The Golf Lab
November 2007 
 Golf Lab "Members Only" Newsletter
 Help Beginners Get Started Right
In This Issue


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Greetings!

The Golf Lab has come to be known as a custom golf shop that caters to tournament players and low-index amateurs who play a lot of golf. Our goal has always been to satisfy the most demanding players. In most clubs, the best players set the trends.

That strategy caused an unintended result. We do too little business with beginners. We'd like to change that.

To build up our business with beginners, we have created a program aimed at helping beginners get started right. We're asking our current customers to help us become known as the custom shop that is "beginner friendly" - and refer their friends.

Today's beginner is tomorrow's avid golfer - if they have fun - and if they get started right. Helping beginners achieve success is imperative for "growing the game".

 Free Consultation for Beginners
 

The first step in getting started right is to make a plan that includes lessons, practice and the right equipment to take a beginner to "the next level". At the Golf Lab, we have a good eye for golf swings. We also know what it takes to improve. Understanding a player's goals and making a plan to achieve those goals is the best starting point. That includes evaluating the player's swing and any equipment that he might already have. We can complete a good initial evaluation in about half an hour.

To make a "deal you can't refuse", we offer a FREE evaluation and consultation for beginning golfers - juniors, seniors and women included.

Goal number one: help a beginning player understand his or her swing, equipment, potential for improvement and develop a "game plan".

 


 Lessons are Crucial
 

Many golf professionals agree that the biggest breakthrough leading to improvement is video instruction. "A picture is worth a thousand words" is especially true for golf. The best beginning is a few hours of sensitive professional instruction with video support. Players who "see themselves" progress much faster.

For the last several years, we have worked with Eric Jones, World Long Drive Champion and founder of the Seaver Golf Academy. Eric is great with beginners, but as his reputation has surged, his available time has become limited. His current focus is on coaching his established students and getting his game ready for the Senior Tour.

Rick Laforet has been an associate instructor at the Seaver Golf Academy for over two years. His specialty is beginners. We are now booking appointments with Rick at the Golf Lab on Thursdays. A good program for beginners is a half hour weekly session for the first month. That gives the aspiring player frequent help and time for practice in between. After the first month, two lessons a month are enough to keep making progress. Rick's program includes six private lessons at a very affordable price of $375.

If coming to the Golf Lab for lessons is inconvenient, we maintain contacts with teaching professionals all over the Bay Area and can provide recommendations.

 


 Basic Clubfitting
 

Most beginners do not swing consistently enough to benefit from a full clubfitting utilizing advanced electronics.

We can accomplish a very good basic clubfitting as part of our free consultation in a few minutes. We test for swingspeed to determine flex. Then, it is important to make sure that the players clubs are the right length, weight and lie angle. The grip makes a difference. With drivers, it is imperative that they be controllable and hit the ball high enough. We focus on the right clubs to take the beginning player to the "next level".

 


 Avoid the "Bubble Pack"
 

Most beginners that we see bring in their first set of clubs. It is usually a "bubble pack" - a complete set purchased at Costco for a couple of hundred dollars. The bubble pack seems like a bargain at first, but it is a waste of money.

The mass-produced clubs can make improvement difficult. The biggest problem is the driver. It is very rarely the right length, loft or flex. All players rely on their driver to get them going - if it doesn't fit, and they can't hit, frustration ensues.

Irons are also wrong. Bubble packs include graphite shafts that are too long, too soft and heads that are too light. The "one size fits all" mentality definitely doesn't work for beginning golfers. Some players are tall, some are short. Some are strong, some not so strong. Club length is the most crucial variable.

 


 Logical - and Economical - Set Make Up
 

A far better alternative is to get the clubs you need that actually fit - and are fun to play. For most beginners, that means a very high loft driver in a short length with a heavy head. We call that driver the "Hero" because it that's how it makes beginners feel.

A full bag of irons is overkill. A beginner is much more likely to make quick progress with a "short set" - 5, 7 and 9 irons with a couple of good wedges. Round out the bag with a high loft fairway metal or hybrid and complete the setup with a putter. For the price of a "bubble pack" a beginner can get a set of clubs that actually fits - made to measure.

At a custom golf shop, clubs are "open stock". A player can start with a short set and fill it in with matched clubs as his skill improves and his game develops.

 


 The Practice Plan
 

"Practice makes perfect" is certainly true with golf. But it needs to be the right kind of practice. Beginners will make much faster progress if they learn to love their wedges and putter. Grooving a golf swing requires thousands of repetitions. It's much easier and more economical to do that hitting chips and short pitches. We'll help a beginner learn how to have fun practicing the short game.

 


 The Fast Track
 

After a few lessons and a few hours of practice, it's time to go to the golf course. The best way for a beginner to do that is with an experienced player who can help understand the correct strategy to play the game. It's a good idea to pick a time when the golf course is quiet. Late in the afternoon works well. Then, you can hit a few extra shots without pressure.

Heather Hughes won the San Francisco City Amateur two years in a row a while back. Today, she teaches short game, putting and playing strategy. She specializes in introducing beginning players to the golf course - with playing lessons. A great way for a beginner to get started on the course is playing with Heather, taking advantage of her thirty years of experience in tournament golf.

By the way, intermediate players who need help thinking their way around the course can also book a playing lesson with Heather. The cost is low, just $50 for nine holes and $100 for 18 holes - plus greens fees, cart, lunch and a couple of beers. The easiest way to bring your scores down is to avoid unnecessary mistakes.

 


 The Complete Package
 

Our goal is to help beginners get started right by avoiding frustration, making good use of time and having fun. We have helped a lot of beginners fall in love with the game of golf. We aim to make that number much larger. The time required is to get started right is two to three months - the cost less than $1000 - most of that dedicated to lessons and practice. Can you help your friend who is just starting in golf, and us, with a referral?

 


Best regards,


Leith Anderson, Bob Huff, Heather Hughes, Clint Smith, Eric Jones, Rick Laforet - the "Golf Lab Gang"
The Golf Lab

phone: 650-493-1770
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