Lessons
PGA Instruction (Dave James Rates)
| Lesson Type | Time | Rates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tune up | 15-20 minutes | $25 | |
| Private | 45 minutes | $50 | |
| Private series of six | (6) 45 minute lessons | $250 | |
| Group series of four | (4) 60 minute lessons | $100 pp | |
| Couple | 60 minutes | $75 | |
| Couple series of six | 60 minutes | $375 | |
Junior Golf Program:
Dates TBD
Instructors
General Manager: Dave James, PGA
Dave James is the Golf Course General Manager, PGA Class A-13. Dave was elected to PGA Membership in October of 2002 and has been the Golf Course Manager/Head Professional at Meadowlark Hills Golf Course since October of 1998. He moved to Kearney from Leawood, Kansas where he worked at Overland Park Golf Club. He has a wife Amy; children Olivia, David 3rd, Ellie and his hunting dogs River and Riley. He has been teaching golf since May of 1994. Dave’s philosophy on teaching to hit the ball straight is… to get the golf swing as compact as possible. Getting your swing set in the back swing is crucial. We have to make sure we can get our wrists cocked at the top of the swing so we can properly release the club at impact. The main reason for having a compact swing is to simplify the range of motion. The more moving parts to the golf swing the more errors we create. How to understand the golf swing? Students must learn the five laws to the golf swing. Two of the laws are for direction and three of the laws are for distance. The laws of the swing are face, path, club head speed, angle of approach and centeredness. Once a student understands the laws the swing will make better sense and the game should be easier to understand. One of my favorite drills is keep our feet together and pitch balls 15-30 yards with a half swing. Releasing the club properly the student will be shocked how far the ball will travel.
Call Dave at 308-233-3265 to book a lesson.
Assistant Professional: Jay Cottam, PGA
Jay Cottam is the Assistant Professional, PGA Class A-8. Jay was elected to PGA Membership in February of 2021 and started at Meadowlark Hills in February of 2022. Jay was the Assistant Professional at Awarii Dunes in Axtell, NE from 2020-2022 before coming to Meadowlark Hills. Jay is originally from Hebron, NE and has lived in Kearney since 2015 with his wife, Bailey. He attended both UNL and UNK on golf scholarships and holds the All-Time Lowest Season Stroke average at UNK as well as the Lowest 36 Hole Tournament Score. Jay was selected to the MIAA All-Conference Team Twice before transferring to UNL to finish his eligibility where in his final college tournament he finished Top 15 at the Big 10 Championship. Jay continues to compete in local and national PGA Section events where he has won multiple times already. A lot of Jay’s teaching style revolves on how an individual’s body moves. Not everyone is going to swing the club the same way, and my job is to find out how to maximize your potential within your physical limits. In order to do so, we must start with solid fundamentals and create a foundation around your grip, stance, and a properly aligned setup. I preach a lot of slow motion drill work in order to help feel swing changes. There’s a difference between ‘feel’ and ‘real’ and breaking things down piece by piece will help you become more consistent over time. Jay holds the course record at Meadowlark Hills with a 9-Under Par 62!
Call Jay at 308-233-3265 to schedule a lesson or fill out the form below.
Contact Us
For more information on our instruction and lessons, please call us at (308) 233-3265.