PGA Tour Academy DVDs - REVIEW

[Matt Saternus]

PGA Tour Academy Review

 

 

Most instructional DVDs rely on big name instructors or big promises to sell copies. The PGA Tour Academy Home Edition doesn't have big name instructors or bloated promises. What is does offer is a very thorough, comprehensive approach to learning the game of golf, or taking your game to a higher level.

 

 

Cost & What's Included

 

Before I get long winded about the instruction, let's deal with the biggest hurdle: the $180 price tag. WAIT! Don't close the review just yet. While $180 is a lot, they do pack the box full of goodies. The set includes:

 

10 DVDs

 

Collapsible alignment sticks

 

Impact bag

 

Practice Guide

 

Instruction Manual

 

So let's break this down. A decent impact bag will cost at least $20 and alignment sticks from Home Depot are $2 each. These are collapsible, they're a pretty blue, and they have the Tour logo on them, so let's say the training aids are worth a total of $30. Even if you ignore the printed materials (which would be a mistake, more on this later), that brings that cost of the DVDs down to $15 a piece, very reasonable.

 

I know that doesn't make the total price any easier to slip past your significant other, but hopefully it's enough to keep you reading this review.

 

 

How to Use It

 

“Just put in the DVD on driving and hit ‘Play,' right?”

 

Not if you want to get the full benefit from this series.

 

The Tour Academy kit comes with an 8-week calendar that lays out what to do each day. The expectation is that you'll be taking a lesson two days each week (at home) and going to a practice facility three days a week.

 

The lessons are roughly 20-30 minutes each and are taught by one of two PGA Instructors who both look like prototypical golf instructors. They're also joined (not frequently enough, in this writer's opinion) by a female golf pro who, just maybe, was picked because of her long blonde hair, perfect teeth, and…I'm going to stop there (note to the easily offended: I am in no way suggesting Ms. Lecuyer doesn't know her stuff. And, for what it's worth, I expect she could give me 5 a side and still empty my pockets.) The practice routines come in two flavors: “Blue Track” and “White Track.” The White Track is designed for beginners or high handicap players, and the Blue Track is for players who are “chasing scratch.”

 

While I think that five days a week is probably a little ambitious for the average golfer, I also think it's necessary for someone looking to see real change. You can also view it as something to shoot for: if you get 5 days in, awesome, if not, 3 or 4 is still pretty good.

 

 

My Thoughts

 

I like PGA Tour Academy a lot. There's a TON of material and a lot of it is really good. Obviously, there are going to be some things that don't mesh with _____ (fill in your favorite golf instruction philosophy), but I think everyone will be able to find a few things in here that they can use.

 

Do I have reservations about the average golfer using this? Sure. I think most people will skip to the Driving DVD and skip all the short game and putting stuff. But the people behind PGA Tour Academy can't be held responsible for that. They put together a really comprehensive, step by step user's guide for how to get better with this program.

 

The one element that I wish was better-emphasized is the Foundation Moves segment that's found on every lesson DVD. This segment breaks down some of the ways in which your body needs to move in the swing, offers a couple little exercises, and clears up a little swing jargon. I think it could be really helpful to the average golfer.

 

 

Conclusion

 

For those who take lessons or aren't really interested in wholesale change, I'm not sure this is $180 well spent, BUT for the “I'll fix it myself” crew, I think PGA Tour Academy is a great investment. Cut out the subscription to all the stupid golf magazines that give you twenty different contradictory tips a month and focus on some solid fundamentals and an organized practice plan.

 

Check it out: HERE

[SPY ZINGER]

Matt--have you ever watched Butches DVD or Phil's? Two of my favorites. Nice feedback on these.

[Matt Saternus]

Matt--have you ever watched Butches DVD or Phil's? Two of my favorites. Nice feedback on these.

 

Yeah, I did a review on Butch's DVDs a while back. Never seen Phil's DVDs, but I have seen the book. Those two are very different from PGA Tour Academy. Academy is more comprehensive, the others are more tips and tweaks, with Phil's book/DVD obviously being short game focused.