By CRAIG DOLCH
Appearing in The Post Courtesy of The Club at Ibis
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 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 as 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 of instructor Hall. Send me more information about The Club at Ibis!
Martin Hall: No Regrets
Martin 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.” Send me more information about The Club at Ibis!
Martin Hall & Blair O’Neal celebrate their 400th show.
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.
20 Hours for 30 Minutes
“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 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.” Send me more information about The Club at Ibis!
Teaching Wasn’t the Plan
Martin Hall with fan Rory McIlroy.
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 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. He moved to Boca Raton and was teaching at St. Andrews, 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. Send me more information about The Club at Ibis!
Hall Arrives at The Club at Ibis
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. Send me more information about The Club at Ibis!
Curing Golf Ills without Stress
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.
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.
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 utilized 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.” Send me more information about The Club at Ibis!
