Golf Academy Caters to Pros

Mixing top-notch instruction with convenience is the idea behind the Back 9 Golf Academy, which plans to open on Memorial Day in Bentonville.
Mel Parks is starting the business and bringing in PGA professional Jeff Lockman to lead instruction. Lockman, has been a teaching pro for 17 years. He has experience as the primary swing coach for multiple players on various tours and also serves as the golf instructor to the Marriott family.
Back 9 looks to meet the needs of busy execs who don’t have time for golf lessons. They can swing by for a 30-minute lesson ($40) or 1-hour lesson ($75) during lunch, or anytime, for instruction and then just head straight to the course on the weekend.
It also opens golf instruction to those who don’t necessarily belong to private clubs.
Group sessions and clinics also will be available beyond the 1-on-1 instruction. Two high-speed cameras will analyze swings.
Another feature of Back 9 will be virtual reality, hi-def simulators. For $37, players can use their own clubs to play the golf courses of the world.