortgolf.com.
Gravity Golf
Moving from the traditional to those golf instructional schools
that exist slightly outside of the box, we get to Gravity Golf Schools.
Gravity Golf is a unique philosophy developed by instructor David
Lee, and practiced by such playing professionals as Lee Trevino
and Fred Couples.
The concept is that the weight of the golf club, combined with the
inertia of the earth’s gravitational pull, provides enough clubhead
speed to produce an effortless golf swing that is just as long and
accurate as the traditional version, but easier on the body.
Lee’s teachings are somewhat controversial, in that his method
requires a rerouting of the club and a change in swing plane. Think
about Couples or even’ Jim Furyk’s swing and you’ll
get a general picture in your mind’s eye.
Gravity golf flies in the face of Hogan’s timeless traditional
preaching on the golf swing, and with the exception of the three
players mentioned above, the method is not utilized by playing professionals.
This nuance alone raises a red flag for many golfers.
Lee also claims that players can gain more distance by using his
Gravity Golf techniques, but the jury is still out on whether or
not any gains can be directly attributed to this philosophy. Still,
Gravity Golf has numerous testimonials. For more information, log
on to www.gravitygolf.net.
Natural Golf
Hold onto your visor, because if you thought Gravity Golf sounded
off the wall, Natural Golf may seem like completely foreign concept.
What if everything we’d come to learn about the golf swing
was wrong? That is not necessarily what the Natural Golf philosophy
states, but it challenges many of the traditional elements of the
golf swing. For one, Natural Golf holds that the traditional golf
swing is made up of one too many planes. For Natural Golf instructors,
there exists just one plane, and that is achieved by gripping the
club in the palm of the hand.
Why the grip change? Natural Golf is grounded in the idea that the
traditional golf swing is just too difficult for 90 percent of golfers
to execute. The technique, first applied by Canadian golfer Moe Norman,
centers on simplifying the swing so that the clubface is always square
with the ball. In addition to the grip change, Natural Golf also calls
for a wider stand and an entirely new set of golf clubs.
Once again, if playing pro’s are your litmus test, there
are absolutely zero golfers adhering to the Natural Golf philosophy
on the PGA Tour, and just one on the Senior Tour. For more information,
log on to www.naturalgolf.net.
Golf School Capsules
Here’s the run down on some other popular golf instruction
schools …
Ritson/Sole Golf Schools
Recognized by Golf Magazine as one of the Top 25 Golf Schools in
the country. Ritson/Sole has academies in five locations across
the U.S. including Wilmington, N.C. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Three-day
schools start every Monday and Thursday, and include instruction
on all aspects of your long and short game, utilizing the appropriate
practice areas. Also included is on-course instruction with your
teaching Pro in the afternoon of Day 2. Focus is on course management,
club selection and strategies needed to maximize scoring opportunities.
One and two day schools and private lessons are booked subject to
availability. For more information, www.ritsonsole.com
Arnold Palmer’s Golf Schools
Traditional school that focuses on improving strengths and shoring
up weaknesses. Goals and suggested practice routines are geared to
your temperament, your ability and your desire. Three locations include
Palmer’s Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Castle Hills in Lewisville,
Texas, and Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Florida. For more
information, www.apga.com.
Classic Swing Golf Schools
Classic Swing Golf School in Myrtle Beach, S.C. does not rebuild or
tear down swings but reprograms them through proper information. They
evaluate every student's body type, personality, skill level, and
golf goals. Instructors then factor in LAWS of force and motion as
they apply to every golf swing. These LAWS have remained constant
for over 450 years. Classic Swing uses state-of-the-art-technology,
such as high-speed video analysis, and the latest teaching aids. For
more information, www.clasicswing.com.
Ken Venturi Golf Schools
You’ve seen his stroke savers on television, but this ex-touring
professional and current commentator offers the whole ball of wax.
Venturi can make a strong claim to having one of the most traditional
schools around: He actually spent time learning the golf swing from
Hogan and Byron Nelson. Instruction is divided up into the address,
the grip, backswing, tempo, downswing, total swing, practicing the
swing and the short game. For more information, www.kenventuri.com.
