Denver Magazine / Denver Magazine May 2009 / clinical analysis

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clinical analysis

"Golf's a difficult game, and without help, you're just like a rudderless ship," says Tom Stickney, director of golf instruction at the Club at Cordillera near Vail and at Big Horn Golf Club in Palm Dessert, California.

He's got a point. At least 34 things can go wrong every time you swing a club, as one teaching pro pointed out to us. Perhaps that's why so many golfers (after buying yet more equipment and discovering new clubs alone won't lower your handicap) turn to lessons.

Dave Pelz Scoring Game Schools, Cordillera

Dave Pelz Scoring Game Schools focus on the short game and putting. These regimented programs are most valuable to golfers who already have a handle on the skills required for pitching, putting, chipping, and sand play. The one-day school includes a three-hour wedge session and a three-hour putting session, during which an instructor demonstrates, then works with students as they try to imitate the strokes. The student-to-teacher ratio is six-to-one, and there's limited time to practice the strokes and get personal feedback before you're moving on to the next demonstration. The two- and three-day schools have a four-to-one student-to-teacher ratio, so there's more time for individual instruction.

In Colorado, schools are held at the Cordillera Lodge & Spa, close to the Dave Pelz-designed, 10-hole short course. They are offered June 18 — August 20; cost is $425 (one day), $1,750 (two day), and $2,545 (three day). Lodging is additional. Three one-day clinics will be held June 11, 12, and 13 at Highlands Ranch Golf Club; cost is $395. 800.833.7370, pelzgolf.com.

David Leadbetter Academy, Red Sky Golf Club, Wolcott

The David Leadbetter Academy offers intensive, personalized instruction in clinic settings. "We call it private instruction in a small group," says Scott Holden, director of instruction. The approach reflects the style of David Leadbetter, listed second in the "Top Ten Tour Pros Choices," in a 2007 Golf Digest poll.

The academy has its own practice range with a manicured short-game area, a nearly 5,000-square-foot putting green surrounded by bunkers, and three practice holes.

Clinics are arranged on request. While the maximum number of golfers allowed is four, a minimum of two is required, and private instruction can be arranged. The academy offers one-, two-, and three-day three-hour mini-clinics ($325 — $975), two-day retreats with all-day instruction ($1,500), and full-day privates ($1,950 for one, $2,500 for two persons). Packages with lodging and play on Red Sky's Norman and Fazio courses are available at certain Vail Resorts properties and the Ritz-Carlton Beaver Creek. 970.477.8350, davidleadbetter.com.

Learning and Performance Center at Cordillera Getting an appointment to enter Tom Stickney's high-tech lair might take some time, but it's worth the wait. Inside his Learning and Performance Center, you'll be videoed with a four-camera digital system and have your weight shift scrutinized on a gravity monitor and your swing tracked on a 3D biomech-anical motion analyzer. Several pros have used his Putter Performance Lab, where a computer does a 3D analysis. Stickney uses the results to help you choose a new putter or adjust the one you own and to advise ways to improve your strokes.

Stickney studies the data then gives suggestions for improving your swing without overwhelming you. His explanations are succinct for those of us who don't like techie talk but elaborate for golfers who require minute details. Individual computer and video lessons in addition to testing/fitting/3D analysis/instruction in the Putter Performance Laboratory are $200 an hour. 970.926.5950, tomstickneygolf.com.

McGetrick Golf Academy

One of the best golf academies in the country is here on the Front Range. Mike McGetrick, 1999 National PGA Teacher of the Year and five-time Colorado PGA Teacher of the Year, and his staff believe in working with your individual swing. "We work on the whole game, top-to-bottom, any handicap," says Stan Sayers, director of instruction. McGetrick Golf Academy offers a variety of clinics, from the two-day Fundamental Golf School ($725), the three-day Women's Academies ($725), and three-day Integrated Golf School ($975) to periodic Introduction to the Game clinics (request price) and the One-on-One private lesson ($750 for one, $600 per person for two or three persons). The Academy is based at the Broken Tee Golf Club in Englewood. 303.799.0870, mcgetrickgolf.com.

K-Vest, Omni Interlocken Resort's Golf Academy

The K-Vest experience is unusual. It has wireless sensors that monitor your swing movements. The results are recorded and used to analyze your movements. "Videos look at the golf swing. With the K-Vest, we can actually look at the cause of the problem and quantify that cause, then work to fix the swing. It's the difference between an X-ray and an MRI," says Mike Schlager, director of golf at the Omni Interlocken Resort. Schlager offers private instruction that includes tracing your swing and regular lessons for $115 an hour. He also offers indoor instruction at the Striker Golf facility in Wheat Ridge. 303.464.9000, ext. 8.