This is the second of your three onboarding calls. See all three in Welcome to Your Op 36 Onboarding.
On this call, your account manager reviews the class you built and helps you finish it, so it's ready to copy on your third call. You'll leave with one complete class: Packages, a lesson plan and family schedule, a published program, and a 9-hole event series.
Have the web app open to the class you built. If you got stuck on a step, that's fine. You'll finish it together on the call.
Packages
Most programs use five Packages: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced for juniors, plus Beginner and Advanced for adults. You can name them whatever suits your program. For example, call your Beginner package "Intro".
Package | What it usually includes | Share of sign-ups |
Beginner | Classes plus 9-hole events | About 80% |
Intermediate (juniors) | Adds supervised practice sessions | About 10-15% |
Advanced | Adds private lessons | About 5-10% |
Include 9-hole events in every package. Playing on course becomes part of the program, not an extra students talk themselves out of.
Adult Advanced packages leave out supervised practice. Adult classes already work as supervised practice.
Good to know: Intermediate and Advanced junior packages take a little more schedule planning, because they add supervised practice and private lessons. Your account manager can walk you through it.
Taking payments outside Stripe? Set the program to offline payments. Offline covers cash, check, and member charge, so you can use member billing or a payment link of your own. You record offline payments in the app with Mark as Paid. Learn more in Understanding Enrollments & Billing.
Lesson Plans
Lesson plans are for coaches. They're what you teach from: the warm-ups, the drills, and how each game is set up. Students and families never see them.
Start from a template. Then adapt it to your facility.
Go indoors when you need to. Swap in TrackMan or GS Pro games for indoor sessions, or mix indoor and outdoor activities in one plan.
Change the order. Drag and drop activities to rearrange them.
Lesson plans and the family schedule mirror each other, but they're separate and set up in different places. The family schedule is covered below.
Your Program
Set the start date, day, time, and class size. You can also turn on a waitlist.
Class size: start with 6 students per coach for juniors and 8 per coach for adults.
Waitlist: with it on, you can move waitlisted students into another time or the next session.
Marketing: add your program description, pricing, and the intro video. These become your marketing on your landing page.
Family Schedule
Once your program details are complete, fill in its schedule. The schedule is what students and parents see in the mobile app each week. It covers what the session is about, where it is, and what to bring, without the warm-ups or game setups.
Fill in each session so it matches that week's lesson plan. A clear schedule means fewer "what do I bring?" questions from parents.
Good to know: Save time with schedule templates [LINK: schedule templates]. There's a ready-made schedule for each of the four main 8-week lesson plans. Copy and paste them into your sessions, then adjust anything specific to your program.
9-Hole Event Series
Build your first event, then add three more for a series of four, usually every other week. Connect the series to your class rosters. Use RSVP to see who's coming, set capacity, and build pairings.
How often: most programs run 2 events a month. Larger academies can run up to 4.
Indoor facilities can hold events on class day.
Outdoor facilities usually need a separate time, so your tee times don't clash with members.
Best Practices from Successful Programs
Teaching
Teach juniors with the hamburger method. Start with a game, teach the skill, then finish with another game. Juniors learn through play and do well in co-ed classes.
Teach adults with the open-face sandwich method. Adults want information, not games. Give each player level-specific guidance while the group works through a supervised practice activity.
Group adults together. Most adults do well with all skill levels in one class. If adult classes are your main groups and they run large, consider splitting them into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Have students write down their results. During drills like 7 Cone 8s, a simple scorecard helps students see their own progress, especially indoors.
Levels and testing
Start everyone at Level 1. Every student plays their first 9-hole event from 25 yards, whatever their handicap. It sets a fair baseline, builds a shared culture, and parents or spouses who play along feel the challenge themselves. A score of 25 or less from 25 yards is a strong round, but 36 or better is the score that passes a level.
Judge ability by the scorecard, not a quick test. A full 9-hole score and stats tell you more than a few shots on the range.
Test curriculum skills every fourth week. Students test on the three skills from the weeks before. Parents get a notification in the app as soon as their child passes. Each curriculum video ends by showing what will be tested.
Keep everyone on 9-hole events. Resist moving strong players to 18 holes. 9-hole scores keep the data consistent for every student.
Running your program
Keep a steady schedule. Weekday evening classes work well year-round for juniors. For adults, daytime and weekend classes suit retirees and parents at home.
Plan for rain days. Use them to teach the Honor and Mastery parts of the curriculum. A Jeopardy-style quiz works well.
Reward effort with skill points. Hand out skill point chips for achievements and let students spend them at a skill point store at set times.
Hold off on the Junior Starter Kit. Wait until your classes are running smoothly, since it adds tracking work for a new coach.
Op 36 Clubs
Op 36 clubs are a great complement to your program. Clubs can be custom fit and ordered one at a time as a player levels up, so students add the right club when they're ready instead of buying a full set up front.
You can offer clubs through an affiliate or a wholesale program, and each has its own benefits. To learn more and choose the right fit for your academy, go to the [Store] section of the web app.
Common Questions
My simulator has no 25-yard tee. What do I do for Level 1?
Pick the shortest course setup you can, and keep each level within its total yardage range for 9 holes:
Level | Total yardage for 9 holes |
Level 1 | 225 yards or less |
Level 2 | 226 to 450 yards |
Level 3 | 451 to 900 yards |
Level 4 | 901 to 1,350 yards |
These ranges leave room for tee boxes that can't be placed at an exact yardage. Spot-check yardages before you build.
Can I change what's in a lesson plan?
Yes. Templates are starting points. Reorder activities, swap drills, and fit the plan to your space and culture.
What age should juniors start?
7 and up is the usual guide, but you can set your own minimum.
Should I run a summer camp?
Camps work well. Half-day campers can play one day a week and full-day campers can play more often. Older students can help with scorekeeping.
How do I add another coach?
Send your account manager the coach's full name and email.
Before Your Duplication & Marketing Call
Fill in the family schedule for sessions 2 to 8 so each matches that week's lesson plan.
If you take payments offline, add your payment link or payment instructions to the program description.
Build the remaining three 9-hole events and connect them to your rosters.
Confirm your event day and time with your facility.
Make sure every coach has set up their account from their invite email.
Open the coach dashboard in the mobile app and look through a student profile.
If you have any questions or need help, reach out to us at support@op36golf.com.