Eagle Class

Lesson Plan # 2

Core Lesson: Staying Well For Life

  • Stay Well for Life: Health body, mind, and heart. (22.2-22.6)
  • Healthy Habit/Warm Up: Safety - Physical safety includes playing in a safe environment and by the rules, protecting the body with proper equipment, warm-up and cool-down and wearing sun protection. Group work outs
  • Golf Skill: Putting, Chipping and Full-Swing
  • Rules of Golf: The Game 1-4; 2-4, 5, 6
  • Golf Fundamental: Distance Response
  • Homework: Pages 10-23

“It takes more than just a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.” - Epictetus

In order to be a complete player, you have to be skilled at all parts of your golf game. We all seem to have strengths that come naturally. But there are also weaker parts of our golf games that we have to work on really hard to see results. Most of the time, it’s our weaknesses that cause us the biggest problems when the pressure is turned up. This activity is designed to help students identify their weaknesses and put together a plan for improvement. Players will complete putting, chipping and full swing challenges. Students will judge their performance in 3 different categories: Golf Results (Body), Preparation (Mind), and Attitude (Heart).

Warm-Up: Golf Fitness Warm-Up Activity - have one group demonstrate their warm up activity that they developed last week or do Golf Fitness Warm-up Activity (even numbered workout day – see separate “Golf Circuit Warm-Up” handout located on the private coach website)

Opening Questions:After completing the golf fitness warm-up exercises above, coaches and participants will discuss the following questions:

  1. What does the word WELLNESS mean to you?
  2. What is the importance of a healthy BODY? MIND? HEART?
  3. How can being healthy in these ways help you achieve your goals on and off the golf course?

Set-Up & How to Play:Coaches should choose at least 3 of the following challenges to set up depending on what space and practice facilities they have available to them.

  • Putting: Choose 3-5 holes on the putting green and place 10-12 tees around each hole in a circle 4-5 feet from the cup. Players will use 1 golf ball and must attempt 1 putt from each tee until they complete the circle. Players must keep track of how many putts they make/miss during this challenge. Once they complete the challenge, Players must record all components of their scores on the scorecard they are given (included at end of lesson plan).
  • Chipping: Choose 3-5 holes on the chipping green. Each hole must have a starting point and play towards a cup. Players will use 1 golf ball and must attempt to get “Up and Down” from the hole’s starting point. Players will play every hole at least one time or as many times as the coach designates. Once they complete the challenge, Players must record all components of their scores on the scorecard they are given (included at end of lesson plan). ***Coaches can do this exercise using a Bunker/Sand trap if necessary.***
  • Full Swing Irons: Set up 1 target on the short-game practice area or driving range for participants to hit wedges at. This should be a large circle about 40-70 feet in diameter and 75-125 yards away. Give each participant 10-12 golf balls to hit at the target. Players must hit all their golf balls and keep track of how many shots successfully finish inside the designated target. Once they complete the challenge, Players must record all components of their scores on the scorecard they are given (included at end of lesson plan).
  • Full Swing Woods: Set up 1 target on the driving range for participants to drivers, fairway woods, hybrids or long irons at. The fairway should be marked by 2 lines of cones/noodles 25-40 yards apart. The cones should start at 100 yards and extend for another 100-200 yards, depending on your class skill level and practice facility. Give each participant 10-12 golf balls to hit. Players must hit all their golf balls and keep track of how many shots successfully finish inside the designated target. Once they complete the challenge, Players must record all components of their scores on the scorecard they are given (included at end of lesson plan).

Post Activity Instructions:Once everyone has completed all the stations, bring the group back together to go over the results and work on their practice journals. Players should total up their results at the bottom of the scorecard. Once everyone has completed this, coaches will distribute a practice journal template for each student to complete. Practice journals will guide students as they develop a more complete practice plan. Print several extra practice journals for students so they can continue to use them after class ends.

Bridge to Life: Use the following questions to help participants apply their “on-course” work to their “off-course” activities and experiences.

  1. What did you learn about your golf game in today’s activity?
  2. How will this information help you improve in the future?
  3. How can this activity be altered to help you improve at another activity? (like school or public speaking)
  4. What steps are you going to take to improve your areas of weakness?

Lesson Plan Progression: Activities will follow this sequence.

  • Light stretching and practicing as participants arrive
  • Golf fitness warm-up
  • Discuss the idea of “Staying Well For Life” and ask warm-up questions
  • Pass out scorecards
  • Explain activity and scorecards
  • Participants complete all stations
  • Participants and coaches gather to total scores
  • Pass out practice journals
  • Coaches help participants take their results and turn them into a working practice plan.
  • Once practice plans are complete, participants can play or practice if available.
  • Bridge to Life questions

Coach Notes:The scorecards are designed to show students how RESULTS are quite often directly related to PREPARATION and ATTITUDE. Remind students to be honest as they evaluate themselves on their PREPARATION and ATTITUDE. Help them understand how important it is to spend extra time practicing our weaknesses. If someone only practices their strengths, then their weaknesses can only get weaker. But if someone spends the appropriate amount of time practicing strengths and weakness, they will become a more complete golfer, student, friend and person.

As golfers, we usually forget to practice our PREPARATION and ATTITUDE. Be sure to help students identify ways to practice their PREPARATION and ATTITUDE each and every day.

The golf fundament of the class is distance control. Coaches should be sure to keep their instruction centered on distance control and what can affect it like club selection, ball contact, weather, and course conditions too.

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