Instruction
INDIVIDUAL LESSONS
Thompson Golf Academy offers individual lessons at Magic City Indoor Golf, as well as our golf course locations. The rates above are for lessons with Neil Thompson or Jeff Copeland, both long-time PGA members. Aaron Holden, manager of Magic City Indoor Golf and a PGA apprentice, also gives one-hour lessons for $80. Click here to book a lesson with Aaron. An individual does not have to be a member to take a lesson. Simply book here via the website, making sure you toggle between the locations, type of lesson and instructors, to choose what you want, where you want, and arrive at that location at the specified time.
GROUP CLASSES
Adult group classes will have a maximum of four students per class at Magic City Indoor Golf, while beginner junior classes will have a maximum of six students. Classes are offered multiple times per week (see schedule below). Classes are interchangeable with our Pine Tree CC classes, so choose where to learn each week, indoors and at the course. There are specific family classes offered enabling immediate family members to attend together. Try a class for free first, but you must book here via the website and arrive at the location at the specified time. Pay is recurring month-to-month; 30-day notice to stop.
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ADULT CLASS SCHEDULE
Mondays, 5-6 pm
Wednesdays, 6-7 pm
Saturdays, 8-9:30 am (at Pine Tree CC)
JUNIOR CLASS SCHEDULE
Mondays, 4-5 pm
Tuesdays, 4-5 pm (at Timberline)
Wednesdays, 4-5 pm, 5-6 pm
Saturdays, 9-10 am
Saturdays, 10-11 am (at Pine Tree CC)
* Classes at Magic City Indoor Golf unless noted
Instructors
NEIL THOMPSON
Neil turned professional in 1993, having been a First-Team All-American at Central Alabama Community College, finishing third in the 1993 National Championship.
He became a member of the Great Britain & Ireland PGA in January 1999 and the PGA of America in April 2000. He has won various Alabama/Northwest Florida PGA Section awards including Teacher of the Year, Junior Development Award, Adult Program Development Award and others over the last 20 years.
He still likes to compete and has played in three PGA Tour Champions major championships since turning 50 (the 2021 and 2023 Senior PGA Championship, and the 2023 Senior (British) Open Championship.
His approach has always been to encourage the pupil to become the best player they can be. And always wanting to learn himself utilizing the latest technology to do so.
Jeff copeland
Jeff is a 25 year plus Class A PGA Professional who has been teaching since 1993. He has been married to his wife, Melanie, since 1998 and they have two boys, Cam and Reese. He was born and raised in Henderson, Tn. and went to nearby Union University in Jackson, Tn. on a golf scholarship where he was an accomplished player all four years. He moved to Birmingham in 2004 to be the Head Golf Professional at Altadena Valley CC. When Altadena closed in 2015, he joined Thompson Golf Academy as a full-time instructor.
Jeff has helped thousands of golfers in his career learn how to play the game of golf better, which not only includes swing instruction on the range but on-course playing instruction as well. He understands the fear you can have of making changes to your golf swing and he focuses on helping you to understand why they are necessary and how to implement them consistently on the course where it really matters.
At the age of 18 and with very little tournament experience, he shot a 69 trying out for Union’s Golf Coach, who then offered Jeff a 4 year golf scholarship. Jeff calls this his most important round he’s ever played.
Qualified for The PGA Club Professionals National Championship twice; 2016 Alabama/NW Florida Senior Professional Champion; and qualified for The PGA Senior Club Professionals National Championship twice.
Aaron Holden
Aaron has been working in the golf industry for seven years. He has held numerous titles such as shop attendant, greenskeeper, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and assistant golf professional at several golf courses across Alabama, Georgia, and Michigan.
Through these jobs, he had many mentors within the golf industry who inspired him to become an instructor. He spent the summer of 2023 on Mackinac Island as the assistant golf professional for the Jewel Golf Course where he was able to lead clinics and facilitate tournaments. This is where he found a true passion for teaching and inspiring golfers to love the game.
Aaron has since joined Thompson Golf Academy as an instructor this year, staying in Alabama with his wife, Raven, after the birth of their daughter, Alison, in December of 2023. His goal is to continue to learn as he is now starting the PGA program as a PGA apprentice to become a PGA Professional.