Golf Instruction: A Critical Component of Club Success
Golf’s rise in popularity has promoted the growth of so many other aspects that accompany the game. Membership lists are full, club events are as popular as ever, and lesson tees are full of new players learning the game. No matter how you look at it, the game of golf is in a great place today. In this article, we’re going to dive into how golf instruction has grown and evolved in just the last few years, and we’ll find out just how important effective coaching is for golfers, professionals, and facilities. Let’s go!
As golf evolves and becomes more popular, so does coaching and instruction. Golf instruction is a part of the game that has exploded since COVID. It’s a massive part of the business of golf, and it’s how I got my start in the industry too. Add the rise of social media, digital coaching, and instruction videos everywhere, it’s clear that everyone has a thought about golf instruction. No matter if golfers are brand new to the game, serious competitors, or anywhere in between, coaching is vital to their success and longevity in enjoying golf.
Let’s start with the obvious. Golf coaching is designed to help golfers play better golf. If someone wants to improve their game, win an important event, or just hit more solid shots to have more fun, they will typically head for the lesson tee. This is where the magic happens. “We as golf professionals have to find creative ways to get new golfers comfortable with playing a traditionally difficult game,” Kyle Scanlon, Head Golf Professional and Teaching Professional at Northfield Golf Club in Minnesota explains. If you’re a golfer, then you know of the difficulty that Kyle is talking about, and if you’ve ever taken a golf lesson yourself, chances are it was at your club with a PGA Professional. We’ll hear their side of the story in a bit, but for golfers, these PGA Professionals live and breathe golf and love helping players improve. And when golfers improve, so many awesome things happen.
The Golfer’s Perspective
Aside from improving players’ skills and performance on the golf course, playing ability can open doors for golfers of all ages and abilities. For recreational golfers, hitting more good shots is just more fun! Plain and simple. Having more fun on the course means playing more rounds, participating in events, and creating more buzz around the club and the game altogether. All that in just a lesson or two! More serious players might enjoy competitive success, which creates its own kind of buzz and energy around the club.
Junior golfers in particular have a LOT to gain from instruction and on-course success. Juniors golfers are developing relationships with coaches earlier and earlier in their junior golf careers, hoping success on the golf course leads to college golf, NIL opportunities, and even more. And even if success in golf doesn’t lead to playing opportunities after school, junior golfers are well-position for career success thanks to great mentors and a full education from the opportunities that junior golf provides. There may be other factors that go into their success, but great golf instruction - and awesome coaches - play a huge role in the development of juniors and recreational golfers.
The Coach’s Perspective
How about the coach’s perspective? Instruction has plenty to offer on this side too, but first, a personal side note. I have a personal connection - and thanks to give - for the coaching side of the golf business. I got my start in the golf industry and entrepreneurship through coaching. I learned, tried, and failed a lot, and all of that has led me to believe that golf offers learning and mentorship opportunities that many other sports and industries simply do not. The people that I learned from inspired me to only keep learning more. My opinion might be biased, but if you want to find a mentor, find a golf coach.
Golf coaches and PGA Professionals are great mentors because they work hard and they care. They form bonds and relationships with ease, and they’re genuine when they want to get to know you. In coaching golf, relationships are essential to success. Sure, teaching professionals are experts of their craft and understand many ins-and-outs of the golf swing, but it’s their ability to connect with golfers that yields opportunities for coaches and professionals to market themselves for promotions, opportunities at elite clubs, and the promote their personal brands.
More and more coaches today are building followings on social media and utilizing social platforms to reach new audiences and establish themselves as experts of their craft. The ability to reach golfers anywhere in the world is a drastic change in the world of coaching, and gone are the days where professionals were confined to their clubs. Their ability to connect with people around the world benefits coaches beyond just reaching new people too. Because coaching is so relationship-based, coaches become an important commodity to the clubs where they teach. When instruction and PGA Professionals are visible digital and contribute so much to what’s important at their clubs, they build awesome professional reputations and create leverage for new opportunities of their own.
The Facility’s Perspective
The last piece is the facility. If coaching is so dependent on the coach, how do clubs benefit? In so many ways.
At a private club, the lesson tee and instruction program is very much an intimate amenity for members. A strong instruction program with unique player development programs, knowledgeable coaches, and offerings for a variety of players enhances the overall member experience at the club. Members’ interaction with coaches builds rapport and trust between members and the professional staff. Relationships with PGA professionals are an integral part of enhancing member engagement. Ask any member at your club what they most enjoy or most value about the club, and it’s probably the sense of community at the club and the comaraderie among golfers and friends.
What if your club is looking to grow membership numbers and attract new members? A proven instruction program that fits well with an established golf operation is shown to help twofold by increasing member retention and attracting prospective members. New instruction programs at Northfield Golf Club have contributed to significant membership growth since COVID. “Since I [Kyle] started at Northfield Golf Club in 2020, we have added dozens of members from our instructional programs! I personally have increased the number of classes and programs from 3 to about 15 in the last few years” - Kyle Scanlon.
Other revenue streams benefit from a strong instruction program too. Number of rounds, equipment sales, and merchandise sales all benefit from strong coaching programs and dedicated teaching professionals. “This has directly helped the golf club's bottom line through rounds and sales, and has also helped create relationships between the customers and myself [Kyle]. These relationships keep the customer from heading to the local golf retail store or the internet. Instead they'll come to to the local golf professional for advice on their next golf purchase,” explains Kyle Scanlon.
Wrap It Up
Golf is a complex web of relationships, learning, and having fun. When golf instruction is prioritized, it creates a positive ripple effect for golfers, coaches, and clubs alike. Golf instruction creates harmony by allowing golfers to play their best, opens doors for players and coaches, and fosters profound member engagement and club culture. Coaching plays a crucial role in continuing to drive growth in golf, and with the help of coaches and PGA Professionals everywhere, the future of golf is very bright.