3 May 2019

“PRO” File – Touring Professional Marilyn Smith

She made her last public appearance in March, greeting LPGA participants as they left the 18th hole green during the Bank of Hope Founders Classic in Phoenix, Arizona. A couple of short weeks later, Marilynn Smith passed away at the age of 89. Smith was one of the founding members of the LPGA Tour in 1950. She would go on to win 21 tournaments and two major championships. As an additional claim to fame, Smith became the first woman to work as an announcer on the broadcast of a men’s tournament. Today, the familiar voices of Judy Rankin and Dottie Pepper can be heard on the airwaves, but Smith was the pioneer. According to GolfChannel.com, “As one of the 13 women who founded the LPGA in 1950, Smith filled so many roles vital to the organization’s growth. She spent time as tour president, secretary, business manager and public relations specialist. She fulfilled sales and marketing duties and tournament operation responsibilities.” Smith’s passing leaves only two LPGA founders still alive, Shirley Spork and Marlene Hagge.
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3 May 2019

From The USGTF Pro Shop

Mental Rules for Teaching Golf by Dr. Gregg Steinberg is on sale for $12.95, which includes shipping through the end of May. This invaluable guide to the mental side of golf and teaching is a must-read for all USGTF members. Please contact the USGTF National Office at (888) 346-3290 to obtain your copy today.
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3 May 2019

Editorial – Is Slow Play Really A Problem?

Slow play seems to be a big topic these days on both Golf Channel and PGA Tour Radio on Sirius/XM. Groups routinely take around five hours to play on Friday and Saturday, when play is in threesomes, but the pace does pick up considerably on the weekend when twosomes are the rule.

It is said that the average golfer models their playing habits after the professionals and adopt their habits, but in all the places I’ve played nationwide, on courses both public and private, I really have yet to see this. Slow play, in my opinion, mainly stems from too many players on the course at one time. This is not to say that there aren’t slow players, but I seriously doubt that they are mirroring what they see on TV every weekend. I am lucky in the regard that where I play, mainly in courses around the Savannah, Georgia, area, slow play is really not an issue. If I get stuck behind a group taking 4 1/2 hours, that’s a long day by our standards here.

There are two things that courses can do to speed up play if slow play is indeed a problem at their facility: 1) Use a more reasonable tee-time interval. Yes, I know revenue is all-important, but many courses of all stripes have 9-minute intervals. Courses who use anything less than this are inviting trouble. 2) Empower course marshals and rangers to take care of the problem. When I rangered in Tallahassee, Florida, when I lived there, I would approach the offending group in a very diplomatic way, asking them to either pick up the pace as groups behind were waiting, or let them through. Not once did I receive any pushback.

One thing I would urge courses not to do is tell groups to pick up their ball and move ahead. These people paid to play 9 or 18 holes, not 7 or 16. As I mentioned before, diplomacy and awareness go a long way.

By Mark Harman, USGTF National Course Director

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2 May 2019

Reach Over 25,000 Golf Teaching Professionals!

How would you like to get the word out about your products to people who can actually help sell your products? Golf Teaching Pro® magazine goes out to every USGTF member and interested parties twice a year. This publication has articles and advertisements specifically geared towards teaching professionals, who are influential in their students’ purchasing decisions on equipment, training aids, apparel, etc. Ad space is still available for the upcoming Summer issue, click here for more details or contact our national headquarters at 1-888-346-3290.
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2 Apr 2019

Major U.S. Cup Announcement

For the first time since its inception in 1996, the United States Golf Teachers Cup will change formats. The 2019 edition, to be held Monday and Tuesday, October 7-8 at Oak Creek Country Club in Sedona, Arizona, will feature a concurrent pro-am, similar to what is played every year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on tour.

Each USGTF participant is encouraged to bring an amateur partner with a verified USGA handicap through the GHIN system. The format will be 36 holes of four-ball, using the best score between the pro’s gross score and his or her amateur partner’s net score, with amateurs allotted 80% of their course handicap. USGTF professionals will still be competing for their own individual titles, as in years past.

Look for final information and entry forms available soon at www.UnitedStatesGolfTeachersCup.com.

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2 Apr 2019

Richards Wins National Open

Christopher Richards from Trinidad & Tobago, a USGTF member and 2007 World Golf Teachers Cup champion, won the 112th Trinidad & Tobago Open this past March with a four-round total of 280, besting runner-up and PGA Tour player Ben Martin by nine strokes. The tournament was played at St. Andrews Golf Club in Moka, where fellow USGTF member Anthony Benny is the head teaching professional. Richards also won the 2010 United States Golf Teachers Cup. The win gives Richards an exemption into the Jamaica Classic on PGA Tour Latin America.
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2 Apr 2019

USGTF Regional Action Starts Soon

USGTF regional championships are a great way to compete and enjoy some camaraderie among your fellow members. Regional championships offer a way to get together without traveling extremely long distances, in most cases.

Southwest Region – The USGTF Southwest Region Championship will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, at Ridgeview Ranch Golf Course in Plano, Texas. Region director Bruce Sims is the host. A practice round is available Friday, May 3, for a cart fee, and a dinner will be held that evening. The entry fee is $225, and an optional $20 skins game is available. For more information and to enter, please contact Sims at (214) 475-5168, bsimspro@hotmail.com.

Northwest Region – USGTF Northwest Region director Nathan Guerrero has scored a real coup with his securing historic TPC Harding Park in San Francisco for the 2019 USGTF Northwest Region Championship, to be held Wednesday and Thursday, May 15-16, 2019. The entry fee of $295 includes two days of golf and prize money, and division play will be based upon the number of entrants. To enter, send your name, age, gender, telephone number, email address and a check for $295 to Nathan Guerrero, USGTF Northwest Director, 736 Guerrero Street, San Francisco, CA 94110. The entry deadline is April 20, 2019. Please contact Guerrero at prtime.ng@gmail.com should you have any questions.

Southeast Region – May 18-19, 2019, at GlenLakes Country Club in Weeki Wachee, Florida. This private course is challenging, beautiful and impeccably maintained. Mature stands of oak and pine, water features, undulating hills and sand traps provide endless variations of play. A prize fund of $1,000 and the Southeast Trophy is assured with a field of 12 players. Entry deadline is May 10. Send entries to

USGTF National Office
200 S. Indian River Drive, Suite #206
Fort Pierce, FL 34950

If paying with credit card, call the office directly at (888) 346-3290. Questions? Please contact USGTF Southeast Regional director Mike Stevens at ams1127@msn.com.

Central Region – The 2019 USGTF Central Region Championship, a 36-hole stroke play event, will be held Sunday and Monday August 4thand 5th at Pheasant Run Golf Course in Canton, Michigan. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.mogtt.com/central-championship; Questions can be referred to region director Brent Davies at btkadavies@comcast.net or (248) 701-6843. The Michigan/Ontario Golf Teachers Tour also boasts a complete summer schedule. Please visit http://www.mogtt.com for more information.

Northeast Region – The 2019 USGTF Northeast Region Championship will be conducted Friday, June 21 at Mercer Oaks West Course in West Windsor Township, New Jersey. Region director Bob Corbo serves as the tournament host. The entry fee is $165. For more information and to enter, please contact Corbo at simductivegolf@gmail.com.

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1 Apr 2019

Letter From Recent USGTF Course Attendee

I would like to officially thank you and the USGTF for the wonderful week of learning and laughs in Las Vegas. The facilities were amazing and the instruction was very insightful. Bill Rice is a top-notch instructor and moreover, a great human being. He clearly knows what he is doing and makes it easy to translate into repeatable action. My lesson calendar is bursting at the seams and I am approaching each student with a new sense of confidence that I didn’t have prior to the class.

My intention is to progress through to the Master level and then become a certification instructor. Further, I would love to entertain the idea of using my facility in the future as a host location for certification classes. All in good time, of course, but I thought that I would put that out there to discuss further down the road.

In closing, I will highly recommend the USGTF to those interested in pursuing their dream to teach and grow the game of golf. Thank you again, I look forward to future interactions.

My best,
Rich Howard

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1 Apr 2019

“PRO” File – Touring Professional Jose De Jesus Rodriguez

One of the more remarkable stories in recent times in professional golf belongs to Jose De Jesus Rodriguez. At the age of 15, he illegally crossed the border from Mexico to the United States and wound up in Arkansas, where for the next 10 years he worked at a golf course. Returning home to Mexico after those 10 years, he began caddying and continued to play golf, where a wealthy member bought him a membership, and as Rodriguez’s talent became apparent, sponsored him into the professional ranks. Rodriguez started his career on the Mexican Tour and Canadian Tour, eventually graduating to PGA Tour Latino America and the Web.com Tour. He qualified to play the PGA Tour for the 2018-19 season through his performance on the Web.com Tour. Rodriguez’s story is one of hard work, perseverance and a little bit of luck along the way. As of April 1, he stands 184th in FedEx Cup points.
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1 Apr 2019

Editorial – Ten Dollars An Inch!

Ten dollars an inch. That’s how much it costs for a three-foot putter these days. The rack of putters in our pro shop carries a price tag of $360 each. What a country, you can buy accuracy. Yet, even the pros who all have these wands miss three-foot putts when it really counts. Hard to figure how anyone could fork over that kind of scratch for something that sends a ball generally no more than 60 feet. But they do it gladly, as if there is some magic hidden in a head shape or soda-can grip.

It’s amazing how many styles of putters have been created over the centuries. You know the saying, “It’s not the arrow, it’s the Indian.” Just replace arrow with putter and Indian with human. There is no putter out there that can compensate for nerves. Putting is about confidence. If you think you’re a bad putter, then you will be a bad putter, no matter what you have in your hands. Someone once asked Ben Crenshaw why he was such a good putter and he said it was because he liked to putt.

Also, how many people spend time working on their putting stroke? They’ll spend hours on the range, yet barely a few minutes before a round on the practice green. As I said, putting is about confidence, but also good technique. Technique is about repetition, and good technique builds confidence. In my younger days I played with a friend who was the best putter I ever saw, He used one of those putters that looked like it came from a miniature putt-putt operation. He spent more time on the practice green than anywhere else. He almost never missed anything from four feet or less. Maybe it was because he practiced four-foot putts for hours on end. The great humorist Will Rogers once said about golf, “Golf doesn’t need better golfers, it needs better putters.” He meant humans, not implements. He could never figure out how someone could hit a shot from 150 yards to three feet, then miss the hole from that little distance. I don’t think it is because they didn’t pay $10 an inch!

By Mike Stevens, USGTF Member and Contributing Writer

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