Jeff Smith

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
PGA Section Teacher of the Year, Golf Magazine Top 100, Golf Digest Best in State

Other awards won:
Indiana PGA Player Development Award 2018, Indiana PGA Professional Development Award 2004

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 900
Female: 600
Junior: 250

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
50

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
Bring a Friend to Golf Series – 2 people, 2 afternoons/week – 45 minutes each (in and out of the parking lot in an hour we like to say): Topics: Club Control for Ball Control, Chipping with every club, Putting Mastery, Driving the ball like a Beast, Swinging made easy, What Makes the Ball Do What it Does and of course…..Take it to the Course for Fun.

Your 4 some, Your Topic – I have created this so that before their round of golf – they can have a 30 minute session, 60 minute session or even 90 minute session before they go play at their regular time. This is a fun way for each group can get what they want each week and have fun together.

Practice against the Pro – A 4 – week challenging short series of evenings where 3 players put their short game skills up against me from 100 yards in using a combine challenge of consistency, proximity, and scoring from different distances. I play against the best ball of the 3 players. – I list the weekly winners and then compare to other groups who enter the challenge at different times.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
I have created Bi-weekly reports that are sent to the men’s and women’s lounges and to the club newsletter that include my Top 10 student’s improvements in accuracy, club head speed, distance, handicap and score and rounds played. The reports have each student’s photos and improvement percentage in each category.

I have created weekly clinics that involve teaming up players (mixers) and have team skills competitions in match play style. Team A vs Team B in a 5 skill challenge. All challenges are short game and proximity from 150 yards and in each week. Each report is sent to the newsletter and to each of the men’s and women’s lounges for all to see.

I have a Student success spotlight in each newsletter making note of the student with the greatest attitude, the most frequent practices, the most rounds of golf played, the best putting performance in a round, the most up and downs in a round and in practice. I keep all categories of ranking the best student to highlight to be a skill that all players could win.

Recognition keeps everyone engaged and happy.