1 Jan 2025

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT – AUSTIN CHEEK

By Eric Cass

First, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and the best of luck in the coming new year. I would also like to extend a get-well to our fellow member Mark Harman. Mark suffered a bad foot injury and has been slow to recover and get back on the course. Get well soon, Mark.

Now, it is my pleasure to introduce a talented young man that is one of our up-and-coming junior golfers in our area, Austin Cheek of Terre Haute, Indiana. Austin has been a leader to many of our other junior golfers not only on the course, but off the golf course, as well. He is always a gentleman to others and displays a positive and controlled mindset. Self-control plays such a big part in this crazy game.

Austin’s first big goal was to make the high school golf team. Not only did he make the team as a freshman, he also made the top five. Austin’s career low round is a 4-under-par 68. His favorite golfer (other than me) is Rory McIlroy; favorite golf ball is the Titleist ProV1. His dream courses to visit would be Pebble Beach and Augusta National. The traditions and history of these courses and events make them his favorites.

When asked what golf has mean to him, his response was, “Golf has been a defining part of my life since I was young. I’ve played in the Sunday men’s game since I was 12, and each round has deepened my love for the sport. As a freshman at Terre Haute South Vigo High School, I earned a spot on the top five varsity golf team – a milestone that marked the start of an incredible journey. Alongside my passion for golf, I’ve worked hard academically, maintaining a 3.8 GPA while balancing the demands of school and sports. A big part of my success in golf is thanks to my coach, Eric Cass. Coach Cass has been a guiding light, pushing me to grow on and off the course. One of my favorite experiences has been traveling with him and other players on a bus to play different courses. These trips not only helped me develop my skills by tackling new challenges, but also created a sense of community within our team. Coach Cass’s belief in me and his dedication to teaching have been invaluable to my journey. Looking ahead, my ultimate goal is to attend Marian University on a full-ride golf scholarship. I’m eager to continue pursuing my passion for golf while excelling academically at the school that aligns with my aspirations. I’m grateful for the support of my family, coaches, and teammates who’ve been with me every step of the way. Their encouragement motivates me to keep working hard and dreaming big.”

Our program has taught more than 100,000 kids and has created an endless number of success stories since 1989. And it continues to inspire other young men and women toward a brighter future, just like Austin Cheek. Fairways and greens to all.
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1 Jan 2025

INDUSTRY PARTNER – LIABILITY INSURANCE THROUGH INSURANCE CANOPY

In this day and age of frequent litigation, it is important that USGTF members are protected from liability.

Insurance Canopy is offering liability insurance for golf teaching professionals. If you are an independent contractor golf teaching professional, you almost certainly will be required to have liability insurance to ply your trade at a facility. This insurance covers things that may occur during the course of a lesson environment, such as an injury or property damage.

The cost is $15.00 per month or $159 annually. For more information and to receive a quote, please click on https://www.insurancecanopy.com/fitness-instructor/golf-instructor-liability-insurance.
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1 Jan 2025

EDITORIAL – WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MASTER AND CERTIFIED GOLF TEACHING PROFESSIONAL®?

There are two trademarked phrases that the USGTF holds dear: Certified Golf Teaching Professional® and Master Golf Teaching Professional®. If there is anyone who is using these phrases – whether it’s another organization of golf professionals and/or teachers or an individual – who hasn’t gone through the USGTF certification process to earn one of these titles, they are in violation of U.S. trademark law and are subject to legal action.

Hence, there is a distinct difference between the two. A certified teacher has learned all the basics of teaching the game of golf and is qualified to give a competent lesson to beginners, average and advanced players. A master teacher has learned and demonstrated more in-depth knowledge and abilities to the point that he or she is qualified to teach all players, including tour players. And not only that, but a USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional has demonstrated that they cannot just give a competent lesson, but they can give an excellent lesson.

Master teaching professionals in the USGTF have to demonstrate their advanced knowledge and abilities by presenting a written thesis; pass a shotmaking demonstration and an extensive written test. Once these are accomplished, they have earned the title Master Golf Teaching Professional. To attempt to qualify at this level, a person must have been a Certified Golf Teaching Professional in good standing for a minimum of 12 months.

Many say that going through the Master Golf Teaching Professional process is the most educational thing they’ve done in terms of their teaching education. If you think you need to take your teaching to the next level, explore what the program has to offer at https://www.usgtf.com/master-golf-teaching-professional.
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2 Dec 2024

SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM USGTF NATIONAL OFFICE

As we head into December and the holiday season, we hope everyone in the USGTF family finds personal happiness, professional fulfillment and an optimistic outlook for 2025. The USGTF is doing its part to make your experience with our organization stronger, including upgrading our certification program to make your USGTF membership even more respected in the golf industry.

As usual, we also have our wide array of member benefits of which you may take advantage, such as equipment discounts, continuing education opportunities and discounted liability insurance, to name but a few. If there is anything we can do to help you or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at member_services@usgtf.com or call us at (772) 88-USGTF.
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2 Dec 2024

GOLF TEACHING PRO MAGAZINE HITTING YOUR MAILBOX SOON

Golf Teaching Pro magazine, the official member publication of the USGTF and WGTF, has gone to print and will be arriving soon in your mailbox. Articles of great interest to all USGTF members and instructors everywhere are once again featured, including items by such luminaries at Thomas T Wartelle, Jerry Ellstrom and Mike Stevens.

The magazine is an annual publication, and we welcome submissions from our members. If you would like to contribute to next year’s edition, please forward your article to info@usgtf.com for consideration.
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2 Dec 2024

SOUTHEAST CHAMPIONSHIP TO KICK OFF REGIONAL ACTION IN 2025

The USGTF Southeast Region Championship will be played in mid-February in central Florida, with the exact date and location to be revealed in the next e-newsletter coming out January 1. For those of you who live up north, it would be a great time to get away for a competitive vacation, as regional events feature low entry fees, great courses and camaraderie with your fellow members. Inquiries about the Southeast Region Championship can be directed to Mark Harman at mark@usgtf.com.
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2 Dec 2024

USGTF-KOREA CUP FEATURES FIVE WINNERS

The 10th annual USGTF-Korea Presidential Cup Members golf competition was held this past fall at British Base Country Club in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. Five champions were crowned: Young-min Ko (general division); Min-ke Park (men’s senior division); Soon-jin Ha (grand senior division and women’s general division); Se-jeong Park (women’s senior division) and Young-guk Song (amateur division).

Amateur players who shot the age- and gender-based scores required for the playing ability test were given a certificate of acceptance to take the practical tests, and all division winners automatically have qualified for the 2025 presidential competition.

Beyond simple ranking competition, this competition has become a place of harmony where participants demonstrate their skills fairly, and both participants and USGTF-Korea executives shared in the camaraderie and friendships. USGTF-Korea will continue to hold competitions to provide various opportunities for members to develop their overall golf skills and other learning opportunities, growth and development in the golf industry.
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2 Dec 2024

“PRO” FILE – TOURING PROFESSIONAL MAVERICK McNEALY

Graduates from Stanford University have many options at their disposal, and Maverick McNealy was no exception. Despite being the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world, McNealy contemplated a career in the business world instead of professional golf, as his father Scott was a co-founder of Sun Microsystems. After much back-and-forth, golf won out and McNealy began his professional career in the fall of 2017.

His decision to pursue his love of the game was finally validated when McNealy captured the RMS Classic in late November for his first PGA Tour victory. His birdie on the 72nd hole avoided a four-man playoff, and he is now a PGA Tour winner. It surprises some that McNealy hadn’t won sooner, given his pedigree, but as anyone who has ever played knows, golf is a hard game, especially at the professional level. Now that the door has been knocked down, it’s a sure bet that McNealy will win more in the years to come, with major championship and Ryder Cup possibilities not out of the question.
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2 Dec 2024

“PRO” FILE – USGTF MEMBER DAVID SMITH

By David Smith

I was born May 13, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois, where I was raised until the age of 18. I attended St. Rita High School and graduated in 1986. When I was a young kid, I would visit my brother in Los Angeles in the summer. Back then, he did not have cable, so we only had a few channels to watch. I found myself captivated by golf, watching Gary Player, Lee Trevino and, of course, Jack Nicklaus. These guys just looked so cool playing this game and that is what inspired me to take up golf.

At the age of 9, I bought my first putter from Big 5 Sporting Goods, which I still have, and a sleeve of balls and began putting in my brother’s apartment. When vacation was over, I went back home to Chicago and asked I could take up golf lessons. Now, back in those days, there were no golf courses on the south side of Chicago and the other courses were not too keen on Black people playing there, as my parents explained.

There went my golf dreams until I turned 28. I had graduated from the University of Southern California and had taken a position with Hughes Communications. An old co-worker of mine was heading to the range at lunch time, and I asked if I could tag along. He tried his best to show me the swing, but he was just not that good, yet I had so much fun. I was re-inspired again to take up golf. For two years I took lessons and started playing. I was getting to be very good, but then my mobile deejay business took off and I put golf down until I was 38. I picked it back up again and went full-out learning and playing. After a very depressing time at my job, I came to realize that I just did not want to go to work and come home; there had to be something else. I was watching a golf tournament where Tom Watson, at 60-something of age, was still hanging with the young golfers and staying in contention. I saw this and said I want to do something in golf and that is when it hit me: I wanted to teach. I did not want the fame and the glory of the tour players, but I wanted to provide an opportunity to golfers to learn the game. I wanted to show other ethnically diverse people that we can not only play but we can help others come into the game. And this set me on my journey to becoming an instructor.

I was certified in 2017, but I have almost 19 years of experience in golf learning, training and playing. I coached a USGLL golf team to a second-place finish; have volunteered for The First Tee program in Orange County, California; was actively involved in the Los Alamitos High School Girls Golf Booster Club from 2012-2016; managed several golf fundraisers for the Los Alamitos High School girls golf team, and before being certified, I taught several individuals, including my wife, to play this great game.

My next biggest challenge is to try and establish a Division II women’s golf program at California State University-Dominguez Hills in Carson by 2025. This is a cause that is close to my heart and must come to fruition to not only give our young ethnically diverse women a place to play, but a chance to play and compete collegiately in this great game.
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2 Dec 2024

USGTF INDUSTRY PARTNER – MIZUNO GOLF

“Nothing feels like a Mizuno” is a marketing slogan for the prominent golf company, but many aficionados swear it’s true. Mizuno, a longtime industry partner of the USGTF, has clubs that fit every skill level, from its famous line of blade irons to the player-friendly JPX line. In recent years, Mizuno has upped its driver game to feature some of the best on the market. And not to be outdone, Mizuno’s wedge line has been refined to be among the game’s best, too.

Not known as a golf ball company, Mizuno has a winning lineup of tour-level balls that are equal to the best in the game, if not better. Wind-tunnel testing assures optimum aerodynamic performance, along with providing the distance and stopping ability the best players demand.

USGTF members may take advantage of Mizuno’s generous personal use discount program by calling the National Office at (772) 88-USGTF or (772) 595-6490.
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