I’ve always been intrigued by the Fota Island Golf Academy. I’ve used it as a guest of the resort and it was always busy, but I didn’t give it much more thought. However, on a recent visit I spoke with Head Professional Brian Kelleher and what I found out was eye-opening. So, if you’re looking to practice or get into the game this is undoubtedly the place for you.
“The Academy operates on a membership basis, so people join for 12-months at a time,” says Kelleher. “It’s open to anyone with or without a handicap and your Academy Membership includes free access to the 9-Hole Academy Course (front 9 on Barryscourt) so you have unlimited use of that, up to 450 golf balls on the range per week and full use of the Trackman facilities at the range.”
Coming in at €1400pp for the year, Academy membership isn’t cheap but if you break it down, it works out at about two large buckets per week – more than which is already included in your membership – so it’s actually pretty good value for money.
“We have a long game area that has 10 covered bays with astroturf tees in front and grass areas for the summer months. There’s also a short game area with a large putting green, three chipping greens and two practice bunkers, complete with astroturf areas so these are in use all year round,” adds Kelleher.
Trackman allows you to track your stats and distances, play games and competitions and have some fun during practice. The Academy is also perfect for someone with an iGolf handicap or someone getting into the game as Fota Island run weekly counting competitions for all Academy members (WHS & iGolf) and there are qualifying competitions throughout the season – so it’s a great way to get guaranteed competition without being a full member.
A huge part of the Academy are the Juniors’ and Ladies’ Programmes which are both extremely popular. The Academy uses a system for both called Operation 36, an APP based teaching system which works from the green backwards and makes complete sense when you think about learning the game.
“Players start 25 yards from the green and must be able to shoot 36 or better (for 9 holes) to then move to the next stage which is 50 yards out. Same rules apply then it’s 100, 150, 200 and then 250 yards before going all the way back.
“It sounds simple but it’s a new way of thinking about getting into the game and if you can shoot 36 for 9 holes from 250 yards then you’re going to be able to play pretty well,” Kelleher explains.
“The Junior programme has been running five years and it’s a stepping stone to membership – a lot of our new members come from our Academy – and there are up to 16 weeks of lessons per year, with two sessions and an optional session on course on Sundays. The Junior programme runs from age 7-16 and after five years in the programme, juniors graduate to ‘full junior membership’ which gives them access to the full 27-hole facility and from there golfers move to intermediate or Golf Club Membership.”
It’s very well thought out and there’s a clear pathway in both golfing ability and age and, with juniors joining all the time, it’s also a great production line for young golfers for the club.
“The Ladies Get into Golf has been running for the same length of time, and they get four blocks of lessons (five weeks per block with four lessons per week). Operation 36 is also used here and, with a blend of beginners and some who have played before, it’s a great way to mix and monitor their progress. Some players can be playing from the tees while others join from 100 yards out and so on and the APP tells them where to play from based on their ability and results, so they are in control of their own game.
“The ladies get access to the nine holes at the Academy, they also get golf clubs to use for the year, range balls and the lessons as well. So they are really encouraged with up to 80 hours of lessons. All-in, the Ladies Programme is the same price as Academy membership at €1400pp, but if you factor in the golf clubs, range balls and lessons as well as playing nine holes whenever they want, that’s a great deal.”
The feedback on the Ladies programme has been amazing. They have a social media following where they post pictures etc. and have great social interaction with each other. All 24 of the latest graduating group have joined as full members and large groups travel all over for golf holidays and golfing weekends away, so the pathway is most definitely there, and the numbers speak for themselves.
As part of the Academy, Fota Island also offers bespoke lessons and custom fitting for clubs, and this is mostly done by Corkman and PGA Professional Ronan Collins who is in his eighth season at the Academy and spent time with Callaway. He can play a bit too!
“I’m based at the Academy and my main role is lessons and fitting,” Collins explains. “It’s a very busy spot with anything from individual to group lessons, playing lessons and of course the custom fitting.
“We fit Wilson, Ping, Titleist, TaylorMade and Callaway and work from Driver through to putter so we cover everything in the bag. With Trackman here we can really dial in the fitting process and get as detailed as the customer wants in terms of numbers and stats so it’s a great option for anyone looking to get custom fit.” For more details on the Fota Island Academy check out www.fotaisland.ie/academy-membership or call 021 4883700
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