Corey Higgs is the Director of Instruction for the Compass Pointe Golf Courses in Pasadena, Maryland.

Corey Higgs on the importance of considering having a phone call before the first lesson:

I have always felt that having a conversation with a new client before we begin our first lesson is really important to getting off on the right foot. It’s an opportunity to tune into what they want to get out of the golf experience, to understand what they see as their strengths and weaknesses, and to make a plan to meet their personal goals. Often, I’d meet them in-person, on the range, for this conversation. As with many things in life, COVID changed how we thought about that first meeting. The pandemic brought a boom to golf, and we wanted to both help clear hurdles for new students and to streamline our process to help bring more people into the game. We started having introductory conversations with new golfers by phone; it was more comfortable for them and helped us free up the range for those playing and taking lessons. Then when the student arrived for that first lesson, we were ready to roll.

Corey Higgs on the business impact of considering having a phone call before the first lesson:

Post-pandemic, we have continued with the pre-first lesson phone call. It’s working for us and for golfers. We found it to be a great way for us coaches to slow down — and get more information than those (sometimes) rushed, in person conversations. Two things were especially striking to me: first, people really opened up more about weaknesses on the phone than in person. This allowed me to make a connection and steer the conversation about how we were going to fix those issues. It was amazing how they were able to find and realize the real issue in their game during that call. Second, it also allowed us to open up about timing and teaching styles so that there’s zero tension when they come to that first lesson. And that has been an absolute dream, leading to better shots, scores, and an all-around positive experience for clients earlier than usual. So, if you are thinking of having a conversation before your first lesson to start things off, consider a phone call. It may make a world of difference.

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