First Group Lesson at Lake Bluff

Friday, April 17 at noon we kicked off our first group session at Lake Bluff—and honestly, it couldn’t have gone much better. Small group, great energy, and one of them was picking up a golf club for the very first time.

What I liked most about the session is that we didn’t treat it like a “beginner-only” lesson. We worked on the same stuff I go through with pretty much every student—things that good players and even tour pros constantly revisit to keep their swings in check.

We started with grip and stance—nothing flashy, just getting the setup right. That alone solves a lot of problems before they even show up. From there, we talked about body rotation and wrist hinge, just introducing the idea that the swing isn’t all arms. You don’t need to overthink it—just getting a feel for how things move together.

One of the best parts of the session was slowing everything way down. We worked on a one-piece takeaway, but only for about two feet—and no ball. Just a slow, controlled move to get the feel right. It might seem small, but this is exactly the kind of thing better players spend time on all the time. Once that felt comfortable, we stretched it out to a half-backswing, adding in the right hand position and a little wrist hinge.

Then we shifted gears and talked about the transition—how the downswing actually starts. We focused on the lower body leading, a simple weight shift, and just getting a feel for how everything starts moving back toward the target. To help with that, we used a feet-together drill, which is great for balance and timing. It forces you to stay smooth and not overdo anything.

Before hitting anything, we tied it all together by just making swings and clipping tees on the mat. No ball, no pressure—just working on clean contact and sequencing. By the time we grabbed clubs and balls, it already felt pretty natural.

With about five minutes left, we teed up some irons and let it go. Right away, our players were hitting really solid, straight iron shots. And the highlight—our first-time golfer was hitting 80-yard 9-irons with a high draw. Not bad for day one!

All in all, just a really productive session. No overcomplication, no rushing—just good fundamentals, a few simple drills, and letting things build naturally. It’s always nice when you can walk away from a first session and feel like everything made sense and actually translated once a ball was in front of you. Im really proud of our students!

I cannot wait for the next class,

Ken