Any Age & Level Welcome!
Many people say we teach different from what they expected or have experienced from other instructors. Please read the appropriate drop down menu to see if you're interested in giving us a shot.
The direction of our lesson plans will depend on the students' available time and energy to put into setting achievable measurable goals. I love to know why and I love for my students to know why. Explanations help the student understand and build off of the info given rather then just a list of things to remember (especially if the list contradicts itself).
One concept I've been told is different is that I teach from the finish backwards. When your body knows where to go it's more likely to figure out the easiest way to get there. Its a process, and we put a lot of faith in your coordination. You don't have to be the most coordinated, physically gifted person alive. (not even close)
Philosophy for Teaching Advanced and Intermediate Golfers:
- Please see my bio and influences. I like to know the why. I relate how I was as a student into my teaching.
- Make your weaknesses your strengths.
- Short game
- Course management
- Understanding impact (cause and effect)
- Set goals, compose a training schedule, and ideally a competitive schedule.
Philosophy for Beginners:
- Don’t be intimidated- people, in general, are so worried about themselves they don’t worry about other people
- Over thinking, over analyzing and being a perfectionist can work against you early in the learning process. I focus on relating to things that can make sense to you. Everything we discuss has to make sense. I look to teach general conceptual understanding. Teaching you Why, what, how, and cause and effect.
- People’s instinct is to get underneath the ball to help the ball up. But that's not correct for golf, it's counterintuitive. For example, you hit down to make the ball go up and swing left to make the ball go right.
- Knowing is half the battle - Many times I have taught a lesson and after just a good description of what is meant to happen and why people end up moving differently. Did I mention how important it is to get comfortable with the concept of hitting down?
- Get on the course to watch other people golfing. This puts the game into context and gives you an idea of what people are doing and when. It also gives you the scale of the game. Watching golf on TV isn’t very practical for beginning golf and can be intimidating to someone wanting to pick up the game.
- Learning what golfers care about is important. Golfers care about safety. They don't want to be paired up with someone who doesn't know where to go or when to swing. They also don't like waiting as the pace of play takes some understanding.
- Understanding how the ball goes in the air is vital to understanding why the ball goes where it does. Keep swing thoughts simple, and understandable. You need to know why the ball goes where it does
- Practice
What to expect for Adult Groups:
- Adult groups:
- Groups can be a little different depending on ability level, experience with me, length of time, size of group, etc. But typically we stick to the same general outline of;
- First day- use of videos, pictures, demonstrations, drills, and homework (yes homework). Typically very minimal hitting. Learn what happens to the club, ball and our body during a good golf shot. Why is it easier for us to do it that way, why can it be so mentally challenging and how the heck do we do it consistently? Understanding ball flight laws, cause and effect. Understand the pitfalls of overthinking and over analyzing.
- Day two- See how the info from day 1 translates to hitting for the student. We do lots of hitting. Drills include, but aren't limited to: the reverse drill, 6 steps and/or v drill.
- Day three- short game
- Day four- learn the different clubs, and putting.
- Day five- Teachers choice.
- Groups can be a little different depending on ability level, experience with me, length of time, size of group, etc. But typically we stick to the same general outline of;
Philosophy for Juniors (Private and Semi-Private Lessons):
Kids pick up the game quickly. They mimic well, so we demonstrate often and show them videos. We do drills to set foundational movements and build more and more. Think how kids learn Karate, they work on skills test on those skills and advance to work on higher level skills. We give them some space to feel things out. We will play games and I like for them to learn on the course as well.
Lessons with staff: They have a lesson plan that I have set out to follow and do drills with their student. They will typically play more games with the kids and teach them more of the game rather then the swing mechanics.
What (and what not) to Expect in Your First Private or Semi-Private Adult Lesson:
- I’ve got two distinct and different approaches. The first I call my outing approach. This is when someone needs to get ready for an outing or event. Typically these lessons are shorter on explanations, and you may hear some cliché bits of advise to get you to be able to get by.
- The other is a more long term approach when I will look to find out where you're lacking in knowledge and I'll work to fill in the blanks so things will make more sense for you. (Beginners- on your first lesson you may not hit. Also expect homework with drills and videos that must be done before the 2nd lesson where we will do our first hitting.)
- Sometimes I may play you a video clip. I've spent thousands and thousands of hours looking at video clips to widdle down to only a couple I truly like. I would not suggest looking through the thousands and thousands of video clips online. It may not be a good idea 🙂
A Little About Me and My Journey:
I believe that I have an advantage over a lot of golf instructors in that I began to learn this game as an adult (17 years old). I had already played and been competent at other sports. I can relate to how hard learning this game can be.
It wasn't until my mid 20's, after years of not really improving, that I met Dave Stevenson and Mark Evershed. That is when my world flipped and, I went from a 12 handicap to a plus golfer and getting my PGA card. Things finally began to make sense and the game began to come to me. That journey has paid off in my teaching and it wasn't a straight or easy road. I'm not afraid to say it didn't come naturally.
From my over 20 years of teaching I've come to a belief that people move how they move for a reason. I don't teach by watching someone swing and telling them what they are doing wrong. We figure out together how they see things and what makes sense to them, therefore learning why they move the way they do. An example I can give is how in the winter when we use a net to hit into people typically change movements easier, because I believe they are not trying to hit high, straight or far. They are just doing what we want them to.
What to expect for:
Pet peeves
Cliches such as ; keep your head down, keep you left arm straight, swing out to the target, shift your weight... etc. Without explanations.
expert beginners.
Juniors Summer camps and spring, fall and groups (winter see indoor studio)
- We accommodate any level. We have a chipping green, putting green, driving range and also use of the Lake Isle golf course (when available).
- Our philosophy on working with kids is; Fun! Fun! Fun! Safety is by far most important, but it doesn’t sacrifice fun. Game Based Learning, camaraderie and confidence building. We aren’t heavy on intensive instruction. If you want that we suggest private or semi-private lessons.
- Typical breakdown in what we do is as follows (this is in no way a guarantee, it’s just a general idea) ;
- • 30% on course (if available)
- • 5% exercises (typical during weather delays)
- • 25% range
- • 30% short game (chipping + putting) (typical during weather delays)
- • 10% golf trivia, rules and etiquette (typical during weather delays)
- If we get bad weather we spend time putting, rules, etiquette, score keeping, watch a little golf, YouTube for golf, golf current events, golf trivia, etc.
- We have agendas/plans for approximately 25% under the canopy for bad weather. For example if there has been no rain Monday through Thursday, chances are Friday of that week will be held no matter how bad the weather. It’s possible we cancel for bad weather. This is hard to predict because of forecasts. Cancelled camps can come to another group to make up the time.
- If you miss we don’t have a make up policy.
- We have a snack bar that accepts cash or card. We don’t provide transportation.
- Please check the "what you need to know" on the camp registration page for logistical information.
Indoor Studio
(December through mid March)- We set up different stations; Full swing net with virtual golf simulator, chipping, putting and a dynamic movement drill station. Think interval training for different skills. Day 1 can mirror our typical day 1.
Ready to begin your journey?
Our mission for our golf programs is to create a safe and fun learning environment for all ages. Through instruction, practice, and a variety of individual as well as group activities we enable and inspire our students to reach their full potential and meet their goals.
Meet Kevin
Kevin began golfing at 17, refining his practice in his 20's. He has been sharing his knowledge and love of the game in the Westchester community since 2002. To learn more about Kevin, click here.