After a year’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Golf Teachers Cup returns in full force for its 25th edition on Monday and Tuesday, October 18-19, at the Revere Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. As in 2019, the tournament will feature a concurrent pro-am (akin to the AT&T National Pro-Am held every year on the PGA Tour at Pebble Beach), with USGTF members vying for individual honors along with participating in the pro-am during tournament play. An amateur partner is not required to enter the tournament. The entry fee is $495 per player, both professionals and amateurs, and includes two rounds of tournament play, range balls before and after each round, closing banquet and awards ceremony, tournament prizes, and other amenities. Registration will be open soon,…

Echoing the dramatic growth of the USGTF in its early years, 10 candidates attended the certification course held in Las Vegas, Nevada, this past month. Under the leadership of president and CEO Brandon Lee, the USGTF is poised to begin a new era of growth, and that was reflected in the recent course. “The present to our golf instructors is to experience in the joy of our student’s success,” said Bill Rice, who served as the lead examiner. “Let’s all share in the joy!” Rice’s abilities were on full display, as candidate Elliot Tabron noted. “I had a wonderful experience,” said Taberon. “I learned more in five days than I’ve learned in six years teaching. Bill Rice is a gentleman and a scholar, as well as a fantastic instructor. All…

Northeast – June 17, Mountain View Golf Course, Ewing, New Jersey. Entry fee $165. Contact region director Bob Corbo at simductivegolf@gmail.com. Central – August 1-2, Pheasant Run Golf Course, Canton, Michigan. Entry fee $215. Contact region director Brent Davies at btkadavies@comcast.net. Southwest – September 10-12, Golf Club at Twin Creeks, Allen, Texas. Entry fee $225 (includes Friday night dinner). Contact region director Bruce Sims at bsims@pga.com. Northwest – September 22-23, Northern California, more info to come. Contact region director Nathan Guerrrero at prtime.ng@hotmail.com. Be sure to visit the Stay Informed section for registration details and updates.

By: Anthony Benny Greetings from Trinidad and Tobago to all my family and friends of the USGTF and WGTF. Today, I write about the game we all love and play. In Trinidad and Tobago, there was a time when I would ask where are all the golfers. The course was empty with very few players, but then COVID-19 happened. Now, I ask where are they all going, as there is no room on the tee box, the course is almost filled, and there is an increase of about 100% more players. That is good for the golf clubs’ membership and it’s also good for the teachers. At present, I am teaching at two golf clubs, St. Andrews Golf Club and Point-A-Pierre Golf Club. Both programs are growing in numbers, the…

Matt Jones burst onto the PGA Tour with much fanfare in 2008 after a great season in 2007 on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour. However, success at the top level came slowly for the Australian, and he had to go back to the fall qualifying tournament (Q-school) after his first season. He was able to keep his card and gradually improved, having a number of top-10 finishes in 2013. In 2014, he finally won his first tournament in Houston, defeating Matt Kuchar in a playoff. Since that time, he’s been a steady if unspectacular player. He did win the Australian Open twice, in 2015 and 2019, showing the promise he has always held. Finally, this past March he won the Honda Classic for his second PGA Tour victory.…

USGTF Master Teaching Professional Arlen Bento Jr. is an award-winning golf coach and golf professional, and has been a member of the USGTF and the WGTF for over 20 years. He has long been a WGTF Top 100 Teacher. He resides in Jensen Beach, Florida, and operates his own indoor golf learning center in nearby Stuart, and his “Shoot Par Now” golf academy in Port St. Lucie, Florida, at the Saints Golf Course. He is the former head golf professional at the PGA Country Club at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, and the former director of golf at Eagle Marsh Golf Club in Jensen Beach. Bento also owns interests in multiple businesses, and operates his own digital marketing company that helps other business owners succeed online. He has been…

In nearly 35 of teaching, I have had five students who were gifted enough to play golf professionally, and really two who could be successful at the highest level. One of them is Dylan Meyer. I knew in five minutes that he was going to be special. At the age of nine, he had the ability and instincts that surpassed most players. We immediately set upon a course of practicing with the big picture in mind. Practice sessions were shotmaking discussions about the shots needed to play golf at the highest level. Curving the golf ball, trajectory control, short game maturity and lag putting all are priorities. To win a golf tournament, a player must develop an advantage over the field, something he does better than anyone else. Dylan’s forte…

The legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden had what he called a “Pyramid of Success.” At the very top of the pyramid was “competitive greatness.” Can there be such a pyramid in golf? Certainly, but let’s attack it in a slightly different direction, as some of the building blocks in Wooden’s pyramid involve aspects of team play that aren’t relevant to golf. So let’s call it the “Pyramid of Pressure,” and here are its elements, from lowest to highest pressure: 1) Practice shot, 2) casual round, 3) competition, 4) contend, 5) win. A practice shot on the range has virtually no pressure at all, but this is an ideal time to also practice being under pressure. Set a goal for yourself or your student (such as hitting five drives between two landmarks out on the range),…