To be named one of the top 100 in the world in anything is a great achievement, and in the golf teaching profession, this is no exception. Nominations for the World Golf Teachers Federation’s Top 100 Teachers list have a new deadline of September 30. WGTF members may nominate other members or nominate themselves. Federation presidents will also be submitting lists of their members of whom they believe deserve inclusion. Materials, including letters of recommendation, can be submitted to info@usgtf.com, or by regular mail at USGTF, 200 S. Indian River Dr., Suite 206, Fort Pierce, FL 34950.
The USGTF would like to welcome six new members to the ranks of Master Golf Teaching Professionals®! Mike Krmpotic (Las Vegas, Nevada), James Fish (Santa Rosa, California), Ken Hill (Las Vegas), Paul-Allen Schooler (Raleigh, North Carolina), Keith Allyson (Temple City, California) and Alexander Gong (Gardena, California) are the latest to earn this designation at the certification class held in Las Vegas under the expert eye of longtime USGTF examiner Bill Rice. Candidates had to present a written thesis, perform a shotmaking demonstration and pass an advanced written teaching test. The Master-level class has a theme of “a sharing of ideas,” and is a great learning experience for everyone – including the examiners!
Onsite Certified Golf Teaching Professional certification classes are scheduled for the week of September 7-11 in Las Vegas and in Princeton, New Jersey. Several participants have already enrolled. As golf has seen an upswing in 2020 with more people seeking healthy outdoor activities, the time is ripe for those wishing to enter the field. USGTF members are encouraged to identify worthy candidates for certification and recommend our organization, as qualified teaching professionals only make the USGTF stronger for everyone.
Volvik USA, maker of the famous colored golf balls and renowned for innovation and quality, have renewed their industry partnership with the USGTF. Members will receive 20% off the wholesale price for PUD pricing for all stock products. In addition, students of USGTF members will receive 40% off of MAP (minimum advertised pricing) for call-in or through Volvik.com orders. USGTF members also receive FREE products with select purchases:
FREE tour hat or visor with the purchase of two dozen tour golf balls (S4,S3, XT Soft) at 20% off wholesale.
FREE Volvik belt and tour hat or visor with the purchase of six dozen tour golf balls (S4,S3, XT Soft) at 20% off wholesale.
FREE Volvik belt, a pair of Volvik sunglasses and tour hat or visor with the purchase of 12 dozen tour golf balls (S4,S3, XT Soft) at 20% off wholesale.
For more information, please contact USGTF headquarters at 1-772-88-USGTF.
A great turnout was received at the recent WGTF-Netherlands seminar held July 19 – July 25 with 16 New professionals receiving their certification. Director, Bjorn Beekman reports that the course was well-received by all.
With the federation being in good standing with the NGF in the Netherlands and with the help of their professional educators, the WGTF of Netherlands continues to grow step by step. They look forward to holding their next course this coming October with 10 participants already registered to attend.
Payne’s Valley Cup, an 18-hole charity exhibition match featuring four of the greatest golfers of today, will be held Tuesday, September 22 at Payne’s Valley Golf Course in Ridgedale, Missouri. Tiger Woods, one of the four participants, designed the public layout. Woods will team with Justin Thomas to take on the European duo of Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose in a Ryder Cup-style format featuring fourball, foursomes and singles. The course is a tribute to the late Payne Stewart, who was a good friend of the course’s owner, Johnny Morris. The match hearkens back to the days of yesteryear when exhibition matches were the norm. Proceeds will go to the Payne Stewart Family Foundation. The match can be seen live on Golf Channel from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT.
“A former caddie, about to become the Masters champion.” Those famous words were uttered by Bill Murray’s character Carl Spackler in the golf movie classic “Caddyshack.” A real-life version recently happened when Sofia Popov captured the AIG Ladies Open at Royal Troon in Scotland. She caddied just two weeks prior in an LPGA event in Toledo, Ohio, for Ann van Dam. The following week, Povpov, a Symetra Tour player, got into the LPGA tournament when it needed additional players to fill the field, and the LPGA Tour turned to the Symetra Tour, its developmental tour. Popov finished in the top 10 at that event, earning a spot at Troon.
A minor league player coming out of nowhere to win a major championship simply isn’t heard of in men’s golf, but last year Nasa Hataoka basically pulled off the same feat as Popov when she also won the Women’s Open. Popov is considered German although she was born in the United States. She now has status on the LPGA Tour and it’s safe to say her caddie days are behind her.
The COVID-19 pandemic will go down in our lifetimes as one of the most significant events – if that’s the right word – that we’ve encountered. Businesses and schools were closed, livelihoods and life savings were lost, all in an attempt to stem the outbreak. I will admit that my opinion on how we and other nations handled the virus probably doesn’t square with what most people think, so I’ll keep my specific thoughts to myself.
Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am not dismissing the many lives lost to the virus. It is a tragedy of epic proportions and I truly have great empathy and sympathy for those families and friends mourning the loss of loved ones. But I also have great empathy and sympathy for those whose futures have been permanently compromised due to the mitigation strategies employed here and elsewhere. Unfortunately, it seems that there were truly no good choices in how to handle this.
As with anything, life goes on. And I’ve been lucky enough to see an uptick in my teaching business at Southbridge Savannah Golf Course in – where else? – Savannah, Georgia. People have been seeking healthy outdoor activities, and golf has been one beneficiary. This has translated into people wanting to improve their games. Hopefully, my fellow teachers have experienced this, too.
Is this golf “bounce” permanent, or at least long-lasting? I hope so, and I believe so. The same things that drew us to the game are drawing new people to the sport and also reclaiming long-lost golfers who abandoned the game in search of career success. But in talking to some of these people who have come back to the game after a years-long absence, I get the sense that they now realize life is more than about chasing the almighty dollar. Sure, earning money is important, but it seems that these people realize they have earned enough to start enjoying the fruits of their labors. We stand to benefit in the coming years, and by putting forth our best efforts, we can help assure the well being of our sport for a long time.
By Mark Harman, USGTF National Course Director
