Golf Teaching Pros: Teachers for Golfers

Last winter, Canada played host to the 2010 winter Olympics, and for everyone who participated or watched the events, it was a moment for all of us Canadians to take pride in the accomplishments of our athletes and everyone involved with the success of this event. As we look to the future, we are pleased that golf will now be an accepted sport in the summer Olympics of 2016. As teaching professionals, we will be instrumental in teaching Canada’s youth for all future upcoming games.

2010 CANADIAN GOLF TEACHERS CUP
The prestigious Angus Glen Golf Club in be the host golf facility for the 2010 Canadian Golf Teaches Cup. Angus Glen was also the host of the 2007 Canadian Open. The event will be held on September 5 – 6 and is sure to be a great experience for all CGTF and WGTF members. Please register as early as possible as space will be limited.

2010 LEVEL IV MASTER COURSES
There will be two Level IV Master courses this summer in Canada, July 24 – 26 at Crosswinds Golf Course in Burlington, Ontario, and for those in the western part of the country, the course will be held at Newlands Golf & Country Club in Langley, British Columbia September 10 – 12. Many Canadian professionals have chosen to take their teaching to the next level and become Master Golf Teaching Professionals®. You can register online at www.cgtf.com.

BE OUR FRIEND ON… FACEBOOK
The Canadian Golf Teachers Federation is now on Facebook. You may join us there and become a fan, so that you can be up to date on all current activities within the Canadian Golf Teachers Federation. In closing, we hope that all WGTF members have an excellent 2010 season.

As founder and president of the German Golf Teachers Federation, we started 14 years ago with a small group of golf enthusiasts to set up the Federation and install an education system in the German language. The base program was taken from the basics of the WGTF teaching methods. Then we started every year with one to two education courses in order to grow.

After the GGTF was known by the German golfing public, the PGA of Germany caused us some trouble. Since our inception, however, we documented all of their actions in doing their best to deny our rapid growth and popularity and in attempting to remove us from the golf scene in Germany. We hired an attorney and fought for our legal rights. We took the German PGA to court in a restrictive trade practice lawsuit. The court ruled in favour of the GGTF, which has now gained acceptance with the German Golf Federation in order to train the German public for their initial green card. This card entitles German golfers to play golf at both public and private courses.

For years now, we have been an accredited organization with a permanent presence, and in fact we have more and more PGA members deciding to be members of our organization. The obvious reason for this is that teaching professionals can now ply their trade with the GGTF without paying the outrageous annual membership fees that the German PGA have always demanded of their members. We also have benefits for our members like Internet service, an insurance program, purchasing program, permanent education program, WGTF events program, etc.

Our education has developed to a high standard. Since 2007, we have been working closely with the sports faculties of the University of Munich and the University of Paderborn and have now gained further accreditation with the Deutsche Golf Verband.

For more information and details about news, education programs and courses for 2010, please visit our updated website, www.ggtf.de.

One of last years projects was to revamp the WGTF of Great Britain & Ireland website, which is now completed. This includes personal profi les for all of our coaches and a fi nd-a-coach facility for the general public. There is also a portal for managers and golf course proprietors to discover why they should employ WGTF coaches at their golf facilities.

Online projects currently underway include recording fi ve-minute videos of the world’s leading experts who are involved with golf and game improvements in various fi elds. They include Tim Gallwey, Fred Shoemaker, Joe Daniels, and many others. We have also produced a list of Britain’s best teaching/learning aids, with short reports on how they work and who they would suit.

The recommended coach program guarantees our coaches reach the highest standards required in the UK market place. Nearly half of our Level III coaches now continue their training to this level, which is not only a remarkable statistic, but a great advert for the determination our members display in their effort to become outstanding golf coaches.

Furthermore, we are well into a major project to acquire the teaching rights to as many golf courses and driving ranges in the UK as possible. We have several venues arranged in Birmingham, Scotland, Ireland and Spain. We will also be joining the other federations in Europe at the Villa Sol resort in Portugal to compete in the European championship for teaching professionals, and of course we will compete in the United States Golf Teachers Cup in Las Vegas this October.

Best wishes to all fellow federation members around the world.

USGTF-Hungary has formed an association with the instructor training. Preliminary plans call for the participation of Mr. Alfred Hartig, a Level III member from Serbia, who late last year received his certifi cation in England. Also participating will be Mr. Andy Mondvay, a Level IV member from Sweden, who will help with the course in the Hungarian language.

With Hungary’s new golf course construction, there is a great need for golf instructors. In our small market, there is pressure from the PGA, who for some reason believe they should be the only entity permitted to teach the game. Fortunately however, this elitist attitude has not worked in any other European nation and will not work here in Hungary, either. Already, the Hungarian Golf Association recognizes our contributions to the game.

Our base facility at the St. Lrinc Golf Club opened last year inside Budapest, the capital of Hungary with 2.5 million people. It has a complete 3,400-meter 9-hole golf course, a par-3 practice course, a rain-protected driving range, and large putting green. A comfortable clubhouse is also part of the facility. By the way, the course is my own design, my second work in Hungary.

This fall, we plan to hold the first USGTF-Hungary Pro-Am tournament. We certainly welcome any WGTF member to visit us and participate in the event.

WARMING UP IN WINTERTIME FOR THE 2010 GOLF SEASON
BY RENÉ IMTHORN - Chairman of the Society of the WGTF of the Netherlands

For the third time in a row we organized the DGTF (Dutch Golf Teachers Federation) 2nd-month seminar. It is called the 2nd month because it is organized in February, one of the coldest months in the year with the lowest golf activities (except the indoor training centers,) for obvious reasons. It affords everyone an opportunity to prepare for the coming year, meet fellow colleagues and provide ongoing education on the profession of teaching the game.

Over 100 members attended this popular seminar. There were three parallel workshops: Clubfitting (conducted by Neil Bates and Ignace Adriaanse), Biomechanics of the Golf Swing (conducted by Arno Hovius) and special guest this year Ralph Mann (assisted by Thomas Wartelle and Henrik Jentsch) presenting his Swing Model.

Other guests included Kate Whitney from the United States, representing the SwingRite training aid (www.swingrite.com), and John and Declan Foley from Ireland, representing the ProAlign1000 (www.proalign1000.com) putting tool.

The first education seminar in 2008 was opened by WGTF president Geoff Bryant, and also this year we were honored by his appearance. In fact, being the 10th anniversary of the Dutch GTF, he presented our president Mr. Edward John Vestraten with a handsome plaque in recognition of his dedication and hard work in growing the WGTF of the Netherlands.

On Monday evening we had our annual members meeting, and on Tuesday evening we had a meeting with the National Golf Federation regarding the new European certification structure for golf teaching professionals. The model, which was developed in the Netherlands, is now recognized for the rest of Europe. And, for the “die hards” it was possible to play nine holes in the snow!

Overall, it was a very successful education seminar and networking event, which will be repeated every year. There are some ideas to make this a European event, in which case all WGTF members will be welcome to attend.

In Holland we have two organizations: the foundation DGTF, which is the education part, and the WGTF of the Netherlands, where golf teachers become a member after their certification.

Have a good golfing season!

Greetings to all Golf Teaching Pro readers from sunny South Africa! In this article I will be telling you about a number of golf destinations and focusing on two in particular – Jack Nicklaus’ Serengeti Golf Club and Annika Sorensen’s Euphoria.

At the time of writing this article, the BMW Golf Cup International season reaches its conclusion with the World Final at Fancourt (George, South Africa) from March 1-6, 2010.

The top 99 players from the 34 countries that entered the largest international tournament series for amateurs will meet at the Fancourt Golf Resort in George, where they will determine the winners in two men’s classes, one ladies’ class, and the team competition. The excellent amateurs qualified for the World Final thanks to their success at roughly 1,000 tournaments around the world, and I have been in contact with some USGTF readers who are attending the tournament.

Serengeti will join an elite group of more than 340 courses that carry the Nicklaus Design name, and a celebrated list of five courses he has designed and opened in South Africa, since 1998. Before Serengeti came Pecanwood (Northwest Province), Pearl Valley (Western Cape), Simola (Southern Cape), and St. Francis Links (Eastern Cape) – which have all won Golf Digest’s Best New Courses in South Africa for the respective years they opened, so the standard has been set high for Serengeti. It is a great track, in excellent condition with large greens, with the par-5 eighth hole ending with an island green. It is also unusual as the course has 27 holes.

For people heading over for a golfing safari, Serengeti is the perfect stopover in Johannesburg, being only 15km from O. R. Tambo International Airport, and its restaurant is fast becoming popular with diners for its culinary delights. Very interestingly, the restaurant is named 18 after the amount of majors Jack Nicklaus won, and gets 10 out of 10 in the taste stakes.

Two hundred kilometers north of Sandton (Africa’s financial capital) sits Annika Sorenstam’s first African golf design – Euphoria. The golf estate boasts a spa, luxury hotel, and a very unusual cablecar ride to a mountaintop bar and restaurant, which overlooks the course. The highlight of my stay at Euphoria was an ice-cold beer at the very festive mountaintop ‘pub.’ This was in part due to Euphoria’s policy on balls landing in the second cut – don’t go there! Large snakes rule the second cut and it’s a no-go area.

The Limpopo region is fast becoming a prime golfing destination, with a number of courses such as Euphoria, Elements, Zebula, and Legends, providing the backbone of quality courses next door to Big 5 Safari destinations. There is something very special about teeing off early in the morning and ending your day with sundowners overlooking an elephant watering hole – an experience every golfer should aspire to tick off their to-do list. Please feel free to email me with any golfi ng safari questions. Until next time, happy golfing!

The First 10 readers who e-mail me at ron.mackenzie@neoafrica.com will receive a Euphoria pitch repair set.

The South African Golf Teachers Federation conducts most of their courses including the Level IV Master courses at Akasia Golf Club in Pretoria. At the time of this writing, the summer season here is slowly changing to a more mild daily temperature, meaning that the winter is almost here. Fortunately, here in South Africa, our winters are not very cold and therefore golf can be played comfortably throughout the year. South Africa is also proud to be hosting the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. We expect a lot of tourists in the next few months and many will be visiting some of South Africa’s best golf courses. It is great communicating with other WGTF members and I invite any member to contact our federation for any information regarding golf here in sunny South Africa.
Neville Schmulian - SAGTF Technical Director

Hello WGTF Members,
My name is Natthanon Lerkkumsup and in January of this year I was appointed director of USGTF-Thailand. I graduated with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Science-Chemical Technology from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, which is the top university in Thailand.

I started my career working with the Dow Chemical Company, and was with them for ten years in charge of the petro chemical and plastic division. In 2004 I started my own chemical trading company. Throughout my career I interacted with a lot of clients who played golf, and the more I played, the more I really enjoyed the game, and therefore decided to learn as much as I could about the sport.

By nature, with my science background, when I am interested in something, I like to study the material in great detail and depth. Prior to teaching any specifics on golf, I briefly discuss with students any physical limitations they may have, their specific goals in golf, and how much time they have to actually work on their game. I like to say I have acquired a very keen eye in helping students improve their games.

In order to enrich my knowledge in all areas of golf, I am involved with the Golf Fitness Program from Titleist Performance, as well as the Golf Fitness Program from Elite Golf Fitness in Australia.

Finally, I would like to thank the USGTF-Singapore director Mr. Ben Ang, who introduced me to the USGTF and assisted me in bringing the best golf-teaching program to Thailand. I would like to also thank Mr. Sammy Oh for giving me the opportunity to represent the WGTF/ USGTF in Thailand.

PRIORITIZING THE WGTF’S QUALITATIVE APPROACH TO CERTIFICATION
In Singapore, our guidelines are very stringent with regard to who qualifies as golf teaching professionals. This steady and disciplined approach has not gone unnoticed by the Singaporean golf community – a huge win for USGTF-Singapore.

At our courses, candidates not only spend time in the classroom learning theory but we also creatively engage everyone in real life examples of practical teaching and active role-playing. This makes for a very interactive and fun learning experience. Furthermore, the use of technology and training aids during certifi cation help make the understanding of teaching concepts easier.

Some may justify teaching professionals need not necessarily play as well as touring professionals. However, we impress upon our teaching professionals to maintain a high playing standard for a successful career in teaching golf. The objective really is to have the professionals lead by example in the course of their teaching and to adhere to the high standards of the WGTF.

It is USGTF-Singapore’s desire to continue to be a model example for the certification of teaching pros in all Asia-Pacific golfing nations. We welcome USGTF Thailand and Natthanon!

PLAY IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
Eternity is a succession of moments. Hence, if one lives well in the present moment, then one can also live well in eternal life. For that reason, I emphasize one’s psyche be awake and alert in every moment.

The importance of the present time is evident in a fable by Leo Tolstoy, Russia’s great writer. One disciple asked a wise man, “Master, when is my most important time? And what is the most important work for me?” The Master replied, “The most important time for you is the present time, and your most important work is what you are doing now.”

Do not look back to the past and do not worry about the future. Yesterday is history while tomorrow is a mystery, however today is a gift…which is why we call it the present. If one cannot grab hold of the present, there will be no future. How one is spending the present moment will shape tomorrow differently. Thus, neglecting the present is a foolish thing to do, while constantly looking to the past will dull judgment. And if one thinks too much about the future, one will not be able to see the imminent.

With that, let us ponder why the present time plays a significant role in the game of golf. There is a saying in Korea that golf carries great prestige in the present time. This interpretation alludes that if we miss the present time and think only of previously missed shots or begin predicting the outcome of shots, it will lead to failure. If we want to play well, prior to each shot, we are to shun thoughts of the past and the future, while focusing only on the present. Our entire awareness of the present moment is essential in order to eliminate fears and distractions. As we clear our mind of these diversions, we are able to focus and gain confi dence on executing the perfect shot for every shot.

I am pleased to keep the golfing world abreast of the growing popularity of golf in India. There are over 275 golf courses in this country with approximately 50 more in various stages of construction. Golf is growing tremendously over here and the Indian Golf Teachers Federation is staying ahead of this growth with teaching pros now plying their trade in all areas of the country. Indian tourism markets consist of mostly European and Japanese golfers; however, Americans and Canadians also make up 20 percent of our golf tourism.

I have initiated a golf tourism company called Kreeda Sports Tourism. So, for those planning a golf holiday to India, there are many possibilities of resort courses to visit from May through September in Bangalore, Coorg, Ooty, and Srinagar. Please e-mail me at info@sptindia.com or call 91-80500-77678.

To promote the brand of USGTF and awareness in the Chinese market, we have decided to hold preliminary marketing campaigns in major cities. In the campaigns, we introduce WGTF, USGTF and USGTF China in great detail, including contents of our training and certification courses.

We are honored to have guests and representatives coming from press media including sports and golf magazines, CEOs, captains of golf teams, and management staff of golf clubs and driving ranges. We are planning to hold several more campaigns this year in different major cities around the country, including Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Our marketing strategy is to continue this exercise until all major cities are covered which we estimate will take us a couple of years for completion.

In early January, we came to an agreement with the Australian Golf Academy (AGA), which operates several academies in the southern part of China, and will recommend students who they think are qualified to attend our training and certification courses. Likewise, we are negotiating with Zhang Lian Wei Academy, which recently set up at Mission Hills Golf Club, the largest golf club in the world with 12 golf courses, to cooperate, train and certify their trained golfers who are interested in becoming teaching professionals.

We plan to hold four training and certification courses in China this year covering major cites. We will also conduct the first USGTF-China Golf Teachers Cup, on June 1 in Tianma Golf and Country Club in Shanghai, and we invite any interested WGTF member to visit us and compete in this inaugural event. We are confident this will become a successful event and will draw big attention in golf circles in China. Our plan is to hold the tournament annually.

We at USGTF-Japan continue to enjoy the mutual growth and prosperity of the World Golf Teachers Federation. Due to the proactive nature of our membership, the quality of golf instruction in Japan continues to escalate. Members now occupy every avenue of golf instruction here in this country.

Our certification course schedule for 2010 is as follows:
March 20-25 at Gotemba GC in Shizuoka Japan
May 22-26 at Gotemba GC in Shizuoka Japan
June 12-16 at Oriental GC in Hyogo Japan
September11-15 at Okabe Chisan CC in Saitama Japan
October 9-13 at Gotemba GC in Shizuoka Japan
November 13-17 at Gotemba GC in Shizuoka Japan

I have made an official bid to have the 2013 World Golf Teachers Cup held in the Philippines. My recommendation would be the Intramoros Golf Club, which is a public facility located in the middle of our capital city Manila. I believe that the Philippines would be a tremendous host country for this prestigious event and hope that the WGTF advisory staff will agree.

The golf industry is rapidly growing in Asia. Statistically, the golfers from Korea and Japan were among the top avid players who take advantage of the almost year-round golfing experience, reasonable green fees, great weather, views, and the hospitality of the Filippinos. Where can you find a mere $50 green fee with a caddy and umbrella girl?

Pictured right: Lee Tadeo, Vivian and Fun Yau Teck during a practice game at Intramoros Golf Course. Mr. Teck successfully attained his USGTF Level III certification and Vivian became a Level II member on December 14, 2009. Currently, they are operating their new golf school in Malaysia.

The press would say that Australia has coped better than most other nations with the latest fi nancial crisis, but business people in Australia (including those in the golf industry) are still very optimistic about the future. All of our training courses continue to attract quality individuals to our Federation. We recently appointed two additional examiners for our certifi cation courses, Kevin O’Neill and Roger Podmore. Both are longstanding members of the Australian Golf Teachers Federation, holding Master Teacher qualifi cations with great experience in the golf industry.

Kevin O’Neill
In October 2009, Kevin was one of two keynote speakers at the annual AGTF conference, where he outlined his teaching and testing procedures. This session was so well-received by his peers that his allocated 45-minute time slot ran over an additional 30 minutes by demand. He is now known in the fraternity as “The Professor.”

Roger Podmore
Roger comes from a golfi ng family. He was introduced to golf when he was nine years of age when he started working in his father’s pro shop at Woollahra Golf Course in Sydney. He worked in this capacity until the age of 18. He has been teaching golf on-and-off for 40 years. Roger also brings with him vast experience in the realms of marketing, advertising and international management.

Hello to all WGTF members throughout the world. The Mexican GTF recently concluded a certification course held at the Club Campestre De Leon in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico. The two participants from left to right are Silvestre Mena and Cesar Suarez. (I am in the middle)! Both Silvestre and Cesar are successful professionals already employed at Club Campestre de Leon.

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