Tim Conaway, a three-time Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, is the Owner of Conaway Golf Performance in Bradenton, Florida.
Tim Conaway on the importance of building structured practice into your lessons:
I opened an indoor teaching studio two years ago and work with golfers of all skill levels to improve their skills and increase the enjoyment they derive from the game. I have shifted away from selling lesson hours and have implemented a membership-based model with monthly payments. The monthly fee a golfer pays will hinge upon the number of months he or she is looking for and the frequency of lessons per month. My new policy dictates that the golfer will get the same number of studio practice hours as he or she pays for in instruction time. For instance, the Birdie Membership offers two hours of private coaching time and four 30-minute practice sessions per month. The Eagle Membership is four hours of private coaching time and eight 30-minute practice sessions per month. Our Family Membership is eight hours of private coaching time and 16 30-minute practice sessions per month. These memberships are available in three, six, nine or 12-month packages. This membership format ensures that individuals are in the studio every week, either through instruction or practice, enabling us to keep tabs on their progress on a personal level. Before really knowing what a new student needs and committing to a package, they are evaluated through a two-hour new student assessment. This gives us an opportunity to get to know the student and provides them the chance to see what we have to offer in terms of expertise, lesson packages and technology. Our coaching is designed to be very personalized.
Tim Conaway on the business impact of building structured practice into your lessons:
We transitioned to this membership-based format after having offered supervised practices in the past, realizing that students who attended these supervised practice sessions improved at a much faster rate than their counterparts whose presence was less frequent or more sporadic. This way, I had a part in how they were practicing between their formal individual lessons. When I opened my indoor studio, I recognized that there is no other sport that does not have coach-run practice sessions. Additionally, I wanted to maximize the use of a second hitting bay and have a touchpoint on the training side of their development, not just the instruction side. With small group sessions like those supervised practices not an option due to space in our studio, I determined that the coaching/practice membership framework was the most beneficial structure for my students and my business. After all, with students having to book their practice sessions in advance, their practice time is highly structured, as I have a whiteboard with prescribed drills and practice routines that are geared towards each individual scheduled to practice that day. We’re establishing closer relationships and maintaining long-term clients while teaching them to practice with a purpose. I teach the majority of my clients twice per month, which allows me to take on twice the number of clients, growing revenue substantially. Maintaining a 35-40-hour coaching week can generate upwards of $20,000 per month in revenue.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email Tim@conawaygolf.com.
