TravelGolf.com
- Updated Daily |
Golf Search
-
Course ReviewsCourse GuideResort FeaturesTravel FeaturesGolf InstructionGolf PackagersReader Forums
The Daily Blog Archives
Rebel Blogger   Rebel Blogger
   A man the golf industry knows and fears
-
Blog Home | The Daily Blog | Worldwide Golf Blogs | Free Golf Podcasts

Golf Instruction Schools and Academies scam golfers

Thursday March 17, 2005 | 03:10:13 479 words, 1281 views
Win a free golf book!

Golf Instruction academies remind me a lot of those cosmetic surgery ads you see on TV. They have some good looking doctor who makes promises that your wrinkled, dented face can be transformed into a sculpted, perfect movie star.

Like game show hosts, instruction academies lead you to believe that a 2 or3 day course at their academy can cure your ills. They will take your
wrinkled, crinkled golf game and turn your god awful swing into a work of
art. There you will be in a group of maybe five or more hacks whose
handicaps vary wildly. You will have one pro who is “trained” by the big
name instructor that few people ever meet.

Kids get suckered all the time to have their parents pony up thousands of dollars to go to baseball camps as run by Major League ball players. Come and learn at the Alex Rodriquez Baseball Academy! A-Rod shows up, give everyone 10 minutesa and hops back into his Leer Jet. Suckers get hearded in like cattle only to find out they’ve been had.

Few golfers improve without instruction. The idea of “self taught” success
is very far and few between. For some reason, golfers think they can attend these David Ledbetter, Mike McGetrick, John Jacob Golf Schools and really get better. They all claim to have Tour pros as their prodigies. These pros do actually get trained and advised by these big wigs. When duffers like you and I go, we will get some schmuck who is his “trained” protégé. If you want the game show host who is running this school, ask for him and be prepared to pay.

Their ads area always quite impressive. You see the debonair pro and you think he is going to be the guy you meet and learn from. Generally, that won’t be the case. Golf Schools are big business and they tend to mislead consumers. The big golf schools hire unemployed PGA Class A pros, tell them to forget everything they know, while only espousing the “Ledbetter way", “The Jacobs Way"…so on and so on. In essence, all you are doing is being raked over the coals for thousands of dollars while being taught by an every day PGA Pro who you could find just down the street.

Just think about it for one second. The name golfer who is leading you to believe you will be taught by him cannot be giving the lessons. He cannot possibly have the time to do that. The money is not there. The money is there by getting a flock of customers to train under cheap pros.

To really succeed in golf, you need to build a relationship with a quality
instructor locally who will be there for you when you need. Cost has nothing to do with quality.

The game show hosts are more bun than burger.

Rebel
-30-


Comments:

Comment from: DamnStraight [Visitor]
You got this one right.

Get a pro that fits YOU. All are about the same. If you want someone with true tour playing experience, find one of those, there are LOTS of those guys with subpar tournament skills running around-- but they're waaaay better than you.

I practiced with a former PGA tour player who came in second, SEVEN TIMES. Not only was the guy fun to spend time with, but he had a simple approach to teaching and charged fairly. Go see Jim Offer at Tower Tee if you live in Saint Louis.

What do folks thing of the ben sutton school?

Thanks
Permalink 03/22/05 @ 16:29
Comment from: Doug [Visitor]
I don't know but all of a sutton I feel a pitch coming. Good advice anyways!
Permalink 03/22/05 @ 17:13
Comment from: Rebel Blogger [Member] Email
Listen, Ben Sutton is probably a reputable golf academy. Again, think about it. Ben Sutton is not there to teach you anything. He is a splendid businessman who, like all of these cattle farms, convinces you that he is something special. He hires golf pros for cheap, marks them up, and puts it under the Ben Sutton name. You pay big $$$ to get advice from a PGA Pro who will soon be unemployed and working for another pretty boy golf academy.

Rebel
Permalink 03/22/05 @ 17:36
Comment from: DJ [Visitor]
You got it! My one expereince was hitting balls on a range with a supposed videotaped analysis at a Hilton Head resort. I was carrying a 15 handicap at the time. The pro watched for a few minutes, told me he didn't see anything wrong with my swing, showed me on the video and went on to the next guy. sure helped my game!
Permalink 03/23/05 @ 08:37
Comment from: Al [Visitor]
I learned that you get what you pay for. Sorry to tell you all but it's true. I took many, MANY lessons from two local pros at home. I learned nothing and got worse. Hit thousands of balls with thousands of drills and got worse.
Then I went down to Sea Island and got 4 hours with Jac Lumpkin. Pricey yes. But, he helped me more in ten minutes than every other lesson that I ever had. The 4 hours turned my game around forever. I can't wait to get to the gold course now.
There is a reason some guys are rated in the top 50. They ARE the best.
Permalink 03/28/05 @ 05:14
Comment from: Rebel Blogger [Member] Email
Now, Al, what did they give you in return for THAT post?

You got MANY lessons from 2 local pros and this majician in just a few hours turned your game around? Don't you edit your own stupidity? Come on. So, you are such a bad golfer that after "many" lessons with local pros, your game got worse? But Jac Lumpkin waved the wand and you are now a solid golfer.

So, if he is indeed so great, what is going to happen to your game later on when you return back home you run into problems? Where is Jac going to be?

There are times when we can be helped by a quick 2 hour fix. You cannot become a solid golfer doing that.

I don't buy it. Jac may be a good golf teacher. But you are better off establishing a relationship with a local golf professional who can fix your game and establish good mechanics. Pretty boy in Sea Pines is not going to be there for you.

Rebel
Permalink 03/28/05 @ 05:25
Comment from: Cromag [Visitor]
I have never had any experience with the golf schools but I can tell you about my local PGA pro. I went to him a few months ago and he has helped me and my game tremendously after 8 long years of hacking. But I have to say that because I am spending my hard earned money on him at $65 an hour I've been trying to get my moneys worth. That means going to the range often between lessons and hitting 700-1000 practice balls a week. I think its a combination between good teachers and good practice. You cant apply any caliber of lesson without reasonable practice to follow it up. PS get to know your local golf range owner well so he will bro you out on buckets.
Permalink 03/29/05 @ 00:57
Comment from: Rebel Blogger [Member] Email
There you have it. Hard work and good advice. He takes the advice, works his ass off at the range and sees succes.

Good job!
Rebel
Permalink 03/29/05 @ 00:59
Comment from: sammy [Visitor]
Have any of you ever been to the Golf Made Simple Golf School by Marc Solomon? Just wondering if it is as good as advertised on their web page.

Thanks,

Sammy
Permalink 03/29/05 @ 21:46
Comment from: E [Visitor]
Rebel,

Nice article, where do you get your info from? I'd like to see your credentials. Some of what you say is true, but you're taking it to the extreme. Golf schools generally have great instructors, even if they are trained to teach by a certain method.

I support you though, as I am a local PGA professional about to open a golf school in Corona, CA.

Nice.....

Erick
Permalink 04/04/05 @ 14:33
Comment from: robert cote [Visitor]
Rebel, A lot of truth to what you say. What do you know about the USGTF and their instrctors? Rob
Permalink 04/20/05 @ 12:45

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be displayed on this site.
Your URL will be displayed.

Allowed XHTML tags: <p, ul, ol, li, dl, dt, dd, address, blockquote, ins, del, span, bdo, br, em, strong, dfn, code, samp, kdb, var, cite, abbr, acronym, q, sub, sup, tt, i, b, big, small>. Bloggers reserve the right to edit or delete comments. Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
(Line breaks become <br />)
(Set cookies for name, email and url)
(Allow users to contact you through a message form (your email will NOT be displayed.))
Grass is green. What color is grass?
-

Add to:

Rebel Blogger Add to Google Subscribe in NewsGator Online Subscribe in Bloglines Add to My AOL


My feeds

Archives

Misc

GolfPublisher.com Add GolfPublisher.com articles/headlines to your web site
Course Reviews | US Golf Guide | Resort Features | Travel Features | Golf Instruction | Golf Schools | Golf Packages | Free Vacation Quote

© Copyright 1997-2008, WorldGolf.com, LLC. For questions, comments or suggestions on any of our network publications, Contact Us!
Privacy Policy