Private Playing Lessons
Scoring, Not Swinging.
You don't need a better swing. You need a scoring system. Here's where you're leaking strokes.
Ball above your feet. Below. Bare. Buried. Uphill. Downhill. Wet. Each changes everything. Most members guess. I'll show you the rule for every lie — and how to adjust club, stance, and target instantly.
Tucked flag behind a bunker? You aim at it anyway. The data says the average amateur hits their target only 50% of the time. A miss at a tucked pin is a bunker or a short-side chip. A miss at center-green is a 40-foot putt. Short-siding yourself is the #1 source of double bogeys — and it's entirely avoidable.
Your 7-iron carries 150 once a round. The other 14 times it carries 140. But you keep grabbing the 7-iron from 150 and plugging it in the front bunker. Plus you don't adjust for wind, temperature, elevation, or firmness. Learn your real stock yardages and watch 'came up short' disappear from your scorecard.
20 yards off the green and you reach for the 60° and pray. But the rule is simpler: putt when you can, bump-and-run when you can't putt, chip when you have to, pitch only as a last resort. Most amateurs skip straight to the hardest option. I'll give you a system so you never guess again.
MJ Pineault. I spent 3 years as a PGA Assistant Pro (Level 1, PAT) — teaching, fitting, running the shop. That's where I learned most players don't need a better swing. They need a scoring system.
As a player, I captained Ridgewood to its first-ever #1 State Ranking, earned North Jersey All-Quarter Century (2000-2025) and All-Decade Team (2000-2009) recognition — the only Ridgewood golfer on both — plus 4× All-State, 2× First Team All-County, 3× First Team All-NNJIL. Competed in State TOC all four years — the only Ridgewood golfer to do it. I didn't get there on range balls. I got there learning how to think around a golf course.
Now I teach that at your club. One-on-one. No range. No band-aids.
On the course, not the range. Every situation you'll face in a real round.
Fairway, rough, bare, buried, wet, uphill, downhill, sidehill, divot. Each changes club, stance, and expected outcome. The rule for every lie — instantly.
Sitting up vs sitting down. Thin lie vs cushion underneath. Why one produces a thin miss and the other grabs the hosel. Where to keep your weight.
Thick rough, wet rough, flier lies, buried lies, sitting down vs sitting up. Each changes spin, launch, and carry. Most amateurs guess. I'll teach you to see it and know the play.
Dispersion patterns. Center-green vs flag-hunting. Short-side avoidance. Playing to your average shot, not your best. The 80% rule — only take shots you can make 8/10 times.
You have a natural shot shape and reliable distances. Build a game plan around what you do well instead of fixing what you don't. Play your fade. Own your 120 club.
How wind, temperature, humidity, and elevation change carry and rollout. Club adjustments. Controlling trajectory. Predicting how the ball behaves when it lands.
When greens run 11+ and fairways are rock-hard, landing zones shrink. How to land it soft, use slopes to stop it, and miss in the right spot.
Mud on the ball, wet grips, no rollout, plugged lies, shorter carry. Adjusting distance, club, and expectations in real time. Heavy air plays shorter.
Full to partial swings. Knowing your stock wedge distances. Trajectory and spin control. Which wedge for which situation. Building a reliable scoring zone you can trust.
Hard pan vs fluffy. Green-side vs fairway. Uphill/downhill lies. Wet sand vs dry. A repeatable system that gets you close every time.
When to putt vs bump-and-run vs chip vs pitch. The rule: putt when you can, bump when you can't putt, chip when you have to, pitch only as a last resort.
Playing backwards from the green. The 5-decision pre-shot checklist. Short-side avoidance. Identifying birdie holes. Knowing where to take par. Pre-round prep that saves 3 shots.
The hero shot from the trees costs you doubles. Take your medicine. Punch out. Accept bogey and move on. One bad swing never needs a second one to follow it.
Playing for money changes everything. Nerves affect tempo, focus, decisions. A consistent pre-shot routine that works under pressure. How to stay in control when the round matters.
No range. No facility fee. Real golf at your home club.
Pick your package. I come to your club in Northern NJ, Westchester, or Long Island.
We walk 9 or 18. Every shot is a coaching moment — club selection, lie reading, conditions, decisions.
You leave with a repeatable scoring system. Not a tip. Not a drill. A decision framework that works every round.
One-on-one. At your course. Real results.
Not that this should matter — but here's the background that lets me charge what I do.
Real rounds, real shit-talking, real results.
"Played 18 with MJ. He called every bad decision before I made it. By the back nine I was actually thinking through shots instead of just hitting. Lowest round of the season. Worth it."
Tuxedo Club
"MJ showed me I've been making the same mistake for years without realizing it. Fixed it in one session. Now I'm scoring lower and he won't shut up about it."
Silverado
"Went in expecting swing tips. Walked out with a complete course management system. Dropped 5 strokes my next round. Hard to argue with that."
Ridgewood Country Club
Send your info and I'll reach out within 24 hours to get you on the schedule.
1-on-1 playing lessons at your club. I come to you.
Northern NJ • Westchester • Long Island
18 Holes — $650
9 Holes — $400
Short Game — $300
Strategy Session — $200
Scoring Audit — $150/mo
Cash / Venmo / Zelle