Summer 2008: President’s Message
The USGTF has always been a fiercely ideological entity. In other words, we have always been driven by an original idea – that being the
offering of opportunity and value to people’s lives.
And, our members have always seemed to follow our activities with intense and proprietary interest. This is a good thing, because over the years we have managed to create an incredible brand, in part by listening to and acting upon the ideas and suggestions of our members. In fact, this virtual cycle has always been a living, growing part of our organization’s character and culture.
I’ve always viewed the USGTF in terms of, “Are we continuing to live with the values that we have assumed as the premier organization of golf teaching professionals, and are we meeting our members’ needs and expectations?” I know all of us at the national office in Florida have always been pushed on by a strong sense of commitment to thousands of people who have placed their patronage, careers and values in our enterprise.
In return, many members have a personal connection with the USGTF, as if they were family. Despite our growth, this will always continue to be our main objective in growing our organization.
Excellence in membership services doesn’t just happen by itself. Like any entity that cares, we have to periodically revitalize our commitment. We know it is something we have to always work on, continually improving year after year.
I’ll always remember a quote I read from a book on the life of Charles C. Fuller. He was the founder of the famous Fuller Brush Company, which has now existed for over 100 years. He said that “an entity will always succeed if management is not thinking of its own elevation, but is focused on something more important – and thus is attuned spiritually to harness the forces of power that cause a man or a woman to outreach himself or herself and offer vast opportunity even to the average person.” In my opinion, this best defines the United States Golf Teachers Federation and the World Golf Teachers Federation to a tee. Excuse the pun!
In other news, the USGTF’s new book, 100 Tips for Golf Teaching Professionals, has fast become our all-time bestselling book. This confirms the fact that there is definitely a thirst for knowledge, especially for information designed specifically for teaching professionals. Currently, we are working on another book titled The Best of Golf Teaching Pro. It will be a compilation of many of the most popular articles over the last twenty years from Golf Teaching Pro magazine.
We have also formed an alliance with an entity called K-Vest. It is certainly the very latest in video and software technology for teaching golf. Basically, how it works is that a student is equipped with an electronic vest and can set up to the ball while viewing a monitor. The teaching professional then locks in specific positions in the setup and swing which are pertinent to the individual student. The student can then return time after time to their correct setup and swing positions by viewing a color-coded version of their own unique, but correct, positions. An error in the grip, ball position, posture or swing will appear in the color red. The optimal version locked in by the teacher appears in the color green. For the student, therefore, it has never been easier to make any slight adjustment in their setup or swing – a revolutionary idea.
The stage is set for this year’s United States Golf Teachers Cup®. It will be held at Sandia Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico, September 29-30. It is one of New Mexico’s finest golf resorts, and to view the facility, please logon to www.sandiaresort.com. We hope to see many of you there.
