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1 May 2020 admin

Time Management = Pupil Satisfaction = All Round Success

By Douglas Gray
USGTF Member, Fife, Scotland

I have taught this wonderful game in many parts of the world. I have also been privileged to be a “teacher of teachers,” combining my knowledge, my ongoing learning and studying from the best and “not so best.” I have tried-and-tested methods that get long-term results.

This leads me to my theme for today. I teach at the Home of Golf in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. A lady of more mature years came to me recently for a lesson. Jean is a very fit lady, attends the gym regularly and is a competitive tennis player. The lady is a member of a prestigious ladies’ golf club in St Andrews and had just attended a ladies group coaching session at a golf academy in the town. My general fact-finding included, “What were you working on? What was the theme of the lesson? Any drill to work on at the end?” This enables me as a teacher/coach to see whatever has been learnt, can be reenforced if applicable, and allows us to move on to the next stage.

Jean informed me that during the one-hour class there was no theme, next to nil instruction, 17 ladies in the group and two teachers, one of whom spent 20 minutes with one pupil. This came as no surprise to me. Wherever I have traveled in the world, I source out driving ranges and study at a distance what is happening in that area on a teaching level, whether it be group or individual tuition. On the whole, the standard of group coaching is not of the quality it should be. How many of you have been educated in how to instruct groups? A group can be a couple where “one half plays and the other wants to learn,” children of all ages and abilities, ladies and gents of all standards, and so much more.

Here is an example of a typical one-hour lesson for a group of golfers new to the game, using a six pupils-to-one teacher ratio:

Introduction

Demonstration

How we stand

How we hold the golf club (hands together/touching will suffice at this stage)

Demonstrate full swing/half swing, shorter the better to begin

Explain that the hold and the stance are priority. This should take five minutes. The group then has practice time, and the teacher can help individually with equal attention to each student. This should take 10 minutes. Bring the group together and demonstrate the half-swing, using words like, “Point the club at the sky on both sides of the ball or make an ‘L’ shape with your lead arm and the club,” or whatever method you feel applicable. This should take five minutes.

The group then has practice time and the teacher helps individually as previous. This should take 10 minutes.

Bring the group together and demonstrate the half-swing finish, using words like, “Point your trail knee at the target. You should be able to tap your trail toe on the ground at the finish,” or whatever method you feel applicable. This should take five minutes. The group then has practice time and the teacher helps individually as previous. This should take 10 minutes.

Bring the group together and demonstrate by putting it all together. “Hold, take your stance, half-swing with trail knee pointing toward the target at the finish (balance).” This is a wonderful sequence, and you have given the new golfer a routine which is invaluable at this stage and very simple to learn and absorb. This should take five minutes. The group then has practice time and the teacher helps individually as previous. This should take 10 minutes.

Success and lots of fun. Now you sign all your new golfers up for the next session and some will want individual lessons.

This is an example of a group lesson for six pupils new to the game for a duration of one hour and delivered by one competent teacher. The next lesson would be reinforcing fundamentals with a lesson plan to hand out. Preparation, knowledge of the subject and time management are paramount. Give brief, simple instruction the students can apply. Keep explanation and demonstration brief. Break this up during the lesson for application, practice and correction. Do not get involved with one student longer than the others. Individual help is necessary, but has to be brief so others are not neglected.

I spend as much time away from the course/driving range as necessary in preparing for future lessons, and also recording information from recent lessons for analysis, enabling me to help my pupils’ next stage of development. As previously mentioned, group coaching is a specialist subject and can be very satisfying and lucrative. If any of the group are dissatisfied and if any of your pupils have not progressed, you must reassess your methods of teaching more than one golfer.

As we often tell our pupils that all the hard work is done after the lesson, we as teachers/coaches must do our job thoroughly before we enter the arena. As one wise teacher said to me one day, “Douglas, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

15 Apr 2020 admin

Using Group Lessons to Grow a Teaching Business and The Game

By David Vaught
USGTF Teaching Professional, Bradenton, Florida

The private one-on-one golf lesson is the staple and the generally accepted image instructors rely on to build a teaching business. Too often, talented golf instructors overlook an obvious tool to grow their base of students and promote themselves while producing revenue without using a chunk of financial resources – that tool being group lessons. Group lessons can be a major component of a well-thought-out teaching program, especially in the slower months of the season, to generate revenue or to take advantage of the golfers’ enthusiasm at the beginning of the season. Also, having the time to plan in the winter can pay off in the spring.

Planning is the key to incorporating group lessons into a good teaching program. Let’s examine a few key points to consider.

Marketing is always a consideration for attaining students. The first hurdle instructors must overcome is how to come up with a student rate. Keep in mind our target audience is the on-the-fence golfer who may not have or want to spend significant money on golf lessons, or they are not confident that the money spent will return an investment in their improvement. Therefore, keeping costs down is imperative. I find most instructors over-price their group lessons. A simple formula is to take the hourly rate and divide it by the number of students targeted for the lesson. For example, if the average rate is $90 per hour and the number of students is six, our result is $15 per session per student. For an eight-week class, we would be at $120 for the entire series up front. If you decide to make each session 90 minutes, which I recommend, you can adjust the rate proportionately. You may claim the work is more for group lessons, thereby justifying a higher rate. Keep reading; we will get to that. I have seen many instructors charge high persession rates, only to see interest not be there and the idea fail.

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After establishing this base rate, you can market the program efficiently. Community centers are the most effective outreach. They are always looking for economical programs for their flyers. The cost to the teacher is zero. As an example, let’s say you charge $20 per student for each session. That is a safe and comfortable investment for the recreational golfer. Another mechanism that is popular and effective are phone apps like Meetup. Tennis instructors have been using this tool heavily for the last few years. Another free marketing tool for group lessons are Facebook golf groups. It is worth the time to research this tool extensively, because the return can be tremendous. Groupon or something similar is another effective option. I would highly recommend capping a group lesson at a 6-to-1 ratio.

Even though the initial revenue from the group lesson is not substantial, the real benefits can be in the math. That initial $720 revenue stream can turn into several thousand dollars easily with very little marketing outlay financially. The reasoning is sound, based on the facts that the golfers will develop faith in the instructor, see the benefits for their game and enjoyment of, and be anxious to pursue private lessons. From my experience, at least half of the group will pursue private lessons. Obviously, those students have friends and people they play with, which further expands the equation. For the instructor, you are building a wider base and expanding your image, as well as establishing yourself as a resource for a wider audience of golfers.

Not to be overlooked are the nuts and bolts of operating and structuring the lessons. Do the research and plan accordingly. As great as the potential is for this component of the teaching program can be, not executing the lessons well can be a detriment to the teaching business. Where to begin the lessons, what the content and structure should be, how to execute the lesson so that all the participants feel it was worthwhile, as well as how to approach upselling to another program or private lessons, are just a few of the details the instructor has to work out. When done right, personal experience has proven to me that group lessons are well worth the time.