Students Say

Ann Jo and I wanted to thank you for arranging the Jekyll Island Bird Golf School for us last week. It was a phenomenal experience and one we hope to repeat again and again. Our group certainly presented a challenge to Roger Kreuter and Steve Godley and they met that challenge with grace and professionalism. Rachel had only held a club once before she arrived on Monday morning; by the time she left she was proud of her 100+ yard drives straight down the fairway. Ann Jo had been working on her swing for a year with limited success until Steve suggested ‘Tuck in your elbow!’; from then on she was making consistent contact and created a skill base she can work on at home. Greg (whom we nicknamed Tiger), has played for 12 years but had consistency problems; Roger helped him to turn rather than slide his hips and the trajectory of his drives improved dramatically. I needed the most work – Roger changed my grip and my stance and I can already see improvement while practicing on Saturday and Sunday. After having me practice swinging with my eyes closed and then with my bifocals in my pocket Roger shared that my glasses prevented me from seeing the ball all the way through my swing – something that I had previously never realized. I could clearly hit better without my glasses; today I am ordering distance glasses and will keep my bifocals in my pocket when I play this summer. The Jekyll Island Club was beautiful and the suites that you arranged were luxurious. Only the eager anticipation of improving our games could motivate us to leave the Club grounds each morning. We are looking forward to a return visit to the Club and the courses. Ann Jo, Rachel, Greg and I are already making plans to attend the Bird Golf Invitational in November. We will all be working hard on the range and playing on the course so we can improve our games for that event. Since our younger daughter lives a few hours outside of Phoenix we will be able to combine the Invitational with a trip to visit her and her family. We loved the complete Bird Golf experience and we are looking forward to continuing our instruction and improving our game. Have a great summer – we will see you in the fall! Paul Jackson Gloucester, MA Golf School: Georgia

Paul Jackson

Dear Jay, Just a brief note to express our positive experience we had with Mary Mills at our Boca-based golf school lat month. Mary was a delight, humorous, patient, very helpful and obviously experienced. Both Barbara and I immensely enjoyed the whole time, and it was a nice getaway for us as well. We will be raving about Mary and the Bird Golf Academy to our friends, some of whom we think may also contact Bird in the future. Per Mary’s advice, we’ve been at the range more than on the course, and we are trying to groove our swings. As warned, it is not easy but we will be persistent. On the course, I finally broke 100 without a mulligan a week ago, and Barbara now has increased confidence with her new set of clubs, is “smashing” many shots with her new 5 and 6 rescue clubs and is putting much better. My short game is much improved, and I no longer tremble when I have to hit a wedge out of the sand or over a water obstacle. Alan and Barbara Hartstein Miami, Florida Golf School: Florida

Alan and Barbara Hartstein

I have just returned from my Palm Springs vacation and wanted to share with you my experience with Coach Craig Waryan and our three day golf instruction at Indian Wells. First, I wanted to comment on the wonderful facilities and accommodations that were set up at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort. The location and proximity to the golf course and instruction area were convenient and the resort itself was both inviting and comfortable during my stay. Indian Wells is truly a world class facility and ranks very high on my all-time favorite golf destinations. Secondly and most importantly, I wanted to comment on the fantastic instruction and valuable experience I had with Coach Craig. From the very start, I was nervous that a “semi-experienced golfer” like myself would be overwhelmed with a lot of information about what I have been doing wrong and was worried that an overhaul of my swing would be in order, effectively undoing all my habits from 9 years of play and causing me to feel as though I am starting from scratch. Coach Craig ensured that wasn’t his objective and basically spent time learning my swing, understanding my tendencies and then using that information to tweak and modify so as to correct and not just change for the sake of change. For an individual like myself who has never had professional instruction, Coach Craig’s teaching approach was welcoming and helped me to not only listen, but retain his instruction. There were elements to the lessons that were both simplified and technical in nature, and both methods worked in concert near flawlessly. Credit to Coach Craig for knowing which method to use at which time. It was an absolute pleasure spending my time learning the game from such an accomplished instructor. The definitive and most concrete evidence I can give of my positive experience was how enjoyable golf was during my time with Coach Craig and also every round I played after the 3 day program was over. I am now back in Calgary and absolutely disappointed that I’m unable to play until the springtime. I have already seen noticeable improvements in my game and I’m confident I will be achieve my personal golf goals in the coming season. Hitting the ball straighter, longer and with the desired ball flight is addicting – I just want to keep playing more. I feel I’m equipped with a lot more valuable knowledge on both the physical and mental aspects of the game and the retention of said information is entirely due to the excellent and commendable instruction of Coach Craig. If this was the level and quality provided from all teaching golf professionals, I would certainly recommend professional instruction to anyone. However, though I cannot comment on other golf schools or instructors, I do now know what Bird Golf can offer and the quality of instruction from Craig Waryan. And without a doubt, I will recommend your school and especially Coach Craig to anyone interested in learning and seriously developing their golf game. I cannot wait to get back on the driving range this week, let alone the golf course next season. Thank you so much for making golf even more enjoyable than it already was. Take care, Dennis de Jesus Calgary, AB Canada Golf School: California

Dennis de Jesus