About the Bird Golf Schools
The Bird Golf Academy’s promise and Service Mark is the “Ultimate Golf Learning Experience”®. So what makes Bird Golf Schools the world’s best golf school? Our unique concepts are born from many lifetimes of observation, teaching, and research. Among the professional staff of Bird Golf Academy our knowledge adds up to more than 350 years of teaching experience! Our golf schools primary concept is our one/two student to one teacher ratio. This enables our instructors to devote their entire attention to each individual student, providing the student with personalized instruction. Customized instruction designed for their specific needs is what provides them with the most memorable golf experience. There are many other concepts that we will discuss and that we adhere to due to the vision of the founder of Bird Golf Academy and those concepts are the key to our success.
Personalized Coaching
- One/Two (students) on One (instructor)
- Personality profiling (learning styles)
- Unlimited follow-up
The Finest PGA & LPGA Professionals
Comprehensive Packaging
- First-rate golf courses
- First-class resorts & accommodations
Coaching Methods
- Fundamental teaching methods (never over-teach)
- On no account is a single swing methodology used (every one is different)
- Generation of take home practice plans
- Application of learned skills with playing lessons
- Appropriate use of digital and/or video analysis
Training on the systematic thought process that matches the systematic nature of the game
- “What to think on the golf course and how not to think it”
Superb Customer Service
- Personal touch
The academy is the dream of Jay Ewing, Founder and CEO of the Bird Golf Academy. Jay’s vision was the result of more than 20 years as a golf professional. An accomplished player, having played in the South Pacific, Asia and Australia in the early 1980’s, and more recently the winner of the World Pro-Am at Pebble Beach in 1998, Jay also served on the Colorado Section PGA Board of Directors and founded the Colorado PGA Teachathon. The founder of the Rocky Mountain Junior Tour, Jay’s teaching background working with Juniors has been extensive, as it is with players of all skill levels. The host of ‘Golf Tips with Jay Ewing”, and the author of two books Jay founded this company in 1999 with three partners; Mike Wright, President of Global Village Systems, George Yost, President of SFAP, Denver, and Paul Kabotie, Owner of Native Art Network and Kabotie Software Technologies. This marriage of vision and business acumen has led the Bird Golf Academy to the forefront of Game Improvement.
Personalized Coaching
We do not believe that group instruction works. No two golfers are the same. Each has different body types, movement dynamics, and states of mind. To achieve truly outstanding results, golf instruction must be tailored to each individual’s needs, goals, and objectives. At Bird Golf, we pair one or two students with a professional and they have the instructor’s undivided attention for six to eight hours each day.
Bird Golf Directors talk to each student personally about their golfing history and their goals and objectives that they have for their golf school. Accompanied with a Player Profile that is completed by each student this information is provided to the instructor to develop personalized instruction and practice plans. Determining the best way a person learns (visually, kinetically, verbally etc…) is essential to provide students with the highest level of retention.
We are not just a golf instruction school. We encourage students to take advantage of our coaching services. Each student can develop a long-term relationship with their golf professional if they choose, and after attending the school the first time can schedule a 1 or 2-day follow up session with their swing coach. The 3 to 5 day school provides the student with the foundation and models that they can take home with them to practice on their own and following up with their professional on a regular basis provides them with consistent coaching so constant improvements are made to their games. Students can also make the most of their experience with remote coaching. Through digital photography and teleconferences our professionals can work with students in advancing their swings.
Bird Golf Professionals
Our instructors are what separate us from any other golf schools. Our National Head Professional is Sharon Miller, the LPGA’s National Teacher of the Year in 1989. East Coast Director of Instruction Mary Mills is the 1963 U.S. Open champion, and winner of the 1964 & 1973 LPGA Championships, among her 9 LPGA Tour victories. Jim Samsing, our West Coast Director of Instruction, a PGA Professional for 30 years and the foremost master of Clear Key (systematic thought process). Just to name a few. Each and every instructor has been hand-picked from around the world, and their credentials include not only an extensive teaching background but all have in their own right been great playing professionals. That combined experience allows them not only to diagnose every student’s swing and personality individually but also to relate to the challenges that face us at every competitive level.
Comprehensive Packaging
Not only is it our goal to provide the finest instruction but to also provide the most optimum packaging. We feel that providing students with the best accommodations and golf courses available to us is what will complete the “ultimate golf learning experience®”. In addition, we think it is important to make the experience all-encompassing. Each package includes video and digital analysis, daily on course playing lessons, mental game instruction, course management instruction, unlimited practice and play at the host course, lunch each day and unlimited coaching follow-up after the completion of the school. We offer several three- four- and five-day packages with six to eight hours of instruction each day. With superior service and rooms, Bird Golf Academy students also enjoy their own private practice facilities where they are able to concentrate in seclusion. Included in each package is both unlimited use of the practice facilities and the golf courses.
We offer sites that are amongst the world’s finest, beginning with Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, Arizona, a first-class golf resort and our West Coast flagship golf school. It is the only hotel in North America, and 1 of 24 Sheraton hotels worldwide, to receive the very prestigious Grand designation by Sheraton. In every conceivable way, Wild Horse Pass is the perfect location for your golf school. With 36 holes of Championship golf, luxury accommodations, state of the art Spa facilities, fabulous dining options, Equestrian center and vistas that will amaze you, this is the ultimate golf school location. Fine artwork and culture of the local Pima and Maricopa tribes are elegantly woven into every aspect of this beautiful resort.
We are very proud to announce the addition of our newest Florida property, Turnberry Isle Miami. A tropical oasis, it has a breathtaking canvas of trees, waterfalls and spectacular flora centered around a majestic 100-year-old Banyan tree. Their two 18-hole Championship courses, the Soffer and Miller, were originally designed by legendary golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and redesigned by Raymond Floyd.
Our San Diego site partners are Rams Hill Golf Club and La Casa del Zorro Resort & Spa. Nestled in the California desert, this unique location is an ideal way to escape. Rams Hill Golf Club is a triumph of design by the legendary Tom Fazio and is already being hailed as one of the best golf courses in California. La Casa del Zorro is an elegant boutique hotel with an array of on-site amenities amid 42 spectacular acres.
The Classic Club in Palm Springs is often called the best golf facility in the desert. Host of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 PGA tour Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, this amazing golf course is superlative in all ways. Our hotel partner for your Palm Springs golf schools is at the AAA, four diamond Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa. Both facilities have been the recipient of several awards and accolades and offer the finest in Southern California hospitality.
The Old Corkscrew Golf Club, West Coast has been the recipient of several notable awards in its short, five year history. Notable amongst them are being named the “2008 Florida Golf Course of the Year” by the National Golf Course Owners Association. A Jack Nicklaus signature facility, Old Corkscrew is an extraordinary golf experience. Our hotel partner in Bonita Springs is at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa. Coconut Point is a Conde Nast Top 100 Golf Resort and is in Travel & Leisure’s list of top 50 resorts.
On the East Coast of Florida, we are partnered with The Club at Boca Pointe and the magnificent Waldorf Astoria Boca Resort. The Club at Boca Pointe is a superb private country club that offers Bird Golf Academy students one of South Florida’s finest practice facilities and a Jack Nicklaus championship golf course. The legendary Waldorf Astoria Boca Resort gives our students the ultimate in luxury hotel accommodations. The resort boasts 8 restaurants, the incredible Spa Palazzo, and myriad of ocean activities at the private Boca Beach Club.
Added in 2009, the historic Seaview Golf Resort in Galloway, New Jersey. With two magnificent championship golf courses, The Bay and The Pines, Seaview affords our golf school students to walk in the footsteps of legends. The Bay Course, which is a signature design by the legendary Donald Ross is a classic links-style course that will test golfers of all skill levels. The contrasting design of The Pines Course, which is a Parkland-style course that sits in a forest of towering pines, gives our students a challenging variety to test their skills. Under new management with Dolce Hotels and Resorts and Troon Golf, who oversee the golf facilities, Seaview is the ideal location for our East Coast Golf Schools. Onsite amenities include both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, restaurants and The Red Door Spa by Elizabeth Arden.
Earlier in 2009, came the addition of the magnificent Wachesaw Plantation East in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a Clyde Johnston designed, championship 18 hole facility which has been styled in the time-honored fashion of the great Scottish links courses. Our golf school students enjoy a superb private practice area and chipping and putting green. Wachesaw Plantation East is the recipient of several awards and accolades, and was most recently, the 2007 Myrtle Beach, “Golf Course of the Year”. Our new Daytona Beach, Florida, site at the incredible Club at Pelican Bay is a Championship 36 hole complex just minutes away from Daytona’s renowned beaches. Designed by prolific golf course architect, Bill Amick, the two courses offer an abundance of Florida beauty. Our hotel partner is The Shores Resort & Spa, a sophisticated oceanfront Daytona Beach resort that offers a multitude of activities and amenities.
We also have sites at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock & Sedona Golf Resort Golf Course, Prescott Resort & StoneRidge Golf Course in Prescott Valley, ARIZONA; The Meritage Resort & Spa and Hiddenbrooke Golf Club, home of the LPGA Samsung Tour Championship in Napa, CALIFORNIA; the Grand Lodge & Crested Butte Golf Club in the spectacular Colorado mountain setting in Crested Butte, Hyatt Place & Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver, COLORADO; Mission Inn Resort & Club, Howey-In-The-Hills 45-minutes north of Orlando, FLORIDA; the historic landmark Jekyll Island Club Hotel on Jekyll Island, GEORGIA; Grand View Lodge Golf Resort & Spa, Brainerd, MINNESOTA; Paiute Golf Resort & JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, Las Vegas, NEVADA; and Bear Trace Golf Course & Holiday Inn in Crossville, TENNESSEE. We are planning to expand, developing more sites in the United States and also international sites to better cater to our international client base.
Alisal Guest Ranch in Santa Barbara, CA, is a magnificent site that offers amazing views at virtually every turn. There are two Championship golf courses and a private practice area that feature breathtaking views of the foothills and Santa Ynez Mountains. The Resort offers a complete escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Our partner property in the golfing capital of the United States is Foxfire Golf Resort & Club in Pinehurst, NC. Gene Hamm designed the 36-holes of Championship golf to take full advantage of the amazing natural beauty that is North Carolina. Our hotel partner is the historic Magnolia Inn. The aura, traditions and breathtaking surrounds are the perfect ingredients for your Pinehurst school.
Coaching Methods
Fundamentals
The golf swing is like a domino effect. Once one domino goes down, the rest follow. “The first domino” of the golf swing happens before any motion begins. Grip, stance, posture, and alignment are the keys to any great swing. Recognizing this, we believe that there is no one grip, stance or alignment that works. Rather, the skill in both teaching and implementing these fundamentals is to match; according to body style, coordination, and movement dynamics the perfect fundamentals for each student individually. Each Bird Golf Academy professional will address these most vital aspects of the game with each student.
Drills & Practice Plans
Every student at each one of our golf schools sees immediate improvement with their instructor. The keys to improvement are to keep doing the same things (the changes that the student makes) the same way. All tour players have their own personal swing coach. Each Bird Golf student will have their own personal swing coach. When our students return home, they have unlimited access to their professional so that can maintain the changes and improvements they have made. The Bird Golf Academy believes strongly in drills that will help students be able to continue their progress on their own. Each student (with their instructor) creates their own record, both written and visual. By adhering to and therefore maintaining the changes that our students make with their instructor they are able to create a lifetime model for better golf.
Playing Lessons
We don’t just show our students how to hit the ball better on the driving range…we play with them each day of their school. How often has someone taken a golf lesson only to go to the course and ‘lose’ everything that they just learned? We know that the most important part of changing is trust. It is that trust in something new that we abandon when it matters most; on the course. The only way to ensure that doesn’t happen is by applying what we have learned on the course. Playing lessons allow us to observe ‘how’ a person plays, both in thought and mechanics and then to show them how various intangibles like lie, wind, pin placement, and course condition affect each shot. We teach them how vital course management can be. It is also essential to show students how important it is to play ‘in your personality” and to play “within yourself”.
Systematic Thought Process
Mentally, golf can be more than a little demanding. Consistent performance on the course requires a mental approach that is effective for a casual weekend round or a high-pressure tournament. We teach students how to think like pros. Using the philosophy created by Carey Mumford, author of The Double Connexion and legendary Clear Key, we coach a mental program that allows for thinking clearly on the golf course. In addition to our one-on-one concept, we focus on the mental side of the game. Carey was a featured speaker at PGA seminars and training programs for 15 years, worked with over 200 playing professionals and mentored a great many of today’s foremost sport psychologists. He trained each of our instructors. This singular approach allows us to show our students how to take their game and swing from the driving range to the golf course…where it really matters.
Customer Service and Personal Touch
At Bird Golf prospective students and students are never treated like a number. From the point of initial contact to years following a golf school, Jay Ewing talks to each student personally. It is very important that each Bird Golf Academy attendee has had all of their questions answered about their golf school prior to starting and that we are aware of each student’s expectations, goals, and objectives. This is the key to having satisfied customers.
Our customer service is superb because we make it a point to place the most value on the student we have now rather than put emphasis on the student’s we could have in the future. It is our mission to make sure that each student is satisfied with the results after the school. After each school, our teaching professionals compile information about each student so that we have all the information we need on hand about the student to continue helping them remotely. Jay Ewing calls each student after a school to follow-up and then also calls students regularly to see how their game is going and to offer remote assistance. Jay and our other professionals are always thrilled to hear from students who call to report in their accomplishments or to chat about their progress. The minute that we cannot spend this kind of individual time with each student means that the Bird Golf has grown too big.
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