Steve Sieracki, is the PGA director of instruction at Indian Spring Golf Course in Marlton, New Jersey.

Steve Sieracki on the importance of starting juniors at the range:
Here at Indian Spring we’ve had great success with our junior golf program.  We decided to focus a majority of the time at the range, and we created several different games and competitions to keep the youth engaged.  Much like the Big Break, we focus on fun activities that both enhance skill level and also make youth think creatively.  We fashioned our own flop-shot wall, window-glass break and use pool noodles to simulate low punch shots and high up-and-over shots.  We also utilize the putting green and chipping area for games like tic-tac-toe, 21 and closest to the pin. In connection with the range focus, we added a 9-hole competition series on Sunday afternoons where we apply our skills developed at the range to focus on shooting par or better from 40 yards and back.

Steve Sieracki on the business impact of starting juniors at the range:
We run our junior program in two sessions (March-June and August-November) on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for two hours each day. Each session we average 25-30 participants, of whom 55 percent are boys and 45 percent are girls varying in age from 7-13.  We charge families $125 per month for only the range component (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and $175 per month for those who want to compete on the 9-hole competition series on Sundays.  Additionally, those who register for the all-inclusive program ($175) are provided free range balls upon arrival for practice. Within the last two seasons we have also built an indoor practice room equipped with FlightScope and V1, so on rainy days, or in the off-season, there is no loss of range time and no loss of revenue.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email stephen.sieracki@gmail.com