GolfTEC provides indoor instruction for players

The days grow short around this time of year, and they often also grow cold.

Both scenarios can make it difficult for golfers of any level to work on their game, and that's before taking into account that many people who play actually have to work for a living, too. Taking lessons at your local course just might not be practical.

But if you've got a block of time you can consistently set aside, and you can commit to that block of time -- and you're serious about wanting to play better -- GolfTEC just might be the place for you to take your game to the next level. Whether you're new to the game or don't play often and just want to gain a little more enjoyment on the course, or you want to become a scratch golfer, GolfTEC has plans that can work for you.

And those plans don't hinge on the sun being up and the weather being pleasant, because GolfTEC is an indoor learning facility.

"It's always 70 degrees and sunny here," said Robert Atkinson, one of three certified PGA instructors working under franchise owner/director of instruction Tim Sam at Southern Nevada's lone GolfTEC, located in Henderson off Horizon Ridge Road.

The company, based in suburban Denver, opened its first store in April 1995 and now has more than 140 teaching centers around the country. The company boasts that it provides more than 20 percent of all lessons taken annually in the United States, providing millions of lessons to a client base that tops 200,000.

And Atkinson assures that success is just a matter of time.

"It's one of the obstacles you deal with," he said. "Do you want to keep hacking it around the course, or do you want to deal with the frustrations you have with the game of golf? Guys don't really want to keep just chopping it around, even guys who are just playing for fun.

"When you come in here, you can see what's wrong and see a plan to fix it. We don't Band-Aid. We build a game plan to work on your swing flaws until they are gone. And then you own your swing -- it'll become second nature to you. You can start to think your way around the golf course, instead of thinking your way through your swing."

Much of that has to do with GolfTEC's approach, and perhaps more so with the use of technology. The lessons make major use of photo and video, allowing golfers to see their swing flaws and implement ways to either fully correct them or work within their abilities to overcome the flaw.

"Every shot you hit here is captured," Atkinson said, noting all clients have their own Web page, at which they can access all the work they've done, so they can even work on their game at home. "We provide still photos and motion analysis. We talk over what's going in your swing, and there are drills on your Web page that you can do at home or on-site."

GolfTEC even uses motion sensors to help identify and correct swing issues. And as you develop, they provide a club-fitting process to best match your swing -- for every club, from putter through driver, and even with the right ball.

And although all this might sound like it's geared toward serious golfers aiming to break par, it's actually equally suited to the average Joes and Janes who just want to play bogey golf and maybe sneak in a birdie from time to time -- or better still, a golfer who is just getting started.

"For somebody who's never touched a golf club, this is the best place to start," Atkinson said. "We're not worried about ball flight. It lets you focus on getting into proper position throughout your swing. There's no guess work. We're very fact-based in how we do this."

But of course, if your goal is to be the club stud, that can be arranged.

"We'll say, 'Here's what the best players in the world are doing,' then we'll get you as close to that as possible," Atkinson said. "The plan is completely different for the guy who wants to shoot even-par and the guy who wants to shoot 90."

Those plans are developed with you, based on what you want to get out of your game. Typical plans are six months, one year or two years, with skill level and expectations taken into account. Improvement plans range from $139 to $192 per month, which might sound expensive, but when you consider that the average price for just a one-hour private lesson at your local course can run $100, GolfTEC's cost starts to look more appealing.

"If you take the structure and what you get as value, we're no more expensive than a good course pro," Atkinson said, adding that his clients get outdoors, too, for some on-course analysis and instruction. "With our plans, you get practice time, club fitting, a coach available at all times. If I look at 12 months (of lessons at a course), I think it's about four times what I would charge.

"You just have to make the commitment up front, because we're gonna make the commitment to you."

Once the commitment is made, Atkinson said more enjoyment on the course is sure to follow.

"We have a 95 percent success rate of people attaining their goals. Everything is based on your goal. We'll discuss your frustrations, your goals, where your game is now, come up with a checklist, then assign a time frame to it and assign a plan to it," he said. "It takes the frustration out of not having control over your golf ball. It becomes much more fun, and you'll be putting up better scores."

Rob Sayer, 36, has been in the Henderson facility's program for nine months, already going through club fitting as well, and said it's made a big difference.

"It's making the game a lot more enjoyable, instead of not knowing where my ball is going," Sayer said.

And Atkinson said those results can come in as little as two hours a week: 30 minutes at your lesson, followed by 30 minutes of on-site practice; and another hour over the course of the rest of the week practicing your swing at home or at the driving range, and analyzing your online profile.

"If you just take 10 minutes here or there, there are a lot of simple drills you can do," he said.

The facility allows for unlimited practice, as long as a bay is available, and is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Atkinson said players can go to GolfTEC just to get swing analysis or take a three-lesson trial period, or perhaps a six-month plan. But he also believes after any stint, players will long for more.

"You're gonna see noticeable change, and you're gonna play better," he said. "If I tell you that you need a year or a year and a half, I'll get you where I can in six months. But usually, you'll buy another year when that six months is up."