With award winning instructors and personal instruction, there’s no better way to improve your golf game than by making arrangements to attend Brays Island’s Annual Golf School.
And the timing is just right. As the warm weather arrives each Spring, Brays Island’s golf school is the perfect opportunity to dust off those clubs and prepare for a season on the plantation’s beautiful course.
Donald Crawley, a Golf Magazine Top 100 instructor and head instructor at The Boulders in Arizona, and Mike Ingram. Brays Island’s Director of Golf, have partnered for the past 26 years in managing the golf school, helping to bring some of the very best instructors to Brays.
The cornerstone of what makes the learning experience at Brays different from most other golf schools is the relationship built between the Brays Island golfers and instructors, allowing for individualized instruction throughout the three-day school.
“We do a 5-to-1 student to teacher ratio,” Mike said. “I put together each group based on skill level, and then I’m able to provide a more personal touch by letting the guest instructors know what each golfer’s tendencies are, as well as what we are currently working on with the individual.”
This level of intimate instruction provides for an experience unlike that received at other golf schools.
Quality is more important than quantity, according to Mike. “We truly want to educate you here. It’s not about hitting balls all day to quantify your experience. We look at every level of the golf game including putting, short game, sand, uneven lies, on-course instruction, and full swing. In today’s technological world, we are able to record your putting, chipping and full swing and then give great feedback and a personal instructional portfolio.”
During the course, each morning is filled with instruction, and the afternoon is set aside for playing golf.
“You actually get a playing lesson with your instructor and with your team,” said Mike, adding that this feature is not typical of most outside golf schools but has been well received at Brays. “It is one thing to learn it on a practice range, but it is another learning opportunity to actually apply it on the golf course.”
A nice pace and a top-notch practice facility create a great learning experience.
“No one is exhausted, nobody is tired,” Mike said. “Well, maybe the brain is tired because we are trying to apply all of these principles. Keeping our student-teacher ratio low, exposing you to all parts of the golf game, and then being able to apply it to the golf course is second to none.
“And kudos to the Brays Island practice grounds. We have every amenity out there. Adding our wedge range has been a big component to the golf school. We have the hitting area, we have the uneven lie area, we have the putting green, we have the chipping green. It’s all there.”
But more is gained than mere instruction.
“Some are new owners, some are just trying out golf for the first time,” according to Mike. “This is where the real connection is made. If you can increase the teaching program, you increase the activity, and the individual’s love for the sport. Our golf school will have single-digit handicappers as well as beginners, and they’re all enjoying it together. This is a genuine teaching experience that is unlike any other.”