When we talk about Finca Cortesín some concepts come to mind like 5*Hotel, competition golf course in excellent condition, spa, great service, luxury, peace and quiet, etc…. Today we want to introduce you to one of the jewels of the resort, its Golf Academy, Jack Nicklaus Academy. We chat to its instructor, Rubén Holgado and its Manager, Ricardo Jiménez who answer the questions for Golf Circus together.
What does a beginner have to know about golf?
Golf is one the most demanding sports from a technical point of view. However, this does not mean that you cannot learn to play in a short time. Nevertheless, reaching a professional level is a different matter; it is a question of time and dedication. One of the main problems that we find in our learners is that they do not understand the concept of swing (balancing your club, arms and hands with the ball) and they try to hit the ball as hard as they can in a very stiff manner.
Good players can hit the ball long distances and at the same time they can be very precise in soft strokes changing strength and speed of movement.
A beginner needs to understand that the head of the club meets the ball at some point and provides the strength that makes the ball move in the air. The key to start playing golf is developing the ability of the player to control the face of the club in the moment of hitting the ball, technique will come later.
How do you teach a beginner?
When a beginner player comes to our Academy, we start explaining the difference between the 14 clubs in the bag, when and how they are used and their different components. Next, we show them the golf course with its obstacles, tees, bunkers, etc.. as well as etiquette rules.
Technically, we start with the Putt. As this is the shortest movement, it is easier to achieve good contact with the face of the club. We start by introducing the concept of hitting the ball with the face of the club and teaching about the direction and speed of the club on the ball. We also carry out competitions where the learner starts understanding the pressure you are under when competing. Next lessons focus on a progression when we work on the chip, a rolling stroke where the learner practices the importance of hitting the ball in a rising angle; the pitch, a stroke where the ball moves in the air, it rolls less and the learner starts balancing the club; the half swing where the learner sees the ball in the air and we finish with the long swing; this is achieved when the learner shows enough skill controlling the club and the impact line. This is the step when the concepts of body and rhythm rotation are introduced.
What is the most important part of your teaching?
We can say that for us learning must be enjoyable and fun. Thus, we use drills that improve learners’ feelings, training aids that help learners’ movement skills, competitions and training on the golf courses so that they get to know what it feels like facing “the monster”.
How long does a beginner need to become a golf player?
Depending on the learner, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration: eye-hand coordination, body-club coordination, physical limitations, previous sport experience and dedication and suffering skills, amongst others. Learners need to accept that there is a learning process in any skill and this process also applies to golf. There are 14 different golf clubs, and many strokes to be learnt. However, if the learner has started to develop the coordination skill, in about 10 hours he/she should be able to see the ball move in the air in a consistent way. We advise players to take private individual tuition as this is when learners can see a big improvement.
Once a player can hit a ball, what is the next step?
The next step is teaching the player to play on the golf course. Golf is a sport that consists of playing on the golf course with the least possible strokes and to achieve this you need a good strategy, good club choice, distance control, assessing the green and wind speed, a mental image of the game, etc. We focus on lessons on the golf course because they are the lessons learners enjoy the most and where they can see the biggest improvement.
What teaching program do you offer?
Our teaching program is based on 1 hour private lessons or 3, 5, 10, 20 hour lesson packages. We also offer lessons on the golf course and custom-made packages for our learners where we combine Private Lessons with Lessons on the Golf Course. Besides, we also have Club Fittings (finding the most suitable club for each learner) with TaylorMade, a leading golf sales company as we are their Official Fitting Centre.