Spieth back on the winner’s podium

Jordan Spieth delivered an emphatic message that his Masters disappointment was merely a temporary career blip when he claimed his first PGA Tour victory in his home state of Texas. The two-time major winner closed with a pair of 65s for a 17-under-par total of 263 to edge out fellow American Harris English and capture the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

In doing so, Spieth consolidated his position as No.2 behind Jason Day in the Olympic Golf Rankings. India’s Anirban Lahiri was the only non-American in the top ten in a tie for sixth to strengthen his place on the Road to Rio in 26th while Canada’ David Hearn tied for 17th and moved up one spot to 40th.

Quote…Unquote

“It’s an opportunity that I never thought I was going to have. You know, I’m interested in checking out the trophy, and I’m interested in keeping a very close eye on what’s going on around the Olympics, too, mainly off the course, and trying to figure out the safety concerns, figure out plans, but as of now, I’m extremely excited for it.” Jordan Spieth.

Wood chops down his rivals at Wentworth

England’s Chris Wood secured his third, and undoubtedly most prestigious, European Tour victory, by landing the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The tallest player on the Tour at over 6ft 6in (196cms), Wood finished on a nine-under-par 279 to beat Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg by a shot with Masters champion Danny Willett in third place on 281.

The result leaves Willett in eighth place on the Olympic Rankings, one place in front of fellow Englishman, Justin Rose, who withdrew with a back injury. However, Wood would be delighted to rearrange his summer schedule if he managed to maintain his rich form and qualify for Rio.

Three potential Olympians were in a log-jam for seventh place. Martin Kaymer of Germany and South Africa’s Jaco van Zyl both moved up one place to 24th and 25th respectively while Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay climbed one spot to 42nd.

Elsewhere in the world, Korea’s K T Kim was the week’s biggest climber within the top 60 on the strength of his one shot win over Kodai Ichihara of Japan in the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open at Okayama on the Japan Golf Tour. Kim jumped from 18th to 15th on the Road to Rio.

Quote…Unquote

“It is the biggest win of my career. I have always wanted to win the tournament and to win with my family here is amazing. It’s such a massive release to get over the line. To play in the Olympics would be amazing, but I’m getting married the week after (the Olympic golf competition) and my ‘stag-do’ clashes at the moment with the Games. We’ll have to keep an eye on it.” Chris Wood, dreaming of Olympic glory.

“I’d love to play in the Olympics. They (my parents) played in Seoul. They got silver and bronze medals in table tennis. I’ve got to try to get gold then. Just by playing in (the Olympics) is really special for me, so I’ll do my best to try to make the team.” Byeong Hun An, 2015 BMW PGA champion, whose parents were both Olympians.

THE WOMEN

There is no need to look any further than the LPGA Tour to find the most in-form player in world golf. Step forward Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who won the Volvik Championship to make history as the first player on the LPGA Tour to make her first three victories on Tour in consecutive events.

She swept the boards during May on the LPGA Tour, winning all three events staged on Tour including her maiden victory at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, the Kingsmill Championship and now the Volvik Championship in Michigan.

Jutanugarn won by five shots from Christina Kim and is the first since Korea’s Inbee Park in 2013 to win three consecutive events on Tour. Her rise through the Olympic Rankings has been jet-propelled. At the start of May she was in 17th spot but has leapt to 13th, 11th and now her highest ranking inside the top ten in ninth place.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson tied for third behind Jutanugarn to climb to fourth place while Korea’s Ha-Na Jang re-entered the Rankings in eighth, with Amy Yang dropping out. Mika Miyazato came into the Rankings in 21st with Shiho Oyama slipping out of the top 60. Giulia Molinaro continued her battle with Diana Luna for one of the Italian places, coming back into the running in 49th while Luna dropped out.

Quote…Unquote

“I feel good. I think last year I had chances to win a few tournament but I didn’t learn like how to play with pressure. But this year, especially the last few weeks, I have learned and know how to play under pressure. There is an expectation for me to play well, especially in the Olympics because I represent Thailand. I always have my target. I want to be better and better. Any (medal) would be good, but gold is the best.” Ariya Jutanugarn.

View Women’s Olympic Rankings

View Men’s Olympic Rankings

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For up-to-the-minute information on #OlympicGolf and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter (@OlympicGolf), Facebook.

Image courtesy of Ladies European Tour/Tristan Jones & Action Images

These stakeholders include your very own army of students that you coach and members/visitors to your facilities, and leveraging this band of merry golfers can help golf’s cause, as well as your own.

As you will read in this issue of IGPN, there are many health and well-being benefits that come from taking part in the sport, so we’ll use these as a basis for getting your army on-board and spreading the gospel of golf…

Get All Your Staff Involved

You and your facility’s staff all need to be aligned with your plans and also embody exactly what you are after from your ambassadors. They need knowledge and information in order to reflect what you want to portray.

Every staff member that could have an interaction with a client or customer (and even those who might not) can be educated with top-line information about the benefits of golf to different demographics’ health and wellbeing.

Short, sharp bits of info that they can be armed with when speaking to people about the sport and why they should get involved.

Promote the Benefits in Your Facility and to your Clients

A key thing with getting people on the same page as you is ensuring they are aware of information and engaged with it.

Create some resources [the Confederation of Professional Golf will have some soon for you to use as well] that you can use on noticeboards around your facility, or in your Pro Shop for example, that show the benefits of the sport. Materials like posters, infographics, leaflets, etc. are great items to get in front of people.

Having on-site information is the first step – then you need to get people engaged with the materials so including a section in regular email blasts to your databases can help support your actions and activities and can also allow you to share great examples of how golf is benefitting people in various different forms such as news items, feature articles or videos.

Create a Programme or Team

A great way of getting the message out there would be to build a team of ambassadors from your facility with people from key demographics represented.

A good place to start could be with you in the middle as the group leader and include a couple of members of staff from around the business along with a couple of males and females from differing ends of the age spectrum. Ideally these people will be the opinion leaders from the facility – when these people speak or act, others pay attention.

The individuals you pick should be willing to join in with the activity and embody the message you are trying to get across. They can act as on the ground troops for your armies to infiltrate their demographics and get the messaging out there to educate others and spread the word.

Activate Your Ambassadors

Once you have a team of ambassadors who are exemplifying your message then you need to activate them and leverage their knowledge, peer groups and influence within them.

For example you could have your more ‘youthful’ ambassadors promote a fun day or charity fair at the facility to their social groups and make sure that the event is on their level and of interest.

Or you could record some interviews or write a short blog post using your ambassadors as case studies to show how their social, mental and physical health might have benefitted from playing. This could go on your website, blog and shared on social media and you could even contact your local media to see if they would like to use the information in a piece about golf’s health benefits.

Once you have some ambassadors on your side then they can be a really useful asset to you to help promote the benefits of the sport as well as your own facility and services.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

The Confederation of Professional Golf are delighted to be playing our part in the Golf & Health Project that is currently underway, aiming to shine a light on those benefits and back them up with hard, peer-reviewed evidence.

One of these benefits that is widely known and agreed is that golf is a game for life that can incorporate both young and old whilst keeping them on a level playing field for all to enjoy.

Recently there have been a number of good examples but here are a couple of key ones…

Just last week we saw the rise and rise of England’s Danny Willett taking his first major championship and the first green jacket to land on European shoulders in 17 years. Whilst Danny might not be as much of a young-gun as the likes of Jordan Spieth or Bryson DeChambeau he is still a great example of a young athlete fulfilling his potential in the sport.

But did you notice who was up there in the final round of the Masters this year? None other than our 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Bernhard Langer. Continuing to mature like a fine wine, Langer’s 58 years were far from a barrier to his performance throughout the week and was a great example of how a golfer can still be highly competitive not just amongst his peers on the Champions Tour, but also with the future legends of the game like McIlroy, Spieth and Day.

But it’s not just at the elite end of the game where there are some great life-long examples. Our friends at GolfForHer.com drew our attention to this fantastic story in the USA about The Los Verdes Golden Golfers at the Los Verdes Women’s Golf Club in California.

If you are over 90 and a member of the club then you automatically become one of the club’s hall of famers – a ‘Golden Golfer’. They play 18 holes every Thursday from the junior tees to make the game as enjoyable as possible for them. They play on their terms to enjoy themselves and say the game offers exercise, social interaction, maths skills and humour.

“The fact that these gals are still swinging at 90-plus proves that golf is an ageless game.” Ginny Oreb, President of The Los Verdes Women’s Golf Club

We cannot wait to see more of the research findings that are coming out of the Golf & Health project. The research and work produced will give PGAs, their Member Professionals, and everyone involved in the sport, the tools they need to promote it to the outside world as being the most inclusive sporting activity out there.

I hope this Issue of IGPN gives you some insight into a variety of those health & wellbeing benefits, along with some really interesting areas of performance sport, coaching and sports science to really sink your teeth into the subject.

Enjoy the issue, get out on the course and stay healthy! After all as the Farahmand et al. (2009) study in Sweden has evidenced, golfers live five years longer!

Enjoy the issue and as always feel free to get in touch with Editor Aston Ward (aw@CPG.com) if you have feedback, ideas or would like to contribute to IGPN and A.S.K.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

Proud Spaniard Sergio looking forward to Olympic experience

Sergio Garcia defeated Brooks Koepka of the USA at the first hole of a play-off to win the Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour. With four rounds in the sixties, Garcia finished on 265, 15 under par, alongside Koepka but triumphed with a four to a six on the first extra hole.

The victory lifted Garcia to 11th on the Olympic Golf Rankings, three places ahead of his compatriot on the Road to Rio, Rafa Cabrera Bello, who also enjoyed a profitable week, finishing in a tie for eighth place in the Irish Open.

Quote…Unquote

“I couldn’t be prouder of representing my country and become an athlete besides a golfer. The players who preceded me never had this opportunity and I wish to thank all those that made it possible. My father taught me that besides playing well and trying to win tournaments, I must try to leave a little something to make things better. When I retire, I hope to have given my small contribution to golf.

“I don’t know the feeling of actually being in the Games, but I am a big fan and I follow them on TV. I very much look forward to the experience of living at the Olympic Village. These might be my last games, so I want to live them fully. The opening ceremony and actually meeting the athletes that I admire on TV will be awesome.” Sergio Garcia.

Emotional McIlroy is the perfect host in Ireland

Rory McIlroy claimed the tournament which bears his name when he won the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation by three shots from Scotland’s Russell Knox at The K Club in Co Kildare, Ireland.

McIlroy delivered a dazzling finish of birdie-par-eagle to close the deal at the 2006 Ryder Cup venue to retain his position as No.3 behind Jason Day and Jordan Spieth in the Olympic Rankings. It was his first Irish Open win and an emotive occasion which brought him close to tears.

Another leading Olympic hopeful, Martin Kaymer of Germany, showed a welcome return to top form by closing with a best-of-the-day 65 to tie fellow German, Max Kieffer, for fifth place in Ireland to climb four spots from 298th to 25th on the Road to Rio.

Quote…Unquote

“I was trying to hold back the tears. It means a lot for my summer. It’s nice to get that first win of the year. I kept telling myself, kept telling anyone that would listen, my game was close. It was just a matter of everything clicking. Maybe those last three holes (at the K Club) are the catalyst for another big summer.” Rory McIlroy on winning his home Open.

“As it (Rio) gets closer, I am relishing the thought of going down there and competing for gold. If there was just a Northern Irish team, I’d love to play for a Northern Irish team. But it doesn’t quite work like that. I’ve always played golf for Ireland.  We view golf in this island as the whole of Ireland and it’s what I’ve always done. That’s what I’m going to do down there… be proud to put on that green shirt and compete for a gold.” McIlroy on BBC Sport.

THE WOMEN

Ariya rises through the Olympic ranks

One week after becoming the first Thai player to win on the LPGA Tour at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, Ariya Jutanugarn followed up in style by completing back-to-back wins at the Kingsmill Championship Presented by JTBC in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Jutanugarn has been the biggest mover in the women’s section of the Olympic Golf Rankings by climbing from 17th to 13th and now 11th on the back on those victories.

There were other significant moves on the Road to Rio after the latest LPGA Tour event, which saw Korea’s Sei Young Kim and the USA’s Gerina Piller tie for third. As a result, Kim jumped from seventh to fourth while Piller’s recent rise in the Rolex Rankings has been rewarded with a place within the top 15 of the Olympic Rankings at No.12. She is now the third player from the United States to be in Rio contention along with Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis. Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland drops out of the top 60.

Quote…Unquote

“(This was) a lot easier. I didn’t get nervous. I didn’t get excited until the last putt. I think right now we have a lot of players starting to play golf, a lot of juniors, and if I can inspire somebody, it’s really great, and I hope a lot of players come here on the LPGA, as well.” Ariya Jutanugarn after her second victory.

View Women’s Olympic Rankings

View Men’s Olympic Rankings

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For up-to-the-minute information on #OlympicGolf and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter (@OlympicGolf), Facebook.

Image courtesy of Ladies European Tour/Tristan Jones & Action Images

Most people enjoy giving advice and being able to assist someone else. But for some people networking can seem a rather distasteful concept – something that lacks sincerity, and is using people for personal gain. However, when you think about it, we are always establishing contacts with others in our lives when we need information or advice:

e.g. ‘I want someone to flat-sit. Do you know anyone reliable?’ or ‘Can you recommend a good mechanic?’

In the world of work, most of us have or know someone who has obtained information about a job or a job itself by way of a contact; or have employed someone based on a colleague’s recommendation.  So ‘networking’ in the career sense is simply taking our social networking skills and applying them to our job search or career planning.

Networking helps you: tap into the hidden job market, that is, jobs that are not advertised; clarify your career direction by talking to people in the industry or sector in which you wish to work; and gives you the opportunity to support others.   So networking is an important skill in gathering information, gaining feedback, for referrals to other people, obtaining experience and doing the same for others.

You will need to identify what your aim is in networking. Do you want to:

• make connections with people who work in a field that interests you?
• gather information from people who will help you to determine your career path?
• establish contacts with people who maybe in a position to offer employment
• offer advice and support to others?

If you are clear about your aim/s, then the people with whom you network will also be clear about your intention.

Your closest networks will probably be your family and friends and you may feel more comfortable approaching them first. Make a list of other people who could assist you and begin approaching them e.g.:

• Professional people whose service you use (i.e. travel agent, lawyer, accountant)
• Former students from school, college or university
• Current experts in your chosen field
• Members of clubs to which you belong (i.e. sporting, community, political)
• Work colleagues
• Relevant professional associations

Keep a record of all your new contacts and the people who referred you to them. Ask permission to use their name when making contact with others. Remember that each person you speak to will usually be able to refer you to another, so your network will continue to expand.  Think about who you can refer new contacts to as well.

It is very important to prepare for the meeting with your contact. You want to make a good impression, so dress appropriately and do your preparation:

• Research the organisation that your contact works for
• Put together a portfolio of your qualifications, résumé, references etc.
• Be able to talk about your skills and experience
• Compile questions which will give you information regarding your aim/s

i.e.:

‘Can you tell me about your career to date?’

‘What is a typical day for you?’

‘What particular skills, experiences and qualifications do you think are important in order to be successful?’

‘How did you get into this particular type of work/role?’

‘What do you enjoy about your work?’

‘What are the career possibilities in this field?’

‘Where do you think the industry/sector will be in 5 years time?’

And

‘Do you know of anyone I could talk further with about…?’

Most people have limited time, so listen carefully, and make notes. If you can’t meet face-to-face, preparation still needs to be done before you make telephone or email contact.

Always follow-up contact with a thank you note and keep in touch with people who have assisted you. Networking is two-way process and you will be asked for help at some stage in your career too.

Networking is not always a quick fix, if you don’t like the thought of it, take out the word networking and think about having mutually beneficial conversations and building relationships.

When you need to sell yourself as the right person to do business with or hire, there is one question above all others on the mind of your buyer that they will answer about you, no matter how you come across. Of course, if the fit between you and the opportunity you are exploring is right, then you’ll want your buyer to realise this.

To increase your chances, it pays to know and understand that golden question, and to know how to position yourself accordingly.

So what’s the golden question?

Are YOU the sort of person who is highly likely to effectively help me get what I want whilst avoiding the (increasing) risks and costs I don’t want, in my career/personal life (or in this specific situation)?

…and how sure am I of this?

OK, here’s the break down of the question:

‘…Are YOU the Sort of Person…?’

Whatever you are selling, YOU are momentarily part of that package. It’s possible, even likely, that you are more of the package than you realise.

Everything you say or do either moves you towards or away from the sale. Whilst I don’t agree that ‘to be liked’ is a prerequisite for being able to sell (many people think it is, but I bought a house that I loved, by the beach, from someone I definitely did not like) it is true that being likable is often a desirable trait when selling.

So, your buyer has an idea of the sort of person they would like to move forwards with. Trustworthy and customer caring are two common traits they are looking for. And they will constantly assess you against their image of what that looks like.

‘…Who is Highly Likely…’

Their decision and everything you do to help them make it is all based on theory. It’s about increasing your chances. The more you can demonstrate the fit between not just the results and value you can potentially provide them, but also the personality traits that you have that matter most to them, their certainty goes up.

If you saw the Brad Pitt movie “Moneyball” about the Oakland Athletics baseball team, you’ll know what I mean about certain proven traits and behaviours being good indicators of future success.

You sell yourself when you increase your buyer’s certainty.

‘…To Effectively…’

In today’s phenomenal pace of change, buyers and hirers often realise that they don’t necessarily want the ‘best’ or the perfect person. They don’t have time to find them. They usually want someone who is good enough to do the job.

However, they do want that job done effectively! There’s a difference between someone who can deliver, and someone who can deliver effectively, so you’ll need to somehow convince them that you have what it takes to do that.

You sell yourself when you are effective.

‘…Help Me Get What I Want…’

You are exploring serving them, to deliver the value you’ve agreed upon. The important hidden twist here is that every human being wants a whole lot more than is obvious and a whole lot more than they actually tell you. We’re not robots (yet).

Making a business or employment decision might appear to be all about business, but it rarely is just about business.

In fact, I’d argue that there is always (100%) the emotional human element that creeps in to people’s decisions.

Decision makers want to strive to achieve their business objectives, for various reasons that are important to them. But they also have other desires that may swing their decision. Sometimes people ultimately want more power, praise, or just to simply look good.

You sell yourself when you can help people get not just what they say they want, but what they really want.

‘…Whilst Avoiding the (Increasing) Risks and Costs I Don’t Want…’

In selling yourself, whether you are competing against the status quo (selling the idea of changing) or competing against your direct competitors (the buyer knows they want to change, they just want to explore who is best going to help them), you are always competing against perceived risk.

And this level of risk can increase over time, or as external influences change. Buyers want someone who will avoid or reduce risk to their decision.

They don’t want their business or personal life threatened and they certainly don’t want to create new headaches and frustrations.

You sell yourself when you can demonstrate that you’ll minimise the risks that matter to them.

‘…In my Career, Personal Life (Or in This Specific Situation)?’

All three of these matter. They are connected. Even those who think you can leave your personal life at home will find that their own business and career decisions are influenced by their personal life too. And our personal lives are clearly impacted by our professional decisions. Human beings have certain needs, desires, values, worldviews, beliefs, hopes, dreams and fears.

Yeah, that’s right, when you sell yourself, you have to sell yourself in to that lot! Good luck!

This part of the question is to remind you of this fact. You are not just selling yourself into a business situation, or an isolated personal situation. You are selling yourself into a part of the buyer’s business, career and life. So treat that with great respect and act accordingly.

And How Sure Am I Of This?

The second part of this question is to remind you that your buyer will continuously notice you and your approach. And it may swing the decision either way. They are looking (and double checking) for more certainty. We know that trust is hard to gain, and easy to lose so be good.

You sell yourself when you drive this feeling they have home.

In part 2, I’ll give you a practical framework to follow to actually implement this. It will help you to develop a plan of attack to sell yourself into just about any situation you need to.

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Here Sarah explores the challenges faced by coaches in managing clients’ hopes and expectations…

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With the reported decline in players taking up the sport, we hold a pivotal role in not only introducing new golfers but also ensuring retention and progression of our new players to prevent this gradual decline.

One key area I try to focus upon is ensuring a clear and concise pathway of communication is provided from the initial meeting for any individual or group based situation.

Pre-coaching introduction

This pre-coaching introduction is vital and provides the chance to gain an insight into clients’ personality, attitude and expectations with the use of a series of structured questions in a relaxed environment.

Much can be learned from how the client responds and reacts during conversation and understanding what they want from the game, which as a coach we must not lose sight of.  It is vital to remember that the client will already have their own expectations mapped out either from previous experiences, advice given to them from current players, families or self-comparison from another experience or sport.

Many new golfers will model their improvement based on colleagues; this is an area that over the lesson structure will have to be addressed.

Let’s face it, golf is a truly unique sport; it is one of the most mentally demanding sports where a very small percentage of the time is actually devoted to hitting the ball.

The conditions are never the same and we have to deal with a multitude of external factors that inhibit our consistency.  I believe it is the timing of this and other information and how it is portrayed that is critical to our players’ development.  It is easy to forget how much information can be provided in one session that can easily lead to confusion and demotivation for the player.

Making clients feel valued

People’s expectation levels vary and it is a challenge to maintain these at realistic levels both during and post lesson.  Try following up your lesson with an email checking your clients’ progression so they feel you are genuinely Interested and valued.

With this issue in mind, I spoke to a client who possesses a very logical and organised approach.  She explained that after her initial lesson she totally changed her personal levels of expectation as a completely new player three years ago.

Prior to her initial lesson she “expected” to hit the ball most of the time, this quickly changed to striking the ball cleanly, which progressed to striking the ball cleanly more than 50% of the time.

Her subsequent expectations developed to hitting it straight, which then developed to requiring additional distance.  This adjustment was reflective of her personality and logical approach.

Some players may not automatically adopt this type of logic and could benefit from a greater depth of guidance.

In this case, through conversation and communication between lessons we provided a clearly structured model in which she progressed from playing a course of 885yds, 1200, 5300, 5600 through to her current course of 5,800yds.

We just have to be creative as coaches and be prepared to alter any preconceived ideas or expectations in order to work with our players.

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Sarah is a PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Class AA Professional, and Ladies European Tour player.

She is Head PGA Teaching Professional at Three Rivers Golf Course near Chelmsford, UK, and is one of the most experienced female golf professionals in the UK making extensive use of technology within all aspects of her coaching.

Economic Performance

The course is your prime asset and you need to know what you are spending on its upkeep and where your money is going. The annual audit is usual practice for business. Keeping a record of income and expenditure is essential if the performance of the business is to be measured and analysed so that management can adjust practices to assure future prosperity.

The golf course can make up 70% or more of a golf facilities total expenditure and it is important that costs and revenue from course-related activity are tracked and reported on.  Club and course managers need to find a means of:

• Providing clear information to committees and boards
• Assessing where more money can be made and less spent
• Demonstrating the success of management practices
• Developing an even more efficient and effective programme

There are software programmes available to enable data recording and reporting, with the most basic being a simple spreadsheet.

On average, 60% of direct costs related to the course will be for staff. The greenstaff’s time is, therefore, precious and should not be wasted. Do you know where, on the course, the staff spend their time?

Surveys have shown that on some courses, up to 27% of staff time can be spent looking after bunkers! Are you able to prioritise time so that the areas golfers consider most important – the putting surfaces and green complexes – receive the most attention? See the real value from your staff by focusing their efforts on the areas of the course that will improve your business prospects.

Playing Performance

The performance of the golf business is directly related to the performance of the golf course.  The course is the primary asset for the business. So, why not audit the performance of the course in a similar way to that of the business?

If you can demonstrate that your management provides consistently good or improving performance of putting surfaces, then the club knows that it is investing wisely in the course and in you and your staff.  The following assessments should be undertaken on a regular basis:

• Holing Out Test. Records the final outcome of putting surface preparation – the reliability of the surface in terms of getting the ball in the hole.
• Smoothness and trueness. Available through the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) Programme.
• Firmness – a key measure when it comes to the receptiveness of surfaces, ball reaction on landing on the green and the year-round playability related to drainage.
• Trueness/smoothness – important to consider ways of reducing surface imperfections that interfere with the roll of the ball.
• Speed – useful to assess the consistency of putting surfaces, both through the year and between greens.

In addition to these playing performance criteria, there are critical agronomic measurements that, if assessed regularly, will inform turf management and ensure healthier turf and better playing performance – these are soil moisture and organic matter.

Target ranges can be set for all of the above, but these must be realistic and achievable within the confines of the site and available resources.

Environmental and Social Performance

The Course Management team need to keep a record of the inputs required to present the course to a good year-round standard, related to cost and playing performance targets.

Holding good information and reporting on water, pesticide, fertiliser and energy use and waste production are key elements for the golf course operation and also for justifying the course management programme in environmental and social impact terms. Golf facilities should be transparent in this regard to demonstrate that the game is a responsible user of land that does not pollute.

Beyond this, use of top dressing and other materials has an impact on budgets and the environment, be it directly related to the golf course or in terms of the supply chain and where these materials are sourced.

The Golf Environment Organization (GEO) OnCourse^® Programme provides an excellent means of recording and reporting on these aspects of sustainability performance.

Making Data Work For You

The R&A has produced a list of Evidence Fields, which is available from its website, randa.org. This is a list of financial, playing performance and greenkeeping practice data that needs to be collected and analysed if the performance of the golf course is to be monitored and improved.

Much of this data can be used to achieve environmental certification. The financial information can also be used to assess the benefits to the business of going through such a certification process.

Recording data is only of value if it is used for the benefit of the course and the business. Interpretation of results may require expert assistance, particularly with regard to the agronomic elements. The club management team must work together to get the best out of the golf facility and this has to reflect well on their contribution to the business.

This article appears courtesy of The R&A. For more information visit golfcoursemanagement.randa.org.

Another significant day for unstoppable Jason

Australia’s Jason Day consolidated his grip on the No.1 spot in the Olympic Golf Rankings following his four stroke victory over Kevin Chappell of the US in The Players’ Championship at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra. Day’s success was the seventh in his last 17 starts and confirmed his status as currently the hottest player on the planet.

There were impressive top ten finishes from Italy’s Francesco Molinari, whose tied seventh position helped him climb to 33rd along the Road to Rio while Alex Cejka of Germany took a share of ninth place to jump to 38th on the Rankings.

Quote…Unquote

“We go down there (to Rio) and we’re playing for pride. There’s something really special about that. It’s an unbelievable opportunity. It’s something that from the time it was announced was really important to me to try to be on the Canadian team, and I hope to be able to do it. As we were saying about growing the game, if we can get ten extra kids involved in sport because a Canadian wins a medal, (then) I just think it’s great for our game.” Graham DeLaet of Canada, No.38 on the Rankings, at an Olympic Press Conference at Sawgrass.

“When you look at the reach of the Olympics – London reached 3.6 billion people globally. A billion people watched the opening ceremonies alone. It’s a platform that is unique in sport and one that we wanted to take advantage of from the standpoint of growing the game.” Tim Finchem, PGA Tour Commissioner, during The Players’ Championship.

Double delight for Wang

It’s not just the Korean women who are flying high in the world of golf at the moment. Jeunghan Wang is currently setting the men’s game alight with consecutive victories on the European Tour. Wang followed up his first title win in the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco by capturing the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. He becomes the first Asian player to win back-to-back on the European Tour and the first since Rory McIlroy won in consecutive weeks in 2014.

Runner-up was Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, who comes into the Rankings at No.54. Also into the top 60 is Malaysia’s Gavin Kyle Green at No.60 with Carlos Ortiz of Mexico and Mardan Mamat of Singapore losing their top 60 ranking status.

Quote…Unquote

“I can’t belive I’ve won two weeks in a row. I’m so excited and happy. Of course, I’d love to make it to the Olympics. It’s crazy because I wasn’t even thinking about it until last weekend. It would be an honour to represent my country in Rio but I will have to play very well until then to qualify.” Jeunghan Wang.

THE WOMEN

Feng steps on the gas to her second Buick

China’s top ranked women’s player, Shanshan Feng, enjoyed a smooth passage on the Road to Rio by retaining the Buick Championship on the Ladies European Tour. Feng enjoyed a home victory in Shanghai by securing a birdie at the first hole of  a play-off against Na Yeon Choi of Korea. Feng remains ninth on the Olympic Rankings, four spots above leading Thai player, Ariya Jutanugam, who won the previous week’s Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in Alabama.

Choi’s runner-up finish doesn’t have a major effect on Korea’s Olympic representation. The battle being waged by her countrywomen is proving fascinating with four Korean players within the top eight, led by Inbee Park at No.2, behind current Ranking leader Lydia Ko of New Zealand.

The fluctuation among the Danish and Italian women continues with Nanna Koertz Madsen taking the place of Emily Kristine Pedersen at No.35 and Diana Luna replacing Giulia Molinari in 50th position.

Quote…Unquote

“I was not that happy with my performance the first few months of this year after I changed my clubs and my putting has not been that good. It was a slow start but I’m making steady progress. Winning the Buick Championship has really picked up my confidence and with around three months to go to the Olympic Games, when we get to Rio I hope to be in my best shape.” Shanshan Feng.

“I think it’s very special to have that amazing platform to reach a lot of kids. They might see golf for the first time ever and to maybe have the possibility of them wanting to win a gold medal through golf. I think it’s amazing and a great opportunity for us. Everybody is really buzzing about the Olympics. It’s a big deal for everyone and for me personally too, being from Germany, where golf is a big deal. Being able to represent my country on the biggest stage in sport is just absolutely huge.” Caroline Masson of Germany at an Olympic Press Conference at Sawgrass.

View Women’s Olympic Rankings

View Men’s Olympic Rankings

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For up-to-the-minute information on #OlympicGolf and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter (@OlympicGolf), Facebook.

Image courtesy of Ladies European Tour/Tristan Jones & Action Images

Madrid April 26, 2016.- The golf from the base is the objective of the First National Youth League Campbell Lamont Golf – PGA of Spain, a project are non-profit, for which it is intended to promote the course from the base, and excite children begin to discover this sport and give reasons for that golf would become his favorite activity.

The schedule consists of a total of 101 matches throughout 2016, distributed so that each zone schedules nine tournaments, with evidence in Galicia West, Basque Country, Catalonia, Valencia North and Levante South, Andalusia Orientasl and, Baleares, Centro and the Canary Islands.

Each zone will have a Regional Final. The winners of each area in each category differentiating Cratch, Hcp male and female, will be invited to the National Final on 18 December in La Sella Golf Resort in Denia. The prize for the winners will be a scholarship to IMG Academy. There are provided 10 scholarships for the winners.

A similar model in the USA, The PGA Junior League, has grown from 170 children taking part in 2011 to over 30,000 in 2015 and the PGA of Spain hopes to achieve growth in the next few years as well. The project may also take the form of the PGA Junior League in future overseen by the Confederation of Professional Golf who are licensing the PGA Junior League throughout its Member Countries.

Ignacio Gervás, sports director of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, said “First of all we are thankful for these initiatives that support basic golf, which is the future of our sport. Thanks to the PGA of Spain, the Confederation of Professional Golf, IMG for their support, and to all who make this project possible.”

Ian Randell, CEO of Confederation of Professional Golf, added, “We have licensed the league model from the PGA of America and it has seen great success since 2011. It began with 170 children and last year reached 30,000 children with 2,500 teams formed. The PGA Junior League also works with excellent ambassadors with much prestige and influence in the world of golf such as Michelle Wie, Rory McIlroy, Fowler and Lexi Thompson.”

David Pastor, President of the PGA of Spain, said “These initiatives fall within the strategies of the PGA of Spain, and Confederation of Professional Golf, promote the grass-roots golf, and make this sport popular throughout all levels of golf. We as PGA professionals have an obligation to promote the values of the sport ​​and the junior league model is especially interesting as it offers a different type of team competition. And my thanks also go to all stakeholders who have helped carry out this project and for their financial support.”

Find Out More @ ligacampbellpga.com

IGPN spoke to Damian to find out more about how he ended up working in Hungary, how the country has developed during his time there, and what advice he can share for those thinking of working outside of their comfort zone as a PGA Professional…

IGPN: How did your career as a PGA Professional first begin?

Damian: My career as a PGA professional started as a summer job at Pike Hills Golf Club in York. During the summer I looked in to the opportunities for a career in golf and later in the year I enrolled in to the PGA training program as an Assistant Professional at the club.

IGPN: How did you end up in your current position?

Damian: After 12 years playing professional golf and experiencing the European Challenge Tour, I decided that the lifestyle was not for me – I think many professional golfers have experienced the same thing and made similar career changes.

I had the opportunity to move to Hungary in 1998 to take up a position as the Head Teaching Professional at the Budapest Golf Club. I think I was lucky to get involved in Hungarian golf from its early stages of development. Soon after I became the National coach for Hungary and worked as a consultant for the Confederation of Professional Golf in Serbia. Later I moved to become Director of Golf at the Old Lake Golf Club and played an active role in developing the golf club in all areas related to golf. It was a great learning experience and this provided the knowledge and experience to make a move in to club management. After spending 10 years at the Old Lake Golf Club I had the opportunity to take up a position of General Manager at the Pannonia Golf Club.

This was a real challenge to find a way of turning around a golf course that had been struggling over the previous years. It was important to optimise expenditure without sacrificing the quality and to find innovative ways of developing the business side. This was a tough environment to manage a golf facility and in the end we achieved our goals, this gave me a great insight in to golf club management in this region.

With this experience and knowledge of club management in Eastern Europe I was looking to move on and get involved in a new project and to be able to shape the development of a golf facility from an early stage. I was approached by the owners of Zala Springs Golf Resort (www.zalasprings.hu), this is the newest Robert Trent Jones II design in Europe and when they asked me to take on the management I jumped at the chance. The golf course and facilities are amazing and it is certainly one of the best new golf courses in Europe and with the signature of Robert Trent Jones II on the door makes it something special in Eastern Europe but especially in Hungary.

IGPN: Explain a bit about your business that you run now…

Damian: I am responsible for the management of all golf related issues at Zala Springs Golf Resort and certainly the Robert Trent Jones II brand has its advantages as it is a very powerful brand in World golf and is very attractive for golfers in the surrounding countries and further afield. This is the first full year as the clubhouse and 18 holes opened fully in September 2015.

With the brand comes a great deal of responsibility as we have to ensure the highest level of service and provide a great pre-golf, during golf and after golf experience to all are guests 7 days a week.

We have to work hard to promote the facility through our networks and to develop partnerships and co-operations during this year to promote ourselves to make sure the Zala Springs Golf Resort is recognized in the golfing community. We have already been accepted in to the World of Leading Golf and this provides a great platform for us to network with similar facilities in Europe. We are also looking to attract PGA professionals with groups for teaching breaks to Zala Springs to make use of these world class facilities and give their students the opportunity to play on the RTJII course. We will have an attractive package for the PGA professionals so they can introduce something different something special for their clients.

We have to explore many avenues that generate revenue for the golf facility and for this type of Resort we need to attract golfers from the surrounding countries.

With a new facility it is important to plan ahead and with my team we have put together our business plan and strategy for the next 5 years to give us a direction for our development.

IGPN: What would the biggest tip you could give a PGA Professional looking for a new job or trying to develop themselves and their skills?

Damian: Be open minded and make every effort to develop your knowledge and skills through further education and then to use this knowledge in a work situation. I would summarize in 4 words: LEARN, USE, ADAPT and GROW.

IGPN: What do you look for when you are hiring PGA Professionals?

Damian: When I am looking for a PGA professional I make sure his qualifications and experience fit the position or will fit the position that he grows in to. I look for PGA professionals that are pro-active, looking to develop their knowledge and skills and that are more outgoing and certainly they need to be sales orientated. These are the character traits that I believe you need in Eastern Europe.

IGPN: What does being a PGA Professional mean to you?

Damian: It means that I am a member of an Association that represents excellence in the golf industry and is respected worldwide.

IGPN: Using your experience, what advice would you give to a trainee/assistant PGA Professional just starting out their career in golf?

Damian: I would advise that in the world there are so many opportunities available for young qualified PGA professionals especially in developing countries and to think on a global scale.

IGPN: How important is it for PGA Professionals to strive to continually improve their skills, knowledge and development in general?

Damian: In this fast moving world that we live in I think we need to continuously strive to evolve and further develop our skills and knowledge to keep up with the moving times. If you can specialise in something within the golf industry I believe this can also provide and open up other opportunities. Based on my location and previous positions I have become an expert on golf in Eastern Europe and feel that I have all the skills and knowledge to develop and manage golf facilities in developing countries. If we do not develop we will be left behind!!!

IGPN: What was the biggest challenge you faced when deciding to work in another country?

Damian: I think the biggest challenge was of the unknown especially with Hungary being in Eastern Europe.

IGPN: What was it like moving to, and working in, a new country where you had to learn about the culture and the language?

Damian: It was a challenge initially but also very exciting to experience a different country with its culture and to learn more about its history. The language was the key factor for me, once I had learned the language I was able to understand a lot better the culture and the mentality of the people and get more involved in the everyday life.

During my time in Hungary I have had the chance to meet many people from all walks of life and through this many long term friendships have developed. I married a Hungarian and my son is now 9 years old and I certainly see my future very much in Hungary. I feel that I have been accepted by the Hungarian people and I am very proud to be involved in the development of golf in Hungary.

IGPN: What would your advice be to someone looking to work abroad?

Damian: Try to do a little bit of research and then I would say go for it. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and I think working abroad provides a much more varied role in golf and that there are so many positives to gain from the experiences that will help you in your future career development.

For more information about Damian and Zala Springs Golf Resort visit ZalaSprings.hu , contact damian.macpherson@zalasprings.hu or follow @MacphersonDM on Twitter.

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

If a client came to you for a lesson, I would think they’d normally say, ‘I’d like to reduce the amount of curvature and increase the distance I hit the ball.’ Clearly, driving distance becomes a common variable your clients are looking to develop. But why is it so important, and how will it improve your client’s game?

Firstly, I shall signpost you to Jorgensen’s (1999) physics of golf book, which outlines the benefits of increasing drive distance. Of note, Jorgensen presents a table indicating the number of shots lost to par over 18 holes – my chart (below) gives an adapted version of this.

So, by only being able to drive the ball 160 yards, your clients will lose 15 shots to par purely because of a lack of distance. This is a very interesting concept and certainly one that I feel is important.

When considering maximal drive distance of the golf ball, the golfer needs to ensure that they create maximal speed at the clubhead (CHS). To increase their CHS, it is important for golfers to have the appropriate technique, the capacity to produce a large amount of force and sequential coordination, which is often termed the kinematic sequence. Golfers who are able to produce greater CHS should be able to increase the drive distance of their ball, provided there are no changes to the other impact factors (Betzler et al, 2012).

In support of this, I analysed the CHS of players competing on the PGA Tour since 2007. I looked at the top 10 players with the highest CHS and worked out their ranking for that year, and compared them to 10 golfers who were ranked as having the lowest CHS (141-1 50 lowest). See the chart below:

What you notice is that for every single year, the players with the highest CHS always finish the season with a higher (better) ranking than their low CHS counterparts – in fact, on average 44 places higher. Not only does this increase the chance of winning tournaments, there are also financial gains and sponsorship gain. Although I appreciate that this is representative of elite players, alongside the work of Jorgensen (1999), it does highlight that on every level CHS and ultimately drive distance are important components for successful performance.

So, what strategies do you as a golf coach have in your armoury that can help to increase your golfers’ CHS? Firstly, I would see how – and if – your golfers warm up. If they do, look at whether they incorporate strategies that improve performance, not reduce it.

There seems to be a bit of a taboo at a driving range, where it is seen as ‘silly’ or ‘odd’ to perform a warm-up, and those that do generally perform a warm-up that involves static stretching and/or air swings with a golf club. It is now widely accepted through research that static stretches will in fact reduce power output, whereas dynamic stretching will increase it (Haddad et al, 2014). Not only will l dynamic stretching help increase a golfer’s capacity to drive the ball further, it can also help to accelerate their athletic competency.

Secondly, are your golfers performing exercises that will improve their ability to generate greater values of CHS?

Understandably, there is not always time to perform exercises during a golf lesson, however golfers should spend time training if they want to increase their CHS. We know from research that golfers who take part in physical interventions, such as strength and power training, significantly (p<0.05) increase their CHS (Fletcher and Hartwell, 2004) and their wrist speed (Bull and Bridge, 2012).

Hopefully this review has provided you with sufficient information as to why there is a need for speed. Whether elite or amateur, the ability to generate CHS can significantly increase your client ‘s performance.

This article appears courtesy of Jack Wells & Pro Shop Europe

Although staged on different courses at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco, the chance to mix and share facilities in Rabat was voted an overwhelming success by both Tours.

Jeunghan Wang became the second Korean to win on the European Tour in three weeks, beating Spain’s Nacho Elvira at the second hole of a play-off for the Tropheé Hassan II on the Red Course. Meanhile, Spain exacted a measure of revenge on the Blue Course as LET rookie Nuria Iturrios won the Lalla Meryem Cup to record her first victory.

Strong finishes in Morocco caused some movement in the Olympic Rankings from the women’s perspective, with Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark and Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland sharing fifth place and pushing their way into the Rankings in 35th and 59th places respectively. Pedersen takes the place of Nanna Koerstz Madsen while Swiss teenager Valenzuela is one of two amateur players currently in the women’s Olympic Rankings, the other being Ireland’s Leona McGuire.

Also into the top 60 is Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands with Dewi Claire Schreefel dropping out.

Noora Tamminen of Finland claimed fourth place to jump two places on the Olympic Rankings to 43rd.

Quote…Unquote

“I think golf is one of the most historic sports with a long tradition that has developed very much over the last few decades within golf itself and in its own niche. The Olympic Games provides us with an opportunity to go beyond millions of people watching but billions of people watching, reaching new people, new fans. This puts golf into the same structures within countries where there is a National Olympic Committee, where a sport federation will put more effort behind the game’s grass root programmes because we are in the Olympic programme. So I believe it’s going to be a game changer.” Ivan Kodabakhsh, CEO of the LET.

“The Olympics provides us with an incredible platform, and we’re very keen to seize the opportunity. To showcase the game globally is terrific, and should help highlight the unbelievable skill of male and female golfers. Perhaps most importantly, it is a great chance to engage with and attract the casual sports fans, who might not otherwise have considered getting into the game of golf seriously. We have billions of people worldwide tuning into the Olympic Games, and if we can appeal to even a tiny fraction of those viewers, then golf in the Olympics will have served its purpose. Any chance to expose our game to a global audience can only be a good thing.” Keith Pelley, CEO, the European Tour.

On the PGA Tour, James Hahn ended a run of eight missed cuts to win the Wells Fargo Championship after a play-off with fellow American Robert Castro. Britain’s Justin Rose finished third to remain ninth on the Olympic Rankings. Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler tied for fourth and stay third and fifth respectively on the Road to Rio. New Zealand’s Danny Lee was tied ninth and moves up four spots to 16th with Australia’s Marcus Fraser a newcomer inside the top 60 in 31st following Marc Leishman’s request not to be considered for selection.

Quote…Unquote

“I kind of look at it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience to actually be part of the Olympics, with it being the first time back in over 100 years. So if I have the chance to go down there and play for Team USA and walk in the opening ceremonies and be a part of the Olympics, it would be pretty special.” Rickie Fowler.

View Women’s Olympic Rankings

View Men’s Olympic Rankings

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For up-to-the-minute information on #OlympicGolf and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter (@OlympicGolf), Facebook.

Image courtesy of Ladies European Tour/Tristan Jones

Following on from the successful Business Club in 2015, this year’s event returned after the hugely positive response from the Association’s Corporate Partners about the chance to meet with the rest of the Partners that support the Confederation of Professional Golf so well.

Among the topics discussed were ways in which Partners could communicate further with Member PGAs, opportunities for Partners to get involved with Confederation of Professional Golf initiatives and activities, various cross-partner collaborations, along with ways for the Association to share more practical and actionable data from across its membership with Partners.

“It was a great opportunity to build up relations and meet with the other Partners,” said Oliver Stockhecke, International VIP Management and Sales, BMW Group. “The discussions were really fruitful and it shows the new activities the Confederation of Professional Golf are doing are really valuable.”

“It was a really good session…to get an update on everything the Confederation of Professional Golf is doing and the direction it’s going,” added Golfbreaks.com Chief Executive, Andrew Stanley. “I’ve definitely come away with a few ideas…and it’s been a really useful day.”

“This year’s Business Club really came as a result of popular demand from our Corporate Partners,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell. “It is proving to be a very useful way of gaining feedback and ideas from Partners, but also getting them to interact between themselves in a way that is perhaps not easily achieved ordinarily.

“Providing Partners with the opportunity to visit the Headquarters and interact with our team is also extremely beneficial. Along with time spent at dinner and during our Partner golf day at Little Aston Golf Club, the Business Club continues to provide invaluable time for both formal and informal discussions around our partnerships.”

For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf visit cpg.golf, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

This might seem like something of a utopian scenario, but with an effective, well-structured coaching programme in place, that level of communication can become embedded within the very fabric of your organisation. Establishing the right coaching climate for that programme to flourish, however, is far from straightforward and requires time, effort and involvement at all levels of the organisation. Here are three steps to help you along the way:

1. Seek top-level commitment

The first step towards a consistent coaching climate is to identify one or more senior leaders to be the flag-bearers for your approach. As well as being someone others point to as an example of a great coach and inspiration to their team, these individuals should be acting in a way that gives the right message about coaching across the organisation; they should be people who will spread the word and commit to tackling any barriers or opposition that could arise along the way.

2. Spread the skill

With the right role models in place, there need to be measures in place to allow enthusiasm and understanding of coaching to filter through the organisation. This means making training opportunities readily available across all levels while actively encouraging employees to engage with your approach. Don’t assume this will happen automatically: managers need skilling up in order to deliver effective coaching conversations to their teams who will in turn require training in order to receive their full benefit.

3. Stop and take stock

Once integrated, it’s important to revisit your coaching climate at regular intervals. Like any new policy or strategy, it requires regular attention to see what’s going well and where things could be working better. Think of it as a garden, one that requires regular watering and upkeep in order for the plants within it to grow and flourish.

When it comes to introducing a coaching climate to your organisation there really is no quick fix. Interest and engagement in coaching need to be cultured throughout the organisation along with an understanding of how to deliver and receive it. Rest assured: with the right building blocks in place, there’s every chance of success.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: www.abintegro.com

Whilst much more is now known about preferences in learning styles and how information is delivered by the coach and received by a player, often there are more simple barriers to improvement within a player that need to be understood if the coach is to be successful.

Here are 5 of the most common barriers to improvement from a psychological perspective and the teaching approach which needs to be taken.

Guidance for the PGA Professional:

Listen carefully to the words a pupil or player uses to explain their needs during coaching sessions to best direct you to your course of action.  You will find players vary in their needs over time, and when working on different skills.   Also if you feel a player is not making progress, take time to consider if you have delivered your coaching message in a variety of ways to aid learning and development.

There are also many other barriers that may prevent your player from making progress in their golf game. In other words, they may know what they need to get better at, but prevent themselves from doing so in any number of ways. Many aspects such as poor practice habits might be modified with help and instruction, but often there are underpinning barriers that need to be identified and challenged.

Physical Barriers may be:

1. Poor sleep habits
2. Poor diet/hydration
3. Poor fitness

Emotional Barriers may be:

1. Low stress tolerance
2. Being inflexible
3. Frequent impatience or frustration
4. Low motivation
5. Lack of trust in others

Mental Barriers may be:

1. Poor concentration
2. Poor time management
3. Slow decision making/problem solving
4. Lack of discipline or follow-through
5. Lack of time alone practising

Guidelines for overcoming barriers:

Often players can bemoan their lack of progress at golf, yet do not really tackle the barriers that really undermine their progress. In raising awareness of the barriers and agreeing on possible solutions, players can often begin to change unhelpful habits that block them moving forward. Many of the skills covered in my online course (see below) will seek to equip the golfer with new skills, but it is useful to simply talk through with your players where some simple changes might be made. Some examples might be:

Expand physical capability by:

1. Keeping a good diet
2. Avoiding late night eating or moderate alcohol consumption
3. Going to bed early/waking up early
4. Exercising daily

Expand emotional capability by:

1. Socialising and having time with friends
2. Having ‘down time’ from golf
3. Thinking of others’ needs as well as your own
4. Having other hobbies

Expand  mental capability by:

1. Planning practice sessions
2. Engaging in physical activity
3. Keeping a practice diary
4. Practising alone on some occasions

Considering Your Spring 2015 Coach Education?

Online Course now also available in German and Spanish

“This online course has to be the best value for money training I have seen from the PGA. I use the activities with my clients and have seen improvements in their game of golf. Working with players and …understanding now more about mindset makes it easier to coach and enhance performance….”

Phil Allen, PGA of GB&I Professional, Holland

In 2012 Brian released a fully online Golf Psychology Coaching Certificate course that is approved by the PGA of GB&I (100 CPD points) and Confederation of Professional Golf, and has been completed with great reviews by over 350 PGA professionals and coaches worldwide.  Go to www.golfpsychologycoaching.com for full details.  The course is full of practical activities and information on assessing mental skills, goals and motivation, attention control, confidence building, and anxiety reduction techniques for the PGA professional to guide players through improving their mental game. The course is endorsed by some of England’s best coaches.  You can complete the course at home so you will have no travel costs or time away from your work.  All you need is a player to work with and the time to complete the course activities.   For a price reduction type in the discount code CPG to reduce the price from £295 to £215.

Planning needs time and careful consideration. You need to think about:

• What you can do already?
• What you would like to do next?
• What else you need to learn?

What is a Career Plan?

A series of steps that can help you towards your goal. If your goal is to get a new job, or improve the job you are in, the Plan can help you focus on your personal and professional goals and structure your thought process and identify how to get there.

Who creates the Career Plans?

You can draw up your own Career Plan or you can ask one of our coaches to help you make one.

Why are Career Plans useful?

They help you to work towards your target and stay on track. Sometimes working towards a far-off target can seem impossible. Plans can break things down into manageable pieces.

How do I create a Career Plan?

Firstly, describe your current situation and identify your skills and work goals. Secondly, set a long-term goal and maybe some short-term goals too. Lastly, work out the steps that will get you there.

PGA Pro Helps Madagascar Get to Grips With Golf

By Nat Sylvester

Forget the penguins – it could be the golfers of Madagascar after input from PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Master Professional, David Johnson.

The island off the south east coast of Africa, which served as the focus for a hit Hollywood kids’ movie, has benefited from the golfing expertise and knowledge of Johnson.

The Lavender Park Golf Centre pro is one of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s 22-man golf development team playing a key role in implementing the R&A’s Working for Golf programme.

In 2014 PGA pros have been active in Chile, India, Bulgaria and Brazil with Johnson charged with lending his expertise to Madagascar’s fledgling golfing scene.

Johnson, who previously helped Botswana develop its golf education programme, spent 10 days on the island with a wide ranging brief all with the aim of raising standards of golf.

It included coaching its junior team, training its trainers, guidance on the strategic development of the Federation of Madagascar Golf, giving advice on the quality of golf courses on the island and reviewing the handicap system.

“Madagascar is very sparse as far as golf is concerned with only about five courses,” explained Johnson.

“The clubs have a lot of talented caddies and I was helping to teach them how to coach but also being mindful that they were not becoming golf professionals.

“My brief was to assess golf on the island, to teach the caddies and juniors and players at a couple of clubs because they don’t have a single golf pro on the island.

“I was also trying to achieve some unity between the golf clubs and the Federation so it will become a body that reports to The R&A,” he added.

“While I was there I also met the British ambassador to see how golf can be brought to the island. While Madagascar has only about five courses and it’s five times the size of Britain so there is a lot of potential.”

Since his visit Johnson has regularly kept in contact with the country and hopes to go back as part of the Confederation of Professional Golf development team.

He clearly made an impact too with a golf academy for underprivileged children renamed the David Johnson Golf Academy.

“That tickled me, it was lovely when you think those kids don’t have two halfpennies to rub together.

“Madagascar is crying out for golf development and we looked at several sites for potential golf courses.

“I think it offers a fantastic tourist opportunity and also a great opportunity for local people where the average wage is only £1 a day.”

Also helping the R&A deliver its Working for Golf programme in 2014 have been Steven Orr (Cranfield Golf Academy) and Jonathan Mannie (Swiss Golf Association) in India, Craig Thomas (The Golf Academy) in Brazil, Kevin Flynn (Tournerbury Golf Centre) in Chile and Tony Bennett in Bulgaria.

Bennett, who is the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Director of Education and Membership, added: “These PGA Professionals have been selected to make these visits by the Confederation of Professional Golf and are part of our Golf Development Team, which is a group of 22 professionals from ten different countries.”

MIGROS Golfparks has 8 academies that have been offering taster golf sessions and basic training for over 20 years. More than 35,000 players have attended these beginner sessions. With their programme “Let’s Play Golf” over 25,000 children were invited to MIGROS Golfparks and introduced to the sport without any costs. MIGROS will be entering into elementary schools with the SNAG concept looking to inspire more children into the game of golf.

Golf 3.0 – Growing Golf Together

“Golf 3.0 – Growing Golf Together” was the motto for the second Swiss Golf Forum. The event was hosted by the ASG, ASGI and ASG GolfCard Migros and presented by Rainer Maria Salzgeber. This years forum was very diverse and international, it also included a presentation from FC Basel president Bernhard Heusler who looked beyond the golf course and discussed the business of golf.

The forum also discussed the approach to different target groups, especially young people, “Best Agers” and women.

The Swiss Golf Forum provided a great opportunity to network with various members of the golfing community.

SNAG Inflatables

Dan Killen (SNAG) not only held a lecture on SNAG, but he also demonstrated the SNAG concept (in front of the 1-4 Bay Inflatable) to all interested parties and participants of the “Swiss Golf Forum“.

The SNAG event modules (Inflatables) can be exclusively rented through Migros for events and occasions of all kind in Switzerland now.

A real eye-catcher and a highly effective crowd puller guarantees fun for everybody.

Have fun, be active, be SNAG !

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Things are hotting up in Chile for Aguilar

It was a significant week for the South Americans on the Road to Rio, as it seemed that the golfers representing Chile and Venezuela were determined not to miss out on the Olympic Games on their home continent.

Among the major new entries on the Olympic Golf Rankings is a first appearance for Chile, in the guise of Felipe Aguilar [pictured below] who, despite being edged into second place in the Volvo China Open on the European Tour, comes into the Rio reckoning in 54th place. Aguilar had missed six consecutive cuts before the runner-up finish which brings his Olympic dream sharply into focus.

The tournament winner, Hautong Li, celebrated his first EuropeanTour victory in his native country by moving into the Olympic Rankings in 39th position, with Ashun Wu dropping out of the top 60.

On the PGA Tour’s delayed finish in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas tied for fifth behind first-time winner Brian Stuard to climb six places from 54th to 48th on the Rankings. Stuard won a play-off with Jamie Lovemark and a man with a potent Olympic pedigree – Byeong Hun An, whose mother and father represented China and South Korea respectively at table tennis at the Seoul Olympics.

Quote…Unquote

“It means a lot for me. Just amazing. That was the most nervous I’ve been in my life but a lot of doors open now, like the Olympic. Now it’s really close.” Haotong Li

“I’m into the Olympics now representing my country. There are too many positive things just to worry about one bad shot. It’s going to be fun. I’m going to have my wife as a caddie and my team is going to be travelling with me so it’s going to be a really good experience. I’m looking forward to everything that is happening now.” Felipe Aguilar

THE WOMEN

After five and a half years on Tour, Jenny Shin [pictured below] of Korea made her big breakthrough on the LPGA Tour by winning the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Presented by JBTC. Gerina Piller from the USA finished tied second alongside two more Koreans, Amy Yang and Mi Jung Hur.

Amy Yang, now returned to eighth on the Road to Rio, replaces Ha-Na Yang in the Rankings and is one of a quartet of Korean golfers inside the top 15 and currently all eligible to play in Brazil.

Americans Lexi Thompson (No.3) and Stacy Lewis (No.4) are leading the US qualifiers, but Piller’s strong finish still gives her an outside chance of moving inside the top 15.

Giulia Molinaro replaces Diane Luna in the Italy team, entering the Rankings in 50th position.

Quote….Unquote

“After five and a half years of people questioning me: ‘When is your first win going to be?’, I learned to deal with the mental stress. Nothing’s easy. Golf is not easy. I didn’t have my ‘A’ game so it makes me very hapy to win.” Jenny Shin

View Women’s Olympic Rankings

View Men’s Olympic Rankings

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Images courtesy of Action Images & Ladies European Tour/Tristan Jones

@MindaZetlin

It doesn’t matter what sort of personality you have. What matters is that you do these four things–really well.

Can leadership qualities be measured? It turns out the answer is yes. Robert Mann, author of “The Measure of a Leader,” has spent the last 43 years developing leadership appraisal tools. Originally created to help the Ontario school system to train principals, his methods can help any leader identify weaknesses and strengths.

When he started his research, Mann says, he expected to identify personality traits of good leaders. It turned out, leaders’ personalities vary widely but, he says, whatever their persona, there are specific behaviors that will make a leader effective. The good news is that you can learn these behaviors, or help an employee with leadership ambitions learn them:

1.     Good leaders have a mission and inspire others to join them.

“What is the organization’s purpose?” Mann asks. “You must be able to understand that and communicate it to a group of people such that they will commit themselves to it. And you have to have a strategy for them  for them to follow to achieve that mission.”

2.     Good leaders create strong organisations.

“The leader has to have a good grasp of what the company is organized to do,” he says. “What’s the most efficient way of producing what it’s organized for?” This is important because the leader needs to understand and manage not only the mission but also the structure of the organization, with sub-leaders who are also important to the company achieving its goals.

3.     Good leaders have strong interpersonal skills.

“Interpersonal behavior will very strongly affect how people feel about the organization’s goals, and whether working toward those goals is worthwhile,” Mann says.

4.     Good leaders are good motivators.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone loves them. “Some leaders rely on the exercise of power–coersion–to motivate employees,” Mann says. A second way to motivate is by the exercise of authority granted to a leader who’s proved superior ability or skill or commitment. “A third way to motivate is with charisma, so that people are drawn to the leader.”

Most good leaders use all three forms of motivation, he adds. “But there’s usually one that dominates. The interesting thing is it doesn’t seem to matter which.” Different situations call for different forms of motivation, he says. “You have to adapt your performance to the culture of your organization.”