This is a review for the membership and lessons at Five Iron. Warning, kinda long!
I hesitate to complete a review too early on, as one tends to be in the honeymoon phase, but almost three months in, I believe I've gotten a good representation. I had just finished a 5-week clinic that peaked my interest in picking up golf, but with fall around the corner, I needed a facility where I could start practicing and one that had early hours and Five Iron was one of the places suggested to me.
I was able to set up a 1 week trail with Ian, and I was easily booked in their system to come try out their facilities. It is an incredibly nice touch that the staff greets you by name, and during my first visit, I was walked through the tech and made known to alert the staff if there were any issues. There are two different sets of clubs that are available to use if you don't own your own set. I definitely took advantage of this until I purchased my own set. Water is always made available at the bays, and if one so chooses, there are drink and food options to order as well. Ian followed up on my trial after the end of the week and I made the commitment to a membership due to the comfortable atmosphere provided. As a female, I was concerned about getting a "boys club" kind of vibe, but environment is extremely welcoming. Since I live so close by, the membership has been great. I've been able to set up a routine for practice and have never had any issues getting an hour - 1.5hr in during member times, but I also think it helps when I am going in first thing in the morning before work. Other perks include showers, club storage, light breakfast options, and 20% discount on classes, etc.
With the membership, one of the perks is one swing evaluation. However, as a complete beginner whose only skill was making ball contact, James Tobia, who is the senior golf instructor, was kind enough to tailor it to more of a fundamentals so I was walking away knowing more than I started. At the end of it, he gave a great breakdown plus how future lessons would look like if I wanted to continue down that path. There was no up-selling or pressure and I was responding well to his teaching techniques, so I decided to book a few lessons. From my limited knowledge, I believe I have improved drastically since my first time holding a club. James is very focused on the foundations, and is very technical, but he is able to break it down in a way that is understandable. My form is already better and I am developing a decent backswing and working on my downswing and follow-through. Highly enjoy learning from James - he is extremely professional but approachable as well.
I also want to add that I interact with Steven and Stephen the most out of all the staff at Five Iron. Both have been extremely helpful anytime I needed help and easy to work with. It's a great spot in downtown Indy and worth checking out! read more