Patrick Parrish is the PGA Director of Tournaments and Instruction at the Nicklaus Club, in Monterey, California. He was the 2016 PGA Northern California Section Teacher of the Year.

Patrick Parrish on the importance of implementing innovative methods of instruction and player development:
Because much of the golf swing happens behind our back, the typical player has very little understanding of what is really happening in his or her swing. As a result there is a large discrepancy or gap between what a player thinks he or she is doing and what is actually happening. Traditional teaching included recording a student’s swing and then asking him to view his swing away from the hitting area. This lapse of time is incredibly inefficient in learning a skill or series of motions. So, in an effort to go beyond a student’s use of a mirror to view his or her golf swing, I worked Shane Yang, a Silicon Valley hardware and software product developer and father of three of my students, to create a tool that would reinforce correct positions and kinesthetic movement. Our collaboration created The Live View Golf camera. The camera connects to a student’s iPad and provides immediate feedback that takes the guesswork out of learning, creating expedited progress and improvement. With the Live View Golf camera, the student can continually adjust his swing until it matches the target swing position that can be drawn by the instructor. Instead of creating incorrect and conflicting swing feelings, the student rehearses and reinforces the feeling of a correct swing with repetition. The cameras are used in our lessons and students can use them in their practice, monitoring development precisely and independently. Feedback I’ve received indicates that students are enjoying their practice more when using our Digital Mirror Technology (DMT). I set up a camera station where my students can bring their iPads and practice on their own. As a result, it also promotes my instruction business and the cameras themselves. I like to say that we are changing golf swings in moments rather than months.

Patrick Parrish on the business impact of implementing innovative methods of instruction and player development:
Using the Live View Golf cameras in our lessons for just over a year, we have seen positive results in many areas. First, lesson revenue is up almost 30% over the past year alone. That’s due to an increase in number of students, as well as an increase of almost 20% that I was able to apply to my lesson rates. The camera has also been incredibly beneficial in group lessons because it keeps students engaged while I am working with their peers. Also, setting up the cameras for use by range-goers at our facility has generated revenue at $20 per 15 minute time slot. Taking in upwards of $100 per day on this endeavor alone adds to the funds being generated from actual sales of the devices. We have compiled a ten-lesson package that includes a camera, boosting lesson and sales revenues. Finally, an additional, but vital benefit to this business partnership and resulting technology is the retention of my students. We all know the cost that goes into acquiring students. With increased frequency, I am not just acquiring more students, I am keeping them. I like to think my teaching expertise and experience has something to do with that. But the increased technology that we’ve implemented in the past year helps greatly as well.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email pparrishgolf@gmail.com.