By Bob Usher, PGA
I recently collaborated with our Grey Oaks Country Club fitness team to introduce some new golf fitness-specific programming. The team and I hosted a Golf Fitness Open House where we introduced eight golf-specific fitness/golf schools. We call these schools “Golf Fitness Boot Camps.” There, we spend time recording golfers’ swings and analyzing their movements. After this analysis, we conduct a physical assessment using TPI and Gray Institute physical screenings.
I am joined on this team by a physical therapist and our personal trainers. We cover everything in the golfers’ swings, including mechanics, strengths, weaknesses and past injuries. We bring the golfers inside to share the results of their recorded golf swings and physical screening data. We explain how their swing looks and how their physical limitations affect their movement. We can then create a golfer-specific plan for each student.
After Boot Camp, many golfers will follow up with individual golf instruction and start training with a personal trainer. This collaborative effort between golf instructors and trainers helps maximize golfer progress and addresses the diverse needs of our members. It is a culture of health and wellness that we are building here at Grey Oaks. Our Director of Fitness, Scott Bender, and I have coordinated this movement to bring everyone together to help our golfers improve their golf games.
The business impact of this collaboration has more golfers participating in Golf Fitness Boot Camps, and that leads to more golf instruction and more personal training. Our goal is to help people play more golf and enjoy doing it, resulting in increased revenue across our facility. My research has found that golfers at our facility who participate in teaching programs spend 2.4 times more money than the average member who does not participate.
Bob Usher, a Five-Time Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Two-Time Golf Fitness Association of America (GFAA) On-Course Award Winner and 2024 GFAA Recognition Award Winner, is the PGA of America Director of Instruction at Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, Florida.
