28 Jan 2010

Pre-Shot Routine

Camron swing sequence down the line in hitting booth Photo by proforgedAll athletes seek consistency, especially golfers.  And, all golfers will tell you that consistency in their game is a fleeting thing.  However, one of the best ways to improve consistency is to employ a pre-shot routine. A pre-shot routine is a sequence of repeated actions which readies the mind and body for the upcoming shot.  A pre-shot routine has many important features which promote consistency. First, it helps relax the golfer, because during this routine, the golfer takes a couple of deep, relaxing breaths.  Relaxation promotes a consistent, rhythmic swing. Second, a pre-shot routine helps with concentration.  Once the pre-shot routine starts, the golfer focuses on only one thing – hitting the golf ball. Third, it builds confidence, because the golfer will use positive visualization at the start of the routine.  A golfer who is focused on the task at hand and who is confident about his abilities will produce consistently good swings. A pre-shot routine can benefit both your students and professionals.  My suggestion to you is find out what works best for you and use it in your pre-shot routine.  For example, try visualizing the ball landing at the desired spot before you hit the shot.  Or, try visualizing yourself on a TV screen making a smooth swing before every shot. The important point I want to stress is get a routine that you feel comfortable with and use this routine before every shot.  Don’t rush your routine in pressure situations.  Keep the same tempo in you routine that you would like in your golf swing.
Read more 0
21 Jan 2010

A Game Of Controlled Emotions

Grandpa Photo by sparktographyBy Bob Wyatt USGTF National Coordinator, Port St. Lucie, Florida This article was first printed in Golf Teaching Pro in the Spring 1995 edition when the magazine was known as American Golf Pro. This is another in a series that looks back through the archives of our member publication. How many times during the course of your golfing experiences have you been tempted to throw a club? I’m sure there are not too many of you that answered “never.” I’m not a doctor of psychology, but I do feel that after 25 years teaching golf, together with 40 years of playing this great game, I understand human nature. As a junior player, I was determined to become the best player I could as quickly as possible. This immature approach always carries with it a host of potential emotional problems, as you might imagine. As well-balanced instructors, we must not forget for a minute how much of a role emotions at any level can become prevalent in a student’s success or failure. There is an old cliché that goes, “The faster you go, the further behind you get!” I’m convinced the person who came up with this little phrase must have been a golfer. Teach your students the value of pacing themselves on the range, as well as on the golf course. This will go a long way toward reinforcing the understanding of the emotional and mechanical balance necessary when playing a good game of golf. As instructors, we should always be thinking of the emotional aspect of our game. How would you feel if, when taking a playing lesson, your golf instructor kept losing his temper? Your students, especially juniors, will watch you and attempt to emulate the image you project on the course. With this in mind, always strive to keep your personal profile in a strictly professional, organized, and, above all, emotionally controlled manner. You will perform more effectively, and so will your students.
Read more 0
Genuine Improvement Requires an Investment in Time
14 Jan 2010

Genuine Improvement Requires an Investment in Time

Among the thousands of stories about Moe Norman, the late eccentric genius of golf, is a nugget that exemplifies just how precisely he could hit a golf ball. Moe was playing with the late Ken Venning one morning in Florida. Unable to hit balls before they teed off, they hit three balls each off the first tee. As they made their way down the fairway, Venning said it looked like he was walking toward a mushroom in the middle of the fairway. As he walked on, he was shocked to see Moe’s three balls – touching. So, how did Moe become arguably the best ballstriker in the history of the game? Between the ages of 14 and 19, Moe worked obsessively on his swing, hitting upwards of 1,000 balls a day until he had his move “trapped.” He built up calluses so thick that he had to cut them off with a knife to hold a club properly. According to Malcolm Gladwell, the author of the runaway bestseller Outliers, Moe did what enormously skilled people have always done: he put in his time. To become a master at anything, Gladwell argues authoritatively that you need to put in 10,000 hours at that skill. So there it is: If your students really want to get better at this game, they have to put in the time. Not 10,000 hours, but improving does involve a significant investment in time. It’s that simple. This will come as relief to your students, but some researchers argue it takes 21 days to learn a new motor skill until it’s patterned on the brain. The original 21-day theory was developed by Maxwell Maltz, M.D., a renowned cosmetic surgeon with New York Hospitals. The reason for it, according to Maltz, lies in the brain, but it goes beyond the structures of memory and lies partly in psychology. As a plastic surgeon, Dr. Maltz found a link between self-esteem and the brain. “When you change a man’s face, you almost invariably change his future. You change his physical image and nearly always you change the man – his personality, his behavior, and sometimes even his basic talents and abilities.” Of course, most golfers don’t want to hear about the time that they must devote to improving. In fact, most don’t like to work on learning new skills because they move out of their “comfort zone,” a phrase Moe often used. Teaching professional Todd Graves has some insights into this. He says hitting a good golf shot sends a shot of pleasure to the brain. Golfers want that “hit” which is accentuated when they are playing the game. “When you’re trying to improve, it doesn’t feel comfortable, and it actually makes you feel bad,” says Graves, a close friend of Norman’s, and co-owner of the Graves Golf Academy based in Edmond, Oklahoma. “Moe said he practised so much because it made him feel good. It gave him joy,” said Graves, an expert in Norman’s single-axis swing. (Graves will coach the actor who plays Moe in the upcoming Hollywood movie about the legend.) But Graves says that golfers can improve: they just have to put in the time. According to Graves, golfers don’t need to hit thousands of balls to improve. Just putting in dedicated time– even at home or in the office – can make a mammoth difference. To overcome a bad habit, Graves says students have to reprogram their minds and bodies. Mainly, it’s a matter of moving into the correct positions. Graves advocates that his students isolate particular moves, and repeat them “over and over” for months – daily if possible. Eventually, they will “trap” the correct move, and it will integrate into the student’s overall swing which will gradually improve. “There is no quick fix,” Graves says. “Learning anything takes time and repetition.” Tim O’Connor is a journalist and president of O’Connor Golf Communications. He is the author of The Feeling of Greatness: The Moe Norman Story. He can be reached at tim@oconnorgolf.ca.
Read more 0
So You Wanna Play Pro Golf?
14 Jan 2010

So You Wanna Play Pro Golf?

The_Players_2009A_113 Photo by nsaplayer Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass, Doral’s Blue Monster, and Harbour Town.  These are just some of the famous courses that the top tour professionals play year in and year out.  Ah, the good life, right? Well, yes.  But the journey to get to the top of the mountain of professional golf is far from easy.  The fact of the matter is it takes a lot of time, effort, and money to even attempt this journey.  And, that’s assuming the player has the talent and ability in the first place. More than a few times per year, USGTF examiners hear a candidate in his 40’s say that he plans to “chase the senior tour” when he gets near 50.  Then, some of these same candidates fail to break 80 during the playing ability test. This is not to discourage those who want to chase their dreams.  However, let’s paint an accurate picture of what it takes to someday “make it.”  As teachers, a lot of us undoubtedly have students who truly aspire to playing on the PGA or Champions Tour.  They may think they’re good enough.  They may be right, but more often than not… Playing Ability All of the time, effort, and money in the world won’t do one bit of good unless the player has the ability, or at least the potential, to shoot low scores consistently on tough courses.  Take our hometown hero, for example.  He can average 72 on his home course, which means he breaks par almost half of the time.  So far so good, right? Upon closer examination, he plays the white tees with the boys at 6,400 yards on a course rated 70.0.  Since most golfers in the scratch range average about two strokes over their handicaps, this means our hometown hero is a legitimate scratch golfer, handicap 0.  So far so good, right? Now, some of the old-money boys at the club think they have a real hotshot on their hands, and if he could only play full-time, he’d no doubt be playing with Tiger and Phil someday.  So, they pool their money and send their man out on the mini-tour circuit.  So far so good, right? Much to their surprise, after six events he hasn’t even come close to cashing a check.  So far, uh, not so good.  What happened? Most mini-tours pay only the top 1/3 of the field.  They play their events on courses not rated at 70.0, but perhaps 73.5.  To cash a check, a two-round score of 144 (even par) is normally reasonable.  This means our hometown hero must play to a +3.5 handicap standard (the average handicap of someone who averages 1.5 below the course rating) just to cash a check! Winning?  That might be a score of 136 or lower.  If he wants to win or be one of the top finishers (where the real money in mini-tour golf is), he needs to play to at least a +6 handicap standard in that tournament. Now the old money boys are accusing their man of not trying hard enough, of not putting in enough effort.  But he is.  He’s practicing more than he ever has, and he is showing some improvement.  In fact, his tournament handicap is +1.  Yet, he still hasn’t made a dime – why not? Unless a golfer can play to at least a +2 handicap in competition, he probably has no future in the pro game – not even in banging out a few bucks on the mini-tours, even at the senior level. Lee Trevino suggested a test many years ago to see if someone was ready for pro golf.  Take him to six courses he’s never played before and have him play the back tees.  If he can shoot no worse than +6 total for the six rounds, playing under strict USGA rules, Trevino said, you might have a winner on your hands. The late USGTF examiner John Nichols, a former PGA Tour player, had a unique perspective on what it takes.  He suggested taking the prospective tour player to the up tees and having him play from there.  If or when the player could shoot at least a 65 from these up tees, he needed to move back one set and repeat the process until he reached the back tees. If the player could shoot a 65 from the back tees, John said, only then would he be ready for pro golf. Time And Effort We all hear stories how Vijay Singh hits balls for hours on end each and every day, how Ben Hogan would work from sunup to sundown, and how Trevino would chastise rookies by saying, “The sun’s up, young man – why aren’t you playing golf?” It’s not necessary to put in such yeoman work in order to play one’s best, but these anecdotes underscore the fact that it does take a lot of time and effort to reach the top echelons of the sport.  Some players, like Carlos Franco, are famous for not working much, but they are few and far between. If a mini-tour player is playing two or three competitive rounds per week, he or she had better be playing and practicing all but one day the rest of the week (it’s okay to take one day off to re-charge).  A typical light non-tournament day might include an hour of warming up, playing 18 holes, and then practicing for two hours afterwards.  In other words, it’s a real job – seven to ten hours per day. Money Talented baseball, basketball, and football players are lucky – someone is willing to foot the bill for them to play.  Not so in professional golf. Let’s say someone has qualified to play the Hooters Tour, arguably the third strongest tour in theUnited States.  First, he had to pay $2,000 plus expenses just to go through the “ranking school” qualifying tournament.  Next, he has to find a way to pay the entry fee each week, $1,100.  Then you have travel, hotel, and meal expenses.  For simplicity’s purposes, let’s say this player lives at home with a generous mom and dad who don’t charge for room and board. We’re still looking at close to $30,000.  There are cheaper alternatives, but they generally don’t offer a very big field or purse.  And let’s not forget the PGA Tour Q-school:  $5,000 plus expenses. Frankly, unless someone is ultra-talented to where he can produce a positive cash flow almost immediately, it’s a rich person’s game. Summary Playing professional golf is an extremely difficult endeavor, and many have unrealistic beliefs about their abilities and potential.  Talent and ability are only the starting points in this most arduous of journeys.
Read more 0
Lesson Rates From Around The World
14 Jan 2010

Lesson Rates From Around The World

Michelle Wie Photo by dnkbdotcomTo a certain extent, the slowdown of the world’s economy has affected many of us in the golf industry, but not to the degree of some businesses. It seems people still want to get out and enjoy themselves recreationally, so most of us are lucky in that regard. As golf teaching professionals, we can still make a very handsome living if we get into the right situation. In the United States, it’s not uncommon for some full-time teachers in bigger cities to work a full eight-hour a day, earning $50-100 per hour. Even part-time teaching, where someone might teach 2-4 hours per day, can bring good revenue. In the USA, teaching fees vary considerably, depending upon the area and reputation of the teacher. Most big-name teachers in the United States command $150 and more per hour, and the elites like Butch Harmon and David Leadbetter charge thousands of dollars per hour with no shortage of takers. The average one-hour lesson fee in both the United States and Canada is probably somewhere in the $60 range, with 30-minute sessions going for around $35. Lessons at the low end of the pay spectrum are in the $35 per hour category – still very good pay for most industries. Worldwide, there is also great variability in the lesson market. A check of the Internet shows onehour lessons in the United Kingdom going from £38 (US $63) to £80 (US $132). Nine-hole playing lessons can be had for as little as £76 to as much as £200 and more. In Hong Kong SAR, a normal lesson rate might be in the HK $500 range (US $65). This would apply to both driving ranges and golf courses. Australia has a healthy range of lesson fees. An Internet search showed half-hour lessons for as little as AUS $28 (US $22) to around AUS $60 (US $48). Lessons at even the most posh Mexican golf resorts run in the range of US $35-55. India seems to be the home of bargain lessons. Lessons range from 250 rupees to 500 rupees per hour – $5-10 in US currency. Price isn’t always the determining factor in the quality of a lesson. Some of the most successful and talented teachers charge only a nominal fee. The late Harvey Penick charged just $5 for years, and finally upped his fee only at the strong urging of his home course, the Austin Country Club. And yes, some people who pay all those thousands of dollars to spend an hour in the company of one of today’s gurus will come away certainly with a slimmer wallet and hopefully an improved golf game.
Read more 0
Developing Teaching Skills
17 Dec 2009

Developing Teaching Skills

By Thomas T Wartelle

USGTF Master Teaching Professional

Washington, Louisiana

Teach Correct Warm-up Techniques

Fitness research has shown that proper warm-up technique does not start with stretching.  This goes against traditional thinking.  Stretching is the same as activating or using a muscle.  Just as in lifting a dumbbell, when stretching a muscle group the muscles must expand and then contract to complete the task.  Imagine walking into the gym and curling a 60-lb. dumbbell without warming up.

The correct technique is to warm up slowly before stretching.  This could include a slow jog, but more realistically for the golfer it means simply striking a few short shots with an easy swing.  The best way is to make short 20-30 yard pitch shots, then slowly working into three-quarter pitch shots.  After a few minutes, begin stretching out the muscles, focusing on the major muscle groups for golf.  Some important golf muscles groups:  back, shoulders, forearms and wrists, legs and hamstrings. Remember to never “bounce” when stretching, but to hold the position for a few seconds and return to the relaxed position. As golf is an athletic game, learning correct warm-up techniques will help your clients have a more enjoyable golfing experience.  It also decreases the risk of injury therefore promoting continued lessons requested from the client.

Positive Communication Make sure you introduce the skill in a clear and concise way.  Use language that the golfer can understand.  Try to be as brief as possible and create a positive learning environment. •  Get the golfer’s attention. •  Make sure that the golfer can see and hear everything about the skill that they need to. •  Give a reason for learning the skill.

Demonstrations Every picture is worth a thousand words.  Shapes you see affect shapes you make.  Show more and talk less.  Ask players to mentally rehearse the movement after they have seen the demonstration.  For your own credibility, it is important that you use demonstration.  If you cannot perform the skill, use the best available model, or even use a video.

The Golf Swing is not Static When someone hits a golf ball, the swing is a continuous motion.  Too often the motion is broken down into separate parts, resulting in a loss of the continuity. The golf swing is best taught by correcting a flaw with a key thought or feeling.  Find a simple solution that allows the student to continue the motion of a full swing.  Encourage drills or training aids that promote the complete swinging motion.  These thoughts or feelings are less likely to break down when put under pressure.

Principles of Practice Only perfect practice makes perfect. Keep practices sessions short and frequent when working on a new skill.  Use practice time efficiently.  Students should experience a reasonable amount of success at each practice session.  Make practice fun as well as challenging.

Attitude Towards Learning No matter what the standard of the player, a good instructor will make the student better. It is important that any learning situation should focus toward success. The attitude of the teaching professional and student should be characterized by two qualities: – An open mind to receive new ideas. – An enquiring mind to question new ideas.

Organization Learning is based upon memory, and students will recall more information when the material is organized.  Think of our memory system as a file cabinet.  The more organized the material is filed, the easier it is retrieved. Thus, instructors need to devise their lesson plans.   This allows the student to easily organize the material.  Remember that teaching is about creating environments that enable players to develop at their optimal rate.

Photo by John and Gill
Read more 0
Michelle Wie’s Power-Swing Technique: An Analysis
12 Nov 2009

Michelle Wie’s Power-Swing Technique: An Analysis

PART 2: The Power-Draw Downswing By John Andrisani USGTF Level III Member and Contributing Writer, Gulport, Florida wie Michelle Wie has reached the top of her wide, well-coiled, and majestic top of backswing position. What happens next to get her started in delivering all this power to that teed up ball? I will answer that question shortly. Right now, I think it is crucial to first present the three popular theories or arguments about what happens to complete the backswing and start the downswing. Theory #1 There is no overlap movements in the two halves of the swing. As the player has just about but not quite finished turning his or her body, while the hands and the club have not quite reached their highest point in the backswing, the player actually starts the downswing by shifting the hips later – ally toward the target. This lateral move of the hips puts so much stress on the coil of the upper body, that it is automatically forced to begin uncoiling, like a taut rubber band whose tension is released, snapping the band back. (I disagree with this movement-in-two- directions-at-the-completion of- the-backswing concept. I don’t think it is physically impossible for any golfer to consciously and successfully make a lateral move with the hip toward the target while the hands and the club are still going up to the top of the backswing.) Theory #2 The player winds the hips and shoulders so far around in a clockwise direction that the force of the windup catapults the arms, body, and club down, due to centrifugal force. In other words, the downswing is triggered automatically. (Although I agree that centrifugal force plays a key role in the downswing, by virtue of the arms and club swinging outward from the body’s center toward the ball, I don’t agree with the theory that the downswing just happens by some form of houdini-like magical spring-back action. On the contrary, it must be triggered by a specific move.) Theory #3 The theory of synchronization calls for the player to first start the backswing by rotating the left knee inward, turning the left shoulder under the chin, coiling the left hip clockwise, and pushing the club away with the left hand on the backswing. Second, to trigger the downswing action by doing the opposite – simultaneously turning the left knee outward toward the target, rotating the left shoulder up and away from the chin, uncoiling the left hip in a counterclockwise direction, and pulling the club down with the left hand. (I disagree with this theory on the basis that it is un-natural for a right handed player to employ left hand triggers. In fact, you’ll soon be hearing more on this subject.) I’ve just cited the three main theories when, in fact, the list goes on and on; it’s so exhaustive that you can appreciate why so many amateur golfers are befuddled. The reason: I believe many teachers are too hung up on left side golf than right side golf. wie1 wie1                     wie1 wie1                     Before I go any further and discuss Wie’s extraordinary downswing action, I recommend that you say this to your students and enlighten them on proper technique before offering any specific tips for swinging down. “After a golfer swings the club back from the static address position to the top (a segment of the swing that takes on average one and one-half seconds), the body and club do pause, albeit for a moment, before transitioning into the downswing action. Furthermore, in total, it takes only one fifth of a second for the average good golfer to swing the club down from the top into the ball. Consequently, the player does not have any time to mentally connect any dots in order to consciously direct the downward action of the golf club into the ball. All the same, a physical trigger is required by the golfer to spark a chain action involving the shoulders, arms, hands, body, and club to work in unison, essentially on automatic pilot. Yet that physical trigger must be well rehearsed through regular practice, because there is no time to think about it when swinging on the golf course. This trigger must be the right one technically for you or any other golfer to repeat it over and over and consistently hit good drives. Furthermore, this trigger must feel natural, and for that reason I think it should be right sided in nature rather than left sided.” Not since 1986, when I worked with Severiano Balletros on the book Natural Golf, have I observed a golfer that is as right-sided on the downswing as Michelle Wie. At that time, Seve told me that right-handed golfers will find it more natural to trigger the downswing with the right side and, too, more fully and freely release the power stored in their body. I think Seve was right, knowing that in those days, before he started taking lessons from left-sided teachers, he hit the ball great. In observing Michelle Wie in action, I believe her downswing is triggered by a simultaneous rightsided movement, involving downward pressure on the right foot, a downward push with the right hip, and an inward rotation of the right knee. Considering I have looked at hundreds of sequence swings, due largely to my former senior instruction editor position at Golf Magazine, it should mean something when I say Wie’s three-prong downswing is the most coordinated and best in all of golf. Yes, better than Tiger’s! Have your students try cloning Michelle Wie’s right-sided moves and I guarantee that each will say what Michelle said in Golf Digest magazine: “I feel like everything gets to the top and starts down together.” I also guarantee students will tell you that the release of the club and the correct body-sequencing will happen according to a domino-effect and feel effortless. And, I know, that’s what you want to hear as you watch a student drive the ball far down the fairway.
Read more 0
Take the Challenge of Refining Feedback
12 Nov 2009

Take the Challenge of Refining Feedback

Motivation By Carl Swanback USGTF Level III Member – Colchester, Connecticut Whatever you do, don’t touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue! Hmm. Chances are you just did touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth and might continue to do so for some time as you read this article. This plays into the theory, as outlined by Horst Abraham in Skiing Right (Johnson Books, 1983), which says if you ask some-one to avoid a behavior, that behavior often becomes magnified. The same logic can be applied to feedback presented in the context of a lesson. If you frame the feedback in terms of what the student should not be doing, he or she just might do the very thing you’re trying to prevent. Need proof? How many times have you warned your students not to peek while putting, only to find them looking up almost at contact? When you put a positive spin on the directive and say something like, “You’ve almost got it, now try to listen to the ball drop before peeking,” don’t you find it more likely to perform the task as intended? Have you ever heard the saying, “When you have a new hammer everything looks like a nail”? From our first days as golf pros, we learn what things should look like and how to recognize some of the common errors people make while learning. We then take these notions into the class and apply them to everything. It isn’t until farther down the road that we learn some of those errors may be the result of physical or equipment limitations or even misinterpretation of what we said or did. However, by this time we have often fallen into the trap of being judgmental. That’s not to say, of course, that instructors shouldn’t evaluate student form and lend advice. That’s what being an instructor is all about. The key to generating a positive influence is to offer constructive feedback rather than make hollow decrees or cast judgment. Feedback is hands down the best source of motivation that teachers can offer. Through helpful feedback we can encourage individuals and groups, promote group dynamics and mutual respect, and bolster self-esteem. It gives us as educators the opportunity to improve performance and effectively say, “Job well done.” Feedback can be either intrinsic (internal) or extrinsic (external). Intrinsic feedback consists of inner perceptions that tell us we have made progress (e.g., a feeling of being in control) or suffered a setback (e.g., a sense of unease or discomfort). Extrinsic feedback has to do with those cues from outside sources that trigger internal cues (e.g., the extrinsic feedback of good grades triggers an internal sense of accomplishment). We as teachers have control of both types of feedback as we strive to set our guests up for success (see table 1). When it comes to dispensing feedback, it’s important to remember “you get more bees with honey than vinegar.” You’ll want to keep the lesson positive and build a comfortable group atmosphere. Recent studies have shown that doing so will help facilitate a greater learning commitment, higher self-worth, personal satisfaction, and greater bonding within the group (Dubois et al. 1998; Manion and Alexander 1997). When assessing student performance, we compare a mental image of the ideal (the latest standards) to the performance of the guest and then determine the attainable level of success for that guest. The difference between a good instructor and a great one is the ability of the great instructor to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. That is, great instructors use the ideal not to emphasize what the guest is doing wrong, but rather to enhance deficient skills to meet or complement the proficient ones. It’s the difference between focusing on what the guest does wrong and fine tuning what he or she is doing right.
  • POSITIVE FEEDBACK – Comments that support a positive action, i.e., “Your address posture is just right.” Positive feedback can also take the form of a confident feeling the student gets when they strike a ball well.
  • INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK – Comments or actions, positive or negative, given directly to the individual to address their performance.
  • NEGATIVE FEEDBACK – Comments that discourage a negative action, i.e., “Don’t swing so fast.” Negative feedback can also entail a negative physical consequence, such as a lack of balance from over swinging.
  • GROUP FEEDBACK – Comments or actions, positive or negative, that help a group bond, i.e., “This is the most talented group of mid-handicappers I’ve had an opportunity to work with.”
Tapping into movements the guest already “owns” will activate prior knowledge and help promote learning and self-esteem. If your approach to introducing skills is to enhance or refine performance, you’ll tend to be less judgmental. That is, if you start all of your observations with “What I saw was __________” or “That was good, how about trying this and see if it feels better?”, chances are you’ll avoid being judgmental and the student will be more willing to listen and learn. Would you want to be with someone who continually criticized you? Just as positive commentary will enhance a student’s “ownership” of a particular skill, adverse remarks have proven to have the opposite effect (Eiser et al. 1995). A teacher who only offers negative or judgmental feedback is unlikely to provide a quality experience for the guest. Remember that it is not what you say but how you say it. A teacher who offers positive feedback but lacks sincerity may cause more damage than if the feedback was negative or withheld altogether (Eiser et al. 1995). As you prepare for the coming season, take the challenge to make it one of your goals to be positive in all that you do and all that you say. Offer a little supportive feedback each time you deal with a person on or off the links. As long as you keep the feedback positive and sincere, people will take you more seriously and you will find that your teachings are more fun, the guests will learn more, feel better, and, likely return for more lessons. And that’s when positive feedback comes around full circle. (By the way, you can stop touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue now!) Carl Swanback is a Level III certified instructor with more than 20 years of international teaching experience. He is a former director of training and has twice been nominated to a leading industry management magazine’s list of future industry leaders. Swanback will complete his Masters in Golf Course Operations Management, is currently the Vice-President of Operations in Connecticut and free lance consultant with Links Consulting Group. Carl can be contacted at golfbetter@hotmail.com. REFERENCES Dubois, D.L. et a!. 1998. Self-esteem and adjustment in early adolescence: A social-contextual perspective. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27, 557-581. Eiser, C., R.J. Eiser, and T. Havermans. 1995. The measurement of self-esteem: Practical and theoretical considerations. Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, 1 8, 429-432. Manion, V., and J.M. Alexander. 1997. The benefits of peer collaboration on strategy use, metacognitive causal attribution and recall. ’Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 67, 268-289. Atkinson, R.L. et al. 1981. Hildgards Introduction to Psychology Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt College Publishers. Abraham, H. 1983. Skiing Right. Boulder, Colorado: Johnson Books Photo by Indrani Soemardjan
Read more 0
Opportunity Abounds For US Golf Managers Assocation, USGTF Members
9 Oct 2009

Opportunity Abounds For US Golf Managers Assocation, USGTF Members

A couple of years ago, Golfweek magazine printed an article on the state of the golf business, and specifically highlighted the concerns of the PGA of America. It seems the PGA was concerned because more and more golf courses were not hiring PGA professionals to run their operations. And just who were these golf courses hiring instead? Business professionals. In response, the PGA went on a marketing campaign to make the golf courses aware that PGA professionals, at least in that organization’s eyes, were the most qualified to run a golf course. What has been the response of the golf industry to that campaign? Well, if Crosswinds Golf Club in Savannah, Georgia, is any indication, the campaign didn’t do much, if anything, to help PGA professionals. Crosswinds, an upscale 18-hole facility, like so many other golf courses throughout the country, has gone without a PGA professional for many years, and have no plans to bring one in. In fact, the general manager at the course is making a point to only hire proven businesspeople in the position of director of golf. Today, the majority of all golf facilities in America, which include full-length, executive, and par-3 courses, along with driving ranges, do not have a PGA member on staff. Speaking of 18-hole facilities exclusively, approximately one in four do not employ PGA members. In other words, the PGA does not have a monopoly on the golf business – far from it. When it comes to teaching, the Golfweek article also highlighted the concerns of PGA professionals who did work as directors of golf or head professionals. They were no longer getting to teach the game, because their duties required them to stay in the office or pro shop, and their general managers frowned upon them heading to the lesson tee. So they didn’t – and still don’t. This directly from the United States Golf Managers Association website (www.GolfManagersAssociation.com): “Similar to 1989, when the USGTF asked themselves why must one attend a 4–6 year program simply to teach the game – it made no sense – we now ask ourselves the same question regarding golf club management….We knew that old school education was not keeping pace with technology. These practices were outmoded and the consumer deserved better.” The golf courses themselves also believed they deserved better, and were thus shying away from traditional golf professionals and hiring business professionals, instead. This trend continues to this day, as we see with Crosswinds Golf Club. Where does the US Golf Managers Association and the US Golf Teachers Federation fit into all of this? It fits very well, as many of their members are finding out. Almost all US Golf Managers Association and US Golf Teachers Federation members come from other business backgrounds prior to golf. In contrast, almost all traditional golf professionals only know one business, and they’ve been in that business since they graduated from high school at age 18 or college at age 22. On the surface, you would think that would be an asset, but as we’ve seen, more and more golf courses are considering it a liability. Why? Because many of these traditional golf pros are seen as golfers first and businesspeople second. US Golf Managers Association and US Golf Teachers Federation members have an advantage in that they are seen as businesspeople first and golfers second. This is not to say that prior business experience is absolutely necessary to getting your foot in the door as a golf club manager or teacher, but of course it helps. One of the things that both US Golf Managers Association and the US Golf Teachers Federation members have going for themselves is training and certification through these organizations. The US Golf Managers Association course allows anyone the opportunity to earn certification, not just golfers. The US Golf Managers Association’s emphasis on business is recognized by golf courses that wish to hire people for their business skills. The result is that US Golf Managers Association graduates have a definite advantage in the job marketplace. Now, what about those golf pros serving as directors of golf or head professionals who are lamenting the fact that they are no longer able to teach because of administrative duties? This is where the USGTF comes in. For many years, the golf business has become more and more specialized. As we’ve seen, no longer do many golf courses want their personnel to be a jack-of-all-trades, even if by chance they are capable of doing it. The USGTF recognized this long ago, and many members since 1989 have taken advantage of the fact that golf courses want someone to manage the overall operations, someone else to manage the golf shop, and still someone else to handle the teaching duties. USGTF members have been quite successful in an array of teaching scenarios, such as head coaches at high schools and colleges, directors of instruction, and golf teaching professionals. Old school methods and jacks-of-all-trades may have been appropriate in a bygone era, but today’s golf courses are full-fledged businesses concerned with the bottom line. They recognize that specialized personnel mean a more efficient and profitable operation. The US Golf Managers Association and US Golf Teachers Federation allow its members to take advantage of this now-established paradigm, which undoubtedly will continue into the future. Photo by Rennett Stowe
Read more 0