"First, we are going to do a few simple exercises to get the body and mind in action," says British golf trainer John Downie. We are at the Eschenried golf course, north of Munich, where Downie is helping Peter and Elfriede Brehm to improve their game. The couple from Nuremberg are on a two-day course that combines business English with golf. It is run by LbT Languages, a school in nearby Eching.

As they do their exercises, teacher Barbara Förster, a native English-speaker who owns LbT with her husband, Torsten, explains why learning English while doing an activity is so useful: "Business people often have to speak a foreign language while at the same time doing other things. So it is important to practise speaking in complex situations."

There are other good reasons. "It is easier to learn if you are relaxed and having fun," says Elfriede. For Peter, who has only ten free weekends a year, the course is a holiday. The Brehms are typical of business people who have little time to study but who need English in their work. Their company, which makes surgical implants, exports globally. Soon, Peter will use English when he visits Jordan to do business with a client. "We learned the language at school, but that was not enough," he says.

Peter Brehm (right) and golf trainer John Downie

In the past three years, the Brehms have done a number of courses with LbT. As they typically work 70 to 80 hours a week, they have chosen mostly two-day courses. The longest one was a week spent touring Scotland's golf courses and whisky distilleries with Barbara.

"If you don't warm up enough, you won't play well," Downie explains as the Brehms finish their exercises and get ready to practise on the driving range. The soft-spoken trainer is not an English teacher, but he gives easy, simple instructions. "The secret of good teaching is being clear," he explains.

Peter's first drive lands just before the 100-metre sign. He turns to us. "I'm lucky!" he says. "Beginner's luck," Barbara replies. In fact, the Brehms have played often before, but Peter likes the term, saying he'll remember it.

John watches Elfriede's first shot with a critical eye. "If you come behind the ball, you'll come on to it too steeply," he tells her. Barbara takes out a pile of yellow cards and writes "steeply" on the first one. Next, she draws a hill with an arrow pointing upwards. While John trains, Barbara notes down useful words and phrases. Later, as they are walking round the golf course between holes, she discusses these language points with her students. She says that Elfriede will learn the word "steeply" in several ways: through being shown the movement, through the lesson on the course and by looking at the picture on the card.

On the way to one hole, Barbara takes out a yellow card and asks, "Do you remember that John used the phrase 'warm up enough'? Well, you can also use the word 'sufficiently'. If something is not sufficient, it is not enough."

Peter tees off and shouts, "Oh, too shot!" "You mean it fell 'too short'!" corrects Barbara. "Yes," he says. "It was not sufficient." And so, a lesson has been learned.

Contact: Barbara Förster, tel. (0049) 8102-729 200, e-mail: Info@LbT-languages.de, www.LbT-languages.de

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