1 Apr 2020

The “MATCH” and “The REMATCH”

In days of yore, it was common for touring professionals to barnstorm the country between events, playing exhibition matches against their fellow competitors or the local hotshots. These matches often drew large galleries to see the best players in the world compete on their home course.

In 2018, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson staged “The Match,” a would-be pay-per-view match with the winner taking home the entire $9 million “purse.” A technical snafu resulted in The Match being made available free for everyone. Mickelson wound up prevailing in extra holes.

With the COVID-19 coronavirus sidelining all professional sports for the moment, A Twitter follower of Mickelson tweeted, “Do you think there is a chance you two go play a round mic’d up with one camera guy and just put it out there on a stream for people to watch?? We need live sports.” Mickelson tweeted back that they were working on it and to stay tuned.

Speculation is that such a match could raise funds for much-needed medical equipment, for first responders and those on the front lines. Mickelson seemed confident that such a match will be held, and as he said, stay tuned.

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1 Apr 2020

Liability Insurance Available to USGTF Members

The USGTF, through Lanier Upshaw Inc and RPS Bollinger, can provide its members $1,000,000 of liability insurance with a $3,000,000 aggregate and no deductible. This important, affordable coverage protects you while performing your duties as a golf teaching professional.

The annual premium is just $110 and is insurance no USGTF teaching professional can afford to be without.

For more information, please contact Cathy Fonseca at (800) 350-8005, ext. 8124, or through e-mail at Cathy.Fonseca@BollingerInsurance.com.

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1 Apr 2020

“PRO” File – Touring Professional Mickey Wright

Ben Hogan once said she had the finest swing in golf, male or female. She is considered to this day by many to be the best player in LPGA history. We are talking about the late Kathryn Mary “Mickey” Wright, who captured 82 LPGA titles along with 13 major championships. The golf world lost a giant when she passed away in February. Wright grew up in California and turned professional in 1955 to join the then-fledgling LPGA Tour. Among her many accomplishments, she led the LPGA Tour money list four straight years from 1961-64, won the Vare Trophy for low scoring average five times, and, long before Tiger Woods did it, Wright held all four women’s major championships at the same time in 1961-62 (US Women’s Open, LPGA Championship, Titleholders Championship, Women’s Western Open). Due to foot problems and other factors, Wright semi-retired in 1969 at the age of 34, but still played in select events for the next several years. She lived for years only a three-minute drive from the former USGTF National Office in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
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1 Apr 2020

EDITORIAL – Golf Teachers May See A Coming Boom

Most of life in America has come to a halt as the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak dominates every aspect. Many businesses, including golf courses, have been forced to close in order to stem the number of cases. Golf teachers and coaches have surely felt the impact, too, as “social distancing” has become the norm.

The good news, I believe, is that once we can return to some semblance of normalcy, people will be eager to seek out that sense of normalcy. Some say that people will be reluctant to return to normal soon. I disagree. I think people will truly miss what they used to do. There may be an initial period of trepidation, but once our health and government officials have cleared us to resume our everyday activities, I think we’ll see people be more enthusiastic and appreciative of what we all take for granted.

If nothing else, golfers tend to be fanatics about their sport. We could see courses packed like never before. This would represent a great opportunity for USGTF members to reap the benefits of this increase participation. After all, no one wants to play bad golf. If your lesson book fills up quickly after the all-clear is given, don’t be surprised.

By Mark Harman, USGTF National Course Director

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2 Mar 2020

A New Era In USGTF History Begins

Longtime USGTF member Brandon Lee, who also is president of USGTF-Korea and the head of the foreign language courses of the USGTF, assumed the duties of president and CEO on February 21. Lee takes over for Geoff Bryant, who founded the organization in 1989 and had been the president and CEO.

Further details will be made available in the Summer 2020 edition of Golf Teaching Pro magazine, along with profiles of both Lee and Bryant. The USGTF National Office welcomes Lee as our new leader, and all USGTF members are encouraged to drop him a line at president@usgtf.com.

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2 Mar 2020

U.S. Cup Dates, Location Finalized

The 25th annual United States Golf Teachers Cup and the 4th annual United States Senior Golf Teachers Cup will be contested Monday and Tuesday, October 19-20 at Revere Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year will once again feature a concurrent pro-am, where USGTF participants are encouraged to bring an amateur partner with a format akin to the PGA Tour event played every February at Pebble Beach. (Please note: Bringing an amateur partner is not required to be able to participate in either Cup tournament.) Both the Lexington and Concord courses will be used for the competition.

Las Vegas is the premier vacation spot in the United States and boasts numerous amenities. Registration will soon open at www.UnitedStatesGolfTeachersCup.com.
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2 Mar 2020

Region Action On Tap Later This Year

Next up on the USGTF regional tournament calendar is the Southwest Region Championship March 27-29 in Plano, Texas, at The Traditions Course at Watters Creek Golf Club. Regional director Bruce Sims is the host. For more information and to enter, please contact Sims at bsims@pga.com or by phone at (214) 475-5168.

Other tournaments include:

Northeast – June 26, Mountain View GC, Ewing Township, New Jersey. Contact: Bob Corbo, simductivegolf@gmail.com

Central – August 2-3, Pheasant Run GC, Canton, Michigan. Contact: Brent Davies, btkadavies@comcast.net

Northwest – September 16-17, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California. Contact: Nathan Guerrero, prtime.ng@gmail.com

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2 Mar 2020

Moe Wins His Second U.S. Pro Hickory Championship

On a beautiful day, Monday, February 24, Jeremy Moe from Boca Raton, Florida, shot an even-par 72 to win the United States Professional Hickory Championship at Temple Terrace Country Club in Tampa, Florida. Moe captured the John Shippen Cup for the second year in a row. It was a fine round of steady golf as he bested the field by five shot. The course played its usual tough challenge as only five pros managed to score in the 70s. The tournament is sponsored by the USGTF and conducted by Mike Stevens, USGTF Southeast Region director.
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2 Mar 2020

USGTF Partners With MEANDMYPRO

The USGTF has recently secured a partnership with MEANDMYPRO, an online reservation, scheduling, marketing and back office system designed specifically to help you grow your business. This system is exclusive for golf instructors and golf academies. We looked at several online systems and found MEANDMYPRO set itself apart with its unique features and how user-friendly and mobile-friendly it is.

Jim Sowerwine, our point of contact with MEANDMYPRO, said he saw an increase in his lesson revenue within the first several days of introducing it to his client base. He said your clients can now schedule a lesson with you 24/7 (and easily on their mobile phone if they’d like). MEANDMYPRO’s standard fee is $30/month or $300 if paid in full for the year. The fee for USGTF members is $25/month or $275 if paid in full for the year and the first 25 members who sign up receive 75% off for the first year! Please call the office to receive the “promo” code for USGTF members at 1-888-346-3290.

For more information, please click here.

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2 Mar 2020

“PRO” FILE – Touring Professional Kenny Knox

With the tour’s Honda Classic being played in its traditional time frame at the end of February/first of March, a look back at the historic 1986 edition is warranted. Kenny Knox became the first Monday qualifier to win a tour event on the all-exempt tour when he overcame a third-round 80 to take his first tour win. Luminaries such as Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf were in the field, but Knox bested them all. He became an overnight sensation, leading after two rounds. His third-round 80 looks bad at first, but when you realize the average score that day was 79, it wasn’t too bad overall. Steady winds of 30 mph with wind gusts up to 45 mph wreaked havoc with the field. Weiskopf posted an 86, and future Hall of Famers Hale Irwin, Fred Couples and Ray Floyd all shot 81. Knox went on to win two more times in his career before retiring to Monticello, Florida, just outside Tallahassee. Today he keeps busy with a teaching schedule and yes, occasionally tees it up in local events.
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