Presidents Message
If you have never had the opportunity to visit China, the upcoming World Golf Teachers Cup this October might be a great reason to do so. USGTF China president Steve Mak and his team are hosting the event, which will take place at the Sun Island Golf Club in Shanghai. This will be the first time that the 11th biennial World Cup will be held in Asia. All the information regarding the event can be accessed at...
My Quest for Excellence… and What you Can Learn From It
When I started playing golf, at the age of 12, I dreamed of playing professionally. Jack Nicklaus was still dominating the majors, Johnny Miller was at the height of his powers, and Arnold Palmer was still contending for titles. I thought it would be great to join them. There was just one little problem – I really wasn’t very good at the game. Although I was a decent Little League baseball player and fairly competent in football and...
Psychology of Teaching
This is another in a series from the archives of Golf Teaching Pro. This was written by World Golf Hall of Fame teacher Bob Toski, an honorary USGTF member, and appeared in the Summer 1999 edition. In teaching the golf swing, a teacher must examine the reasons why people act, think, and feel as they do when attempting to learn and play this great game. People are attracted to the game for various reasons, but once they are involved,...
Grab This
As I write this article, it is Canadian Thanksgiving Monday. I just got off the golf course after golfing with my wife and a friend. To make a foursome, the pro shop added one of the junior golfers from our club. Besides putting on a brilliant driving exhibition and shooting par from the back tees, this young chap could not have been more patient or more polite with playing partners older than his parents. Two weeks ago, a few of us...
Winter 2011: President’s Message
Bobby Jones had an eloquent way of describing the golf swing that made sense to people. When asked what he felt the key to the golf swing was, he said, “When a golfer has reached the top of the swing, it is the leisurely start down with the hands that provide for the gradual increase of speed, without disturbing the timing or balance of the swing.” As teaching professionals, we all know that most high handicappers, once at the top of...