Golf lessons anyone?

I want to talk about golf lessons in a bit...but first I will update you on what happened on Men's Night.Of the 29 golfers, Terry Brandon easily had the best evening.  His 37 was low score of the night and included an eagle on both two and seven.  He had 3's on holes 7, 8, and 9.  His 2 on two combined with Jason Neufeld's birdie 3 to win a $35.01 skin.  It's not often that a team is a combined -3 on a hole.

Other skins went to Keith Martin ($20.00 on #1), Tyler Ostash / Blake Hunter ($148.01 on #4), Chris Kimpinski / Troy Chwaluk ($35.01 on #6), Austin Hunter / Blake / Cramer ($20.00 on #7), and Scott Maynes / Robin Kimpinski ($20.00 on #9).

Closest to the pins were Theoren Hunter on #5 and Scott Maynes on #9.  Scott converted his birdie to share the $54.38 deuce pot with Chris Kimpinski, Terry Brandon, and Ron Susinski.

There are only two weeks remaining on the ringer board.  Remember, if you fail to post a score you get triples for those holes.  Brad Benton still leads at -7 with a completed card.  Scott Maynes is second at -6 with three holes remaining.

Now back to golf lessons.  Very few people that I know have ever received golf lessons.  Darcy Kowalchuk actually went to a PGA academy for a few days in Florida this winter.  Beyond that, perhaps there are a couple of guys who had a an hour or two of lessons somewhere.

In North America, the typical golfer spends around $3000 a year golfing.  That might seem like a lot but consider all the costs associated with playing.  There are memberships, green fees, clubs, balls, gloves. cart costs, golf trips, clothing, shoes, and lessons.

One key difference between us and European golfers is how we spend money on golf.  North Americans spend around 80% on equipment and clothing while about 80% of European golf related expenses are lessons and training.  Maybe that's why they do so well in the Ryder Cup.

A typical golf lesson in Manitoba costs $35-50 an hour.  Minnedosa is likely the closest location that offers lessons.  You could also go to Golf Town or Golftec in Winnipeg and get training or pay for simple swing evaluations.

If these options seem too costly, I offer lessons every Wednesday from 2:00 - 6:30 prior to Men's Night.  For $11.95 you will get my analysis on your swing with personalized comments such as "Nice draw Maynes" or "That was a good one Robin" and maybe a "Too much club Blake".  The fee also includes instruction on how mark score when no one else in your group will do it and how to sit quietly when the person with whom you are riding just threw their club 60 yards after a bad second shot on #4.

Probably the biggest benefit of training with me is that I will familiarize you with drills to increase your self confidence.  You will learn to quietly whisper "You are the best putter in Shoal Lake" while standing over a 20 footer.   I will even teach you how to confidently hit your ball to the proper side of the fairway that best gets you a lefty-righty partner.  Most people who take two lessons with me are yelling "Boom goes the dynamite" on drives of their own within 2-3 weeks.

Most golfers have different ideas on what makes their play better.  Some think it is equipment, others play high priced tour balls, and maybe a few get a couple of lessons.  While 67% of golfers don't drink while they are playing, 37% of those who do actually believe it makes them play better.  So for a slightly increased fee of $22.95, I will give you my standard lesson plus a double spiced rum and ginger ale.

Best of luck to the Shoal Lake golfers participating in the Hamiota match play tournament this weekend.