Business & Tech

Behind the Biz: Ramona Golf Lessons

PGA member Craig Frank talks life on the links and how to improve your swing.

Life on the links is a lot easier when you know how to swing and local PGA member Craig Frank can help put your swing at ease and the act of yelling "fore!" a thing of the past.

Frank has been a PGA member since 2003 and has 28 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He said that after giving "hundreds of golf lessons" in his bar, he decided to make what he loved a full-time job.

He currently is certified in motion analysis and has worked for the past four years for a high-tech indoor golf-teaching facility at San Vicente Golf Course.

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Check out life behind the links and see what makes Frank's work at Ramona Golf Lessons a hole in one.

Patch: Why did you decide to start this business in Ramona?

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Craig Frank: One of the main reasons I began this business in Ramona is because that is where we now live. Two years ago we moved into the San Diego Country Estates and with San Vicente Golf Course just across the street to begin Ramona Golf Lessons here just seemed like a perfect fit.

Patch: What distinguishes your business from others in the same industry?

Frank: Experience would be my best answer. Unfortunately anyone can give golf lessons in the sense that no license or degree is required. That is why I always suggest making sure the instructor is a PGA Member. Another difference is the type of instruction. Here at Ramona Golf Lessons, we stress the importance of body core positions. 

Building a repeatable swing is based on repeating body positions; not a quick fix by just doing a Band-Aid swing adjustment. Here we work with students literally from the ground up so what you learn stays with you.

Also the fact that all lessons are recorded using a high tech video and motion analysis system for the student to keep and review at home is crucial.

Believe me when I say that people learn around three times faster with visual vs. only verbal types of instruction.

Patch: What are some current challenges you face as a business owner?

Frank: Exposure is the biggest challenge. This is why doing interviews like this are so important! We run a lot of “specials” so people can try our instruction for little cost.

This also gives them the chance to “try before they buy”.

Patch: What's the best business advice you've been given?

Frank: The best business advice I have ever received is to make sure and keep your employee’s happy. Oh, wait a minute; my wife is the only employee. I guess that makes this advice doubly important!

Seriously, having a good time doing what you want doesn’t really make this feel like a “business,” so I will just go with that.

Patch: What's the best advice you can give someone to improve their swing?

Frank: Expect it to take some time. We live in a society that wants, and expects, instant gratification. Golfers buy new clubs every year, over and over, thinking this will make them better. That is like buying a new Ferrari without knowing how to drive.

Invest in a series of lessons and put the time in to get something out of it. 

Want to improve your swing or show up your coworkers on the links? Contact Frank for lessons at 858-735-5919 or cfrank@pga.com.


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