Northside Driving Range

Northside Driving Range

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About

I have learned and worked in the golf business since I was 12 years old which has given me the experience of seeing all different types of not only swing variations, but physical limitations and aches and pains that we all deal with that can affect physical movements. I'm not a teacher who throws the same bad tips at you like we all have heard...head down, etc. That thought alone is too restrictive and hard on the body. There are good, easy ways to think about and do what we need to in the golf swing. It's not always don't do this, don't do that, etc. I think I truly make learning the swing easier than 95% of the teachers out there. This is not rocket science, it's actually quite easy to understand once you hear it in the proper manner. I have no "method" or strict guide I stick to...we all have different features to deal with and there are easy ways to deal with all of them..guaranteed!!

The most enjoyable part for me is seeing someone improve quickly because they have an easier way of doing things. We're our own worst enemy in golf...every thought we tinker with or add in our head just increases the level of tension in our swing and brain. Being able to relax is a huge part of swinging the golf club, it's not control, control, control!

Taking a golfer who is so frustrated they're about to give it up and showing them there was just 1 and yes I say 1 thing they were doing wrong and that's all they need to change and the relief it gives them, is very rewarding. The Golf swing is like dominoes stacked in a row. If you make one bad movement, it starts a series of instictive reactions and compensations that keep the chain going and creating more bad moves. Every bad action creates a bad reaction!!! No bad move creates a good move!!!


Highlights

3 employees
36 years in business
Serves Lakeland , FL

No reviews (yet)

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Frequently asked questions

A few questions first...how long playing...any restrictions or ailments...ideas that are in their head at the moment, what they've been thinking or working on recently.  Usually I will be able to see right away what someone has been thinking about because it's only human nature to overdo the ideas that we've heard or read about.  Then I'll watch 3 or 4 warm up swings with no thought changes, just allow each individual to swing as they have been so I can see where the issue is at.  I can usually spot it in the practice swing or the first strike of the ball, but we all have to get loosened up before we start changing anything!  For a beginner, good fundamentals...grip, stance and posture are the first items we cover.

I have been observing, learning and teaching the game of golf for 40 years.  I have 20 years of Head Professional experience at 2 golf courses and 2 driving ranges.  1/3 of that time in Michigan where I'm from originally and the rest of the time in Lakeland, FL where I live now.

My lessons are priced very reasonably compared to most areas across the States.  They are $25 each or I offer a series of 5 for $100.  I call them half hour lessons, but I have no time limit..most will go 45 minutes or so.  

It was a very natural progression for me.  I was a scratch golfer at my home course by the age of 14 and I could always see very easily issues in family and friends swings that I thought were easy to fix.  All of us who have played this game know that most things we learn take repetition through time to really develop into our system, but I can easily explain to someone what needs to be fixed in a matter of a few minutes and explain the easiest ways to go about the fix.  It always sounds easy as well, but muscle memory does take some time.  The time is different for all of us for a number of reasons.

I've taught all ages from 4 and up.  I've given lessons to a few individuals with only 1 arm to use and many, many people with bad shoulders, bad backs, ankle troubles, wrist and hand aches and pains and always if someone wants to play and the Doctor says it's ok, we can find a way to make it work and not be too uncomfortable.  I've taught all skill levels as well from raw beginners to Mini Tour and Senior Am Tour players.

Every year on the first Monday in August I play with a team of friends in the Wounded Warriors Worlds Largest Golf Outing event.  It raises a ton of money for people who sacrifice so much and get back so little.

That's a very tough question.  The price of lessons has no bearing on the quality of the information you will get unfortunately, so I think the best advice is a discussion face to face or over the phone to get an idea or feeling about how a lesson would go.  Most of the time I feel that I could help someone improve without even seeing them swing.  When someone describes the types of shots they're hitting and things they feel, I have a very good idea of what's going on, but there are a few different moves that trigger the same reactions so I could never say over the phone I guarantee 100% I know what's going on.  A few things are individually caused, but most are not.

Just general info questions about what they see happening and what the teacher feels might be needed.  I think most people can gauge a feel right away if they like the ideas or the personality even of an instructor.  I know most people I meet for the first time will ask me if I teach everyone the same way or the same swing and I assure them that we all couldn't do that even if I wanted to attempt that!!  We're all different in every way and that should never be an issue for an instructor!  Or being left handed!!  I'm shocked how often people ask if teaching a lefty is ok?  To me it's even easier because it's like looking in a mirror to them when I stand in front of them and make any type of motion.  I have to do it left handed myself standing in front of a right handed person so they can see the movement we're talking about.


Services offered

Golf Club Fitting
Golf