Keith Lyford Earns the 2011 NCPGA Teacher of the Year Award

Top 100 Golf Teacher

Keith Lyford, The Golf Academy’s Director of Instruction

Keith Lyford, a Top 100 Golf Teacher, has helped thousands of golfers improve their golf game with his golf lessons, golf schools, golf instruction and golf tips.

Now, as the Director of the Golf Academy at Old Greenwood, Keith continues to help golfers swing better, score lower, and enjoy the game more.  

Keith started his teaching career at the Arnold Palmer Junior Academy. Since then, he has been the director of several major golf schools such as the Stratton Golf School, the Cranwell Golf School, the Golf Digest School, Harmon Golf School and the Lyford Scottsdale Golf School.

When selecting a golf school to attend, it’s certainly nice to have a fabulous vacation destination, like Lake Tahoe, but great instruction is always the key to a successful golf school experience and that’s what you’ll find at The Golf Academy at Old Greenwood. 
 
Keith Lyford has personally selected and trained each instructor, so you can be assured that they will meet his particularly high standards. And unlike other schools where the Director of Instruction is present in name only, Keith Lyford is on site daily and is actively involved in your personal improvement program. 
   

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher

Keith Lyford, has been selected as one of the nation’s Top 100 Teachers (every year since 1998) by Golf Magazine. That’s quite an honor when you consider that there are more than 28,000 PGA of America golf professionals. GOLF Magazine selects only the 100 most elite among them as the best golf teachers to help you lower your golf scores, improve your golf swing, hammer the ball longer and putt the lights out.

In addition to being one of the nation’s top instructors, Keith is an outstanding player. As a former PGA Tour player, he is in rare company as both an accomplished player and teacher. Keith breaks the old adage that if you can’t play, you teach.

• Northern California PGA Teacher of the Year
• New England PGA Teacher of the Year
• Northeastern New York PGA Teacher of the Year
• Former PGA Tour Player
• New England PGA Champion

Performance-Based Curriculum 

Keith knows that better golf doesn’t mean having a prettier swing. Posting lower scores is what really counts. That’s why he has designed the lesson curriculum to focus on the entire golf game.

So that you can reach your true potential, we will assess a total picture of your game. First, each player’s game is evaluated to determine their strengths and weaknesses, then a complete improvement plan is customized to the needs of each individual, one that makes the most sense to you and your golf game.

Our performance-based curriculum will build your game, your understanding and your confidence. Besides learning a repeating and effective golf swing, our performance-based curriculum will focus on all aspects of the golf game. Our total game focus will produce immediate and lasting results, results you can see on the scorecard.   
         

Keith Lyford’s Teaching Philosophy

I follow these four general guidelines when training teachers, designing instruction programs or teaching a golf school, private lesson or clinic.
 

1.  My golf swing method is equally applicable to every level of golfer from beginner to advanced player. Lessons are individually tailored (even in a group setting) to meet the needs, wants and goals of each golfer. My instruction is systematic and progressive in nature, so there is a clear path to a selected goal. My instruction model is detailed and precise yet presented to the student in simple and easy to understand terms. 

2.  I believe the golf swing starts in the brain. The golfer cannot produce a sound swing unless he or she first has a clear and accurate concept of the correct motion. Once a golfer understands the cause and effect relationship of swing to ball flight and has the right tools (drills and lesson plan), the golfer can continue to improve even without hands-on instruction or can self-correct on the golf course.

3.  My philosophy uses a three-pronged approach that evaluates body, club and ball.
 

Body:  Instead of viewing movement patterns one-dimensionally, it is vital to dig deeper to identify the root cause of swing faults. That’s done by making sure golfers are physically capable of performing the desired motion. Since a golfer’s body is the most important piece of equipment, fitness must be an integral part of the instruction model.
 

Club:  Since the golf ball only reacts to the club/ball contact, achieving the correct impact is my number one priority. All swing parts should be judged on how efficient that particular movement or position contributes to a solid, repeating impact, free of any compensations. Because incorrectly fit equipment leads to inconsistency and poor ball flight, club fitting is an important part of any complete game improvement program.

Ball:  I always concentrate on making swing changes that improve ball flight.  It’s not a better swing unless it produces better results. I don’t believe change should mean a golfer gets worse before getting better. You should see immediate improvement in both swing and ball flight.
 

4.  There is a lot more to learning golf than the full swing. My instruction programs are Performance-based so the student not only swings better, but scores lower. The lesson curriculum always focuses on short game mechanics and feel. I also help my students reach their potential, by offering tips on the finer points of the game, such as:

Golf Instruction Tips and Articles

Keith Lyford’s golf instruction articles and golf tips have appeared in the following publications:

• Golf Digest
• Golf Magazine
• Sports Illustrated
• Senior Golfer
• Golf Tips Magazine
• Master Strokes (syndicated newspaper column)