Like most games, golf is more fun when enjoyed with friends. Stepping up to the tee with a smile makes for a smoother, more fluid swing motion that’s likely to reward players with lower scores.
A focus on friendship is the premise behind Pelican Hill Golf Academy’s new private group clinics, in which golfers choose to work on aspects of the game that are customized to their group. Glenn Deck, PGA director of instruction at the academy, believes that the familiarity factor enhances learning just as it benefits performance on the course.
“From the start, a golf lesson among friends is more dynamic than one-on-one instruction,” says Deck, one of GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America.
“The format invites honest questions and conversation, and golfers end up learning more than they would on their own or with strangers. Plus, the learning often continues as they help each other out on the range or the course.”
Lessons are one hour, and golfers can string together one, two or three additional hours for a more intensified clinic. Each can focus on a different topic. “It’s all about addressing the specific areas that are most in need of improvement,” notes Deck.
The menu is lengthy. Choose lessons on the driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, full swing, wedges, ball flight control, shot distance, chipping, pitching, bunker play, flop shots, trouble shots and uneven lies, putting, green reading and speed control, and course management. New golfers can opt for “Golf 101,” an overview of the rules of golf, basic equipment, swing motion, golf terms and etiquette.
“Golfers who can pinpoint the parts of their game that need help will benefit greatly from a customized clinic,” says Deck, who spends a lesson’s opening minutes exploring which struggles golfers want to tackle. “If you have a good wedge game but are inconsistent with your driver, then improving your drives can make a huge impact on the total game.”
Deck sees the private group clinic as an ideal format for small groups ranging from high school golf teams to regular men’s or ladies’ groups that want to up their game a notch or two. “And of course,” he adds, “students relax more, have more fun and hit the ball better when they’re engaged with their friends.”
Pelican Hill Golf Academy’s group clinics must be booked in advance and are designed for groups of up to four students.
For more information and a full list of Pelican Hill Golf Academy’s programs and clinics, please visit golfpelicanhill.com/golf-academy/programs; or call 949.467.5810.
