To many folks, Chet Plegge is a special ed teacher at Riverview Gardens. But truth be told, he’s got golfing in his blood and stokes his passion from his home in Lindenwood Park.

Chet is no stranger to the game. This golf professional spent time working at Quail Creek and Normandie Golf Club, where he managed golf leagues.

I had a chance to meet Chet last week and he gave me a preview of the type of golf instruction he gives through his side business: Advanced Golf Imaging.

At AGI, Chet gives instruction by videotaping a golfer’s swing and then analyzing it on his computer. He makes no apologies for his operation being less sophisticated than the swing surgeons at such places as golfTECH or Midwest Golf Lab. Instead, he talks about how much he enjoys his side job/hobby and how he prides himself in giving his students assistance at a reasonable rate.

His backyard is his practice range. There you’ll find a huge golf net Chet found on Craigslist, and a plot of zoysia grass that he bought by the pallet in Illinois.

After chatting for a bit, he broke out his camera and a few swings later he had what visual evidence he needed to analyze my swing.

As he was uploading the video, Chet told me how he has taking a more simplistic approach to instruction by not bombarding his clients with information — instead, concentrating of a few key things to improve their golf game.

It’s amazing how much you can learn about your swing when you can watch yourself on video.

Chet gave me three things to work on to improve my swing. He tempered his critique with pointing out things I have been doing right. And he showed me side-by-side comparisons to professional swings to further prove his case.

Now I’ve got to get myself to the range to practice my newly acquired knowledge. After all, there’s a lot of cheap winter rates about to kick in.