Learning to Fly… On the Golf Course

It was a good Friday this past Good Friday. There was a positive feeling in the air. People had an aura about them. You could tell they were looking forward to a special weekend. The excitement of being with friends and family was everywhere I went, well into the evening.

So, when I pulled up to the Rock Creek Golf Club at 1:00 pm to meet Ryan Petty and Taylor Deming about their program for junior golfers, I had to circle the parking lot three times before a space opened. The place was buzzing with young, budding golfers and it did my heart good. You see, I love everything about golf except my game. Think Charles Barkley—cringe worthy. My constant, deep regret is that I didn’t learn to play at an early age.

As we sat down on the patio overlooking the practice chipping green, there had to be 6 to 8 kids working on their short game. And they knew what they were doing. Each one was enrolled in the Ryan Petty Golf Academy, which has a major focus on Junior Golfers. My hosts, Ryan Petty, is the Director of Instruction at Rock Creek Golf Club. We were soon joined by Taylor Deming, Senior Golf Instructor and fresh off a qualifying run to get his PGA Tour Card. 

We were here to discuss their Development and Performance Program for Junior Golfers. Together, they are making a big investment into building a top-flight program. It’s impressive and their enthusiasm is palatable. The Ryan Petty Golf Academy has a philosophy and structure with one main goal: Make golf fun and players will stay interested in golf for life. Their mantra: Getting good is fun!

Their focus on junior golfers includes something for everyone. Even if your kid has never picked up a club, there is a program for beginners ages 5 to 13 years old. They provide the necessary equipment, so parents don’t have to make a big investment starting out. The approach is to get kids interested through a program called Operation 36.

Each Spring and Fall, Operation 36 classes are held four times a month with different days and times to choose from. Beginners start with fundamental instruction and then work around the greens from 25 yards out from the pin. After learning the basics of golf there are two sessions where the kids play 9 holes with parents and grandparents on the bag. The goal is to play 9 holes 25 yards out and shoot a score of 36. Start with the short game… Brilliant! Once a score of 36 is achieved, players move back to 50 yards from the pin until you can score 36 again. Then 75 yards out, 100 yards out until eventually you are hitting from the tee box. 

Very few amateur golfers are going to ever be able to shoot a 36 playing 9 holes from the tee box, so Ryan and Taylor monitor to determine a kid’s “pathway for golf.” Is it Golf for Life, as a game you love and play with family, friends, business associates, including most of us? Lord only knows how many business deals have been consummated on the golf course. Or do you demonstrate the ability and skill set to take the Pathway as a Professional?

In short, Operation 36 develops the short game first and goes from there. It’s focused on attainable goals for junior golfers. It keeps them engaged because “getting good is fun!” There’s a sophisticated dashboard that keeps up with each players’ progress, provides feedback, suggestions on what to focus on, how much training you’re logging in, etc. It’s simple and accessible for players and parents. It's all about training, playing and progress. And every kid had a smile on their face. This was not work, it was fun!

Ryan is wearing “construction” clothes. He and his team are building an indoor practice facility on the far side of the driving range at Rock Creek. He hopes to have it operational by______. It will include options to hit into a golf simulator inside, with all the analytics, or outside from the bay door to the range in any type of weather. He also does fittings and can get anyone into the right clubs. It’s a one-stop shop to getting a better game whether you are a kid or an adult. Learn to enjoy the game more by playing better. That’s a winning program if you ask me!

With summer quickly approaching, Ryan Petty Golf Academy will have Golf Summer Camps Monday through Friday with 5- to 9-year-olds sessions from 8:00 am to noon, and 10- to 13-year-olds from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Go to Ryan Petty Golf Academy (link) or follow him on Instagram to see the full summer camp line up.

Ryan and his team are involved with several local school golf teams in the Scenic 98 Coastal area. Bayside Academy’s Youth Development League, grades 3 through 6, work with Ryan and Taylor at Rock Creek throughout the year as does Daphne High School’s golf teams’ 7^th through 12^th graders every Tuesday and Thursday. And if you’re worried about holiday and vacation time, Ryan and his team work around family time when scheduling junior tournaments to enter.

The Academy also has a mental coach, Chris Duff, and a fitness instructor, Rick Mayes, to work with the kids. Designed primarily to keep golf interesting, they keep a keen eye on late bloomers, especially as kids go through their growth spurts. You know, “So you’re saying there’s a chance!”

There is plenty of opportunity for us duffers to improve as well. Even an old codger like me??? My friend, Tony recently took a lesson from Taylor and was singing his praises. How many times have I heard him tell me, “I think I’ve got this thing figured out…” Sound familiar?

I love the fact that we have a bonified, certified golf instruction academy building steam here in the Scenic 98 Coastal footprint. As Ryan says about the junior golf in our area, “Better polish up your golf game 205, 251 is coming after you!”

PS: Ryan speaks fluent, I mean fluent Spanish. That’s how he met his wife!

‍