For about 8 years, my kids and I took lessons with Mike Bricker. Mike is the head teaching professional at Pruneridge Golf Center, Santa Clara California.
In an effort to constantly improve my game, I’ve always taken lessons. What I found refreshing about Mike’s approach is that he works with your swing, and tailors his approach to what resonates with you. I never felt he was trying to force a swing type onto me. Instead, I always felt that he would seek to understand my tendencies at the time, and provide tailored feedback to improve the swing. I really liked that.
As an avid connoisseur of swing types, I would frequently bring youtube videos to a lesson. Freddy Couples. Lydia Ko. Luke Donald. Mike was always open to listen to my thoughts about these swings, patiently answered my questions, and we talked about what to take away from those videos to apply to my game. Some other teachers I’ve come across don’t react in this way, as they took offense to discussing swings different than what they were prescribing and what we were working on.
Short game is another strength of Mike. His short game coaching is very clear and sound. His methods are very similar to Pelz. We played many putting and chipping contests, and he’d win 99% of the time. There are the once or twice times I won, and it was great to savor that short-lived taste of victory until the next lesson. Pruneridge has a great practice bunker and chipping green, so we spent plenty of time working on this critical aspect of the game.
Mike is great with kids, and he taught both of my kids starting when they were 3 years old. His teaching methods are engaging as well as resonating for kids. Both my kids would be eager to see “Mr. Mike” every weekend. We coupled lessons on the range with lessons on the course. Mike laid a great foundation and passion for the game with both of my kids. If you have kids, you may want to try one of Pruneridge's FREE junior clinics every Saturday. Mike and Jeff usually conduct these classes and it'll give you a sense of their style and if it works for your child. I remember seeing one student swing during this clinic, and I asked her how she got so good. She told me her mom just took her to this free clinic for a few years. I was amazed.
Overall, I highly recommend Mike to anyone - young, old, aspiring pros. He will improve you game, and you will have fun on your own journey to greatness.
For more info:
http://www.golfpruneridge.com/
http://golfdoctorpro.com/