GolfTEC’s Proven Path And Proven Results
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2015-12-29
by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf - Coquitlam native Bob McDonald has a plan to be ready for the beginning of his spring golf league at Burnaby Mountain Golf Course.
He’s signed up for a 10-lesson golf improvement plan at GolfTEC’s Vancouver location and working with his head teaching professional Norman Baufeld, McDonald has set up reasonable and achievable goals.
“I’m slicing the ball too much and I’m losing too much distance,” said the young-at-heart golfer who’s turning 80 very soon.
“I play about 20 to 25 rounds a year and I’m part of the senior’s men’s club at Burnaby Mountain and I want to continue to get better.”
Enter Baufeld and his GolfTEC team, who use a five-factor proven path to helping golfers of all abilities reach their goals.
Image Caption : GolfTEC’s Vancouver Location Head Teaching Professional Norman Baufeld, - Image Credit Bryan Outram
“The biggest factor is our fact-based diagnosis,” said Baufeld. “We use video and motion analysis to see and measure your swing and that’s what we analyze. We get away from the old ways of teachers offering you their opinions and show you the facts behind your swing.”
With that fact-based diagnosis as the foundation of a golfer’s improvement plan, the other four GolfTEC factors are closely related to this. By offering sequential lessons, Baufeld is able to use those facts to help students like McDonald improve.
photo credit: alfie lau
Norm Baufeld (L) Of GolfTEC Works With His Student Bob McDonald Using The State Of The Art Equipment At Their Vancouver Facility
By having advanced retention tools, such as practice notes and personalized tips that McDonald can access online at his convenience, Baufeld is able to give his students lesson takeaways that last long after the lesson ends.
By having players work on video-based practice after their lessons, the students get accurate feedback on their swing mechanics. And lastly, by having precision-matched clubs, players can enhance their games.
“Many of our students have taken lessons at their home course,” said Baufeld. “For whatever reason, it hasn’t worked. So they come here and our only goal is to help them play better golf. We’re offering a specific way to learn and get better.”
McDonald doesn’t argue with that, saying he didn’t find much value in lessons he had received previously. Instead, working with Baufeld, McDonald gets one takeaway from each lesson and he practices with that until his next lesson.
image credit: bryan outram
GolfTEC Is Equipped To Custom Fit Golfers From Virtually All The Popular Name Brand Manufacturers
To help combat his slice, McDonald moves his back foot much further behind in his stance so that he can get his hips going forward better. “It’s a work in progress,” said Baufeld, “but I’m very happy with the progress Bob is making.”
Perhaps what’s most inspiring and surprising about McDonald is that at an age where many people don’t think you can teach an old dog new tricks, he’s a prime example of a wise man embracing technology, even as the calendar shows his 80th birthday just around the corner.
“I love the fact that I can type in some tips and my students can access that information on their computer, smartphone or tablet,” said Baufeld. “We can target specific and precise places for improvement and we’re using technology and fact-based analysis.”
As McDonald’s 30-minute lesson comes to a close, his day in the hitting bay isn’t over, as he embarks on another 45 minutes of practice, applying what Baufeld has told and emailed him.
“Practice allows our students to reinforce their new swing habits,” said Baufeld. “We want our students to take ownership of their lesson plan and that includes a productive practice experience.”
GolfTEC Has A 'Wall Of Fame' Plaque That Commemorates Personal Achievements By Its Students, Such As A Career Best Score Or Tournament Win And The Like - Image Credit Bryan Outram
As for Baufeld and his GolfTEC team at their centrally located Terminal Avenue location, it’s busy in all of the hitting bays, especially with complete lesson packages running anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 depending on how many lessons the player wants.
On-course lessons are also available, as Baufeld’s facility has agreements with Mayfair Lakes in Richmond and Northlands in North Vancouver.
As for the students, well, they run the gamut from club champions to guys just trying to play bogey golf. “We’re offering one-on-one teaching tailored to your game,” said Baufeld.
“I’d say 30 to 40 per cent of our business is referrals and we do want players to graduate from here. Many of our players are 45-60 years old and they shoot between 80 to 95.
Players want to improve and if that means moving from 80 to 76 or 95 to 90, we can put together a program customized to reaching that goal.”
As for McDonald, he’s got several months until spring and he’s putting 100 per cent into getting rid of that bothersome slice.
“I can feel myself getting better,” said McDonald. “From the data, I can see myself hitting a draw every now and then and more of my shots are going straighter.”
Image Caption : GolfTEC’s Vancouver Location Head Teaching Professional Norman Baufeld, - Image Credit Bryan Outram
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