Lunch & Lesson with a PGA Professional

I’ve experienced many of the amenities Port Ludlow has to offer.

I’ve rented kayaks at the Port Ludlow Marina and enjoyed a sunny afternoon on Ludlow Bay. I’ve savored numerous meals at The Fireside. I’ve slumbered in one of the beautifully appointed guest rooms in the Inn at Port Ludlow. I’ve hiked many of the 26 miles of maintained hiking trails in Port Ludlow, truly It’s All Here…but confession, I’ve never played golf!

So, I decided it was time to change that and take a golf lesson with my co-worker Darren Posey, Head PGA Professional. The Port Ludlow Golf Club launched a new lesson program this year – Lunch & Lesson. The two hour program includes a one hour lesson followed by lunch at Niblicks Café.

Darren and I met up at the Pro Shop and as he gathered the Callaway clubs for our lesson I started to get a bit nervous. What if I didn’t hit the ball? Or even worse, what if I threw the club? Darren calmed my nerves as we headed out to the driving range which houses the Port Ludlow Learning Center.

Since I was truly a beginner in every sense of the word, Darren started by instructing me on proper grip – the correct way to hold the golf club. Once I had that down, we moved onto actually swinging the club.

Darren explained that a golf swing has two parts – a back swing and a forward swing all on a rotation. He had me practice swinging as he went and grabbed some golf balls and tees. It was finally time to try to hit something with the club. I swung the club at the tee, and missed, several times as Darren kindly guided me and provided me with helpful hints that would ensure I would hit the ball. “Don’t lock your elbows,” he had to remind me several times.

When the club made contact with the ball and I watched the ball soar over the driving range I felt a huge smile stretch across my face. The excitement of watching the golf ball soar, enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, the peacefulness of the golf course…golf is truly an art. In a single moment I understood why golfers are so passionate about the sport. Not all the golf balls I swung at that day went where I would have liked them to, but my appreciation for the sport and my desire to want to learn more grew.

After my lesson, Darren and I had lunch at Niblicks Café, located in the PortLudlow Golf Club Pro Shop. My Thai Chicken Salad was delicious and we enjoyed watching a golf tournament on TV as we discussed what I learned in the lesson.

Port Ludlow Golf Club has three PGA Pros to learn from, Ted Wurtz, PGA Teaching Professional, Adam Barrows, PGA Assistant Professional, and of course Darren Posey, PGA Head Professional. All three are excellent teachers and enthusiastic about helping you learn and improving your golf game – whether you’re a novice like me or just wanting to brush up on skills, I absolutely recommend booking a Lunch & Lesson.

To book a Lunch & Lesson, contact the Pro Shop at 360-437-0272.

Written by: Kaitlin Chester