It’s hard for me to get into a practice schedule. I try to grab a few usually rushed minutes here and there. And I can pretty much forget about scheduling regular lessons with a local pro. Who has the time?

Then when a few blessed practice minutes do arise, I find myself doing the same things over and over again – too much time fighting with my full swing, precious little time spent on putting or short game. Who can remember what you need to work on from round to round, week to week, month to month?

A new interactive online instructional site has recently been unveiled called Virtual Golf Instructor. VGI looks promising for those of us needing direction and focus in our practice but lacking the time (and money) for regular face-to-face lessons.

Todd Kolb, certified PGA professional and one of the top instructors in South Dakota, compares VGI to other online instructional sites:

“Unlike other sites that only offer standard tips and drills, VGI is completely user driven. Each user sets a goal, practices time available and inputs data based on their last few rounds. VGI then evaluates their data and provides a very specific practice schedule including time, drills and suggestions for improvement. As the users game improves and changes, VGI changes with them to continue the improvement process.”

I’ve had the opportunity to play around with the software, and it is a handy way to keep yourself current on the state of your game. After one real round and a couple of phantom rounds (heck, I don’t even have time to get out and play – and I’m in the business!), and the stats look like they would be useful in planning out a practice schedule.

The nice thing about VGI is that these stats are automatically fed into a practice schedule for you, in the categories of putting feel, putting technique, chipping/wedges, bunkers, full swing techniques, full swing rhythm, and trouble shots. The amount of time suggested for each is determined by your stats and by your own goals that you set yourself. So if you are a 25-handicap and your goal is to score 70-74 consistently, the schedule is going to be necessarily arduous. (But hey, who am I to squash your unrealistic dreams?)

Finally, VGI offers a number of video drills for each of these practice areas. The drills are exclusive to VGI (though I’ve seen a few of them before elsewhere) and the video quality is good.

Membership at VGI is $100 for a year ($150 for two years) – considerably cheaper than private lessons from a pro. This said, if you are a meticulous record-keeper, you could figure out at least a large portion of these stats yourself, although converting the stats to a practice schedule would take more than a little mathematical prowess.

But who has the time for that?

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