School of Golf: Hilton Head Island will document four months in the lives of students at Haney’s International Junior Golf Academy (800-791-8229, IJGA.com) on Hilton Head Island. Scheduled to air beginning September 2, School of Golf will give viewers a glimpse of the ups and downs faced by teenagers from around the world who have chosen to live at the academy to pursue their dreams. It will also showcase the dramatic improvements in the technical and mental aspects of the students’ games by Haney and his team.   

Haney joined the International Junior Golf Academy in 2007, and his name was added to the organization’s brand in early 2008. The IJGA is the only golf academy in the world that combines training, academics and competition, with 142 full-time students from 23 countries currently enrolled. More than ninety percent of its college-bound students receive scholarships, and many are now finding success on the men’s and women’s professional tours.

Of course, the setting isn’t bad, either. For more than 50 years, Hilton Head Island has been lauded worldwide for its outstanding golf courses, pristine beaches and breathtaking natural beauty—a resort destination of remarkable scope and sophistication. The prominence of the International Junior Golf Academy has helped call attention to yet another of Hilton Head Island’s most alluring attributes—an abundance of world-class golf instructional facilities that cater to all ages and ability levels.

PALMETTO DUNES GOLF ACADEMY
@ Palmetto Dunes Resort; 843-785-1138, PalmettoDunes.com
A world-class family vacation destination with three outstanding golf courses, Pamletto Dunes operates one of the most comprehensive golf academies in the country. The Palmetto Dunes Golf Academy offers nine distinct programs for golfers ages 12 to adult. 11 teaching pros, including former PGA Tour professionals, provide hands-on instruction to players with varying levels of proficiency. 

Private lessons are available from an assistant professional, head professionals and the director of instruction. Daily golf clinics, emphasizing individualized attention, are held at the resort’s Robert Trent Jones Course. There are also one- to three-day schools as well as specialized programs for families, juniors and women. Participants may also take advantage of “The Custom Fitting Experience,” a free swing evaluation and club fitting.

Worth a Closer Look >> Palmetto Dunes’ Family Golf School programs feature two hours of instruction a day over a three-day period with video analysis, sessions on rules and etiquette and plenty of resource materials. Lunch is provided each day as well as free range privileges and nine holes of play on a space-available basis. 

THE GOLF ACADEMY OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND
@ The Sea Pines Resort; 843-785-4540, GolfAcademy.net
As the primary instruction facility for the IJGA, The Sea Pines Resort is well equipped to offer extensive training as well as programs dealing with the psychology of golf, physical fitness and tournament. With 54 holes of world-renowned golf—including the Harbour Town Golf Links—Sea Pines also offers one of the country’s top instructional programs to help resort guests maximize their golf experience. 

The Golf Academy of Hilton Head Island provides any level of golfer with an effective means of improving their game. Its three- and four-day schools employ state-of-the-art technology to address each student’s specific goals and objectives. The result is a simple plan that will improve the student’s swing as well as their mental approach to the game.

Worth a Closer Look >> The Golf Academy’s Three-Day School, its most popular program, includes four hours of instruction daily with a 3:1 student/teacher ratio, computerized video analysis of both full swing and short game, a personalized take-home DVD, lunch daily, a gift package and, with the golf add-on option, the chance to play one round on the Harbour Town Golf Links, site of the PGA TOUR’s Verizon Heritage.   

Worth a Closer Look >> Island Golf School offers a new Short Game School, conducted daily, that includes two hours of instruction covering chipping, pitching, putting and bunker play. The Half-Day School includes instruction with video analysis and a take-home CD, while the Full-Day School adds lunch and 18 holes of golf, nine of which are played with a teaching professional.

TOUR ACADEMY HILTON HEAD
@ Palmetto Hall  843-342-9205, PalmettoHallGolf.com
One of only six facilities of its kind in the country, the TOUR Academy Hilton Head offers a state-of-the-art game improvement facility and one of the area’s most diverse portfolio of teaching programs. The Academy is headquartered within the gated community of Palmetto Hall, which offers a pair of outstanding 18-hole courses (Arthur Hills and Robert Cupp designs) that are owned and operated by Heritage Golf Group.

Instructional opportunities range from one-hour private lessons to its award-winning two-, three- and five-day golf schools. Through comparative video analysis, TOUR Academy instructors compare and contrast a student’s swing mechanics on a split screen with the world’s best golfers to more clearly define specific areas of improvement. Videoed sessions are recorded with instructional voice-overs to act as an ongoing source for guidance and inspiration long after students have returned home.

In addition to its daily and multi-day programs, the TOUR Academy has introduced two new junior-oriented programs. A Half-Day Junior Camp is designed for newcomers who may not be ready for a full day camp, and a Five-Day Advanced Junior Golf School utilizes the Academy’s full range of technology and training in a comprehensive week-long program.

Worth a Closer Look >> The TOUR Academy’s Link-Up-2-Golf Program, designed by industry experts to remove traditional barriers and insure a positive experience, provides an easy and affordable way for new and infrequent players to connect to the game. This fun and innovative lesson program teaches the necessary fundamentals in a supportive and relaxed learning environment.

GRAYGOLF  843-298-0907, GrayGolfSchools.com
Jim Gray’s revolutionary approach to the golf swing has resulted in remarkable transformations for both novices and accomplished players. The late Mark Brown, founder of LINKS Magazine, called GRAYGOLF “brilliant, innovative and effective. From beginners to tournament players, GRAYGOLF produces dramatic results.”

GRAYGOLF is based on the premise that the goals of the swing—and the laws of movement which affect the achievement of those goals—must be understood by the brain before the body can be trained to perform them. Thus, GRAYGOLF trains muscle movement sequences utilizing a controlled studio environment and a methodology called “Movement Association Proficiency” to develop each students “indelible swing memory” from the ground up: body movement first, then arms, hands and the club. After the initial training process, Gray prescribes a transition practice routine at the local practice facility. The final process is the transition from the practice center to the golf course also utilizing a strictly prescribed method.

The remarkable growth of GRAYGOLF has prompted the opening of a new 1,600-square-foot teaching facility in Bluffton, located just across the bridge from Hilton Head Island. Gray’s instructional offerings range from a 90-minute overview of GRAYGOLF and Movement Association Proficiency to an extensive 30-day full training program. All of the GRAYGOLF programs include videotaping and computer analysis, an illustrated practice guide, and DVD of the movement training drills utilized in the methodology.

Worth a Closer Look >> Lowcountry residents can immerse themselves in the full-blown 30-day program, but visitors can get a feel for GRAYGOLF with the half- or full-day “Experiences” including full studio training, practice center transition and practice, and nine holes of “on-course transition.”

For more information on the TPI Training Program on Hilton Head Island, call 843-785-3024

To learn more about the Titleist Performance Institute, visit MyTPI.com