In golf, birdie refers to one stroke under par, whereas eagle refers to the flying carnivores players trained to swipe their opponents’ clubs. Swing through with today’s Groupon: for $55, you get a one-hour private golf lesson with Mark Emmons at Bay Area Golf Academy in San Bruno (up to a $110 value).

Instructor and all-around athlete Mark Emmons draws on 15 years of coaching experience to help students of all levels launch drives and sink putts across Bay Area Golf Academy’s 38 practice stalls and two expansive greens. Mark’s principled approach tackles some of golf’s most vexing concepts head-on with intuitive lessons in the fundamentals of swinging to speed trips to the green more reliably than a cheetah caddy. Golfers guilty of pulling, chopping, and flailing their clubs can benefit from Mark’s straightforward tutorials to avoid injury and boost efficiency, and experts searching for finesse can profit from nuanced adjustments.

Bay Area Golf Academy’s facilities prepare knights of the green for the hazards of a typical course with advanced video-analysis tools that enhance Mark’s message by allowing him to point out moments of immaculate form. Though included in this Groupon, a 1,400-square-foot pro shop equips players with sleek bouquets of clubs and argyle prints that eliminate the need to glue paper triangles to the fronts of sweaters.