Martin Hall has left 'School of Golf' but he's still giving lessons

Craig Dolch
| Special to the Post

Hall made the decision to leave the show after 15 years and 430 episodes, citing a desire to “have a little left in the tank.”

WEST PALM BEACH — It is late Friday morning and Martin Hall is in his happy place: the south range at The Club at Ibis. There are no cameras or producers around, no microphone clipped to his chest or IFB (audio receiver) in his ear, just the occasional sound of a ball being well struck by an Ibis member.

Hall has settled into LAT – Life After TV – as easily as making a 2-foot putt. He’s doing the same thing he did for 15 years and 430 shows as the face of instruction on Golf Channel’s “School of Golf.” Only now, it’s to an audience of one, the Ibis member who is smiling after hitting her final drive straighter than a ruler.

“He’s good!” she says.

Hall smiles. If he misses being in front of a camera, he hides it well. Timing isn’t just important with the golf swing, it’s paramount to a successful life. Hall, who turns 70 this fall, insists he has no regrets after taping his last show that aired March 31 (his shows continue on replay on GolfPass).

“It was my decision for a variety of reasons,” he said. “I was listening to Rory (McIlroy) being interviewed about when he was going to retire, and he said he wanted to have a little left in the tank. I remember my mom telling me, there’s nothing worse than seeing a singer stay too long when they can’t sing. There was a little voice in me that said this was the right time to hang it up.”

Hall is not retiring. He still gives lessons four or five days a week at Ibis, where he has taught since 1997. But that seems like a part-time job after he started hosting the popular Golf Channel show in 2011.

Playing golf at a high level is one of the most difficult tasks in sports; you can win a trophy one week and be humbled the next. Teaching golf in front of close to 1 million discerning viewers around the world is perhaps even more difficult.

“People ask me how many shows do I tape a day … four, five, six?” Hall says. “They don’t understand TV at all. I would say on average it takes me about 20 hours to prepare for a 30-minute show when you add up all the time I take to write it, prepare for it, talk to producers, get stuff ready.

“They say, ‘Well, you made it look so easy, so natural.’ There’s nothing easy about it. You’ve got five cameras, you’ve got an earpiece, and you’ve got to look at this camera, then that camera, now ‘Turn over here, two steps left, Martin.’ It’s very difficult, but I loved it.”

Martin Hall wanted to play golf professionally

Teaching golf was never the plan for the England native and Palm City resident. He became a professional golfer after high school and played on the DP World Tour for a couple of years. In 1977, he had to go to Q-School to keep his card, but failed to advance after missing a 4-foot putt on the final hole. “It turned out to be a very good 4-foot putt to miss,” he said.

Hall started teaching in England before moving to the U.S. in 1985. One of his first jobs was teaching at St. Andrew’s in Boca Raton, where he worked with famed instructors Bob Toski, Peter Kostis and Jim Flick.

That led to him working for a golf academy run by Jack Nicklaus and Flick, known as the Nicklaus-Flick Golf Schools. When the company went public, Hall started teaching privately.

In 1997, Hall was hired at Ibis by former head professional Steve Philbrook. Almost three decades later, Hall is still at Ibis – he’s the director of instruction.

“It’s been a great fit for me at Ibis,” Hall said. “Not that I think I’m particularly clever, but I knew it was the right time to leave (Nicklaus-Flick).”

Hall’s big break, to coin a Golf Channel term, came in 2011 when he won a national talent search to host the network’s weekly instruction show. His easy personality, English accent, knowledge of the swing and love of unusual training tools – some call them gadgets – quickly earned him high marks on TV.

There were some early anxious moments, such as when he learned he was taping two shows on the same day alongside Tom Watson and Sir Nick Faldo. Hall felt like a high handicapper hitting balls next to Tiger Woods.

“I was so nervous because we’re talking about two Hall of Famers,” Hall said. “I told (wife) Lisa as we were driving to Orlando to turn the car around because I didn’t think I could do this. But when I got there, I was fine. They were great to work with.”

That was 14 years ago. Things soon changed after Hall became ubiquitous with his weekly prime-time show and unique drills. Some of the world’s best golfers were in awe to see him.

“I think the first time I saw Shane Lowry, he nearly fainted,” said Hall, with a chuckle, of the native of Ireland who now lives in Jupiter. “I was coming out of the Bear’s Club, and he was going in. When you’ve done this as long as I have, you can tell when people recognize you. Shane jumped out of his skin.”

Such are the perks of being on TV for 430 shows. Hall insists he never got into teaching for fortune or fame – good thing, because most instructors toil quietly – but it was his curiosity of solving the Rubik’s Cube that is the golf swing.

“I don’t think of myself as a legend at all,” Hall said. “I’m someone who just loved, loved golf. Never quite played at the level I wanted to but love trying to discover what makes golf swings tick.”

Golf Channel’s loss has been Ibis’ gain. He still arrives before dawn on most days, eager to solve a 20-handicapper’s slice, without the constant stress of coming up with a different show next week.

Morgan Pressel, Karrie Webb, Lexi Thompson among those he helped

For the most part, he eschewed working with touring pros – though he helped LPGA major champions Morgan Pressel, Karrie Webb and Lexi Thompson – because he didn’t want to travel more than he did. In addition to private lessons, Hall conducts a half-dozen clinics for Ibis’ membership, sometimes with special guests such as Annika Sorenstam when the club started using TopTracer technology on its range.

“Martin knows how to adapt to that individual,” said Robin Boretti, Ibis’ director of golf, who has worked with Hall since his arrival at the club. “He can make you laugh during a lesson. He can make you serious during a lesson. He knows his stuff. He can change your ball flight in seconds.

“What’s great about Martin is he’s always giving back to the members as well as our other instructors. I don’t think there’s any doubt he has helped us put together the best instructional team in South Florida. Sometimes, I don’t think our membership knows how lucky they are to have Martin here.”

His wife, Lisa, knows how much effort he puts into each lesson, especially when he was on Golf Channel. She has been among those making those last-minute drives to Home Depot to pick up a 2-by-4 for his latest prop.

“Martin never takes any shortcuts, which to me stands out more than anything,” said Lisa, who was the 1997 LPGA Rookie of the Year and played on two European Solheim Cup teams.

“He always wants to do his best. There has been relief now that the TV pressure has been taken off. There’s a sense of freedom and space and time.”

Hall isn’t about to use his extra time these days to play much golf. He says he plays maybe 18 holes every two weeks, keeping his handicap in the 2-to-4 range.

“I’d rather go for a walk on the beach and have ice cream,” he said.

Like all good instructors, Hall has used ever-improving technology to assist with his teaching. He points out technology is important – if it’s used properly.

He didn’t need a computer to tell him it was time to slow down. His body and mind have been telling him that for a while.

“I feel like I’ve been going down the river in a speed boat at 100 miles an hour,” he said. “I’d like to swap it for a canoe and a paddle.”

Five Questions with Martin Hall

Here are five questions we asked longtime Golf Channel teacher Martin Hall, the director of instruction at The Club at Ibis in West Palm Beach:

Question: You hosted 430 shows on Golf Channel. That’s a lot of shows. How did you keep them fresh and unique?

Answer. Putting a show together that’s interesting, compelling, and somehow putting a bit of a slant on it that’s a little unusual, a little different, without being ridiculous. It’s hard to do, and it I mean, and it got harder at the end as well because my producer kept saying, “I want a drill that no one’s ever seen before.”

How much joy does it bring you when you see one of your students play better and the enjoyment they have?

I don’t take any responsibility for how well people play. That’s on them, right? I take responsibility, particularly if they’re good players, to make sure they have the right message and they have the right tools to do better, but they have to put some of the work in. They have to do some of the push-ups, right?

You didn’t plan on becoming an instructor. What was it like when you started teaching?

I had no idea what I was teaching when it first came off. It really depended on what was on the cover of Golf Digest that month, because that was what I taught for a month until the next Golf Digest came along.

If you could take a lesson from anyone, who would it be?

I would want to take one from Tiger (Woods). I know Rory (McIlroy) well. I have a really good idea of what Rory would say to any question I would ask him about his golf swing. But Tiger, I’m not. He doesn’t give it up as much as Rory does. That’s just the difference between them.”

What are your thoughts on technology with instruction and how much did you embrace it?

I think technology is a good thing for golf, but you have to understand what you’re using. I’ve got five computers running this morning. You have to understand the strengths and weaknesses of every system. They’re not perfect. Once you’ve got a few miles under your belt with technology, it’s fantastic. I wouldn’t want to teach without it. I’m a far better teacher because of technology than without it.

Read the full article here