Down to Business: Looking to shave strokes off your golf game? Lessons and fitted clubs might help

Chicago Tribune

12-02-2025

Business: GOLFTEC
Address: 1504 N. Naper Blvd.
Phone/website: 630-579-9390; www.golftec.com
Center Manager/Director of Instruction: James Standhardt, 41, of Plainfield
Years in business: 28
What does your business do? 'Primarily, golf lessons, instruction and club fitting,' Standhardt said.
How do the lessons work? 'Every student starts with an evaluation. About an hour long. Go through your history. … How long have you played? What's your skill level? What are the goals? Then we break down the swing objectively.'
How do you do that? 'We go through a 20- to 30-minute breakdown. Here's what's causing the effects you're seeing. If you slice the ball, top it, here's why it's happening. We can see that on a video. We use optical motion. Our camera system is three-dimensional so we can see every joint (move) in your body. We can see the degrees of your shoulder turn, your head turn. How much you sway left and right.'
Does a super slow backswing help? 'Nothing wrong with that. That's gaining a lot of traction on the PGA Tour. If you watch the LPGA Tour, at least half have a molasses-like backswing because precision is so important. You really don't sacrifice distance.'
Is there a lot to fitting clubs? 'Oh, yes. We'll give a recommendation about what makes the most sense. If you came in with heavy steel shafts and can't swing fast enough, one of the recommendations may be to lightweight your clubs. … We'll do a fitting about five sessions in.'
'(There are) so many different angles, so many different variables when it comes to fitting a club correctly. About one in six people fit decently well into off-the-rack clubs. If you sign a game plan with us, the fitting is no charge to make sure you're playing the right clubs. That helps us teach you better.'
How much do golfers improve? 'On average, in the first year for a GOLFTEC student, seven strokes are dropped. If you shoot 110 on the average, you can expect to drop 10 to 15 strokes after the first year.'
Any favorite stories? 'We had one student years ago, Tim Kjaer. When he started, he had played two rounds in his life. His scores were 165 and 173. He began weekly lessons with no break for 12 years. Now his career low is 76. That's the biggest drop we've seen. He now teaches for us here.'
Why are you here? 'I went to school for it. I grew up in Michigan. Ferris State University has a professional golf management program. … I knew I wanted to teach (golf). I went from Ferris State to here in 2006. I've been here ever since.'
Who comes in? 'You could be a scratch golfer trying to be a semi-pro player or someone who shoots 150 and is brand new.'
What's the cost? 'The evaluation process, if that's all you do, is $125. The evaluation is no charge if you purchase a plan. Plans are time-based. They range from three months to 12 months. The span of cost is $1,400 for three months and $4,000 for one of the 12-month plans.'
Are lessons weekly? 'It depends on the person. Most cases, when we start, it's weekly half-hours. Coming from farther away, it can be bi-weekly. The first year we recommend weekly. Players get better by practicing between lessons.'
What do you like best? 'Seeing people get better at the thing they love the most. … When they play good golf, they're kids again. (It's) the most satisfying part of their week.'
Have you ever shot a hole in one? 'I have not. I have hit the pin 11 times.'
What misconceptions do people have? 'I'll take a lesson and get better. The old adage is the only thing worse than two lessons is one lesson.'
What are common mistakes by amateurs? 'Not understanding what causes what. In terms of mechanics, probably a turn and sway issue. Under turning and moving too much laterally.'
What's the GOLFTEC story? 'We were the third ever. There are nine in the Chicago area now. About 290 in the country. A bunch in Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore.'
What does a client say? 'It's a good place to learn how to improve my game,' Mark Monteith, 37, of Naperville, said.
How many teach here? 'Six including myself.'
When are you busy? 'We are busy through mid-April. When it gets warm out, we see a dip for two weeks, then people start coming back.'
What's your advice for someone starting a business? 'Research. Talk to as many people as you can in that field. Take your time. Be patient. Feel like you are overprepared.'