<p>I’ve been really searching for a good present for my husband’s 50th birthday this December. One of his big interests is golf. I know he would like to improve his game so I was thinking of a lesson, a whole day lesson. I did a google search but without a review, I don’t know who or what is good. I was thinking of combining this with a long weekend trip for the two of us to perhaps Arizona or Puerto Rico, but those are not nailed down. I’d love to hear any suggestions.</p>
<p>kathie, every golf course will have lessons available with one of their pros, although an entire day of lessons is really too long. Call the pro shop and they’ll explain how best to handle it, and then set it up for you. You might even be able to get an actual gift certificate from them so that you have something to wrap for his birthday.</p>
<p>Maybe find a Dave Pelz or Stan Utley short game or putting clinic in a nice place? Most regions have a guru type instructor. David Glenz is in NJ for example. The Northwest has several Chis Smith and Jerry Mowlds at Pumkin Ridge come to mind.</p>
<p>One thing that can be a real game enhancer is a playing lesson. The way it worked for me was I went to the range with the pro and took a short lesson while warming up for my round. He then rode along as I played 9 holes. The first three he worked on my swing. The second 3 he talked with me about strategy (club and shot selection) - e.g. if you lay up with a little less club and a little more to the right, that will give you a much easier shot into the green. Then the last three he watched and took notes. We then went into the clubhouse and played back the video he had shot of my round, stopping before and after each shot to talk about my thought process and my execution of the shots. The last three holes were the most telling as I was supposed to have put it together both mentally and physically - and hadn’t. We then wrapped up with a discussion of things to work on.</p>
<p>Great experience - helped me a great deal</p>
<p>A “playing lesson” or a one hour lesson once a week for six weeks would be better than a full day of golf lessons!</p>
<p>A full day clinic would be an option. A series of lessons would be an option. I think a great option would be choosing a destination you would both enjoy - beyond the golf - where he could do a clinic/playing lesson… and the two of you could have a wonderful get-away around the golf - whether at a beach/mountain or other resort.</p>
<p>Does he have golfing buddies? Or belong to a particular course? His golf friends or the pro at his course would likely have good suggestions of places he’d like to go, pros who offer good clinics or lessons that would suit your H.</p>
<p>How about a trip to Pebble Beach. Stay there!!! It is the best. Get husband a caddy. Lesson or not you both will enjoy it. You get access to the health clubs, I found the residents to be so warm and friendly. Cost averages $1000 a day (I don’t golf) but worth it. We can drive there, so I prefer it to Hawaii-no airport security.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. The option I think will work best would be the one that Scualum had mentioned or perhaps jmmom’s idea of a full day clinic. I saw the four day clinic’s but then what would he do in the evening’s? I really don’t like golf but I thought if I combined it with a mini-vacation I could do something by myself for the golf day. He usually does one or two weekend trips with friends every year to play golf in Florida and upstate NY, but neither destination will be for sure warm enough in April, which is when I would like to go.</p>
<p>Anyone have specific recommendations - names and places?</p>
<p>kathie, my H goes on at least one golf trip a year with his golfing buddies. Some of the places they’ve gone have been - Pinehurst (his favorite), Pebble Beach (several beautiful courses to play, great hotels, and Carmel has all the nice restaurants and shopping you could want and a gorgeous beach), Scottsdale (again tons of courses and great hotels - the Scottsdale Princess is beautiful), Palm Springs, Innisbrook (FL), Bay Hill (Arnold Palmer’s resort in FL - he was there playing each day and the guys got to meet him and enjoy a drink with him - great fun for golfers), and Las Vegas. The only place he wouldn’t return to was Las Vegas. I can get more detail for you if you’d like but that’s all I can remember off the top of my head. Their spring trip is always in April so any of those would work if you’re looking for good weather in April.</p>
<p>DH plays golf. He has never taken a lesson, yet he is a pretty good golfer (played since his teens and is just a natural). He plays in two to three tournaments each year. They are all budget long weekends and are fundraisers. Anyway, I asked him, and although he has never gone, he suggested looking into Hilton Head. If I am redundant, sorry, I did not read through all of the suggestions, nor would I know one golf course from the next!</p>
<p>Another option is the David Leadbetter academy. Like Pelz, Leadbetter offers half-day, full-day and multiple day programs, which can be great if you are at a resort for several days.</p>
<p>A useful link:</p>
<p>[Top</a> 100 Golf Teachers - Golf Teachers - Golf.com](<a href=“http://search.golf.com/golf-teachers/top-100.html]Top”>http://search.golf.com/golf-teachers/top-100.html)</p>
<p>This is a list of the top 100 golf instructors in the US with basic contact details for most of them.</p>
<p>As for me, I’d cast another vote for Pebble Beach (disclaimer - I live 10 miles away ) . Laird Small is one of the top instructors, Pebble is one of the top 10 courses in the world, there are several other top 100 courses in the area to play, AND there is tons of stuff for the non golfer as well - Spas, shopping, Monterey Bay Aquarium, etc.</p>
<p>Also- I’d ask around for word-of-mouth regarding pros in your area. Ask friends who are good golfers who have played at a variety of clubs and courses.</p>
<p>I know I already mentioned pebble beach but it really is worth it. I just checked the web site, lessons are less than green fees. When I was there I took their Lexus test drive. You get a couple hours to drive their convertible. The food is good. H loved eating lunch at restaurant outside and telling me about his game. </p>
<p>Ojai valley inn was also nice for us, I don’t golf</p>
<p>Okay, thanks for all the suggestions. They are all really helpful!!</p>
<p>I’m not a golfer, but H is, as are many of my family members. I won’t even pretend to know anything about golf lessons, but if you are looking for a golf/vacation destination in April, I would suggest checking out Arizona. It’s lovely that time of year - great temps, the desert should be blooming and there are too many great golf courses and resorts to even begin to list.</p>
<p>It is a spring break destination for some, so you may want to take that into consideration when planning - later April might find fewer vacationing youngsters. We’ve spent a few vacations there and will be going back for more.</p>
<p>vulture, I actually mentioned Arizona in my opening post because of the reasons you gave and also because my sister in law lives there. However, both California and Arizona are a day’s flight each way and I’m thinking of this trip as more of a long weekend so neither state may make sense. Florida and Puerto Rico, however, are both just a few hours flight and in the same time zone. Arizona is a lovely suggestion though, we’ve been there several times and really like it.</p>
<p>I thought I would plug Arizona since you mentioned it, but can sure understand not wanting to cross too many time zones and waste a lot of time on travel if it’s a short trip. My East Coast experiences in recent years are limited to mostly college visits. Family members have been to Myrtle Beach a few times for golf/vacation outings, though the weather may not be as warm in April as you are hoping for. It’s fun to have something to look forward to, so happy planning! I confess to being intrigued with the Puerto Rico idea, so I hope you’ll share some of your findings if you go that way.</p>
<p>I thought I would bring this post back up to let you all know what I came up with. We’re definitely going to Puerto Rico.</p>
<p>I had originally planned leaving on late Thursday and coming back on Monday. What I found out though, was that a Thursday to Tuesday flight was $100 a ticket cheaper and that evening flights have a 40% chance of on-time departures, so I booked a Thursday to Tuesday going and coming back in the early afternoon. Continental has non-stops from Newark and tickets were each under $300 inclusive. $600 total for 2.</p>
<p>Next I looked and looked for a golf lesson and still could not find anything on-line even after all the wonderful links that you all provided. Finally I called a couple of places and found that the Wyndham Rio Mar has a pro who will do a playing lesson of nine holes for $200. The Wyndham itself was offering a “Caribbean Vacation Stimulus Package” where you pay for two nights and get two nights free plus a $100 voucher for food and drinks. [Special</a> Offers - Caribbean Vacation Stimulus Package - Buy 2 Nights Get 2 Nights Free](<a href=“Wyndham Hotels and Resorts | Site Temporarily Unavailable”>Wyndham Hotels and Resorts | Site Temporarily Unavailable) Green fees are also discounted for guests. Total cost for hotel and green fees are $800 plus another $100 for resort fees, call it $900. Another $200 for the lesson. Oh, no, do we have to tip this guy?? $1700 so far</p>
<p>I had one night left to plan and wanted to have that in Old San Juan. We had stayed here one night about 10 years ago and just loved the city. The hotel that came up agan and again on tripadvisor was Hotel El Convento. [San</a> Juan Hotels, Puerto Rico Luxury Vacations & PR Room Reservations - Hotel El Convento](<a href=“http://www.elconvento.com/]San”>http://www.elconvento.com/) This turned out to be more expensive then I would have wished but I decided for one night I could do it. Of course, I still looked for the lowest price and found a room for (gulp!) $300 inclusive a night. </p>
<p>Total $2,000. and throw in a couple hundred more for food. The travel agent had quoted me a price of about $1,700 each for just four nights and without the lesson. If I was doing this with our whole family I would be looking at something entirely different but I think this will work out well for just the two of us. Looking forward to this trip will get us through the winter. :)</p>
<p>Looks like a great trip to me - hope you have a wonderful time!!!</p>