Ben Willman is the PGA Co-Owner/Operator and Lead Golf Instructor at the Axis Golf Academy and Fitting Center at Woodforest Golf Club in Montgomery, Texas.

Ben Willman on the importance of combining expert analysis and technology:

Since opening the Axis Golf Academy in January of 2016, my partners and I have strived to provide the highest quality, most complete golf instruction possible. It is our belief that this is done by utilizing today’s great technology. However, prior to taking advantage of all that our launch monitors and technology has to offer, we perform a screening to assess the student’s body mobility and stability. Without this data we risk asking for more than the student can physically provide. This short process helps us find the golf swing that the student can possibly attain and perform, regardless of age, body type, or skill level. Instructor certification is required and different levels of such certification exist. Next we work with our students to analyze the data provided by the launch monitor from one lesson to the next, highlighting their progress and isolating obstacles that may exist in attaining their goals. We follow up on this analysis with on-course work to put it all together where it counts the most. A vital aspect to timely progress is constructive, thoughtful feedback between student and teacher. Together we strive to achieve their goals of improvement on the course and increased enjoyment of the game.

Ben Willman on the business impact of combining expert analysis and technology:

Axis Golf Academy has only been open for a few years, but we have some stellar results in our early days. With over 150 members (students who pay a monthly fee for reduced cost on golf instruction), we are growing with each passing month. We do have students who choose not to seek membership, but 80 percent of our students prefer the benefits of membership. As a facility, the demographics of our clientele run the gamut from beginner to professional, youth golfer to senior, men, and women. Seventy percent of my students range in age from 7-18, allowing me to develop the majority of them, preparing them for high school and college golf and possibly the PGA or LPGA Tour. We are coaching eight to nine lessons daily for five to six days per week during peak times of the year, and that is reduced by only a few lessons per day during slower times; proof that our philosophy and implementation of the concepts we teach are resonating with golfers around us, growing our business every quarter since we opened, increasing lesson totals by 40 percent from 2016 to 2017.

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