Ressa, Tim - Operation 36 Women's Academy

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Property: Harbour Pointe Golf Club

Location: Mukilteo, WA

Program Contact: Tim Ressa

Contact Phone/Email: 206-475-8305 / tim@timressagolf.com

Name of PD Program: Operation 36 Women's Academy

Type of PD Program: Adult Beginner

Details of Program

This program was geared towards women who had never played before, or women that had left the game to due to family or work conflicts, utilizing the Operation36 format. I developed a program to teach basic skills of the game with the aim to get the players out on the course as soon as possible.

  • Every two weeks they played a social match for 9 holes on the course
  • We started at 25 yards away from the green to make it less intimidating
  • Participants progressed to a farther yardage every month as new skills were developed during the lessons
  • Throughout the year, we held 4 lessons a month and the opportunity to play twice a month
  • I also provided them with a discount range pass to practice
  • We also provided a club fitting and offered them a discount on sets of club purchased through the golf shop.

Tracking Results: Results with the academy are tracked in a couple different ways. Students can track their progress with a Phone app or iPad. They have their own log-in and can post items such as practice or play outside of class. Instructors have an online portal to appropriate objectives and track students' progress throughout the program. I tracked the womens' scores for every round from the different yardages, seeing an average improvement of 7 shots from the distance they were playing at throughout the year. In addition:

  • All 22 of them saw an improvement of at least 7 shots from the yardages they are playing the course
  • 12 of them established handicaps

I used a Yamaha Grant to subsidize my annual subscription to Operation 36(2,400/year), as well as help pay for range balls and rental clubs.

Results of Program

In the spring I started with four women and continuing the program throughout the year I was able to end up with 22 ladies for the fall session of the program. Of the 22 women that ended up participating in the program:

  • 13 of them purchased golf sets through the golf shop
  • All 22 of them hit at least 12 buckets of balls on their own time throughout the year
  • Each one of them is registered for the spring term for 2020

The participants in the program alone generated over 5,000 additional revenue for the golf shop. For my business, it helped my coaching business grow by 20% compared to my first year at the facility.

Recommendations

I use the Operation 36 Program for year round Junior and Women’s development programs. It is an excellent resource to help coaches manage programs and keep students engaged and striving to get better. It is one of the best programs I have seen for golf development.