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31 Mar 2026 admin

NEWS FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

By Anthony Benny

In Trinidad and Tobago today, we are facing a serious problem with crime, and sadly this issue is even affecting our young people in schools. Because of this, we must stop and ask ourselves what we are doing to guide the next generation in the right direction. As a golf instructor, I know firsthand what the game of golf and the discipline of sports can do for a young person’s life, because it helped shape my own.

Over the years, the number of young people playing golf in Trinidad and Tobago has declined. There was a time when selecting a junior team was difficult because there were so many talented players to choose from. Today, the situation is very different, and we see fewer young people involved in the sport. This is why it is more important than ever to bring golf back into the lives of our youth.

In the past, school golf programs produced some of the country’s finest players. Those programs not only developed skill, but also built character, discipline, and respect. I strongly believe that reintroducing golf in schools is one of the best ways to help young people stay focused and choose a positive path.

At present, I am teaching golf at three schools, and the results have been very encouraging. The students are learning not only how to play the game, but also how to carry themselves with pride, respect others, and work hard to improve. My goal has never been only to teach golf, but to teach life lessons through the game.

Through golf, young people learn discipline, friendship, respect, patience, social skills, and responsibility. These are qualities that will help them both on and off the course, and throughout their lives. I am proud to continue this work alongside my assistant coaches, Jean Edgar and Jada Charles, as we remain committed to developing young players and helping to build a better future for Trinidad and Tobago through the game of golf.

“PRO” FILE – USGTF MEMBER – MICHAEL GRUBER

By Michael Gruber

I am a Midwesterner, born and raised near Wrigley Field in Chicago. I started playing golf with my buddies when we were 12 years old, jumping on public transportation to make our way to the local municipal courses close to a bus route. Back in the 1960s, many of us played baseball, which was more affordable, but I always loved the game of golf. I worked side jobs and used the money to play rounds when I had time.

As I got older, I wanted to try out for the high school golf team, gravitating instead to baseball as golf didn’t make for a “popular” kind of guy. In hindsight, I wish I would have gone the way of golf. As I navigated through my 20s and 30s, I continued to play golf as a hobby, self-teaching through reading, watching, and playing. The more I played, I found it easy to self-diagnose my swing and improve over the years.

As I started to approach retirement, I knew I wanted to devote my time to something I enjoyed and had a passion for. I was always good at being able to diagnose a person’s swing and provide assistance, but I knew I would need a certification to ensure I had the proper training and accreditation. Thus, I found the USGTF (my teacher was Bob Wyatt, Jr.) and spent a week in Florida receiving my training/certification – one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only was it a learning experience, but I felt a connection to figure out how I can give back to a game that gave me so much.

Now that I had the certification I needed, I asked our son, a women’s collegiate basketball coach, if he knew anyone locally that may need a swing coach since he had a lot of contacts in the conference he played. Lo and behold, he knew someone, and I interviewed for the job and found my calling post-retirement at Elmhurst University (Division III) and have been the women’s swing coach since 2021.

These past four years have been a life highlight. Being able to assist the women’s team in making modifications as needed has helped them improve their game and scoring. I would say that introducing them to the mental side and course management components has been the differentiator in bringing their game full circle.

As a result, they are more prepared, consistent, relaxed, and focused on the tasks at hand. My first two years with the team, we were 5th and 4th respectively in conference. The last two years we have finished 2nd both times, a huge improvement. I look forward to helping Melissa Schwab (head coach) and Paul Hiller (assistant) continue to build a quality program that will benefit each player to improve their game year after year.

During the offseason, I provide individual lessons at local venues to help those just learning golf, kids trying to get better from grade school through high school, and adults who are looking to improve their current game. I really pride myself in keeping the communication clear and simple. This game is complicated enough and the more I can simplify things the better it is for my students, which has proven to be a successful strategy.

I do want to give credit to Jake Thurm who took a chance and hired me to help teach kids through his US Nike Camp summer program. Dan Howe and Kim McComb are the other teaching professionals who have provided a lot of support and guidance that has allowed me to grow each year into a better teacher. The knowledge they have shared with me has made me a more rounded teacher.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT – TJ ELBERTY

By Bob Fahy

I’ve been playing golf for over 60 years and teaching for the past 15. I’ve come to realize that it is quite common for golfers to find renewed energy for golf once retired. Having the time to devote to working on your game and finally focusing on real improvements often includes lessons, and that’s how I came to meet T.J. Elberty.

T.J. came to me in August 2024. He had played occasionally in his 20s with friends, using borrowed clubs and had little or no instruction. He didn’t play very well but he enjoyed it. However, his career and his family obligations resulted in a 40-year layoff. At 65 years old and with a history of shooting rounds of 105+, he was now ready to focus on playing better.

It’s very common for people to be introduced to the game by a friend or a relative and, while well intended, it usually begins by putting a ball on the tee and making full swings with the driver. And so the frustration begins. T.J.’s swing did not produce solid contact or the desired direction, so my initial focus was to improve impact and face control.

Most new or returning players know very little about how the golf swing actually works and without that basic understanding, productive practice is difficult, and the only thing that they’re getting good at is doing it badly. The long swing is way too complicated for a new or struggling player to learn correctly. However, if you begin at impact and work back from the ball, it becomes easier to explain and so much easier to understand. And, once a golfer understands what he is doing and why, he can practice and improve.

T.J. started with a basic chip shot with a target. He spent hours hitting chips with different lofts and different distances. It wasn’t long before he moved to half swings utilizing that same practice routine before attempting a full swing. Slow-motion videos helped in understanding the sequencing in the longer swings. Developing an understanding of the mechanics enabled T.J. to self-diagnose and kept his progress on track with productive practice sessions. And he did exactly that. In just one year, he went from shooting 105+ to his best round of 82. That’s an impressive accomplishment. Equally impressive was his commitment to the repetitions needed to ingrain the correct mechanics into his swing. And, at 65 years old, T.J. had some issues with his flexibility which required daily attention, as well. However, he’s very disciplined and will continue to tighten his shot cone, which will help him in attaining his desired goal of breaking 80.