Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36January 2017 | 3 Subscribe today at juniorgolfmag.net Op 36 Brings the Golf Academy to You BYJUNIORGOLFSTAFF I f you walk into a gymnastics, dance or ka- rate studio, you can expect to start your ju- nior in a weekly after-school program right away. What about in golf? There are over 15,000 golf facilities and around 28,000 PGA professionals in the U.S., yet if you called in search of a weekly junior golf program, the typical response would be to recommend a private lesson with the pro or to suggest signing up with the summer camp or clinic beginning in a few months. AN ACADEMYFOR ALLSEASONS Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a season-long (6-12 month) academy at your local golf fa- cility that juniors could participate in weekly, to become skilled golfers? While some look at a golf course and only see a place to play golf, the team at Operation 36 sees the opportunity of every course becoming a season-long train- ing facility for creating skilled young golfers. Operation 36 believes that families should be able to share in the sport year-round. Its mis- sion is to ensure that long-term learning envi- ronments are standard offerings at every golf facility in the world. To carry out this mission, North Carolina PGA professionals Ryan Dailey and Matthew Rea- gan assembled Operation 36. This long-term coaching program is designed to build com- munities of golfers working toward the com- mon goal of shooting par or better for 9 holes (typically the score of 36). Each golfer starts 25 yards from the hole (a 225-yard course), with the goal being a 9-hole target score of 36. Once the golfer can shoot 36 or better for 9 holes, coaches in the program back them up in yardage and continue this process until they reach their full tee box, based on age. LEARNING, LEVELBYLEVEL To guide and advance the golfer’s playing abil- ity, coaches using the Op 36 program provide a 6-level curriculum that is delivered in a week- ly academy class. Each level contains 12 ob- jectives that encompass playing benchmarks, technical skills, mental skills, fitness, nutrition, knowledge of the game and life lessons. Once the junior can demonstrate to the coach that he or she has met the objectives, the junior is issued badges that are placed on a bag tag, and the students can log their achievements in the Operation 36 Mobile App. Friends can “like” and comment on these achievements, and the juniors can also earn points by logging golf actions at the club like playing or even getting new golf gear! Dailey and Reagan began creating Operation 36 in 2009, with the focus of helping facilities grow the game of golf by focusing on creating lifelong golfers. Operation 36 was released to golf professionals in January 2016, and now more than 50 facilities across the US and Can- ada, with over 1,600 juniors, have enrolled. In addition, adult Operation 36 programs will be released in 2017. If your family is looking for a long-term coaching program in your area, check out http://www.op36.golf. Can’t find one? Have your local PGA professional reach out to Ryan or Matthew, who would be glad to help them set one up! Op 36 starts with the fundamentals ACADEMYPROFILE To guide and advance the golfer’s playing ability, coaches using the Op 36 program provide a 6-level curriculum that is delivered in a weekly academy class. Each level contains 12 objectives that encompass playing benchmarks, technical skills, mental skills, fitness, nutraition, knowledge of the game and life lessons. Kids learn through a step-by-step approach Instructors make the game fun at every level Academy students are rewarded for their hard work Everyone gets a chance to participate