Playing Golf Worldwide
Forget pitch and putt – this tee-off point on top of a 430m (about 1300’) mountain in South Africa is the hardest golf shot in the world, and more than US $1M awaits the player who can score a hole in one. Players must take a helicopter to the top to play the longest – and highest – par three on the planet. Taking the shot also requires courage – a player needs to teeter terrifyingly close to the edge of the...
Special Olympics Coaching: A Special Calling
It takes a special person to care for and nurture people who are mentally challenged. The USGTF is proud to have one such individual among its ranks. Pat Church, USGTF Level IV member from Eugene, Oregon, completed a once-in-a-lifetime mission this past year as a golf coach at the Special Olympics in Athens, Greece, this past July. “Every day was a new adventure, more incredible than the last,” Church remarked. “The people of Greece...
A Different Kind of Lesson
I became a certified Level III member in June 2003 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, under the direction of Bob Wyatt. The significance of my USGTF certification becomes more evident to me each season. I consider myself a lifetime student of golf. In an effort to grow my knowledge and contribute more, I began to study golf course architecture and the USGA Course Rating System. In 2005 I became a course rater for the USGA and Golf Association of...
Get Your Students Into the Zone
Everyone wants to be in the zone. The zone is this magical, mystical place in which you feel so confident, your focus is so sharp and your emotions are completely calm. The zone is being at your best in whatever you are accomplishing. It would be wonderful if we can help our students to get into the zone as much as possible on the golf course. Here are two easy steps to helping students to get into zone more often: 1. Become aware of...
A Father’s Dream Becomes a Teacher’s Challenge
Want to test the mettle of a friendship? Ask a favor that goes way beyond the comfort zone. “Would you teach my autistic son to play golf?” Yeah, that should do it. Too often I’d heard others tell me why it would be too difficult. Felt like all that was missing from those conversations was, “Here are some lovely parting gifts. Thanks for stopping by.” Not with Scotty. Even though he told me he’d never taught anyone with autism, I knew...
Philosophy for the Ages
Surely the great Swiss philosopher Henri-Frederic Amiel (1821-1881) wasn’t thinking about golf when he made this famous quote, but then again, you never know. This quote is apt for today’s golfers and teaching professionals. Many people believe that golf is simply a metaphor for life, and this quote does nothing to dispel that notion. “It is by teaching that we teach ourselves…” Any golf instructor with any sort of longevity knows the...
Physics, Psychology, Physiology
At my teaching facility in California, I try to incorporate the “Three P” system to teaching good golf. They are physics (mechanical principles of the swing), psychology (the psychological mood of the golfer), and physiology (a sense of body feels). In order to teachmore effectively, we should consider the relationship of these principles. In the case of beginners, I like to focus on the physics of golf in order for my students to get...
Do You Have What it Taks to be a Golf Club Manager and Leader
OBJECTIVES 1. To learn more about the skills required for being a leader and manager. 2. To assess your own leadership and managerial ability INTRODUCTION Managers cope with complexity. They look at what needs to be done (planning and budgeting), pull together the people needed to get the job done together (organizing and staffing), and ensure that people do their jobs (controlling and problems solving). Leaders, however, cope with...
Douris Pulls Off Double-Sweep in US/World Golf Teachers Cups
Moore wins a car as LeDuc, Abraham also execute division sweeps; Team USA repeats It wasn’t too long ago that James Douris didn’t have a single WGTF title to his name. Starting in 2006, when he won the United States Golf Teachers Cup for the first time, Douris seemingly cannot be contained. By winning his fourth US Cup title and first World Cup individual championship at the United States and World Golf Teachers Cups at Orange County...
Teaching Patience to Your Students
Golf is a game of a lifetime…and you as a teacher of this amazing global game need to bear the torch for its disciples. Create awareness in your students that there is no easy way. No real shortcuts. Enjoying practice and having an understanding of the steps necessary in order to advance is the only “secret.” One must learn and truly grasp fundamentals that are time-honored in order to advance and prosper with this game. The...
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