Alison Curdt

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
PGA Section Teacher of the Year, GRAA Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Golf Digest Best in State, LPGA Awards, Other (Indicate specific awards in 3-a below)

Other awards won (if provided):
Golf Mag Top Teacher to Watch

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 720
Female: 540
Junior: 540

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
4

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
This past year I have continued the Growth of the Game initiatives I’ve implemented in the past several years at my facility. The past eight years at my facility I have increased lesson taking by over 100%. There never was a professional who specialized in teaching until I came on board, and quickly built programs and opportunities for the membership to participate in. Players as young as 4 years of age are getting involved with golf by my coaching. As the Director of Instruction, I’ve had free reign to create programming and provide learning opportunities for students to help them enjoy the game longer and to keep them in the game. I’ve also created opportunities for students and juniors to get excited about golf so they don’t leave the game early because they find it too difficult to continue in. I’ve continued my modified version of Get Golf Ready and implemented the LPGA Golf 101 program. My LPGA Golf 101 sessions are geared toward women higher handicapper golfers and touches on all aspects of the game. The program has been such a success and graduates asked for another level geared toward intermediate players looking to grow and enhance their basic knowledge. I’ve continued a “Playing the Course” program which focuses specifically on playing strategies on the course. Each session covered how to play a Par 4, Par 5, and Par 3. Mental strategy, course management, rules, and etiquette were covered. With the club’s “Pitch N Sip” group, I’ve created monthly clinic for the women that match their skill set and ability. This encourages the women to continue working on their game, and allows a fun, casual environment to furthering knowledge in golf. In the junior sector I created a summer academy where junior received instruction on a continuous basis all summer long. On course teachings, games, competitions, drills, and social skill building were elements of the camp. Kids that played other sports and wanted to try out golf enrolled in the camp and left with a feeling of excitement and eagerness to become “golfers.” Another program that I created on an individual student basis includes a holistic approach to the golfer. The program entails a “total golf makeover” where equipment, swing technique, golf psychology, and fitness are all assessed. This is a game enhancement program where the individual will be fit into the best equipment for their swing, receive tailored instruction on areas of the game that need improvement, include sport psychology basics and emotional regulation techniques to enhance peak performance, and include a complete golf fitness assessment to identify potential physical limitations that could hinder improvement. This program has been a success for that specific golfer who is looking to get better for the long-term and receive a total golf makeover. This program keeps golfers in the game longer because it covers more than just swing mechanics. I find that golfers will often invest in equipment, but leave out quality instruction, mental game coaching, and fitness. This program teaches them all of these components. I had a wonderful group of women participate in my Golf Mental Bootcamp series which exposed golfers to learning about their mental performances. For golfers of all abilities, this program was helpful in learning how the mental game impact performance. Ultimately, golfers learned how to have more fun on the course and less frustration. New for me, starting in 2019 and continuing into this year was becoming a USGA LPGA Girls Golf Site Director. These one day clinics are geared for girls 7-18 and build self-esteem, leadership, golf skills, and hosts a safe community for girls to explore and learn the game. Lastly, the golf course continues to support a variety of tee yardages in the Tee it Forward program. A short set of tees was created for a variety of golfers, yet makes the course more manageable and fun for players who are new, juniors, or those that don’t have a lot of distance in their game.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
A program that I have run the past few years in a coaching package that includes mental coaching as well as physical coaching. Within that program a TPI assessment is completed, a swing assessment is conducted, and mental inventories are taken. The results are then shared with the client for a coaching relationship to begin. Outlined in that relationship is what the student’s responsibilities are for the program to be successful (frequency of lessons, mental game applications to complete, work with a PT or physical trainer to improve the body for lifelong golf enjoyment). Other responsibilities would include uploading a video or picture of the student practicing during weeks they aren’t being see in a lesson to ensure accountability. When the students knows I am keeping tab on their tournament performances, their practice performances, and have an interest in their success I find them to be more engaged. When the coaching process seems transactional I find less accountability on behalf of the student. The other program I have conducted is a “90/10” program. Within 90 days the program I build for the student will reduce or gain 10% in any area they choose. For example 10% reduction in score, 10% gain in driving distance, 10% reduction in putting average and so forth. This is geared toward players who score 90 and above and within the 90 time frame, allow the student to have a concentrated focus on their improvement with a clear goal in mind and an actionable plan to commit to. This year I put together a 2 day intensive bootcamp. I collaborated with experts in other areas (biomechanics, fitness, short game, mental game) to produce a camp for my students where they have the opportunity to work with each expert in each discipline, and get on course coaching. This is the first time Ive collaborated in this manner with other coaches, and feel it’s a good refresher, or a good starter for current, old, and new students to keep them engaged in the game. Finally–good old fashion communication helps keep students engaged. When I haven’t seen a student in 30+ days a notification pops up in my system and I shoot them a text or an email to check in on their progress. This almost always prompts a lesson signup, but shows that I care about the progress of the student.