By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
As the PGA of America Director of Instruction at the Chuck Will Golf Academy at Dulles Golf Center in Sterling, Virginia, Chuck Will teaches all aspects of the game of golf to students with all levels of experience, from beginners to seasoned competitive players.
Will’s academy facilities feature 20 covered tees and a state-of-the-art on-range studio that enables golfers to see their ball flight, as well as take in the data that’s created from their shots.
Chuck Will is a highly decorated PGA of America Golf Professional with more than 40 years as a PGA member and accolades from industry leaders like Golf Digest, U.S. Kids Golf and the Golf Range Association of America (GRAA), where he is an Elite Growth of the Game Teaching Professional.
Will offers private instruction, group programs, custom club fittings, on-course playing lessons, corporate and private clinics and golf physical and flexibility screenings.
According to his website, Will “strongly believes that all golfers, given the right combination of swing fundamentals for them, are capable of significant improvement regardless of age, skill level or physical limitations. He uses a combination of computerized video swing analysis, golf assessment, flexibility screening and club path analyzer data to gather the necessary information required to determine the swing type best suited for his students.”
This level of personalized attention has proven effective and successful over many years in the game. With his stellar background in touching the golfing lives of countless players over the years, Chuck Will is the subject of this month’s Golf Range Magazine Five Questions feature.
Golf Range Magazine: When did you get your start in golf?
Will: I was 12 years old in 1967 when my parents got me into the game in our hometown of Rockville, Maryland.
Golf Range Magazine: Did you play golf in high school or college, and when did you know you wanted to be a PGA of America Golf Professional?
Will: I played golf at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, and then competed for four years while at Salisbury (MD) University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
During my early years in golf, we were members of the Washingtonian Country Club in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I was at the club most days and got to know the professional staff, which led to my love of the business of the game, as much as the game itself.
Golf Range Magazine: You’ve been at Dulles Golf Center for many years and have surely seen a lot of trends come and go. What’s trending in your programming and instruction at Dulles today?
Will: Group instruction is more popular as people pursue the social side of the game. Get Golf Ready classes are ideal for introducing the game of golf to new players of all ages. In these five-session programs, we cover such fundamental topics as grip, stance and setup, and focus on one topic at a time in each subsequent session – short irons, middle irons, hybrids/fairway woods – and then complete the curriculum with practice drills that golfers can continue in their journey to improve.
We follow that level one program with Get Golf Ready II – four sessions that review the full swing concepts learned in the first group of classes, pitching via our 3 by 4 wedge system, chipping and bunker play and finally, putting, rules and etiquette.
All group programming students get a discount on private instruction, in our golf shop and in any customer fittings they pursue when seeking new clubs.
Golf Range Magazine: What is your favorite part of the game of golf? The business of golf?
Will: My favorite aspect of the game of golf is practicing and researching the swing, and continuing to learn about all other aspects of the game.
My favorite part of the business of golf is the relationships I have developed over many years of coaching. Many of these connections have stood the test of time and are valued relationships to me.
Golf Range Magazine: As PGA of America Golf Professionals, the learning never stops. After more than four decades in the game, what does the future hold for you in golf?
Will: The use of indoor simulator facilities helps me keep my coaching relationships going year-round. Although there was a time when the weather had a huge impact on our ability to play or coach throughout the year, indoor technology has rectified that situation. They’re also ideal for custom club fittings and training with TPI-certified fitness trainers. People are even buying indoor golf simulators for their homes, as the technology is better than ever, and there’s often a price point for most golfers.
For more information about the Chuck Will Golf Academy, log on to Chuck’s website today!
