Online classes have become particularly popular in our current environment. Many people now consider taking online classes for things that they usually would have wanted to learn practically and with an in-person instructor: one of these courses is golf. From YouTube videos breaking down the basics of how to swing a club and how to get a hole-in-one to actual paid courses, people are participating in these online golf courses the world over.
But do online golf lessons work? Yes, they can work if the online golf class or lesson has three key features:
- Personal interaction between a student and a coach.
- Feedback mechanism that allows coaches to actively correct student’s errors.
- Options that allow students to customize their experience to meet their needs.
But there are so many different types of online golf courses with a variety of class models, features, and the like. Some courses are paid, and others are completely free. Read on to find out more about online golf lessons and what kind of courses may be best suited for your teaching style and student needs.
Diversity of Coaches and Platforms
The following are some of the most common golf lesson formats you could follow online:
The YouTube Coach
This category of online coaches consists of individuals who make instructional videos that usually break down the basics of golfing and offers some tips and tricks on things a golfer can do to improve their game over time. Videos could range anywhere from short clips to thirty- or forty-minute, in-depth walk-throughs.
Believe it or not, it is possible to initiate an interaction with your YouTube viewers, and this is key as an online golf coach to understand how your content is aiding those who subscribe to your channel. After discovering your videos, an individual can get interactive feedback from you.
One of the easiest ways for them to get in contact with you as a YouTube coach is for them to leave a question or comment either concerning something in the video or on any other related topic in the comments section provided under the video.
It is always encouraged to seek feedback from viewers actively to see how effective your courses are. Most YouTube coaches ask for feedback from their audience both on YouTube and other social media sites; for this reason, it often is helpful to create other social media accounts, such as Instagram, Twitter, etc. and create polls and interactive stories for people to respond to as well. Something simple as this can also help you market your class to attract more students.
If someone is subscribed to your page, you should also indicate how they can reach out to you so that you can work on their feedback and reciprocally offer some feedback to them to help them improve their game. This medium gives coaches a lot of room to get creative with how they interact with viewers and online students.
However, unless you actively work to initiate contact, via live chats, etc., and allow room to hear from the audience and interact with them, the reception will always be skewed. You will not be able to see and assess students as individuals to find out what parts of their game need work. Ryan Chaney and Joe Mayo are both popular YouTube-based coaches that offer a good point of reference for anyone looking to become a YouTube coach.
The Podcast or Blog Coach
This “coach” usually does not teach specific skills but may be discussing aspects of the game that may be interesting to anyone. Most of the time, the public is not able to interact with this kind of coach because they usually have not made the means available for interaction.
If your primary goal is to entertain and inform but not to teach, this is a good way to go. Generally, people will not seek you out to learn golfing skills because it is not ideal. Podcasts can still be useful for someone who wants to teach if they are treated as a supplementary source of material, and alternatives are made available for people to learn specific skills from you.
The One-on-One Coach
This is an ideal category of a coach. This type of coach is actively seeking students who want to learn about golfing in-depth and are willing to dedicate time and money to see this through. With any of the above categories, a coach can further set up a platform and give one on one lessons, using the first two avenues to funnel paying clients and reserve in-depth details for them.
In summary: if you’re interested in offering golf lessons online, becoming a one-on-one coach will best provide students with the personal interaction, feedback, and flexibility they need to improve their game.
Tips for Online Golf Instructors
The following tips are some things you should keep in mind if you plan on offering your own golfing lessons online:
Encourage students to put newly learned skills into practice.
Encourage your students to solidify what they have learned from online classes. After picking up some great skills online, have a plan that allows students to book follow-up, in-person appointments if they are local. Alternatively, if they have the means, set them up to visit an actual golf course or a mini-golf park and play a game to see how those skills they learned play out in a real game.
How much information is enough information?
This will depend on the kind of information a student is looking for; pacing themselves will most often be a matter of personal responsibility. As a coach, you can help by explaining stages of personal player development and breaking down topics a student should be knowledgeable of at each stage.
A coach can be a good source to go to determine the topics or the things a person should learn in a specific skill classification.
What resources are best to use?
The resource that is right for anyone really depends on that individual. Visual learners look for a video learning resource. If someone prefers to read or wants to see diagrams, they will seek out those instead. Try to offer diverse resources to students, including one-on-one coaching, so you can interactively help students improve their game in a way that gets through to them best.
Challenges with Online Golf Lessons
Can golf skills be improved or learned just by watching, hearing, or reading about technique and structure as opposed to going outside and trying it yourself? It depends on the student.
The main goal of an online golf course of any form should be that it allows the student to apply the information they learned in real life. Therefore, students are responsible to receive and internalize their new knowledge so they can put it into practice.
As a coach, the role you play here is to encourage students to put your lessons to practice for themselves and let you know how it went. For example, online, you can ask them to film themselves trying a technique you taught in a video or explained elsewhere and tag you when they post it. Students and coaches alike should get creative and find ways to put their new skills to work while ironing out the kinks.
Conclusion
There are tons of creative ways to teach golf lessons online with varying levels of interaction. For an individual who is seeking to start teaching golf lessons online, it is important to find the right niche you want to reach out to and the kind of resources these individuals find the most useful.
References:
https://golf.com/news/online-lessons-skillest-guide/
https://practical-golf.com/online-golf-instruction/
https://www.ballflightacademy.com/online-golf-coach/
https://www.golfpass.com/survey?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Golf_Instruction_Search&utm_content=golf_instruction_general&gclid=CjwKCAjwte71BRBCEiwAU_V9h1PxZgoBiwPVCHLQyV1mPH0gphTzbfqTZ3uj5G1rBd64Pm2nGUqgqRoCLqwQAvD_BwE