All golf lessons are personally instructed by Master Teacher Jim Waldron, four time Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher nominee and Top Regional Teacher (Northwest) for 2001-2008. 

HOW TO BOOK YOUR PRIVATE LESSON: Please call our office toll-free at 1-800-898-4563, 541-426-9002 or email us at info@balancepointgolf.com to make a private lesson appointment with Mr. Waldron.  We will take your contact information and book your guaranteed lesson reservation at that time. Advanced payment by credit card is required for all private lessons. (Please see our Payment and Cancellation policy at the bottom of this page).Minimum lesson time is one hour. See below for our lesson hourly rates and discounted rates on multiple lessons.

Lesson time slots are limited and fill up quickly in the busy summer golf season so we highly recommend booking your lesson reservation early. Normally our lesson schedule is close to fully booked about two to three weeks out although we sometimes can fit you in sooner than that. Please call us to check for available lesson slots. Please do not call the pro shop at Quail Valley to make a lesson reservation since the staff there are not authorized to book a lesson for Mr. Waldron. All lesson reservations must come through our office.

                               JIM WALDRON'S PRIVATE LESSON TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Acquiring a good golf swing or short game technique is a lot like learning to play a musical instrument. Solid grounding in proven fundamentals, dedication, practice and lessons from a competent instructor are the keys to continued improvement and success. Yet many golfers spend years searching for the "secret" and wonder why they never improve. Traditional instruction has sometimes supported this futile search for a short cut to mastering the golf swing by offering infrequent half-hour lessons consisting primarily of "swing tips" unrelated to the core fundamentals of the game.

Fellow golfers - the "try this, try that" approach, quick-fixes, swing "tips", and a half-hour "band-aid" type of lesson once a year just won't get the job done. Most golfers experience little or no permanent improvement from this approach. Motor skills learning research and our teaching experience confirm that a systematic, step by step approach to learning golf swing fundamentals is the easiest, fastest and most effective way to achieve permanent improvement. This requires a commitment on the part of the student to a program of  ongoing instruction and to a personal practice program. Both are necessary in order to achieve your goals of better shotmaking and lower scores.

This does not mean you must practice five hours a day for years before you finally master the swing! It does mean following a consistent model for your learning, practice and play. Consistency breeds positive results. Inconsistency and continuing an endless pursuit of new swing tips breeds inconsistent results, confusion and frustration. Practicing at home without a ball (primarily doing slow motion drills in front of a mirror) for as little as twenty minutes a day will produce steady and permanent improvement in your golf swing. Of course, you will still need to visit the practice range at least once a week as well.

We use two very different learning strategies in our private lesson programs. First, Fundamental based instruction, which is by far the most effective way to achieve long term permanent improvement. This means knowing what to do - a law of the golf swing for example - as opposed to "what am I doing wrong?" approach. This approach works especially well for mid to high handicap golfers with poor full swing mechanics. It does however require a strong commitment on the part of the student to the changes agreed upon and especially to the practice plan that will enable the student to achieve permanent mastery of that skill over time.

Swing Corrective instruction is the opposite approach. It is based on the notion that you first remove that one really destructive swing flaw that is sabotaging your golf swing. It usually results in faster improvement, at least in the short term, but can when used alone as most traditional golf teachers do, may fail to result in long term permanent improvement, especially for mid to high handicap players. Which method we use will depend primarily on the student's current skill level.

Swing Corrective instruction is almost always our starting point when working with advanced players (single digit handicaps). This is more a matter of "tweaking" a fundamentally sound golf swing and is very effective in a short amount of time. For mid to high handicap golfers, we usually start with the Fundamental approach but almost always include some time devoted to Killer Move elimination as well - more of a blended approach.

We have found that this blended approach is the most effective way for our students to start to see some degree of  immediate improvement while also laying the foundation for long term, permanent improvement. Most traditional golf teachers use the Swing Corrective approach almost exclusively, which sometimes can result in little or no long term improvement for the student.

Our private lesson program reflects this comphrehensive approach to learning golf skills by requiring new students to commit to a certain minimum number of lessons. This commitment varies depending on the golf skill subject being taught and the student's current skill level.

Minimum Student Commitment Levels: For most of our new students (ten handicaps or higher/average score 82 or higher) learning the full golf swing fundamentals, we require a minimum commitment of four hours of lesson instruction (discounted rate of $495). Our experience has shown that this is the minimum amount of time required to make real progress when learning the full swing fundamentals. Single digit handicaps/average score 81 or better require a minimum of two hours of full swing instruction,($260).

After these minimum lesson time commitments have been achieved, students  can enroll for a single one hour lesson of full swing instruction. For all skill levels: learning short game technique requires a minimum of two hours. Putting and mental game instruction can be accomplished in one hour.

New Students Phone Interview: We offer a complimentary 15 minute phone interview to all serious prospective new students who would like to talk with Jim Waldron about how his teaching system can help them to improve their games. Jim can answer any questions you may have about his private lesson programs at that time. He will also interview you to discover your primary goals for taking golf instruction, current skill level and average golf score, dominant learning style, athletic ability level and other important information about you and your game. Oregon golf lessons and Hawaii golf lesson programs are offered at this time.

By adhering to these high standards, we are able to guarantee to our students a positive learning experience and successful outcome - much better golf shots, lower scores and a lot more fun when playing golf!

Private Lesson Content: All of our private lessons begin with an evaluation of your current golf swing, short game technique or putting stroke. The next step is to show you where you are missing one or more of the all important fundamentals. We also will identify one or more Killer Moves that must be addressed right away in order for the student to start to see some immediate improvement. We end the lesson with a review of the important points covered and a home and range practice plan is created. We expect the student to commit to and follow that practice plan during the three to six weeks time interval until the next lesson.

We utilize high speed digital video cameras for slow motion analysis of student's golf swings as well as several uniquely effective training aids. Each student is also tested to determine their level of flexiblity so that we can design a golf swing improvement program that will take into account the student's body type and range of motion limitations. For inflexible golfers, we offer a golf swing flexiblity training program designed by Jim Waldron to increase range of motion in the most important body parts used in the golf swing.

                                                      2008 PRIVATE LESSON RATES AND INFORMATION

Juniors age 17 or younger receive a 10% discount off the regular rates listed below.

SINGLE LESSON RATES

Portland Golf Lessons

Old students/multi-day golf school graduates: One person - $120/hour. Two persons - $155/hour
New students: One person - $130 hour.  Two persons - $170 hour.

All Other Locations

Old students/multi-day golf school graduates: One person - $130 hour.  Two persons - $170 hour.

New students: One person - $150 hour. Two persons - $195 hour.

DISCOUNTED LESSON SERIES RATES FOR COMMITED STUDENTS

Most of our private lesson students are enrolled in a series of one hour lessons. A one hour lesson every three to four weeks throughout the summer golf season is the most effective way to learn and we can offer a lower hourly rate to these highly commited golf students. Lesson series must be completed within one year of enrollment.

Portland Location

Old students/golf school graduates: Four hours of private lessons - $460.  

Seven hours of private lessons: - $785.

New students: Four hours of private lessons - $495.

Seven hours of private lessons - $850.

Other Locations

Old students/golf school graduates: Four hours of private lessons - $495

Seven hours of private lessons - $835.

New students: Four hours of private lessons - $550.

Seven hours of private lessons - $945.

PLAYING LESSONS

On course demonstration of effective course management, pre-shot routine and shot selection strategies, risk/ reward analysis and feedback on the student's playing strategies. Managing your thoughts and emotions in that critical time between shots is also covered. Our students rave about our playing lessons! This is one of the fastest ways to significantly lower your golf scores in the shortest possible time. If you are now shooting an average score of 85-100, you can expect to lower your scores by five to ten shots almost immediately from the information you will learn about in this lesson.

Portland location: Old students/multi-day golf school graduates - $120/hour.  New students - $130 hour.

All other locations: Old students/multi-day golf school graduates - $135 hour. New students - $150 hour.

PRIVATE  GOLF SCHOOLS

In depth, one-on-one (one student), or two-one (two students) full day of Total Immersion golf instruction with Master Teacher Jim Waldron.

Includes training manual, use of training aids and lunch. Multi-day golf school graduates receive a 10% discount off of the rates listed below.

One day private golf instruction (7.5 hours): Portland - One person : $1,150.  Two persons : $1,395.

Other locations: One person - $1,250. Two persons - $1,500.

Two day private golf instruction (15 hours): Portland - One person - $2,300. Two persons - $2,795

Other locations: One person - $2,500. Two persons - $3,000.

Three day private golf instruction (22.5 hours): Portland - One person: $3,450.  Two persons - $4,100.

Other locations: One person - $3,750. Two persons -$4,500.

GAME EVALUATION

A three hour private class that analyzes the strengths and weaknesses in your game. We test your current skill level, athletic ability, and primary learning and playing styles. This information is then used to create a powerful goal-setting process and personal game improvement plan. This is the starting point for any dedicated player committed to breaking through to real golf improvement. Tuition: $395.

MENTAL GAME INSTRUCTION

Learn how to master the mental game and breakthrough to a higher level of golf performance from one of the nation's foremost golf mental game instructors. Mr. Waldron is a certified practicioner of Neuro-Linguistic Patterning, the most effective method of sports performance enhancement as well as a longtime student and teacher of Eastern concentration and meditation techniques, and a certified hypnotherapist. Confidence-building, concentration training, handling pressure effectively, and staying focused and in control of your thoughts and emotions while playing golf are just a few of the topics covered in our mental game private lesson program. Learn a professional level preshot routine and discover true shotmaking consistency.

Old students/golf school graduates: One person - $120/hour. Two persons - $155/hour.

New students:  One person - $130 hour.  Two persons - $170 hour.

HIRE-A-PRO PLAN

Virtually unlimited golf lessons for one year, at one simple, discounted rate. The best value for the dedicated golfer.

Single: $1,695 - Up to 15 hours of golf instruction.
Couple: $1,895 - Up to 15 hours of golf instruction, both partners together or individually.
Family Plan: $2,195 - Up to 20 hours of golf instruction for the entire family, both group and individual lessons.
Full tuition is due at signup and all lessons must be completed within one year of signup.

Summer Location:  QUAIL VALLEY GOLF COURSE - Banks, Oregon.

Our private lessons are held at Quail Valley Golf Course, one of the finest public courses in the Northwest, 30 minutes from downtown Portland. Quail Valley has a full service pro shop and grill. The practice range is spacious and features an all grass tee, short game practice area and putting green. Our private Learning Center is the small blue building at the far left end of the range. Parking is conveniently located within steps of the practice range. The entire left half of the practice range is devoted exclusively to our golf schools. We now have a covered lesson tea for rainy day lessons.

Portland Winter Season Location: Our old indoor winter season location - Copeland Sports in Beaverton - is going out of business and so we are presently looking for a replacement indoor winter season venue in the Portland area. We will post that new location here soon.

DIRECTIONS: From downtown Portland, take Hwy. 26 west to Hwy. 6 exit (about 20 minutes from #217 interchange with #26) and go about one mile to the first street on your right, turn right onto NW Aerts Rd.

Winter Location: Private lessons are available on a limited basis in Hawaii, Palm Springs and Las Vegas. Please call our office for details.

LESSON PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION POLICY: We require payment in advance for all of our private lessons. Payment is due by credit card at the time the lesson appointment is made. Visa or Mastercard are accepted. If you must cancel your lesson, please do so within a minimum of seven days of your lesson appointment so that we will have the opportunity to schedule a replacement student into your cancelled time slot. No refunds will be issued for students who fail to show up for their scheduled lesson or for cancellations received within seven days of the lesson appointment.

Weather cancellations: occassionally our students call us on the day of a scheduled lesson to cancel due to bad weather. It may be raining hard in their section of the Portland metro area but at Quail Valley Golf Course the weather is fine. We rarely need to cancel our scheduled lesson days due to bad weather anymore since we now have two covered instruction areas at Quail Valley Golf Course. In the rare case of really nasty weather, we will make the call, if needed, to cancel the day's lessons due to bad weather and we will contact each of our scheduled students the night before or the morning of the lesson day to inform them of this. If we do not call you to cancel due to bad weather, please assume that the weather is fine at the golf course, and we expect you to show up as planned. .