Frequently Asked Questions

Private lessons are available every day. Hourly rates with our Master Instructors (Grant Halverson, Ken Green, Bruce Nakamura, Bob Knee, Jason Puterbaugh and Jamie Puterbaugh) are $130 for juniors through high school, $155 for college players and $220 for adults. Lessons with Kip Puterbaugh are $300 per hour for juniors and college players and $500 per hour for adults. Book online or call 760.438.4539.

Lessons are taught on the grass practice range and in our covered teaching stalls at Aviara Golf Club, Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad. Our stalls use Swing Catalyst high-speed video and force plates, Foresight Falcon and GCQuad launch monitors and FlightScope, plus a library of over 1,600 Tour swings for comparison. Swings from your lesson are emailed to you afterward.

Yes. Our new short game facility lets you practice from every kind of lie: rough, bunker, uphill, downhill and side-hill, so your instructor can set up the shots you actually face on the course.

The Putting Lab is a 90-minute putting lesson ($390) using the Quintic Ball Roll System, which measures over 45 putter and ball parameters, along with the Wellputt BigTilt platform and OnForm stroke analysis. Lessons start at 8:10am, 10:10am and 12:10pm Monday through Friday; call for weekend availability. Right-handed putters only at this time. The Putting Lab is located down by the expansive putting green, which Putting Lab lessons use.

Private putting lessons use OnForm and the Wellputt BigTilt and can be taught on either green, depending on what you want to work on: the expansive putting green below, by the Putting Lab, is longer and bigger and better for distance putts, while the private putting green up at the Academy facility is great for mid-length and short putting. Quintic is used only in Putting Lab lessons.

We have a 24-hour cancellation policy for all private lessons and Putting Lab lessons.

We offer One, Two and Three Day Classic Total Game Schools and Short Game Schools ($995 for one day, $1,895 for two days, $2,595 for three days per person), a one-day Playing Golf School with an 18-hole playing lesson ($1,450), and the Ultimate Golf Outing, combining instruction with a custom club fitting ($1,295). Every school has a 3-to-1 student-to-instructor ratio. The hours of the golf school are 8-3pm each day.

A full school day runs 8:00 to 11:30am and 12:30 to 3:00pm, with lunch included with your instructor. Tuition includes after-school golf with cart on the Arnold Palmer-designed Aviara Golf Club course, upon availability. Schools are taught by our Master Instructors; Kip Puterbaugh does not teach the schools, but you can book a private lesson with him.

Short Game Schools run the second weekend of each month as one, two or three day schools starting Fridays. They cover everything from 100 yards and in (trajectory, distance control, chipping, putting and sand play) using our new short game practice area, the golf course itself and the expansive putting green below the practice area. Classic Total Game Schools are offered Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Sunday all year and can be customized.

Yes. Add a 3-hour, 14-club fitting at the TaylorMade Aviara Performance Center to your school for only $200 more, a savings of $150.

All school reservations may be cancelled or refunded with no penalty within 24 hours of booking. A 3% processing fee applies to all refunds after 24 hours.

Kip Puterbaugh's Aviara Golf Academy is located at the award-winning Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Carlsbad, California (7447 Batiquitos Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92011), about 30 minutes north of downtown San Diego. It opened in 1991 at the Arnold Palmer-designed Aviara Golf Club and is the longest-running golf school in the Western United States. Students can easily combine instruction with golf on the course, a custom fitting at the TaylorMade Aviara Performance Center and a stay at the resort.

Yes. Book a one, two or three day school and add a stay at the Park Hyatt Aviara, and we'll book it all for you. We offer corporate rates for accommodations on the resort. The resort features tennis, the Miraval Life in Balance Spa, a fitness center and fine dining, and has been AAA Five Diamond every year since 1999. Call 760.438.4539.

No. Lessons and schools are open to everyone, whether you are staying at the resort, are an Aviara Golf Club member or live nearby.

No. The Park Hyatt Aviara offers complimentary transportation to Aviara Golf Club, Carlsbad Village and Carlsbad State Beach with advance reservation. Contact the resort at +1 760 448 1234 for details.

Yes. The Park Hyatt Aviara has covered valet parking and EV charging stations for resort guests.

McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD) is just 4 miles away. San Diego International (SAN) is 32 miles, John Wayne (SNA) 57 miles and Los Angeles International (LAX) 95 miles.

Yes, private lessons are available every day to golfers of all levels. Members and local golfers book the same way as everyone else: online or by calling 760.438.4539.

Yes. Range balls are included in all lessons, and parking is free at the golf course.

Yes. We offer formats for every group, from outings for non-golfers to pre-round clinics, full swing and short game clinics, and one, two or three day schools, with a curriculum built to fit your needs. We've hosted Toyota, Cisco, Merrill Lynch, Moet Hennessy USA, Oaktree Capital and many more. Guests can stay at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort. We can arrange hotel meeting space and room blocks. Group size depends on the length of time you are looking for. For pricing, email us at info@puterbaughgolf.com.

Yes. Junior Golf Clinics (ages 7-15, all skill levels) run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays 4-5pm, and a High School/Middle School Clinic runs Wednesdays 4-5pm, each $40 per class with a 6-to-1 ratio. The Aviara Jr. League (ages 8-14) runs in May and June; 2027 sign-ups start in mid-February. Private junior lessons start at $130 per hour.