Golf Schools

Pronghorn Golf Academy Unveiled In Oregon

World-renowned Pronghorn Resort has launched an innovative golf instruction program developed and led by award-winning golf instructor Jeff Ritter. The Pronghorn Golf Academy by Jeff Ritter integrates curriculum in skill development, mindset, fitness and nutrition to inspire and activate players of all levels. The Pronghorn Golf Academy will be supported by Golf Channel programming and marketing resources, while Ritter and his team will be regular featured guests on shows such as Morning Drive.

Named one of the “Best Young Teachers in America” by Golf Digest, as well as ranked among the “Top 30 Teachers in America” by Golf Tips, Ritter is an expert communicator with an impressive pedigree working with top amateurs, elite juniors, collegiate standouts as well as players on professional tours. An accomplished media personality, author and speaker, Ritter is a regular contributor on Golf Channel and Golf Digest platforms. In 2016 he was studio host for PGA National Instruction Day on Golf Channel, the most watched golf instruction event in history. In 2014 he created and produced the Make The Turn Weekly Challenge Series on Golf Digest TV which garnered over 20 million viewers.

After launching highly successful programs in Arizona and Pebble Beach, Ritter is excited to expand offerings to the Pacific Northwest.

“The training facilities at Pronghorn are the very best I’ve seen anywhere in the world,” said Ritter. “After surveying Pronghorn’s two nationally ranked courses and meeting with their forward thinking leadership, I knew the possibilities to create a game changing experience were limitless. In addition, securing our partnership with Golf Channel is validation of the hard work we’ve put in towards being recognized among the best in the industry. Our Golf Channel relationship is exclusive to Pronghorn as the only facility in Central Oregon to hold such a distinction.”

Under Ritter’s leadership, Pronghorn Golf Academy will offer a variety of group and individual programs, including private coaching, multi-day schools, practice clubs and single-day workshops. Beyond the lesson tee, one of the Academy’s premium experiences will be a progressive corporate leadership program that utilizes a golf inspired environment to train executives and their teams in practices for sustainable high-performance. Ritter is a top corporate speaker, who has worked with companies such as Apple and Barclays.

“At the highest level of competition the difference between winning and losing is less than 2 percent,” added Ritter. “Our program delivers strategies in mental toughness, fitness, nutrition and recovery that increase performance and strengthen corporate culture, while improving the bottom line.”

Pronghorn Golf Academy programming is supported by an impressive team of coaches that includes Ritter’s nutritionist wife, Cate. Creator of “THE LEAN 18” nutrition curriculum, Cate is a sought after nutrition writer and corporate health consultant who has been featured in Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, Golf Digest, Readers Digest, Golf Channel, Runner’s World, Women’s Health, and ABC TV.

“Pronghorn Resort and this special part of the world are so passionately committed to healthy living,” said Cate Ritter. “My role in the program is to make feeling your best, delicious and doable, so ultimately you create a lifestyle that’s sustainable.”

What about junior golf? Families can expect the academy to be big on youth development. In addition to his role at Pronghorn, Ritter is also National Director for NIKE Junior Golf Camps creating curriculum and overseeing operations at 120 locations throughout North America.

To view some FREE sample lessons, go to Ritter’s newly launched MAKE THE TURN Golf app www.mttgolfapp.com. For more information or to schedule your appointment with Pronghorn Academy by Jeff Ritter contact jeff.ritter@pronghornresort.com

Casa de Campo Opens PGA Junior Golf Camp

Casa de Campo Resort & Villas — home to the Caribbean’s premier, luxury golf experiences, including the iconic Teeth of the Dog course – announces its “Competitive Edge” PGA Junior Golf Camp led by renowned PGA Professional Suzy Whaley.

Whaley is recognized as one of the country’s top instructors. She was an LPGA Tour member in 1990 and 1993. Most notably, she famously qualified for and participated in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA TOUR event. She is the PGA Director of Instruction at Suzy Whaley Golf in Cromwell, Conn.

Designed for ages 12 – 17, the camp runs from July 29 – Aug. 3 and starts at $3,395 (one parent / one child) and $3,995 for (two parents / one child). Overnight junior golfers and accompanying adults will enjoy an all-inclusive resort package including deluxe accommodations. Curriculum highlights include:

Advanced player instruction developed by the PGA of America
Low student-to-teacher ratio of 4:1 for increased hands-on and customized instruction
Instruction with an emphasis on course strategy and management
Use of the industry’s most advanced teaching technologies
Strategies to manage mental performance on course
Physical conditioning and fitness programing
On-course instruction with rounds on the resort’s three celebrated Pete Dye-designed courses: Teeth of the Dog, Dye Fore and The Links
Personalized practice regimen customized to meet the needs of each camper on a post-camp basis for review and implementation with home coach

“We’re excited to host our Competitive Edge instruction camp at an incredible golf destination like Casa de Campo,” says Whaley, the first woman ever elected to serve as an Officer of the PGA of America. “We invite junior golfers and their families to join us in paradise for loads of fun, elite instruction, and a resort experience to long remember.”

Additionally, from July 30 (Mon.) – Aug. 2 (Thurs.), full and half-day camps are also available for young golfers, ages nine – 16, who aspire to improve their abilities and course management. The full-day camp is priced at $595 and runs from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The half-day camp is suited for newer golfers ages eight – 13. Priced at $350 and is conducted from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and includes lunch. More information may be found at PGAJuniorGolfCamps.com.

“There’s no better place than Casa de Campo for junior players of any and all abilities to learn the proper way to play the wonderful game of golf,” says Andres Pichardo Rosenberg, President of Casa de Campo. “We’re thrilled to have Suzy and her team hosting their enjoyable and informative camps here and we invite families to visit us for an exceptional summer getaway.”

The camp will use the resort’s new state-of-the-art Golf Learning Center. Residing on 21 acres of “pure grass,” the PGA Tour-quality facility is highlighted by Trackman and BODITRAK technology. It features two indoor hitting bays for year-round game improvements as well as practice greens for honing putting, chipping and pitching games as well as a pristine outdoor range for full shots.

To be eligible for the Competitive Edge camp, campers must be currently playing competitive golf (i.e. participate on the high school team, junior tournaments, or other similar competition platforms) with a letter of recommendation from their current golf coach or instructor.

All overnight junior participants must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. The camp price does not include a one-time, non-refundable registration fee. For additional junior participants, please call 888.PGA.PLAY (888.742.7529) for pricing options and more information.

For more information on Casa de Campo Resort & Villas visit www.casadecampo.com.do

Going Beyond Golf Performance

When did golf schools become golf experiences? It’s hard to pinpoint the exact date, but not the reasons. First, advances in technology have taken instruction well beyond merely hitting buckets of balls under the watchful eye of a pro. And second, that technology has changed the way golf is taught. The process has become more experiential and less dictatorial (“Do it my way or else!”). That’s why new programs offered at the Omni La Costa Resort& Spa in Carlsbad, California should catch the attention of golfers open to news ways of learning — going beyond golf performance.

Perhaps best known to golf fans as the venue where Darren Clarke shocked the golf world in 2000 by defeating Tiger Woods, 4 and 3, in the WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, Omni La Costa and its 36 holes are now home to a cutting-edge golf experience that incorporates traditional instruction, new technology, and a team of experts in a first-of-its-kind integrative approach.

“Golf professionals realize that you can’t be an expert at everything,” said A.J. Avoli, director of Instruction, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. “So why try to be just mediocre at everything rather than being very good at something? That’s where an integrative approach like ours, which partners our Golf Performance Institute (GPI) with the experts in Deepak Chopra’s Beyond Performance program, comes up. People lose interest when it’s just hitting balls on a range. It becomes boring quickly. We’re trying to make it more fun, and if they’re not getting better, they’re not going to play more.”

The GPI creates programs tailored to each individual, from basic golf instruction to multi-day programs using the latest technology, such as MySwing Golf (a 3D motion capture system that analyzes your swing) and the RoboGolfPro (a computerized robotic system that lets you feel the best possible swing path for your own game), to create a plan designed to speed up the learning process.

“Technology has brought science into the game, and now we have fact-based information rather than just opinions,” sad Avoli. “Why guess when you can measure? But technology is only as good as the person running it and communicating the data.”

The data generated by the brand new Beyond Performance program goes well beyond smash factors and spin rates. In fact, the ultimate goal of the program — available in 3-day and 5-day sessions starting at $4,500 and $6,500 respectively, not including accommodations or golf at Omni La Costa — has little to do with the golf swing and much more to do with the golfer, according to Chopra.

“One of the biggest problems athletes have, or for that matter anyone trying to perform, is performance anxiety,” he said. “It’s always about the outcome and not the process. When you’re focused on the outcome, you get away from the process. Peak experiences are actually getting the mind out of the way. The mind is the problem. If you’re thinking too much, and any athlete will tell you this, the game is ruined. When they don’t think, everything seems to move in slow motion and in silence. The internal dialogue had disappeared. Flow state is a state where your sense of individual self is gone — it’s just the game. You and the game are one experience. There’s no sense of time. There’s total, effortless spontaneity. Beyond Performance means getting the mind out of way, no resistance, no regrets, no anticipation, just this moment. And that’s flow.”

The assembled team, with expertise in athletic movement, biomechanics, nutrition and the mental process, is impressive. “The key to any program is people, process and platform,” said program director Poonach Machaiah. “So we have brought together four of the best experts in the world, who have programs of their own covering various topics, for the first time ever. Beyond Performance is a structured process that uses technology metrics to provide a scalable platform, so when you go home and work with your local pro you bring it back home. We will also make additional content available online to participants.”

Baseball fans of a certain age may recognize the name Tom House, a former major league pitcher perhaps best known for catching Hank Aaron’s 715th home run (while standing in the bullpen) in 1974. These days he’s highly regarded for his work with elite athletes in multiple sports. “Human beings could be really smart if we don’t think,” said House. “If you just swing a golf club to get loose, it’s like a quarterback throwing a football to get warm. The stress you put on your body by swinging a golf club when you’re not warmed up is wearing and tearing joints. Preparing your body properly for golf is very important. We can now address human movement at 1,000 frames per second in three dimensions, and most of the important parts of a golf swing take place in .25 seconds.”

Biomechanics is a driving force behind the way any athlete performs, according to Dr. Peter Mackay. “I have to teach you to be aware of where you are in space, and where perhaps you should be, to be more functional. That goes way beyond the physical feel of muscles, tension or flexibility. I guarantee most people have enough strength to play golf – but their foundation and sequencing are critical factors.”

Most amateur golfers lack a pre-shot routine, a process that Jason Goldsmith believes can be beneficial, especially when reinforced by neurological feedback that can reveal what’s going on in the athlete’s mind while they are performing.

“To do that, we use the FocusBand, which is the world’s first in-motion EEG system,” he said. “It gives you insight as to what’s going on in the mind while you perform an action, providing direct and immediate feedback as to whether you were thinking, or were you doing? We teach athletes, including golfers like Jason Day and Justin Rose, how to get the brain into the performance state, or a mind of no-mindedness.”

What you put in your body, and when you do that, can affect on course performance according to nutritional expert Dr. James Meschino. “There’s a growing awareness that targeted nutritional strategies can enhance athletic performance,” he said. “The aging process will do what it does, but eating better can help preserve lean muscle mass and enable you to remain competitive longer.” He suggests eating lean proteins, lower fats, and carbohydrates two to three hours before teeing off. “Even with a 10 percent drop in blood sugar, your ability to focus decreases significantly and decision-making becomes much more irrational.” While golf is not a high intensity sport, your body still loses water throughout the round. “If your total body water is down even 2 percent, your performance drops and concentration drops,” he said. That means drinking water before and during the round, supplemented with a sports drink (skip the soda or alcohol) to maximize performance.”

Chopra is confident this team approach will pay dividends for golfers of all levels. “Technology provides instant feedback,” he said. “Many athletes will remember their best shots — even the memory of that will help reproduce the experience. Anchor the memory with the validation through technology. And there’s more to come.”

Reynolds Lake Oconee Offers 5-Hour Makeover For Golfers

Golfers are always looking to improve, and now they can in just five hours with a complete-game transformation at Reynolds Kingdom of Golf, presented by TaylorMade, approximately 90 minutes from Atlanta. The new 5-Hour Makeover package provides a tour-quality fitting for a new set of clubs at the only TaylorMade venue in the country where recreational golfers can be fit for equipment in the elite environment enjoyed by PGA and LPGA Tour players and club professionals on TaylorMade’s staff.

Highlighting the five-hour immersion is an individualized fitting experience with the same expert club fitters who create sets for TaylorMade’s stable of tour stars. Each golfer is fitted for a complete set of TaylorMade woods, irons, wedges, and putter. But since new clubs can only do so much, the package also features a two-hour, one-on-one game evaluation – full swing and short game –by a world-class Reynolds Kingdom of Golf staff instructor.

The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf complex includes two fully enclosed hitting bays, three covered and heated hitting areas, an extensive practice range, TrackMan 4 launch monitors, and high-speed Ximea cameras. They complement the highly acclaimed TaylorMade MATT-T system and the onsite TaylorMade Tour Trailer, where new clubs can be constructed, often within in hours.

Also available is the BodiTrack mat analysis to measure weight distribution throughout the swing and onsite video analysis with V1 Sports Technology allowing voiceover copy to be emailed to each participant.

Each guest of the “5-Hour Makeover” package has a choice of luxury accommodations at a cottage or condominium at Reynolds Lake Oconee, and is priced at $900 per person (non-peak season) and $951 per person (peak season), per night; the cost of new golf clubs is separate. Cart fees and range fees are included, as well as $20 resort credit for each night of stay and breakfast each morning. Minimum of two golfers required; additional $100 per night for each non-golfer.

Located between Atlanta and Augusta, Reynolds Lake Oconee has 117 holes of golf, all designed by legendary golf architects including Jack Nicklaus, Rees Jones, and Tom Fazio. Beyond the “Top 100” ranked golf courses and a range of sporting activities, Reynolds has been named one of the “25 Best Golf Communities in North America” by GOLF Magazine and offers a wide variety of real estate options.

Boasting more than 350 miles of Lake Oconee shoreline, Reynolds Lake Oconee also features four marinas, the Lake Club wellness center, and an award-winning tennis center. Vacation guests can choose from individual cottages within the private gates as well as luxury accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton.

www.reynoldslakeoconee.com

Get A Makeover At Reynolds Kingdom Of Golf

Golfers are always looking to improve, and now they can in just five hours with a complete-game transformation at Reynolds Kingdom of Golf, presented by TaylorMade, approximately 90 minutes from Atlanta.

The new “5-Hour Makeover” package provides a tour-quality fitting for a new set of clubs at the only TaylorMade venue in the country where recreational golfers can be fit for equipment in the elite environment enjoyed by PGA and LPGA Tour players and club professionals on TaylorMade’s staff.

Highlighting the five-hour immersion is an individualized fitting experience with the same expert club fitters who create sets for TaylorMade’s stable of tour stars. Each golfer is fitted for a complete set of TaylorMade woods, irons, wedges, and putter. But since new clubs can only do so much, the package also features a two-hour, one-on-one game evaluation – full swing and short game –by a world-class Reynolds Kingdom of Golf staff instructor.

The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf complex includes two fully enclosed hitting bays, three covered and heated hitting areas, an extensive practice range, TrackMan 4 launch monitors, and high-speed Ximea cameras. They complement the highly acclaimed TaylorMade MATT-T system and the onsite TaylorMade Tour Trailer, where new clubs can be constructed, often within in hours.

Also available is the BodiTrack mat analysis to measure weight distribution throughout the swing and onsite video analysis with V1 Sports Technology allowing voiceover copy to be emailed to each participant.

Each guest of the “5-Hour Makeover” package has a choice of luxury accommodations at a cottage or condominium at Reynolds Lake Oconee, and is priced at $900 per person (non-peak season) and $951 per person (peak season), per night; the cost of new golf clubs is separate. Cart fees and range fees are included, as well as $20 resort credit for each night of stay and breakfast each morning. Minimum of two golfers required; additional $100 per night for each non-golfer.

Located between Atlanta and Augusta, Reynolds Lake Oconee has 117 holes of golf, all designed by legendary golf architects including Jack Nicklaus, Rees Jones, and Tom Fazio. Beyond the “Top 100” ranked golf courses and a range of sporting activities, Reynolds has been named one of the “25 Best Golf Communities in North America” by GOLF Magazine and offers a wide variety of real estate options.

Boasting more than 350 miles of Lake Oconee shoreline, Reynolds Lake Oconee also features four marinas, the Lake Club wellness center, and an award-winning tennis center. Vacation guests can choose from individual cottages within the private gates as well as luxury accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton.

www.reynoldslakeoconee.com

A Pro Getaway At Reynolds Kingdom

Now that all guests of Reynolds Lake Oconee have access to the Reynolds Kingdom of Golf, presented by TaylorMade, every golfer can tune up for the fall season just like tour pros. The new “Fall Club Fitting & Golf Escape” package makes it even easier to be at peak performance for the home stretch of the golf season.

“Having the proper equipment in your hands is the first step to play great golf,” said Wes Forester, Director of Golf at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “The Fall Club Fitting & Golf Escape package is a great way for golfers to take their game to the next level, while enjoying the beauty and hospitality that Reynolds Lake Oconee has to offer.”

The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf is the only TaylorMade venue in the east where recreational golfers can be fit for equipment in the same elite environment used by PGA and LPGA Tour players, as well as club professionals on staff with TaylorMade.

The quick getaway for two rounds of golf on The Preserve, Landing and National courses and first-class fitting is available now through Sept. 30, 2017, with a package that includes:

Single-club fitting at the Reynolds Kingdom of Golf on day of arrival for each golfer (clubs purchased separately)
One round of golf per person on day of arrival after the fitting experience
One round of golf per person on day of departure (same day replay available for $25)
Cart fees and range fees
Accommodations in a cottage or condominium
Breakfast each morning
$349 per person, per night – maximum 1 night, minimum of 2 golfers
Signature Course fee of $85 to play The Oconee (includes forecaddie)
Signature Course fee of $50 to play Great Waters

Integrating superior equipment technology with innovative golf instruction, The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf is a premier full-game improvement experience.

The Kingdom has recently completed a new expansion that includes two fully enclosed instruction bays, three covered and heated hitting areas, TrackMan 4 launch monitors and high-speed Ximea cameras. They complement the highly acclaimed TaylorMade MATT-T system and the onsite TaylorMade Tour Trailer, where new clubs can be constructed in only hours.

Located between Atlanta and Augusta, Reynolds Lake Oconee is ranked among the most exciting golf experiences with six award-winning golf courses designed by legendary architects Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, Bob Cupp, and Jim Engh.

Along with its world-class golf courses, Reynolds Lake Oconee features four marinas, watersports and fishing on Lake Oconee, and an award-winning tennis center, making it a popular vacation destination.

For additional information, access www.reynoldslakeoconee.com.

TGA Premier Golf Schools Expand Into Northeast

TGA Premier Golf is planting seeds for the future of golf and sweeping the nation impacting youth, schools, and families.

The latest golf enrichment program has been launched in Southwest Fairfield County, Connecticut by former tennis professional, academy operator and current TGA Premier Tennis franchise owner Bernard Balagula.

This latest launching represents the nineteenth franchise in the Northeast covering the states of New Jersey, New York, and now Connecticut serving over 750 schools. The new golf programs in Southwest Fairfield County will be running in the Greenwich, Norwalk, Darien, and Stamford communities.

Balagula launched his first TGA Premier Sports program with tennis in 2015, and he quickly recognized the value of his investment in teaching youth the most popular lifelong sports.

“Golf and tennis are the sports that are played most by adults, and least by youth,” said Balagula. “I realized the success that my TGA tennis programs where having and thought it would only be natural to add golf and impact even more youth in these communities through TGA’s unique programming.”

TGA’s (Teach, Grow, Achieve) youth sports golf model has introduced over 650,000 youth (ages 5-13) to the sport to date serving more than 3,300 schools nationwide.

TGA’s innovative program solves the primary barriers to entry into golf by delivering introductory programs directly at schools and community centers through before- or after-school enrichment programs. The self-sustaining, no funding needed business model puts golf on a level playing field with other mainstream sports and creates a healthier and safer environment for students to be introduced to and learn golf. The program can also be utilized anywhere on school campuses regardless of weather, including gymnasiums, hallways, cafeterias, fields and blacktops.

What differentiates TGA is the station-based curriculum that includes golf skill progression, education subjects and STEAM Labs, as well as physical fitness and health components.

TGA has also created the Player Pathway, the first program of its kind in the industry, which is having a major economic impact on its more than 250 golf course partners nationwide. Once the students go through the introductory programs, TGA transitions them and their families from the school to partner golf courses through recreational programs such as summer camps (over 2,000 nationwide), leagues and parent-child events, which results in revenue from TGA as well as increased traffic and incremental revenues through green fees, food/beverage, and merchandise sales.

Finally, through its own line of youth golf equipment, TGA provides age and height customized equipment for all students at no cost.

“Golf and tennis are often found together at private clubs,” explains Balagula. “For me, it’s about bringing these lifelong sports together in schools and creating a new generation of active youth while changing lives through sports.”

TGA franchises can be found in more than 80 markets across 27 states, as well as internationally in Canada and Spain. Its continued growth has impacted over 700,000 youth and made these sports available to 1.75 million families. Future expansion strategies include the addition of 100 more franchises over the next two years, the addition of more sports, and impacting another one million youth through its education-based programs and the TGA Sports Foundation, which provides access for all children and promotes the physical, educational, social and character-building elements of these sports.

www.playtga.com | @TGA_Sports on Twitter.

Bird Golf Academy Comes To Turnberry Isle

Bird Golf Academy, the ultimate golf learning experience, has opened a new location at Turnberry Isle Miami, one of the most well-known luxury resorts. This new resort access for Bird Golf students gives them the ability to hone their skills in a state-of-the-art, private practice areas of the location.

“Turnberry Isle is an ideal venure for our golf schools because we have two championship golf courses on property, who, over the years have hosted the PGA, LPGA and Championship Tours, “said Jay Ewing, CEO and Founder of Bird Golf Academy. “The resort as an array of on-site amenities that our students want and it’s an iconic golf resort that satiates the needs of even the most discerning client. Not to mention, it’s an ideal location for Bird Golf’s East Coast students.”

Only a short drive from the city center of Miami and South Beach area, the Florida Golf school package at the resort includes lodging, unlimited practice and play, player evaluation, “Clear Key” analysis, lunch with the student’s PGA/LPGA professional every day, and the ultimate golf learning experience ® with 18, 24, or 30 hours of instruction with the Bird Golf Schools Professional.

The Miami location is Bird Golf Academy’s 21^st location and fifth location within Florida. The Bird Golf Academy teaches unique concepts based on more than 350 years of combined teaching experience. The school focuses on one/two student to one teacher ratio giving instructors the ability to devote entire attention to individuals with personalized evaluations and instructions.

For more information on the resort and to book a session with Bird Golf Academy please visit: http://www.birdgolf.com/c-locations/miami/

Former Oakmont Pro Joins Nemacolin Golf Academy

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort – the acclaimed luxury resort in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania – announces its Golf Academy has become one of the premier teaching facilities in the U.S. while led by its new director of instruction, Eric Johnson.

Johnson, one of GOLF Magazine’s “Top 100 Teachers in America,” arrived at Nemacolin just days after his former course, Oakmont Country Club, hosted the 2016 U.S. Open. The resort’s professional club-fitter, Aaron Staricek, attained multiple years of custom building and fitting expertise at the Taylormade Performance Lab at TPC Sawgrass, L.O.F.T Golf at PGA National Resort & Spa and Jupiter Hills Club.

The Nemacolin Golf Academy offers an array of game improvement programming including individual lessons as well as one-, two- and three-day golf schools. Among other highlights and amenities found at the golf academy – individual lessons, TrackMan Golf Radar Solution, SAM Putt Lab, V1 Video System, BodiTracks.

“In just a few months, Eric and his superb team at the Golf Academy have boosted Nemacolin into the upper echelon of top instruction facilities in the nation,” says Mike Jones, director of golf and recreation. “Our primary goal is to help our members and guests take advantage of the expert teaching and technology we offer and elevate their enjoyment and skill to the next level.”

With the July 12 opening of its dramatic new Shepherd’s Rock layout, the resort will offer play on two Pete Dye-designed masterpieces. Shepherd’s Rock will join the lauded Mystic Rock course to offer 36 holes of extraordinary golf in a spectacular setting. The layout is expected to rival the highest-rated courses in the country, with a picturesque finishing hole sure to provide lasting memories.

A slate of golf memberships for 2017 includes the ultra-exclusive Founders Club Membership and Full Golf Membership, designed for individuals and families.

www.nemacolin.com

The Tour’s Golf Practice Place

Before he broke through with his first win on the PGA Tour after a decade or more in the journeyman grind, Jim Herman was a regular at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Still is, in fact. When he’s around his old stomping grounds, the soft-spoken, unassuming Herman — who conquered a hellacious case of chipping yips to notch a win at this year’s Texas Valero Open — can usually be found waist-deep in a money game on the St. Lucie Trails Course, the locals’ favorite among the four-course PGA Village collection. Among his frequent playing partners is PGA teaching pro Billy Ore, a broad-shouldered, big-hitting North Carolinian who helps run the Learning Center with great humor melded with a serious goal of making every player better — from top-tier guys like Herman to PGA Village members to the average Joe who schedules a lesson while staying at a nearby condo or hotel.

“He’s one of the best iron players on Tour,” says Ore of his buddy. “He’s also sneaky long. He likes playing from the fairway so everybody thinks he’s a short hitter, but he can bust it more than 300 years when he wants to.”

Something for all of us to aspire to, which is where the Learning Center comes in. Owned and operated by the PGA Tour and set apart from the “golf coast” of South Florida about an hour down I-95, it’s an outpost of improvement and a true bonanza for technology and fitting geeks.

It all starts on the good ol’ range, which is among the state’s largest and most complete.

“Guests come in on a day pass,” says Ore before taking me on a tour of the 35-acre outdoor facility before putting an editor through his paces on the indoor Trackman. “They can come in and hit as many balls as they want, hit off grass, in the shade if they’d like, short game, putting green. There are no mats anywhere. We even have one section with uneven lies down by the instruction bays.”

There’s also three-hole short course on the back of the property for short game instruction, popular among corporate groups looking to rent their own exclusive area or pros — both those with their cards and students working on getting theirs — to get away and bear down on those delicate shots for an hour or two.

“We do individual lessons, clinics, get golf ready programs, junior programs. Members from the club can come over anytime they want. A few tour and mini-tour pros practice here. And there’s not as much to do here, like there is in Orlando, so guys just concentrate on working more to get better.”

But for Ore, what he calls the “technology room” is where the score-shaving magic really happens. Packed with a plethora of various clubheads, shafts, grips and all the tools he needs to put together endless combinations to find every player’s proper fit — and, of course, all the electronic devices that instantly put a bunch of numbers on every measured swing and stroke — it’s the modern pro’s ultimate playhouse.

The expansive outdoor practice facility at PGA Learning Center, Port St. Lucie, Fla.

“It’s fun but very helpful,” says a smiling Ore. “It’s interesting, when I have golf schools, people love that room. We could spend all three days in there. We use technology to relate to players’ feel. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand.”

Once they do get it, they love it. Most do, anyway.

“I’ve only had two guys who didn’t want anything to do with it. One was attorney from New Jersey tried it and said, ‘no, let’s go outside.’ But technology doesn’t mean technical. You can use your feel to change the numbers and make things better.”

The standard Ore session is one hour, usually starting with video. “We sit down and look at the swing, look at what they need to do better. My goal is to get them more educated about their swing. I like people looking for more information, looking at Golf Tips, but I want them more knowledgeable about their swing. I get guys who say, ‘You’re my last chance. If you can’t help me, I’m quitting.’ In golf, sometimes two wrongs make a right — if you take away one of those wrongs, it gets worse. So you have to fix both the wrongs.”

Ore wasted little time getting into the “wrongs” with me. Our indoor session with the learning facility’s Trackman system stretched to two ours, first with irons, then with drivers. Right away he measured my swing as flatter than normal (an overcompensation to achieve a workable fraw after years of an ugly backswing lift and attendant slice), and after a slew of swings with several major iron brands from Callaway to Titleist, dialed me into a set of Ping Gs or similar, bent to 1.5 degrees flat or “purple dot” and rocking a 70 gram, R-flex graphite shaft. I’ve got the notes just in case I decide to pull the trigger on a new 4-PW set.

But it’s through our extensive workout with the driver that I gained the most insight on why I’ve lost so much distance over the years, though my accuracy has improved. Part of it is age, of course, and some of it is the fact that, as Ore told me, “You come into the ball from the inside and very shallow, which costs you clubhead speed.” So, to battle those facts, he fitted several heads with a variety of graphite shafts. The numbers on the big screen rolled by with every swing — spin rate north of 3,000 rpm (way too high; 2,500 is always a good target), swing speed hovering around 90 mph, launch angle perhaps a bit high when I actually hit the face. After what must have been dozens of swings, if not close to 100, I was sweating and amazingly winded. I was also eager to get Ore’s final best-case cocktail of ball-launching equipment.

The Ping G was pretty strong. Same with Callaway’s latest. But Titleist won the day with the 917 D4 model, 9.5 degree loft, with a Diamana Blue 60 gram shaft — surprisingly, with an S flex and B-1 lie setting. The numbers didn’t lie: With that stick I gained 8 to 15 yards on average, with less spin and a better angle. Again, I have the notes, and when I save up the scratch, I’m in.

But the Trackman work is just half the equation. Ore gives every student plenty to ponder and work on after heading home. “With a driver I can use some setup adjustments, and if they’ll try it, I can get them hitting it better,” he says. “I give a lot of homework. I have better luck with players who go home and make the motions I want them to make. If they can add some practice, that’s better. After an hour I can get them hitting the ball over time, but as they rake over another ball, it deteriorates. You have to practice making the motions. All the motor learning studies say that if you are trying to learn a new skill, you have to vary something while you’re learning it.”

Thanks to cloud technology, it’s easy to keep in touch with Ore, or any teacher, thanks to apps like the V1 Pro coaching system — you can video your practice, upload it to the Learning Center server and Ore will analyze it, comment and get you the drills you need to keep improving. “We’ve had a relationship with V1, and they do a good job. There are a lot of applications these days, but their customer service is great,” Ore says. “With phones these days, I want to get them coaching themselves. And if they start playing better, they’ll send five more people.

If a student sticks around PGA Village for a couple days, there’s also the possibility of playing lessons. “We have the advantage of three great golf courses at the resort, plus the St. Lucie Trails across the street, an old-school course. It doesn’t look difficult but it is. I learn something playing there all the time, from a strategy standpoint. When we do playing lessons, I show golfers that certain shots are really hard. You have to overcome expectations.”

One expectation to count on, however, is that a good clubfitting session will immediately yield positive results and reduce the guessing game. And that means better shots, lower scores and more fun. Nothing beats good teaching and plenty of practice, but why handicap your game with ill-fitting sticks?

For more on PGA Village and the Learning Center, visit www.pgavillage.com.