Feb
8
2012
Spring Break Camps Announced
Jan
19
2012
To all parents with little golfers…
Make golf more fun!
Most of us have been around golf long enough to have heard “bend your knees”, “keep your head down”, “keep your eye on the ball”… I have even heard “don’t forget to breathe”. These tips won’t help fast track your child’s passion or learning for the game of golf, so skip them. Instead, do your best to create a fun non intimidating environment for them to play the game and sure enough they will improve fast just by DOING. Here are a few ideas to help create a fun non intimidating environment:
- Play a course that is the right length! You are only doing your child a dis- service by playing a full length golf course. The object of the game is to put the ball in the hole, if the hole is physically far away and might take them 15 shots to get it in, they will feel intimidated and not have much fun. Start them close to the hole. They will want to put the ball in the hole right away and the sense of achievement will make them enjoy the game!
- If they can hit their driver 40 yards don’t start them from longer than 80 yards from the hole. LET THEM TEE IT UP EVERYWHERE. The rules of golf are for competition play, alter them as much as possible to let your child have more fun. Let them take two whiffs and then allow them to throw the ball. Let them keep advancing along the golf hole so they get to their goal FASTER.
Golf should be fun for adults too!
How do we make golf more fun for adults too? This is a great question which needs to be addressed by the golf industry as a whole. With so many rules and so much etiquette the game can appear as NOT FUN to youngsters in the beginning. Make it fun for them, create new games on the fly. For this hole we are only going to use 1 club or the least amount of putts on this hole wins… GET CREATIVE, HAVE FUN and they will love the game just like you!
- James Presnail is a PGA of Canada Teaching Professional with the Golf Institute at Fraserview. He is also the Head Golf Professional at Gleneagles Golf Course in West Vancouver. You can contact James at 604-921-7353 (golf shop), 604-318-0306 (cell) or golf@westvancouver.ca.
Jan
5
2012
Here’s to great golfing in 2012!
The team at The Golf Institute at Fraserview would like to wish you a very Happy New Year and a great 2012 golf season! Come visit us in the golf shop to check out some great merchandise specials, lesson promotions and our Winter Golf Card.
Our golf shop is open from 8am to 7pm daily with the driving range opening at 11am Monday, Wednesday and Friday and at 8am Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Our staff is here to answer any questions that you may have and to help you get your game ready for the 2012 season.
Our Winter Lesson Promotion gives you two great options to keep your game in shape! Take either three 30 minute lessons or a 90 minute playing lesson for ONLY $99. Call 604-257-6923 to book today!
Aug
9
2011
Lessons also available at Gleneagles
We have expanded and golf lessons are now also available at Gleneagles Golf Course in West Vancouver from PGA of Canada Golf Professional James Presnail. James has taken on the role of Head Golf Professional at Gleneagles and will be offering his teaching and coaching expertise as well as his management skills to the facility.
To book a golf lesson with James you can contact him at 604-318-0306.
View James’ bio and lesson rates here.
Dec
18
2010
Choosing your target
Pick specific targets
Hint: the fairway is not a good target, the green is not a good target, they are too general and don’t give your athleticism enough visual information to help it propel an object accurately towards it. When I learnt how to throw a baseball, my coach always said “stare at the glove you are throwing to!” that is the best sport advice I have ever received, and it relates perfectly to golf. If your throwing a ball from outfield to infield and don’t have a specific target the ball could end up anywhere. This originates from before you even decide to throw it. When you pick someones glove as a target, your whole motion is designed away and towards that glove. If you don’t have a specific target in golf like “hit the fairway’ The motion your body creates away from the target can be so disconnected, and a direct reason you might not be hitting the ball where you are aiming. Think carefully before choosing your target!
As if the golf hole doesn’t seem small enough already! Anyhow, pick super small targets when practicing! It will make the hole seem bigger. In the case of this movie, I was playing pool with golf balls and a golf club, getting the angle right takes a precise target intention. If your target is more specific, you will definitely see better results. When playing golf, don’t try and hit the fairway, try and hit the 150 yard stake post. And when you’re near the green, try and sink every shot! Why not? That is the game isn’t it? Come by Fraserview golf course for some lessons this winter or spring. We would love to help you explore fun ways to drop your handicap! See you in Vancouver @ Fraserview golf course!
James Presnail Director of Instruction @tgifraserview
Dec
5
2010
Funny I wiffed a ball!
Totally missed the ball
When I made this video hitting shots off a wall and then nailing them out of the air, I totally missed the ball a few times! So I included them in the video as I thought they were funny. Believe it or not, the toughest thing to do in this video is to hit the wooden board… Countless times in the beginning I didn’t even come close! So the lesson I learnt was being really aware of the club path and clubface through impact. Give it a try sometime see if you have the precision!
Come Visit us at TGIfraserview for golf lessons/instruction in Vancouver
-James Presnail @ The Golf Institute @ Fraserview located at : Fraserview Golf Course
Keep It Fun and you will Discover Your Golf Game
Nov
21
2010
Target Connection Lesson
All of us are born with a knack for amazing aim towards a target… “Well why don’t I always hit my target then?” – People may ask. My answer – “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it with amazing accuracy.” A great example of this is those darn waterhazards on golf courses. We see it and say to ourselves, “don’t hit it into the water hazard;” inevitably we end up hitting it right into the middle of the water! Why is that? There is a big difference between trying to hit to a target, and connecting with a target. The water hazard is big and familiar, so when our head is down looking at theball before we swing, we still feel where the water hazard is. We feel a connection with it. It is that connection that draws us to hit it there. Do you feel a strong connection with your target (a small hole with a stick in it)? Or do you simply ‘align’ yourself to the best of your ability towards the flag, then hit the ball and hope it goes that direction? Bottom line is, if we can connect to the flag/holes’ proximity as deeply as we do to water hazards; we will hit our intended target more often. Knowing where your targets proximity is not like navigating a city by following; north, east, south, and west directions, it’s a deeper knowing… It’s similar to when people say “I know this city like the back of my hand.”
Oct
31
2010
Happy Halloween!
Scary Lucky
The only scary thing in this video is from my camera’s point of view. I may, or may not have 
hit it a few times… I told Mewail that the ‘hitting the flag’ shot was harder to do than his hole-in-one… he laughed and chuckled… I guess the only way to prove it would be for me to make a hole-in-one as well? Enjoy the video!
Oct
25
2010
Have an Intention
Intentional Hole-In-One
Moe Kidane and James Presnail of The Golf Institute @ Fraserview, set out on a mission at 8am October 21 2010. The mission was for Moe to make a Hole-In-One on the 16th at Fraserview. It took 15 Minutes and half a bucket of balls before an unforgettable omen would occur. Put your undivided attention to ANYTHING, and ANYTHING becomes possible. Check out www.tgifraserview.com for more information on our lesson programs, we would love to help YOU put your undivided attention onto YOUR golf game.
Lessons learned: Get the ball rolling towards the hole and your chances of it going in dramatically increase. Also, have a clear intention! Moe’s was to simply put the ball in the hole!
Aug
3
2010
Miracles Can Happen.
Trick Shots
Pick a target and commit to it! Sometimes miracles in golf can happen, and the ball goes in! James Presnail @ the golfinstitute has a few miracles in this short golf clip.
