Jackie Riegle, the 2021 Southern California PGA Section Player Development Award winner and the 2019 Southern California PGA Section Metro Chapter Assistant Golf Professional of the Year, is the PGA of America Director of Player Development and Marketing at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, California.
Jackie Riegle on the importance of parlaying a popular instructional series into a catchy clinic theme:
I host a popular instructional series on our YouTube page called “The Monday Mulligan” – 280 videos and counting over the last five years – and used the name and popularity to launch a series of clinics called “Morning Mulligan.” Two things to note here: first, if you have something good going, brand it, for lack of a better term. That’s what I did here and why I think the program has been popular and is frequently sold out. There’s some name recognition going on. Secondly, we all want to feel comfortable being able to hit a shot under pressure, whether in a tournament or just in a friendly match against your friends. This program does exactly that.
Jackie Riegle on the business impact of parlaying a popular instructional series into a catchy clinic theme:
The one-hour class (usually held in the morning, thus the name) has 40 minutes of practice of say, chipping, followed by 20 minutes of the “Mulligan” game (more on that in a second). It costs $80 and is a singular, one-time-payment clinic. Everyone gets a cone, a tube of golf balls and targets for say a chip, pitch, flop shot, etc. You spend the first part of the session practicing to each one of the four stations, with me giving some instruction along the way. Then comes the game where you now hit a shot from each station under pressure, getting points for how close you are to the hole. As we go from station to station there’s also a mind-game at play: when do you take your one mulligan? Are you OK with a chip that goes to 20 feet and save it for later, when you can use it on a sculled shot? Or do you use it immediately and risk having a shot go astray later with no mulligan recourse? This class is basically for the established golfer that has a hard time practicing on their own and who feels they need structure and supervision. It applies pressure along with a ton of fun in the process. It’s primarily for adults because of when I get course access to do it but could also work for juniors as well, and is held two-to-four times a month, depending on access. So, if you’re looking for a way to entice people to practice and a way to ramp up the pressure, try it. It could be awesome for you.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email jriegle@monarchbeachgolf.com.
