GOLF: OPERATION 36

WHEN THE CARDINAL by Pete Dye implemented Operation 36 in 2018, Brian Kittler was immediately impressed.

As Vice President of Golf Operations at McConnell Golf, Kittler appreciates the way this proprietary developmental model combines golf instruction with games, special software and scheduled time on the course. Nearly three years in, some 80 percent of his golf pros are using this curriculum and it’s changing the way they teach the game.

“It doesn’t matter what your skill level is,” Kittler says. “The program makes sure that everyone’s having fun and has a chance to learn.”

Operation 36 was founded a decade ago by PGA professionals Ryan Dailey and Matt Reagan at Keith Hills Golf Club in Buies Creek, North Carolina, with a goal of increasing family participation on the course by focusing on junior golfers. Divided into eight-week semesters, the interactive curriculum includes six levels, with 12 goals in each. The end goal is to shoot par 36 for nine holes.

Novice golfers work from the green backwards, beginning at 25 yards – and that’s the biggest difference between Operation 36 and a conventional golf clinic, according to Erica Britt, the assistant golf pro at The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation. Once the golfer shoots par 36 or better, they move to 50 yards from the green, and keep moving back as they accomplish each incremental goal.

Using the Op 36 Mobile App, juniors can set clear goals and they – along with their coach and parents – can easily track their progress by inputting playing and training data such as time spent practicing. Watching online educational videos drives motivation before and after sessions.

“With Op 36, the game is not intimidating, but it holds the kids accountable,” observes Britt, who was honored among the program’s Top 50 Golf Coaches in 2020. “Whatever they accomplish, it’s on them. And the kids love it. Once they pass that first round, they’re wanting more.”

One of the biggest values of Op 36, according to McConnell Golf pros, is that it allows golfers to get out on the course and learn at their own pace, regardless of their age.

At The Cardinal, Leah Edwards has taken six semesters of Op 36, beginning with the club’s first year. Now in eighth grade, Leah is ranked 23rd overall in North Carolina for 18-and-under girls.

“Leah has really excelled and succeeded from the program,” says her coach, assistant golf pro Logan Peck. “She can hit it longer than half the men at the club.”

Her father agrees. “The skills and competitive spirit Leah gained through the Op 36 program at The Cardinal by Pete Dye has helped mold her into the scratch golfer she is today,” says Kip Edwards.

Like Leah, the juniors in Op 36 work hard, but they also have fun. A wealth of online resources and ideas for games and competitions to keep the kids engaged are available to all coaches in the program. After practicing the skill of the day with his juniors at Raleigh

Country Club, head pro Thomas Walker segues into interactive games.

“The kids have so much fun playing games that they forget they are actually practicing golf,” Walker notes. “Coaches around the country put in lesson plans, videos and games for anyone to use, so you never do the same thing twice.”

Logan Peck likes to get creative with his lessons. “If I can get the kids to smile and have a good time, I think I’m doing at least half my job,” he shares.

Alex Wyatt, whose son and daughter participate in The Cardinal’s program, says his children appreciate the special days that Peck stages during the semester. “Peyton’s favorite is Arnold Palmer Week, where the kids get an Arnold Palmer after practice,” Wyatt says. “Emma enjoys Bring a Friend Week and Crazy Socks Day, when the kids can show off their favorite mismatched socks.”

While the coronavirus pandemic presented a challenge for indoor sports, golf thrived.

“When COVID hit in 2020, having the Operation 36 program in place allowed our professional staff to continue to teach and grow the game, and the membership really embraced it,” says Kittler.

Case in point is the Op 36 program at Raleigh Country Club, which Walker initiated last fall. “The kids had nothing to do because of COVID, and the program was so successful that I couldn’t accommodate everybody,” Walker reports. “I sent out an email on a Sunday afternoon and filled the class within two hours.”

More broadly, Operation 36 helps grow the sport of golf by engaging young golfers and bringing different generations of families together on the course.

David Johnson says his son, Lindsay, thoroughly enjoyed his semester of Operation 36 at Raleigh Country Club – and he’s one of just a few to accomplish the 25-yard tournament on the first effort.

“That single event serves as a realworld experience for Lindsay that directly illustrates the relationship between focus, work, confidence and success,” Johnson says. “Operation 36 improved Lindsay’s golf game and sparked a passion for golf, which is music to this golf-lover’s ears!”