Coaching the game of golf is at the heart of the profession, and PGA Magazine wants to highlight strong ideas and interesting approaches from the sport’s top instructors: PGA of America Teacher & Coach of the Year award winners from across the country. This new recurring department will include best practices provided by the decorated coaches themselves – designed to improve your skills and those of your students.
John HughesPGA of America Master Professional and Owner,John Hughes Golf,Kissimmee, FloridaTwo-time North Florida PGA Section Teacher & Coach of the Year
In my 35-plus years of coaching golf, I’ve found that the ability to demonstrate a drill live is essential to your success. But what about you pre-recording a video of you demonstrating and explaining the drill(s) and sharing those with your clients? Doing so enhances learning, accountability and student engagement, beyond what you can accomplish during a single lesson. And it’s become a cornerstone of my coaching practice. Golfers today want more than verbal instruction. They crave clear visuals and repeatable feedback. To quench their thirst for visual feedback, I upload pre-recorded drills of me demonstrating and explaining the drills I prescribe to my clients using OnForm as the catalyst.
My video production team and I pre-record each drill. In post-production graphics, split screens and text notes are added to enhance the client’s viewing and retention. I am then able to upload the drills into a customized collection file within OnForm, then add the drill videos to each client’s workspace. Doing so is a unique and personalized way of reinforcing what my clients learned during their coaching session.
From a business perspective, using OnForm to deliver customized video drills has taken my coaching practice in a very positive direction. It’s easier for me and my clients to use than the platform I previously used. Doing so adds a layer of professionalism and personalization that increases student retention. When students know they’re receiving a tailored video drill after each session, in addition to the videos they receive that have them performing a drill, they're more likely to stay engaged and continue their improvement journey. Doing so has increased communication between coaching sessions between me and my clients, while providing my clients with a continual avenue of support. Creating a trust that keeps them coming back. Since switching to OnForm, I’ve experienced measurable growth in both repeat bookings and referrals thanks to adding pre-recorded drill videos to each client’s workspace. Clients are sharing their drills with friends, generating interest from golfers who are looking for that next-level coaching experience. It’s not just about instruction anymore. It’s about your clients’ experience. Adding pre-recorded drill videos to a coaching session extends the experience beyond the practice facility. By creating and sharing pre-recorded drill videos, you don’t just help your students get better. You build a small but solid cornerstone of your coaching business that brings big results to your bottom line on and off the course.
Ben PellicaniPGA of America Teaching Professional,Westhaven Golf Club,Franklin, Tennessee2023 Tennessee PGA Section Teacher & Coach of the Year
One thing that has thrown me for a loop is the post-COVID golf boom. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic. But I’m someone who really enjoys doing playing lessons. Now the course is packed. So, I’ve turned to another option: simulator playing lessons. It’s a way to create a sports performance environment that makes the target a problem that needs to be solved. You’re hitting shots from a bay onto the range, but I’m using the simulator to superimpose a situation – let’s say 170 yards to a back left pin, can you hit a little draw in there? How about a different shot shape?
We must adjust to the times, and this is a time where golf is really popular. My coaches told me what to do, and I learned to do it. Today, juniors need to know why you want them to do it that way. It’s a challenge, because they’re a very talented generation. They have all the information, but they don’t quite know how to use it at first. If you can explain the “why” to them – on a platform (a video game, in essence) that’s very familiar to them – they’ll buy in. You can get them to own their golf swing and keep them from going down all the internet rabbit holes of different swing theories.
Consider switching to simulator playing lessons if your course is packed. The benefits can still be there and that leads to happy golfers.