Head Professional
Craig Lockwood
DP World Tour coach and Head Professional at Five Lakes, with nearly 20 years of coaching and 20,000+ lessons delivered.
Golf coaching in Essex
Golf coaching in Essex that gives you clarity
Individual golf coaching at Potters Resorts Five Lakes with Head Professional Craig Lockwood and Assistant Professional Alex Milne. Whether you are looking for your first golf lesson in Essex or a coach who has worked with tour players, this is where to start.
Who it's for
Coaching for golfers at every level, not a one-size lesson
Lockwood Academy coaches golfers from complete beginners to DP World Tour professionals. That range is not a boast; it is the point. Coaching a tour player teaches you what actually matters under pressure, and coaching a beginner teaches you how to explain it simply. Both make you better at coaching the club golfer in the middle.
If you are searching for a golf coach in Essex, you will find plenty of options. What we offer is a specific approach: clarity over information, changes that are repeatable and adaptable, and purposeful practice that turns a lesson into lasting improvement.
Beginners and newer golfers
If you are just starting out, the fastest route to enjoying golf is good fundamentals taught simply. We will make it welcoming, practical and clear.
Club golfers who have plateaued
You play regularly, you have had lessons, and your handicap has not moved. Usually the answer is fewer, better priorities and a smarter way of practising.
Competitive and elite players
County, elite amateur and professional golfers who want a coach with experience at the top of the game and a plan that holds up under tournament pressure.
Juniors and families
Young golfers who want to learn properly in a positive environment, with coaching that grows with them.
What happens in a lesson
A golf lesson at Five Lakes, step by step
Every lesson follows the same simple structure, whether it is your first or your fiftieth.
- 01
A conversation first
We start by understanding you: how you play, what you want from your golf, what has and has not worked before, and how much time you realistically have to practise.
- 02
Assessment, not assumptions
We watch you hit shots and look at ball flight, strike and the pattern behind your misses. Video and launch data are used where they add clarity and left out where they would add noise.
- 03
One or two changes that matter
Rather than a list of faults, you get the one or two changes that will make the biggest difference, explained in language that makes sense to you, with a feel you can repeat.
- 04
A plan to practise
You leave knowing exactly what to work on, how to work on it, and how to tell whether it is improving. Follow-up lessons build on that plan rather than starting again.
Coaching philosophy
Clarity. Repeatability. Purposeful practice.
Clarity over information
Golfers do not need endless technical information. They need to know the one or two things that genuinely matter for their game, explained in a way that makes sense and produces a feel they can trust.
Repeatable and adaptable
A change is only useful if it works on the course: from a tight lie, into the wind, on the 18th when it matters. We build changes that are robust and adaptable, not range-only positions.
Purposeful practice builds skill
How you practise decides whether a lesson sticks. We give every golfer a practice plan with a purpose, so the time you spend on the range or putting green actually builds skill.
Your coaches
Coached by Craig Lockwood or Alex Milne
Both coaches work to the same Lockwood Academy principles. Choose the coach that best fits your goals, or let us guide you.
Assistant Professional
Alex Milne
Assistant Professional at Lockwood Academy and the academy's Lead Junior Coach. PGA degree completed in 2025, with a busy and growing coaching diary at Five Lakes.
Facilities & location
Where you'll be coached
Lockwood Academy is based at Potters Resorts Five Lakes in Essex, between Maldon and Colchester and around half an hour from Chelmsford. Being based at a resort rather than a members' club means a relaxed environment, easy parking, and somewhere to sit down with a coffee and talk through your plan after a lesson.
Lessons take place on the practice facilities at Five Lakes: a full grass driving range, a covered and floodlit range, a short-game area with a greenside bunker, two contrasting putting greens and a par-3 academy course, with TrackMan, Capto and indoor simulator access available where they genuinely help. On-course coaching is available where it is the right tool for what you are working on.
See the full academy facilities for how each area is used in coaching.
Where to find us
Potters Resorts Five Lakes, Essex
The academy is based at Five Lakes between Maldon and Colchester, around 30 minutes from Chelmsford. Golfers travel to us from across Essex, including Witham, Braintree, Tiptree and the surrounding villages.
- Lockwood Academy at Potters Resorts Five Lakes
Colchester Road
Tolleshunt Knights, Maldon, Essex CM9 8HX
United Kingdom - Free parking on site. Easy access from the A12 for Chelmsford and Colchester.
Choosing a coach
How to choose a golf coach in Essex
There are good coaches all over Essex. Whoever you choose, these are the questions worth asking.
- 1.
Do they ask about you before they talk about your swing? A good coach wants to know your goals and history first.
- 2.
Can they explain the change simply? If you leave more confused than you arrived, the coaching has not worked, however technically correct it was.
- 3.
Do they give you a way to practise? A lesson without a practice plan rarely sticks.
- 4.
Have they coached golfers like you? Beginners, juniors and tour players need different things from a coach. Experience across levels matters.
- 5.
Are they honest about timescales? Real, lasting change takes commitment. Be wary of anyone promising instant fixes.
Lesson questions
Common questions about golf lessons
Practical answers to the questions golfers ask before booking.
Lockwood Academy · Essex
Book your first golf lesson in Essex
Tell us a little about your game and what you want help with. We will come back to you to arrange a time with Craig or Alex at Five Lakes.