A word from Principal, Eric McGraw, Keswick's Head PGA Professional.

Golf instruction should be customized. Heaven help the poor duffer who gets the same lesson as another duffer with totally different problems. We don't teach a method…we just fix them.

Our niche should be getting the novice golfer comfortable and on the golf course as soon as possible.

A Basic List of Golf Essentials:

1. A set of golf clubs that are easy to hit with no major yardage gaps
2. A good pair of golf shoes that provide stability and ankle support. A stylish pair is a bonus.
3. Picking the correct golf ball for your game.
4. "Get a grip" with your grip.
5. Learning to "pure swing" the golf club. Later on you can add a little snap.
6. Learn how to hit the little white ball before you hit the big green ball.
7. If you can't chip then you're not hip.
8. Learn to pitch over the ditch.
9. You'll never arrive if you cannot drive.
10. Don't hit a clunker out of the bunker.
11. Get rid of the clutter by just swinging the putter.
12. The rules are cool - hazards (bunkers, water hazard and lateral water hazard), out of bounds, tee markers, flagstick and unplayable lie…that should get you started.
13. Where do I stand? How do I tend the Flagstick? Who hits first? Marking the ball.
14. Playing the 19th Hole like a true champ.
15. Let's have fun and learn at the same time. Look at the mountains, feel the grass, smell the flowers and have a beer. Short term memory for the bad shots, long term memory for the good ones.
16. Learn a funny golf joke or two.
17. How to talk like a golfer…"I’m going to play golf"…not…"I'm going golfing"…as an example.

What a Golf School Should and Shouldn't Be
First and foremost, a golf school should be FUN. Maybe the name should change because school and fun seem like an oxymoron. How about "The Golf My Way Experience"? This new name would be more in line with the way we view golf instruction. The "experience" shouldn't be about some instructor trying to sell a "swing method" nor should it be about the instructor trying to dazzle the student with technical mumbo jumbo. If a teacher can't explain the information in an understandable way then you really have to wonder whether the teacher really knows his/her stuff. The "experience" should be about you. Our school views the group as purely social…a collection of individuals sharing the same goal of learning to play this great game. But that's where the similarity ends. Within the group each aspiring golfer needs to be coached as an individual.
 
We don't compare your swing to hall of fame golfers. If I had to view my swing next to Tiger's I would spend the first hour getting violently ill, the second hour looking for a good psychologist, and the third hour selling my golf equipment on eBay. We’re all different and we will all look different swinging the golf club. Our goal is to make the golf ball do what we want it to do. The ball doesn't care what you look like. Let's be like Sinatra and "Do It My Way". Our "experience" is not about beating range balls for eight straight hours. I can't think of anything more un-golf like. There are fourteen clubs in your bag. Using the same club more than twice in a row during a round of golf doesn't happen very often. Let’s make our school about playing golf and not about practicing a swing.
 
Finally, our "experience" is getting you comfortable and confident enough to get onto the golf course as soon as possible. All driving ranges are not ugly but they all pale in comparison to the beauty awaiting you when you step on the first tee. Let's find an individual golf swing that works for you, learn the basic rules and etiquette that all golfers need, hit some solid shots, drain a couple of putts, laugh a lot, share some great golf stories and have a beer after the round. I think that was the intent all along.