Pictures, not Words:
If a picture is worth 1000 words, what's a moving picture worth?
My snippet in the March issue of GCM about the EGU's Rules Schools resulted in a contact from Golf Scene Ltd, who supply educational DVD's on golf. They sent me a set - and I was impressed.
There is a DVD for the golf beginner, giving an introduction to all the important areas, such as:
- Behaviour on the course
- Coaching
- Competitions
- Equipment
- Rules
- The Clubhouse
- The Pro Shop
Every situation is accompanied by a video clip that illustrates the advice being given: this holds the attention and reinforces the message.
Inevitably, it is a general introduction to golf, so some of the comments and advice may be irrelevant at your club. However, the new golfer will find it very useful. Similarly, the coaching section provides basic advice, but some Pro's may feel they would rather the pure novice had come straight to them!
The DVD is available for Pro's and clubs to buy at £8 a copy, and to sell to beginners for £15. Clubs could also buy a batch (at a discount!) and provide one free to every new member
The second DVD concentrates on the Rules and Etiquette, and is therefore of more general use. It takes the form of a Quiz: each 'Question' consists of a video clip illustrating a common situation during play. The 'Answer' identifies the correct action and explains how the Rule applies. Incidentally, many of the players are Juniors, which is likely to hold the attention of young golfers.
There is also a set of questions where 4 answers are given and the golfer has to choose the correct one. This enables a competition to be run between individuals or teams, which could provide entertainment and instruction for members - just as I was recommending in March. I believe this could provide clubs with a way of getting members more interested in the Rules in an entertaining fashion. Of course, it would require the makers to prepare a vast number of questions, perhaps arranged in order of difficulty - expensive for the company to produce, but possibly economic if enough clubs took it up. Would a 'library' arrangement be possible, where clubs could borrow a Quiz set of DVDs for an evening? What would you pay for 90 minutes of questions that could bring members to the club on a winter's evening? £50? You could take that at the door by charging £10/team for 5 teams!
If you want to see what it looks like, try the 5-question Quiz on the Golf Scene website www.thegolfscene.co.uk . (Check in as a 'Professional').
Stuart Phipps, Golf Club Management May 2007.
