Have you ever wanted to get a hole-in-one? Well, little do students know we have golf classes available here at Skyline College.
Jan Fosberg, professor of kinesiology and women’s badminton coach, teaches a wide variety of activity classes. As a certified United States Golf Teachers Federation instructor, she teaches golf classes here at Skyline. As a student in one of her two golf classes available each semester, you can expect to learn the ins and outs of this sport.
Fosberg usually instructs two golf classes per regular semester, meeting with her students on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8–9:15 a.m. and Thursdays from 8–10:50 a.m. The classes meet at Cypress Golf Course in Colma, a nine-hole, par-30 golf course that challenges players.
In Fosberg’s classes, golf is taught methodically so that students understand the game they are trying to learn. Fosberg’s hands-on approach to the game enables students to gain valuable knowledge about golf on and off the course.
“In all golf classes, I teach and/or emphasize the set-up technique (posture, grip, alignment and ball position) and the mechanics of the swing,” Fosberg said, answering by email. “I also lecture on etiquette, speed of play and rules of the game. Depending on the emphasis of the class, lesson plans may include short game technique, strategies and course management, the mental approach to the game, or even video lessons so students can see their mechanics in slow motion or stop motion in one-on-one swing lessons.”
For students wanting to go beyond golf classes and represent their school by joining a golf team here at Skyline, Fosberg explained why we don’t have one and how we probably won’t be forming one anytime soon.
“Currently, as you probably know, we are in a very difficult budgetary situation, so athletic programs are not going to be added,” Fosberg explained. “It is not really feasible to budget our limited dollars for a sport where only a few participants get to compete.”
Fosberg did mention, however, that Skyline College had a golf team in the 1970s, but also due to budget restrictions and low interest, the team was dropped. She also mentioned that Cañada College recently dropped their men’s golf team, and she is unaware if Cañada’s current women’s golf team still exists.
This should not discourage anyone though, because Fosberg’s classes more than compensate for the lack of a Skyline golf team. According to Fosberg, her classes hold educational and financial benefits for anyone interested in the game of golf.
“It is an unbelievable bargain to pay $36 for a semesters’ worth of golf lessons. If a student were to take lessons at a golf range, the cost would be anywhere from $40–100 per lesson,” Fosberg said. “Golf classes at Skyline teach not only the mechanics of the swing but the entire game etiquette, on-course strategy, pace of play, rules and an appreciation for a game that one can play for the rest of their lives.”
Fosberg also believes that golfers learn important life lessons that they can take off the course and incorporate into their daily lives and that the game never gets old.
“It’s a game that teaches honesty, integrity and patience,” Fosberg said. “It’s a game I’ve played for nearly 40 years and will never grow tired of playing. Every shot is different, always challenging, and draws you back with each ‘great shot!'”
Fosberg’s has a golf class available for the summer semester. If you are interested in registering for her class, it is called INDV 169 Golf Swing Analysis. It will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:10-10:15 a.m.
There will also be a new golf class in the fall called Golf: Improving the Mental Game in addition to the Golf Swing Analysis class (to be held in the fall on Mondays and Wednesdays 8:00-9:20 a.m.). Improving the Mental Game is listed as INDV 172 and will be held Thursdays from 8:10-10:50 a.m.
