When I look for golf coaching positions or golf specialty shop jobs or golf course positions, I am constantly amazed by the written qualifications. Over 85% of the jobs listed are looking for people who are certified PGA/LPGA professionals. They expect the individual to have coaching and management experience, a bachelor’s or advanced degree, and other golf-related skills. However, the only designation I have seen has been certification and it is time for that to change.
The PGA/LPGA are not the only organizations that have qualified people who can teach, coach and manage the game of golf. To name two of the major organizations, the United States Golf Teachers Federation (USGTF) and the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America (PGTAA) have equally qualified golf professionals who can be hired to perform these golf duties. . They have excellent study courses, teaching their students the philosophical and psychological approaches to instruction, the physical and mechanical aspects of the game, and the tools to help motivate their students to enjoy and play better.
There are a lot of coaches, course/rank teaching professionals, and private industry instructors who come from other organizations, but you rarely hear about them. It is time for the golf industry to recognize these outstanding individuals and give them credit for helping to further the love of this great game. It’s time job descriptions ALWAYS include other designations or certifications when looking for a golf pro and not just one certification. When I see a job description, like the following, on a job site:
Required: Bachelor’s degree, three years of golf training or management experience; have proven integrity; have demonstrated leadership skills and possess effective verbal and written communication skills.
Preferred: Five years of golf coaching experience; have the demonstrated ability to motivate student-athletes for academic and athletic success; PGA certified professional.
It should read:
Preferred: Five years of golf coaching experience; have the demonstrated ability to motivate student-athletes for academic and athletic success; PGA, USGTF, PGTAA certified professional.
Golf needs to appreciate all the thousands of certified golf teaching professionals. We are all out for the same goal. We all try to promote the same mission. That is, to increase the enjoyment of playing golf and try to help more people become interested in the game.
Golf is a great game. However, fewer and fewer people are picking up the game, while more people are leaving it. Golf is in decline and we need more than one organization to bring it back. Let’s recognize the talented teachers and coaches from all the different organizations and come together to change the way people see the game, change the way they approach the game and change the way they enjoy the game.
