Golf lessons: range, short game and on-course slots

Create one service per kind of lesson, because each one needs a different place and length: a range lesson fits in 30 to 60 minutes on a bay, a short game session needs the practice green, and a playing lesson on the course takes the time of the holes you play. Open slots for each service when that space is free, and let golfers pick the lesson they want. For packs of lessons, book the dates yourself with the golfer so the series is set from the start.

Lengths and prices are examples: set yours. On Book, a service has a name, an optional description and a price. Each slot belongs to one service with its own start and end time, so a 30-minute range lesson and a 2-hour-30 playing lesson live side by side without being confused.

A 30-minute range lesson works as a quick fix between rounds; a 60-minute one leaves room for video and drills. Create a block of range lesson slots on the days you're at the club, and repeat it on the chosen weekdays until an end date, for example the end of the season. If your club has a limited number of bays for teaching, don't open more lessons at the same time than bays you can use.

A playing lesson depends on tee times. Open them only when you have a start time agreed with the club, and make the slot as long as the holes you'll play plus time to debrief. In the description, say how many holes, what the golfer should bring, and that any green fee is handled with the club. Book doesn't take payments, so fees stay with you and the club.

If you sell packs of five or ten lessons, note that Book doesn't manage packs or credits. Two simple ways to handle them:

If you enter the golfer's email when you book, they receive a confirmation for each lesson with a calendar file. Book doesn't send reminders, so a pack booked in advance is easier to keep on track.

The booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note. Suggest a few points for the note: handicap or "beginner", what they want to work on (driver, irons, short game, putting), left or right-handed, and whether they need clubs. You receive an email for each new booking with the note, so you can prepare the right drills.

A beginner's first lesson is about grip, stance and a few first swings, perhaps with a first try on the putting green. Give it its own service, with a description that says clubs can be lent if you do that, and what to wear. For juniors, open lessons after school or on weekend mornings, and ask parents to book in their own name with the child's first name and age in the note. If you run small junior groups, give the slot the number of places you can coach at once; each child takes one place, and the lesson is hidden from your page when it's full.

Golf is played outside, and lightning or heavy rain can stop a lesson. Say in the description what happens then: a covered bay, indoor studio, or a new date. Golfers can't move their bookings online; when you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list, Book doesn't email them, so tell them yourself.

Calendar sync with Google, iPhone or Mac shows your lessons next to your own rounds. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract.