PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Play Golf America's PGA Free Lesson Month set record numbers nationwide with more than 147,000 free lessons given throughout the month of May, a 21 percent increase from last year. PGA Free Lesson Month is a growth-of-the-game initiative between The PGA of America, Golf Digest, The Golf Channel and Golf for Women. Nike Golf, the official program sponsor, provided sweepstakes prizes to help promote the campaign.
Play Golf America's PGA Free Lesson Month is designed to reach new golfers and help existing golfers improve their game with free, 10-minute golf lessons conducted by PGA Professionals nationwide throughout the month of May. This year, a total of 147,332 free lessons (21 percent increase) were given by 7,485 PGA Professionals (8.7 percent increase) at 5,880 facilities (5.5 percent increase) across the country.
Below are 2006 survey results from participating PGA Professionals:
* PGA Professionals gave an average of almost 20 lessons each, with each lesson averaging 19 minutes. A total of 46,655 hours were dedicated to free lessons.
* 23 percent of participating golfers were new or beginners.
* 55 percent of the free lessons given were to new customers.
* 31 percent of participants were women.
* 11 percent of the PGA Professionals gave lessons to individuals with disabilities.
Golf Digest Publications, which has teamed with The PGA of America since the campaign's inception, used its three leading publications including Golf Digest, Golf World and Golf For Women to promote PGA Free Lesson month to a combined audience of more than nine million readers. Golf Digest provided editorial coverage on PGA Free Lesson Month in its May issue and featured a roster of PGA Professionals offering 10-minute free lessons. The May issue of Golf Digest also included an insert sweepstakes card, giving readers a convenient way to sign up for a free lesson and register to win a golf getaway vacation. In addition, the program was featured in Golf For Women magazine's May/June issue, Golf World magazine's April issue and was posted on www.golfdigest.com.
