The Teaching & Coaching Conference takes place at Hotel Scandic Sydhavnen in Copenhagen, Denmark and will see Mike Adams, Scott Fawcett and Scott Lynn present in various seminars across the conference days.

Several suppliers will also attend at the seminars, giving attendees the opportunity to speak to representatives from Smart to Move, My Swing, Flightscope and Trackman.

PGA Professionals can find out more about the schedule and speakers by downloading the ‘Danish Teaching & Coaching Conference 2017’ PDF, with registrations being made directly with the PGA of Denmark’s Steffen Jacobsen (steffen@pga.dk). Registrations close Sunday 15th January 2017.

Click here to download ‘Danish Teaching & Coaching Conference 2017’ PDF (1.3MB)

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

ADDITIONAL DAYS

MIKE ADAMS & SCOTT LYNN – BIOSWING MECHANICS LEVEL 2 – UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING

The Confederation of Professional Golf continues to forge ahead in its provision of golf development expertise and sharing of good practice to grow the sport across Europe and around the globe.

The partnership with SNAG will continue for a third three-year term and secures the leading first touch product and programme as a Golf Development Partner and Corporate Partner of the Association, further supporting the developmental initiatives and activities being undertaken by the Confederation of Professional Golf.

SNAG is passionate about getting individuals from grassroots level and upwards involved in the sport of golf by using specially adapted equipment that enhances the basics of traditional golf in a way that allows an individual to easily develop and enhance putting, chipping, launching and full swing skills.

“We are proud to be extending the partnership between GSA Golfsports/SNAG and the Confederation of Professional Golf,” said Christian Piott, Managing Director of GSA Golfsports/SNAG Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.

“With more focus on golf development, we are excited for our programmes and concepts to be involved in the continued development of golf across Europe. Together we look forward to achieving the combined objective of creating even more new golfers.”

The Confederation of Professional Golf’s unique position in providing expertise in golf development around the globe means that the Association’s Golf Development Partners are able to assist various programmes, projects and initiatives to grow the sport.

The influence of SNAG has spread across many of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Member Countries, increasing participation levels, becoming part of national curriculums in schools, and establishing itself as a first point of entry for golf development on a global scale.

SNAG is often a major feature at tour events, exhibitions, parks, school programmes, corporate events, tournaments and charity fun days.

“Our partnership with SNAG has been very fruitful over the past few years,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell. “As a leader in the provision of first touch equipment and programmes, we have been delighted to promote them, as well as recommend the adoption of SNAG across several countries.

“As the Confederation of Professional Golf look to assist countries with their golf development plans and share good practice, SNAG products and programmes can be integral to improving the infrastructure and participation through introducing the game in a fun, safe and family-friendly environment.”

For More Information on SNAG Golf Visit www.SNAG.golf

Long gone are the days when retailers used to just offer discounts and sales during prime shopping points in the calendar; it is now almost a perpetual world of discounting in order to attract customers. There is little question that the subject of discounting is one of the biggest aspects of modern retailing and customers have adjusted their psyche and their expectations accordingly.

There is often a fine line when it comes to discounting. Get your strategy and pricing levels just right, and you will be able to achieve good cashflow and a healthy inventory turnover. Get it wrong, and you end up feeling like you are almost only in business to pay the staff and overheads, with little reward for your efforts. The question that almost every retailer, regardless of what market they are operating in, needs to ask is whether the subject of discounting should be viewed as a hindrance that is stifling your business or an opportunity that needs to be grasped with both hands?

A change of shopping habits

You could construct a reasonable argument to pinpoint a number of specific moments in retailing history where customer’s attitudes and expectations changed. Black Friday is definitely one of those pivotal moments, which came about as a way of launching that all-important Christmas shopping period, but has subsequently ended up fueling a mindset of expectation, where customer’s go searching for deep discounts and are prepared to shop around to find the lowest price available, rather than just accept what is in front of them in the store.

These high-profile shopping events are further fueled by the media attention that they manage to garner, with stories of heavily discounted TV’s and half-price furniture, making headlines and seemingly having the effect of changing consumer shopping habits for good.

The modern consumer

What retailers have to contend with going forward, is the fact that customers are far more demanding and less tolerant than they were in the past. This means that in order to thrive as a retailer and appeal to the modern consumer, you will have to be able to get the balance just right, of delivering the right product at the right price, in order to get customers into your store and spending money.

It seems that it is no longer enough to advertise a sale and expect customers to come looking for a bargain. One of the strategies now regularly employed, is to advertise promotions and specific offers in order to attract the consumer in the first place.

Restructuring may be necessary

The continued rise of internet shopping and the noticeable growth of off-price retailing are major trends that are fundamentally reshaping the retail industry. If you are a retailer who wants to not just survive but prosper in this newly-shaped arena of consumerism, there will almost inevitably have to be an element of restructuring required, so that you can accommodate discount strategies which work and offer modern solutions such as a wider range of payment options.

Bricks and mortar retailers have to contend with the fact that internet sales are continuing to grow, which is often at the cost of direct store purchases and it seems that the younger demographic of shoppers. The important point to take on board for bricks and mortar retailers is to anticipate this change in buying attitudes and patterns and devise a strategy that allows your retail business to embrace these shifts and adjust the business model to address and compete with these issues.

Big Data

One way of addressing the discounting dilemma and making it work in the right way for your retailing business, is to make use of an ever-growing availability of personal consumer data, thanks to the growth in big data technology. Consumers have become less resistant, or at least more tolerant of the request for personal information and they give up their personal shopping habits and preferences far more easily than they used to.

Liking a product on Facebook or talking about it on social networking sites, registering for email offers and a whole host of different initiatives, will mean that you can collect very useful and dynamic data about a customer, which you can use for some targeted discounting and offers.

One of the key trends in retailing, is the fact that retailers have the ability to understand and interact with their customers in a much more personal way. Investing in understanding your customer is a key trend for 2016 that could also allow you to use discounting strategies in a much more targeted and efficient way. An offer to your customer is now a combination of different elements, such as a specific product, price or personalised discount.

There are some good indications that retailers who offer a well-structured and more highly targeted offer to their customers, can achieve a higher ROI and maintain better profit margins, than across the board discounting. A strategy that revolves around personalisation and price optimization will transcend into what you could call an offer optimization strategy and would be an excellent use of big data in your retail business.

More payment options

The continuing rise in the use of mobile payment solutions is prompting retailers to look at the payment options being offered to their customers at the checkout. Updating your payment terminal to a newer model will help in a number of ways. It will help improve compliance and security issues but another vital aspect of upgrading, is it will enable you to accept more payment options, which will improve customer perceptions of your business and encourage a more positive shopping experience.

While we may not yet be quite heading for a cashless society as quickly as envisaged, being able to offer your customers a wide range of contactless, mobile and other smart payment options, will definitely help to keep your customers happy. Offering various payment options may not be as strong a buying incentive to a customer as a discount offer, but it does all add to the package.

The rise of the omnichannel shopping experience 

Sometimes also referred to as Multichannel retailing, omnichannel retailing is all about using the various channels in a customer’s shopping experience and bringing them all together to provide an excellent pre-sale and after-sale shopping experience. This involves embracing social media, utilizing online and mobile store technology and also includes more traditional methods such as face-to-face and telephone communications with your customer.

Formulating a successful discounting strategy is just one of the challenges facing retailers in 2016 and in order to survive and thrive and drive your retail business forward, it will seemingly take a lot more than an attractive price tag to attract customers, but the rewards are there for all to see.

This article appears courtesy of Golf Retailing. For more information and to subscribe to the Golf Retailing Newsletter visit www.golfretailing.com.

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The UK Retail eBook: ‘How retailers make money discounting in 2016’ will help show you how the UK’s top independent retailers use smart promotion strategies to increase sales and compete with the big guys. It is available as a free download – for more information and to download it visit www.vendhq.com/uk-retail-ebook.

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

According to J.D. Power, 67% of consumers have used a company’s social media channel for customer service.

And when they do, they expect a fast response. Research cited by Jay Baer tells us that 42% of consumers expect a response with 60 minutes.

So, how’s your social media customer service?

For this post I was excited to research a set of 14 amazing examples of customer service using social media.

Let’s get started!

1. Samsung: A Unicycling Kangaroo and a Dragon Phone

As a loyal Samsung customer, Canadian Shane Bennett asked for a free unit of their latest, soon-to-launch phone. To sweeten his offer, he included a drawing of a roaring dragon.

Not surprisingly, Samsung said “no”. But to say thanks, they sent him their drawing of a unicycle-riding kangaroo.

Shane then shared both messages (and drawings) to Reddit where it went viral. In response, Samsung Canada sent him the phone he asked for – and customized it with his fire-breathing dragon artwork.

Takeaway: Have fun with customer interactions. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

2. Morton’s Steakhouse: Airport Delivery

While waiting for takeoff in Tampa, Florida, Peter Shankman jokingly asked Morton’s Steakhouse to deliver a porterhouse steak when he landed at Newark airport.

While departing the Newark airport to meet his driver, he was greeted by a Morton’s server with a 24 oz. Porterhouse steak, shrimp, potatoes, bread – the works. A full meal and no bill.

When you think of the logistics of pulling this off, it becomes even more impressive. The Community Manager needed to get approval and place the order. It needed to be prepared and then driven by the server to the airport, to the correct location and at the right time. All in less than three hours.

Some of the comments on Peter’s post suggest that this isn’t an anomaly. Another reader shares his experience of ordering a baked potato and getting a full steak meal – delivered and for free.

Takeaway: Do something unexpected for a loyal customer – when they want it most.

3. Gaylord Opryland: Sleep-Inducing Clock Radio

After numerous stays at Nashville’s Opryland Resort, Christina McMenemy wanted her own spa-sound clock radio that comes standard in each room. The sound helped her sleep better than ever, and she couldn’t find that model anywhere. So she asked the hotel for help finding it.

Turns out, that model was exclusive to the Gaylord hotels. She thought that was the end of it, and went to her conference.

Upon returning to her room that evening, she found a gift waiting: the spa clock and a handwritten card. The staff had given her the product she was unable to find. Not only did they make a long term customer very happy, they also received significant media coverage for their act of kindness.

Takeaway: Make customers happy one at a time.

A quick note on these first three examples

While it’s great to give away phones, steak dinners, and clock radios, this might not be sustainable customer service.

Why not? When other, loyal customers hear what these companies did, they might expect the same treatment. Can Morton’s deliver a free steak dinner to the airport for every customer who asks? Can Gaylord hotels give every loyal guest a free clock radio?

A more sustainable approach is to provide outstanding customer service on a daily basis. These next examples have lessons that can be implemented right away and on a consistent basis.

4. JetBlue: Feeling the Customer’s Pain

During a four-hour flight, Esaí Vélez’s seatback TV gave him nothing but static – while the rest of the passengers had normally functioning screens. How did he respond? He tweeted a complaint to JetBlue. Nothing inflammatory, but he was clearly disappointed.

How did JetBlue respond? While they could have made an excuse or even ignored his tweet, they didn’t. They took his side and empathized with him.

“Oh no! That’s not what we like to hear! Are all the TVs out on the plane or is it just yours?”

After he confirms that it was just his TV that was out, they respond:

“We always hate it when that happens. Send us a DM with your confirmation code to get you a credit for the non-working TV.”

Not only do they imagine his frustration, but they also offer him a credit for his trouble.

What was the result? Just 23 minutes after his complaint, he tweets: “One of the fastest and better Customer Service: @JetBlue! Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving”

Takeaway: Put yourself in your customer’s shoes when responding to complaints.

5. Delta Hotels: Room With an Ugly View

While attending the #PSEWEB conference in Vancouver, Mike McCready tweeted that, while he liked his room at the Delta, the view wasn’t so nice. He didn’t tag the hotel, and he wasn’t asking for anything.

Within an hour, Delta responded – offering a room with a better view. And when Mike returned to his room after the conference, he found a dish of sweets and a handwritten card from the staff at his hotel. It made such an impact that he wrote a post about it – the very same day.

Takeaway: Set up a social listening strategy to listen to all customer conversations.

6. Waterstones: Man Locked in London Bookstore

While every customer comment is important, some are going to be a little more urgent than others. Like locking a customer in your store.

This happened to David Willis last year at Waterstones Trafalgar Square store. He tweeted:

Not surprisingly, this tweet went viral, with 16,000+ retweets and 12,000+ likes. Because someone was monitoring Waterstones Twitter account, they were able to tweet 80 minutes later that they had freed their previously captive customer. Imagine how this could have turned out, if Waterstones customer service had stopped listening for the day.

Takeaway: Always listen to customer conversations.

7. Contextly: Customer Onboarding

Before I do business with a new company, I like to see if anyone is listening. It gives me confidence that they’ll be there if I have a problem or question.

When I was looking for a premium related-content service, I signed up for a free trial account with Contextly. The process was smooth, and I was excited about the app, so I tweeted about it. They responded with a positive, helpful tweet.

As a result, I’m confident that they are interested in me and will help me if I have a question with the app.

Takeaway: Use social media to streamline customer onboarding.

8. Xbox Support: Elite Tweet Fleet

Back in 2010, Xbox added a dedicated Twitter account. Since then, their Elite Tweet Fleet has posted more than two million support tweets. In fact, when I visited their account page, they were averaging two tweets per minute! And they have a team of 27 support experts.

Any company that assigns a dedicated Twitter account (and 27 people to manage it) is amazing to me. Check out some of their interactions:

• The support team addressed an issue with a user and then initiated a follow-up message nine days later. This is outstanding, given the volume of users they interact with on an hourly basis.
• This user tweeted a thank-you message about a replacement Xbox.
• One follower tweeted a custom greeting card, entitled: “To my good friends: Xbox.”

Takeaway: Be committed to your social media customer service.

9. Nike: Respond Kindly to Confused Customers

Nike Support is one of the strongest customer service accounts on Twitter. They feature a dedicated Twitter account, support seven days a week and in seven languages (English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Italian, German & Japanese.)

An example of their approach is here in this customer interaction: A customer contacts them to ask for help finding an order number. Although the question was unclear Nike’s customer support made the customer feel cared for. And when the customer realized they had the information all along, their response is super supportive.

Takeaway: Be kind, even when it’s not your fault.

10. Seamless: Pay Attention to Every Comment

Seamless is an online service for ordering food from local restaurants. Food orders are full of variables and when you add in time frame and delivery – it has the potential to be a nightmare. To manage customer service, they have an active Twitter account where customers can share their love and voice their complaints.

In a recent comment, a customer tells Seamless that on his recent order he received white rice, instead of brown. He wasn’t upset – he said: “Don’t mind terribly, just FYI.”

In response, Seamless asks for the order number so they can check into it. In response, the customer tweets:

Takeaway: Pay attention to all customer service issues. Passive complaints that are left unaddressed can easily cause a rift between the vendor and customer.

11. My Starbucks Idea: Listen and Harvest Ideas

As a way to listen to customers – and get tons of great new ideas – Starbucks created My Starbucks Idea. To date, customers have submitted more than 210,000 unique ideas. To support this program, they have a dedicated Twitter account. It is a great place for users to share their observations and coffee wishes.

A couple of the recent ideas include solar cell equipped umbrellas for device charging and morning coffee delivery (looks like it’s going to happen).

Takeaway: Make it easy for customers to tell you what they want. Listen to everyone and implement the winning ideas.

12. Sainsburys: Fishy Exchange

Sainsbury’s is one of the largest supermarkets in the UK. They’ve got a pretty active Twitter feed with lots of customer questions about products and sale prices. The tone of the account is helpful and positive.

There are lots of good examples of interactions. But none better than Fishy Sainsburys. This fishy exchange took place over a three hour period, between David (Sainsbury’s Twitter manager) and Marty (a customer). The puns will make you groan – many made me laugh out loud. Remember, this interaction was not a marketing play but a real conversation between the company and a customer.

Takeaway: Let your customer service team have fun.

13. Hubspot: Every Day of the Year

Holidays can be challenging times for customer service. When customer service closes for the observance of a holiday in one country, users from other countries will still have questions.

This recently happened with a HubSpot customer in London. She had workflow issues and couldn’t contact anyone at the US-based call center because it was closed for American Thanksgiving. When she took her concern to Twitter, she found a customer service representative in Ireland.

Like many companies in this list, HubSpot has a dedicated customer service Twitter account. To manage international schedules and time zones, they have two Dublin-based representatives and another three in Cambridge, MA.

Takeaway: Be available for your customers.

14. Buffer: Personal and Kind

If you take a quick look at Buffer’s Tweets & replies feed you’ll see how engaging their customer service is. Responses are personal and friendly. And they are usually signed by the team member you’re chatting with.

For example, my wife has been impressed that when she mentions them in a tweet, they acknowledge it, even using her name in their response.

Takeaway: Treat each person with respect. Use your name (and theirs) when interacting with customers online.

What we can learn from these customer service examples

Here are some key takeaways:

1. Choose a primary channel for customer service (many use Twitter) and assign staff to manage it.
2. Decide on your schedule of availability (set hours and days) and post it on your profile.
3. Have each tweet/post signed by the person who sent it. This is done well by Xbox Support, Sainsbury’s, and Buffer.
4. Remember that customers might contact you any number of ways – not necessarily on the channel you chose. Make sure you monitor other social channels for questions and conversations about your brand.
5. Establish a tone for your social media conversations. Generally speaking, you’ll want first to empathize with your customers problem. Stephen Covey said it best: “Seek first to understand…”

I recommend following a few of these companies on Twitter. Watch how they handle customer complaints and comments. I’ve learned so much doing this.

What to do next: Review these points with your customer service team. Decide which apply to your business right now and assign a team member to implement them.

Over to you

Have you had an amazing customer service experience via social media? How are you using social media to provide customer service? I would love to hear both in the comments!

IGPN spoke to Craig to find out how he built his career and how what he learnt is now shaping how he employs people and advances his business.

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

Craig: I started as an Assistant Professional at the Fancourt Resort in South Africa in 1992, under Jeff Clause, the American Director of Golf there. After moving to Germany in the mid 90s, I did the PGA of Germany program, which was a very thorough experience and one that I am very glad to have done.

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

Craig: At Fancourt we had many German guests staying in the hotel. They were always telling me how the game of golf was booming in Germany (Bernhard Langer had won the Masters in 1985) and there was great potential for Professionals who wanted to teach or run golf clubs.

The owner of a driving range was a guest at the hotel and after we had spent a round of golf or two together he asked me if would consider coming over to Germany and working for him. He didn’t have to ask twice and six weeks later I was on a plane to Germany.

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

Craig: A lot tougher than I was expecting, that’s for sure! The language was tough and the German attitude and way of doing things was very much more structured than in South Africa.

The weather was also a shock. I will never forget the moment I walked off the plane (in February) and was “hit” by the coldest wind I would not even have been able to imagine. And then realising that it was a typical winters day!

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

Craig: Leaving the country you have grown up in is about as tough a decision as you’ll ever make. Not being able to speak the language properly in the first year or so is very tough and your self-confidence takes more than its share of knocks.

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

Craig: It’s great if you have someone there that can help you in the beginning. Going to a governmental department to go and get yourself registered when you cannot speak the language is an experience you either take with humor or you’re in for one hell of a day!

If you are moving to country where they speak a language you can‘t then I strongly suggest doing a language course as soon as possible, maybe in your own country before leaving.

Being able to communicate in your “new” country is THE most important tool to getting ahead in everything else. You need to get integrated as fast as you can make friends from your “new” country as fast as possible, which as a golf Professional is normally quite easy to do.

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

Craig: I always had the dream of building my own course (what golfer doesn’t!) and in 2007 I managed to get the piece of land and found an investor to finance the building of the course.

In September 2009 we opened West Golf (www.west-golf.com) and we had 300 members even before the course was opened. It’s a public facility, where golf is not expensive and we cater to a younger crowd, making it also attractive to families.

I manage the facility and also run the Golf Academy, which turns out about roughly 350 new golfers every year, where we then get most of our members.

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

Craig: I have had several Apprentices and Professionals come through the Golf Academy and to be honest, the most important thing I look for is that someone truly loves the game. Everything else takes care of itself after that. I have never had the feeling of having an actual job; I just love what I do and get to do it everyday if I want to.

I also look for someone who is keen to learn, willing to take advice and spend time learning from the best teachers, not thinking that what they do is “good enough” for the people they teach.

Being able to communicate and thoroughly enjoy people is also very important. If you have to pretend to be friendly then teaching golf is going to be a tough business!

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

Craig: You have to sell yourself! What can I offer this Golf Academy? Am I good with kids? Not all pros are. Can I teach better players? Can I teach teams? Do I just want to teach private lessons?

Everybody has their strengths and when hiring I look for someone who can give me something that I don’t have.

I also like having different personalities in the Academy, some people like a Professional who talks a lot, others are happy the less they say. Some Professionals are great with groups and entertaining people, others are happy to go the whole day just having one student per hour in front of them. There is a niche for everyone and you just have to find it.

For more information about Craig and West Golf visit www.craigwest.de or contact office@west-golf.com.

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

The trick is to establish a strong sense of what you have to offer without being boastful and making grand, empty claims. The way to achieve your goal of impressing employers and making them want to meet you is to back up your claims with hard evidence. Don’t just say you are good at something; provide examples to show you are.

Therefore, the most effective CVs are those that have a strong Skills evidence. Past experience and application of skills is a good indicator for employers of your potential abilities and actions. This focuses attention on what you can do, have done and are likely to do.

It is a good idea to back up your claim that you possess excellent skills in, for example, communication by giving specific examples of the particular form of communication you have used, where (context) and why (for what purpose and for whom). Try to start each bulleted point with a verb to emphasise real life experience. Follow with an example from work, study or extra-curricular activities. For example:

Skills

Communication

• Presented reports to tutorial group of 20 about research findings in Economics
• Wrote articles for university magazine about mountain-walking club activities
• Liaised with customers of various backgrounds at Tesco’s Supermarket as part-time cashier for 3 years

Teamwork

• Co-operatively planned work schedules with four staff at JJB Sports
• Negotiated with colleagues regarding task allocation for major projects at university
• Played an active role in attaining customer service goals at Tesco’s

What skills do you have?

If you are really not sure, as opposed to being modest, perhaps you could ask friends, family and colleagues or speak to a careers coach . A personal skills audit might suggest the following. Note sub-sections of the major skill areas and use them as a guide to the bullet points you could include.

Communication

• Presenting information and ideas in written form
• Editing
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Explaining
• Active listening and asking clarifying questions
• Expressing ideas, feelings and opinions
• Speaking fluently and accurately
• Foreign language competence
• Persuading and influencing
• Negotiating
• Non-verbal communication

Flexibility

• Attitude to new tasks
• Readiness to change
• Enthusiasm
• Ability to transfer skills
• Commitment to ongoing improvement
• Desire to learn new skills
• Acceptance of constructive criticism

Teamwork

• Ability to work co-operatively
• Delegating skills
• Constructive confrontation and resolution
• Empathising
• Recognising and valuing difference

Resilience

• Coping with uncertainty
• Dealing with difficult people
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to set and achieve goals

Assertiveness

• Decision making Problem solving
• Independence
• Leadership
• Level of ambition
• Inclination to initiate ideas and plans

Entrepreneurship

• Self-promotion
• Ability to create opportunities
• Networking skills
• Customer focus Business acumen

Some of these sub-headings could be major skills themselves, such as Negotiating and Leadership. Some elements may fit under more than one skill. You will have to make choices about how best to use your material. Be guided by the Key Selection Criteria for specific jobs as your aim is to show how your skills fit with the employer’s needs.

When describing your skills, it is possible to ‘value-add’ by making reference to aspects of your experience and your personal qualities, interests and values. This can provide a lot of information about you in a very brief and concise way. For example, ‘Wrote articles for magazines about mountain-walking club activities’ informs readers about your interest, skill and success in writing as well as your active, healthy and sociable lifestyle. These are highly valued traits in the workplace and they have been communicated efficiently and effectively.

BMW are offering PGA Professionals the opportunity to take advantage of access to the BMW International VIP Sales Programme and is open to any PGA Professional that is a member of a Confederation of Professional Golf Member country, and entitles them to:

• The ability to buy directly from the manufacturer at the BMW AG headquarters in Munich, Germany
• Receive individual assistance from your personal VIP contact
• Benefit from preferential terms and conditions
• Select the appropriate model from the full range of BMW and MINI vehicles according to your country-specific requirements
• Choose delivery at any BMW or MINI dealer within Europe or at BMW Welt (delivery centre) in Munich
• Take advantage of our VIP Customer Care Programme (e.g. invitations to exclusive events)

PGA Professionals can sign up for the exclusive member offer by visiting http://eur.pe/PGA-BMW-Offer and registering their details. Once their PGA Membership information is verified, their details will be passed to a BMW VIP Sales Programme representative who will contact them directly.

For more information on BMW visit www.BMW.com.

Sign Up Now at http://eur.pe/PGA-BMW-Offer

Peter Millar

Peter Millar are offering preferential pricing to PGA Professionals for a select collection of lifestyle garments including the recently added ‘Travel Blazers’, a variety of woven dress shirts, as well as the ‘Performance Melange Twill “Charlotte” Trousers’.

Peter Millar offer a range of women’s clothing options and more information on currently available women’s collections can be found by contacting the sales department directly (sales@petermillar.co.uk). PGA Professionals can also access the full catalogue of Peter Millar collections through the sales department.

PGA Professionals can sign-up for the exclusive member offer by:

1. Visiting http://eur.pe/PGA-Peter-Millar-Offer and registering their details.
2. Once registered, details are available to download on the collection along with an order form.
3. Order forms are submitted by email directly to the Peter Millar sales team for processing.

For more information on Peter Millar visit www.petermillar.co.uk.

Sign Up Now at http://eur.pe/PGA-Peter-Millar-Offer

The inaugural Pro-Am will see teams of one PGA Professional and three amateur players battle it out over Lumine’s renowned Lakes and Hills Courses, with Professionals competing for a guaranteed prize fund of €20,000.

The Lumine Golf Festival is a bringing together of all abilities of golfer to celebrate the sport in a mixture of competition types, all taking place across the beach and golf community’s world-famous facilities on the Costa Daurada.

The Pro-Am will follow the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Fourball Championship that forms the first half of the festival from 06-08 February in which up to 240 male and female PGA Professionals will compete in pairs for the coveted title.

“We are really excited about our Golf Festival this year,” explained General Manager of Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Club, Calle Carlsson. “We wanted to create a prolonged period of celebration and fun for golfers of all abilities, from PGA Professionals all the way to fledgling amateur and recreational golfers.

“The addition of our International Pro-Am this year brings another dimension to our relationship with the Confederation of Professional Golf and will allow an even bigger audience of Professionals and amateurs to come and experience what our golf and beach community has to offer.”

Professionals enter the Pro-Am free when with a team of three amateurs – amateur packages cost €1,095 and include:

• 5 nights at Hotel Tryp Port Cambrils, sharing a double room, breakfast included
• 4 rounds of golf at Lumine Golf Club
• Airport and daily transfers
• 4 lunches at Lumine Golf Club and 4 dinners
• Complimentary use of all practice facilities throughout the event at designated times
• Official practice round on Thursday 9th February
• Entry to the Lumine International Pro-Am – Friday 10th, Saturday 11th, and Sunday 12th
• Shared golf carts for all 4 rounds of golf
• Prize Giving during Lunch at LUMINE Mediterránea Beach & Golf Community

For more information and to enter visit http://eur.pe/2017Lumine

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For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2017Lumine), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search #LumineProAm, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on LUMINE Mediterránea Beach & Golf Club visit www.lumine.com.

Entries are now open for up to 120 PGA Professionals pairs who will compete across Lumine’s Lakes and Hills Courses. All male and female classified PGA members and trainees within a Confederation of Professional Golf member country are invited to enter the latest edition of the Championship.

In 2016 the Fourball Championship saw 234 PGA Professionals in 117 Pairs compete at the Costa Daurada-based golf community with PGA of Spain Professionals, Gerard Piris Metau and Ivo Giner, coming out on top after their closing 66 to claim the title.

The Fourball Championship is also the first part of the Lumine Golf Festival and will precede the inaugural Lumine International Pro-Am from 10-12 February with a guaranteed prize fund of €20,000.

“Having the Fourball Championship as part of Lumine’s Golf Festival, alongside the Lumine International Pro-Am that we will also sanction will make for a fantastic nine days of quality golf,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“Lumine and the Costa Daurada have been wonderful partners in the past few years so to be part of the festival with both a Championship and a Sanctioned Event is a great next step and will bring PGA Professionals and amateurs to what is undoubtedly one of the best complexes in Europe.”

Lumine’s General Manager, Calle Carlsson, added: “As always we are looking forward to welcoming back the Confederation of Professional Golf and their Fourball competitors. Last year we had a record number of Professionals playing and we are again thankful to the Costa Daurada, the local sub-tourism agencies and Golfbreaks.com for their support.

“The addition of our International Pro-Am this year brings another dimension to our relationship with the Confederation of Professional Golf and will allow a further audience of Professionals and amateurs to come and experience what our golf and beach community has to offer.”

For more information and to enter visit http://eur.pe/2017FourballChamps

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For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf Fourball Championship Presented by Costa Daurada visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2017FourballChamps), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter search the Hashtag ‘#FourballChamps’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

With thanks to LUMINE Mediterránea Beach & Golf Club (www.lumine.com), Costa Daurada (www.costadaurada.info), Cambrils (www.Cambrils-Tourism.com), Golfbreaks.com (www.Golfbreaks.com/pga-pro), La Pineda Platja (www.lapinedaplatja.info), and Salou (www.visitsalou.eu).

The event takes place over 5 days and consists of a three-round team event followed by an individual amateur competition and final Individual Professional round on the final day, with Professionals competing for a prize fund of €28,000*.

“This will be the fourth edition of the event and we are really pleased with how it has been growing,” said AESGC’s Golf Manager, Gavin Chappell.

“We have recently renovated much of the course and are also working to make the off-course entertainment even better so this will no doubt prove to be the best yet!”

Packages begin at AED 5,450 (approx. €1,330), and include 6 night’s accommodation in the Rotana Al Ain, Sat 28th January through to Thurs 2nd February (check out Fri 3rd February), complimentary use of all Academy facilities including par 3 course, various evening functions and lunches throughout the week, shared golf carts and a branded Pro-Am polo shirt.

The end of the Pro-Am also coincides with the beginning of the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic taking place at the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, making for what could be a fantastic trip of playing golf in Al Ain and then watching in Dubai.

The third edition of the Pro-Am was won by PGA of Austria Professional, Georg Schultes, who secured his maiden Confederation of Professional Golf Tournament win after coming out on top of a two-man playoff.

For More Information and to Enter Visit: http://eur.pe/2017MercInt

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For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter search the Hashtag ‘#MercIntProAm’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club visit www.aesgc.ae.

The 40-year-old had set himself apart from the 50-strong field of professionals when he shot an eight-under par 64 in the second round over the South Course at Quinta do Lago on The Algarve.

However, handling the advantage played on his mind as he closed with a three-over par 75 on the adjoining North Course, finishing with a 12-under par (204) total.

It was still good enough to earn him a two-shot victory margin over the PGA of Spain’s Carlos Rodiles who had made huge strides up the leaderboard earlier in the day by shooting a six-under 66.

Gustafsson said “I held on to win and that was a great way to end a fantastic week here in Portugal, playing great courses alongside a lot of amateurs who were really good fun. I will definitely be back again next year if I am invited.

“Having a five-shot lead overnight should have been good. But I just couldn’t decide whether to attack the course in the third round or try to defend my lead. Because taking risks could have cost me shots and while playing defensively would have put a lot of negative thoughts in my mind.”

He also pointed out the two holes in the first half of his round that saw him head back towards the rest of the field.

“At the seventh I had a putt for a birdie to go under par for the day that was barely a metre long and I missed it” he said. “Then on the eighth green I three-putted so instead of being one under, I was one over and that was a two-shot swing.”

The Pro-Am was a much more closely contested event with the 28-under par betterball winning score produced by Scottish Professional, Sam Binning (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) [pictured above right], and his Irish partner, Daphne Fagan [pictured above left], only a stroke better than the cards handed in by Englishmen Alan Lovelace and Paul Faithfull.

And Daphne, a 22-handicapper certainly played her part in the win as she said: “I had a fantastic three days out there and probably couldn’t have played any better,

“Sam was very encouraging and in the three rounds I made five nett eagles along with 16 birdies. It was so thrilling to win and I was just absolutely delighted.”

For Full Final Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2016Invitational

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For more information about The Invitational Pro-Am 2016, visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘ on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

More information on The Invitational Pro-Am 2016 is available at www.TheInvitational.eu.

The 40-year-old from Orust Island, 100km north of Stockholm, shot a second round 64 over the South Course at Quinta do Lago.

When added to his opening 65 at Laranjal, he was in the outright lead at 15 under par (129) with the Portuguese first round leader, Tiago Rodrigues, back in second place as he could only follow his opening 62 with a level par 72.

Peter, who spent five years competing on the European Tour, admitted he was bit shocked to find himself in front:

“I decided to give up playing tournaments last year because I had run out of motivation because my game was so bad.

“I have been working for a company that organises golf trips but now I am trying to get back into it. I am going to go to the Web.com tour school in America and if that doesn’t work then I will try and qualify to play in Asia or South Africa next year.”

And given his form in Portugal his confidence in his game has grown as he chases The Invitational’s €8,200 winner’s cheque over Quinta do Lago’s North Course.

“My game feels in pretty good shape. I have only made one bogey so far and that was a three putt, and in the second round I only missed one green in regulation with my approach shots.

“And overall my scores could have been even lower because I missed a few putts and felt I left a couple of shots out on the course.”

Given that much of the second round was played in rain shower, the scoring around the South Course, regarded as the toughest of the three hosting the Confederation of Professional Golf Sanctioned Event, there were some impressive battles staged against the elements.

There was a 67 from another former European Tour man, Italy’s Emanuele Canonica, and 68s, from Scotland’s Graham Fox, who moved into third place but eight shots off the pace, and Spain’s Jose Manual Lara.

And the 50 amateurs in the field also made contributions. With his partner Goran Solak chipping in, Peter Gustafsson moved to a share of first place on the Pro-Am leaderboard as they signed for a better ball 62 for the second day running.

But they could not overhaul first round leaders, Alan Lovelace and Paul Faithfull from England, who followed their opening 59 with a 65.

For Full Round 02 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2016Invitational

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For more information about The Invitational Pro-Am 2016, visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘ on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

More information on The Invitational Pro-Am 2016 is available at www.TheInvitational.eu.

Yet the course knowledge revealed by Tiago Rodrigues and Joao Carlota of the stunning par-72 Laranjal layout, with its water hazards and many tree-lined fairways, was vastly different.

Tiago, a 25-year-old from Porto in the far North West of Portugal had only played there once before at the invitation of friend who lives near to it.

Yet he still managed to shoot a ten under par 62 to open up a three shot lead in the chase for the €8,200 professional’s prize with a total of 11 threes on his card and his only five being recorded at the ninth, his last hole of the day.

By contrast Joao lives just 20 minutes drive from the course in the town of Vilamoura and while he plays most of his golf there admitted that on average he would play Laranjal three or four times a month.

And with that familiarity he was able to shoot a 66 which was the lowest score produced by the early starters in the 50-strong professional field.

Looking back over the lowest score of his career Tiago said: “Last week I played in a Pro-Am at Valderrama in Spain and with the speed and slopes of the greens there it really sharpened up my short game and I gave my self lots of birdie opportunities and made ten of them.”

But 26-year-old Carlota, who late in the day was relegated to fourth on the leaderboard by the 65s produced by Sweden’s Peter Gustafsson and Italy’s Giorgio Di Filippi, did admit he was somewhat surprised by his seven under par total.

He said: “I did not come here with a lot of confidence or expectations too high because I have recently started working hard in the gym to make myself stronger and hit the ball longer but the changes to my body have been affecting my swing rhythm.”

The Pro-Am competition was set alight by the 13 under par betterball 59 produced by the English pairing Alan Lovelace and his 14-handicap partner Paul Faithfull.

Although Lovelace could only shoot a 73, Faithfull, from Weybridge in Surrey, did acknowledge that their scorecard was considerably helped by two nett eagles that he produced at the par three third and seventh holes.

However, the most interesting card Pro-Am card was handed in by Italian Giorgio Di Filippo because his partner in compiling an 11 under par 61 was Eduardo Mangifesta a nine-year-old 24-handicapper who under the tournament rules had to play from the men’s tees rather than those laid out for juniors.

“Eduardo was great out there,” said Giorgio. “He never showed any nerves and he did make two pars at par threes after driving the greens. From what I saw he could have a very good future in the game.”

For Full Round 01 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2016Invitational

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For more information about The Invitational Pro-Am 2016, visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘ on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

More information on The Invitational Pro-Am 2016 is available at www.TheInvitational.eu.

What’s amazing, though, is that only 9% of small businesses in the U.S. are actively using YouTube, and my hunch is that figure would be pretty accurate worldwide, too.

So why aren’t businesses investing in YouTube?

In short, because video is harder to produce than a blog post or an image.

Or at least that’s the perception many of us have.

In reality, though, video is becoming much easier and cheaper to create. This means there’s a huge opportunity for your business on YouTube.

If you’ve been debating getting started on YouTube or have maybe experimented a little and not yet found your feet, this post is for you. Throughout this post we’ll dive into:

• The basics of getting your account set up
• How to create a YouTube channel
• How to create the perfect channel art
• Top tips for optimizing your channel.

Ready to start? Let’s go.

How to create a YouTube channel

Creating a YouTube channel using your Google account

If you have a Google account, you can watch, share and comment on YouTube content. However, Google accounts don’t automatically create YouTube channels. Getting a new channel set up is a simple and quick process, though.

1. Go to YouTube and sign in

Head over to YouTube.com and click ‘sign in’ in the top right corner of the page:

Then log in using the Google Account you’d like your channel to be associated with:

2. Head over to your YouTube settings

In the top right corner of the screen, click on your profile icon and then the ‘Settings’ cog icon.

3. Create your channel

Under your settings, you’ll see the option to “Create a channel,” click on this link:

Next, you’ll have the option to create a personal channel or a create a channel using a business or other name. For this example, we’ll choose the business option:

Now, it’s time to name your channel and select a category. The channel options available include:

• Product or Brand
• Company Institution or Organization
• Arts, Entertainment or Sports
• Other

Note: a new Google+ page will also be created for your brand. 

Congratulations! You’ve just created a new YouTube channel 🙌

Next, let’s fill out all the information and create some channel art to get your page looking awesome (click here to jump to the next section).

How to create a YouTube channel if you don’t already have a Google account

If you don’t already have a Google account set up, you’ll need to create one before you get started on YouTube. To do this, simply follow the below steps:

1. Head to YouTube.com
2. Click ‘Sign In’
3. Now, choose the option to create a Google account
4. Follow the steps to create your Google account

Now, you’re all set up with a Google account and can follow the above steps to create a YouTube channel.

How to create YouTube channel art

YouTube channel art is essentially YouTube’s version of the Facebook cover photo. Channel art features in a prominent place on your YouTube channel, which means it’s absolutely vital for any YouTube channel to use customized art to share your personality or more about your brand with your audience.

Here’s an example of Gary Vaynerchuk’s YouTube channel art:

Gary is well-known for his public speaking at conferences and for sharing all he knows about marketing and building businesses with his audience. This is reflected in his cover photo, which displays Gary in mid-flow giving a presentation at what seems to be a large event. The inclusion of his handle @garyvee helps users to identify him on other social chanels and his signature branding makes the art feel personal.

Here’s what you need to know to create striking YouTube channel art…

The perfect sizes for YouTube channel art

The best place to start with your channel art is with the optimal image size that works across multiple devices. For the best results, YouTube recommends uploading a single 2560 x 1440 pixel image.

• Minimum width: 2048 X 1152 px. This is the “safe area”, where text and logos are guaranteed not to be cut off when displayed on different devices.
• Maximum width: 2560 X 423 px. This means that the “safe area” is always visible; the areas to each side of the channel art are visible depending on the viewer’s browser size.
• File size: 4MB or smaller recommended.

YouTube also supplies a Channel Art Template in both PNG and PSD formats to help your figure out the perfect layout for your channel are and how it’ll look across platforms:

Here’s an example of how I used this template to create some channel art for the Buffer YouTube account:

And here’s how it looks across various platforms:

2 top tips for YouTube channel art

1. Ensure any text and logos are within the safe area

The text and logo safe area is the 1546 x 423 pixel space at the center of the YouTube channel art template. This is the area that will be displayed on YouTube when your channel is viewed on desktop screens.

Be careful to ensure any important information such as branding, text, taglines, and key images are within this space so that it’s always displayed as part of your channel art across every device.

2. Consider your channel links

YouTube enables you to add links to your channel and these are displayed in the bottom right corner of your channel art. For example, check the bottom right of the channel art below:

When creating your channel art, it’s important to think about the space these links take up and ensure you don’t have anything important (such as logos) occupying that space within your design.

How to add art to your YouTube channel

If you’re just setting up your YouTube channel, you’ll notice the channel art space is blank with a clear call to action to add your art:

Once you’ve clicked this link, you’ll see a popup window that gives you the option to upload your own custom channel art. If you’d like to, you can also choose to use one of YouTube’s templates from the “Gallery” or choose to upload one of your photos from Google+.

Adjusting the crop

Once you’ve uploaded your channel art, YouTube allows you to adjust the cropping of your image so that you can ensure it’s all lined up correctly.

This crop screen is very handy for checking how your design will look on various platforms. The clear section in the middle of the grid shows you the content that will be displayed on mobile and desktop and the rest of the image shows the image that will be displayed on TVs.

Once you’re happy with the way your cover art looks, click “Select” and your channel art will be added to your channel and saved.

Changing your current channel art

If you already have some channel art in place and would like to update it, head over to your channel homepage. From here, move your mouse over your cover art and you’ll notice a little edit button appear in the top right-hand corner:

Once you’ve clicked on this icon, you can update your channel art.

This video from YouTube also explains how to add and edit your channel art:

How to add your channel icon

Each channel also has space for a profile icon.Your channel icon shows over your channel art banner. It’s the icon that shows next to your videos and channel on YouTube watch pages. The key here is to select something that will look good at very small resolutions –  many brands opt to use their logo here.

Your channel icon should be 800 x 800 pixels and one of the following formats: JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG file (no animated GIFs).

To update your channel icon, head to your channel homepage and hover over your current channel icon until you see the edit icon appear. Click on that icon and you’ll be able to upload a new icon:

5 ways to enhance your channel

1. Optimize your description

YouTube gives you a space on your channel to write a little about your brand and the content you share on YouTube. The description is limited to 1,000 characters, so you have a little room to be creative here.

The copy in your channel description won’t just appear on your channel page. It’s indexed by search engines and can also be featured across YouTube in suggested channel categories. A good tactic is to include some relevant keywords and CTAs within the opening lines of your description.

2. Add links to your channel

We briefly mentioned channel links earlier in this post and I’d love to share with you how to add these links in 4 super-quick steps:

1. The first step is to head to your channel homepage and click on the ‘cog’ icon next to your subscriber count:

2. Next, you’ll see a Channel Settings lightbox appear. Here you need to toggle on the option labeled “Customize the layout of your channel”:

3. Now that you’ve enabled customizations on your channel, pop back to your channel homepage and you’ll now see the option to “Edit Links” under the settings menu on your cover art:

4. Click the “Edit Links” option and you’ll then be taken to the “About” section of your channel. Here you’ll have the option to add links and choose how many are displayed over your cover art:

3. Add a channel trailer

As soon as visitors land on your channel, you want to give them a picture of the type of content your channel covers and why they’ll want to subscribe and check out your videos. A channel trailer is the perfect way to do this.

A short, to-the-point channel trailer can be a great way to introduce people to your content. A channel trailer should grab attention as soon as it starts and also represent the type of content you create on YouTube.

It’s also important to think about the description you add to this video as it features prominently on your channel homepage.

(These trailers only appear for people who are not yet subscribed to your channel.)

Here are a couple of great examples:

Gary Vaynerchuk

SoulPancake

4. Add your contact details (email address)

If you’re using YouTube as a business or a creator, it can be great to have your contact details on hand for anyone who is interested in your work. YouTube has a section on each channel profile for you to list your contact details for business inquiries.

This can be found under the “About” section of your channel. To find it, go to your channel homepage, click “About” from the navigation and then scroll down to “Details.” Here you’ll see the option to share your email address:

Over to you

Thanks for reading. It’s been great fun to dive into how to create a YouTube channel and I hope you picked up one or two tips from this post. If you create a YouTube channel of your own or already have one up and running, I’d love to hear from you and learn from your experience in the comments below.

(Chinese Proverb)

Some believe this ancient proverb originates from Confucius (551–479 BC) who was a teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher.

I have always thought this saying very much applies to PGA Professionals and their players/pupils in that teaching professionals can equip players’ to succeed, however it is the player who will have to take the initiative to apply what they are taught to be successful.

Teachers can only help players identify and develop the skills they need; the professional cannot practise for the player or hit the shots.  Yet I have met so many golfers who feel all they have to do is turn up for lessons and they will improve.

This means that golf professionals provide the coaching environment and instruction for players to learn and progress and can open up a world of knowledge and skills.  But teaching professionals can’t make players learn.  They offer the opportunities, but it is the player’s responsibility to accept the opportunities, and afterwards put in the effort and practice to improve.  In fact I meet too many teaching professionals who take too much responsibility for their pupils’ learning.  So how can coaches impress on players what is needed for learning to take place?

Good to Great

In his best-selling book ‘Good to Great’ Jim Collins cites various reasons why certain companies and individuals make the step from just being good to achieving greatness.  In essence, many of the factors demonstrated that individuals took responsibility for their own development.

Last year in England men’s national coaching, the coaching staff asked the players to do the same – to take responsibility for their own learning and performance.  In other words, the coaching staff would open the doors to learning, but the players needed to decide if they were really going to take control of their attitude to learning.  We challenged the players to individually think through what they needed to do to go from ‘good to great’ in the coaching environment.

The ten factors below were what the players (who went on to become European Men’s Team Champions the same year) cited as being critical to take more responsibility for in their development.

England Team ‘Good to Great’ Factors

1. Ask for what you need
2. Develop decision-making skills
3. Handle the pressure of different situation
4. Develop great time management
5. Develop great organisational skills
6. Preparation is everything
7. Adopt a great work ethic
8. Trust what you do
9. Have goals, plans and structure
10. Listen to people you trust

Of course may PGA Professionals will not be working with national team or tour players, however, human behaviour is largely the same at all levels.  Whilst a beginner or a mid-handicapper might not be striving to go from ‘good to great’ they will want to improve through teaching and lessons and many of the ten factors cited are about habit.

Considering some psychologists estimate that up to 90% of all behaviours is habitual, this suggests that golf teachers and coaches need to stress the learning habits needed to improve at golf, and at the very least emphasise the responsibility of the player in the learning process.

So if you want to see more of your players develop, challenge them to take responsibility for their learning habits!

The 35-year-old from Toledo produced his first victory as a professional in last year’s 54-hole Invitational when his ten under par total was just a shot better than the score produced by English European Tour veteran, Mark Mouland.

However, in the 12 months since his win La Reserva-based Victor has undergone a career change to move into golf administration.

He has just completed a year studying for a golf club management qualification and has followed that up by splitting his days between training in various departments at the Valderrama clubhouse and giving golf lessons in the afternoon.

And he described his decision to travel across the border to Portugal to play in The Invitational, with its €43,000 prize fund and sanctioned by the Confederation of Professional Golf, as ‘like taking a holiday’.

He added: “ I had such a wonderful time last year and playing with the amateurs was such fun that I knew I had to come back.

“But I haven’t played that much golf since my win. I played a few tournaments on the Spanish PGA Tour but I just don’t have time to practice any more.

“First I did all the study and now having learned the theory of how a golf club should be run I am training every morning in various departments R0ckl0dge Valderrama like the pro shop and the bookings office, on how to put that theory into practice.

“This week in Quinta do Lago I am back playing again and with so many good memories of the courses from last year I hope that I can draw on them to produce some good golf.”

Mouland is back on The Algarve hoping to go one better than his runners spot and will be joined in the 50-strong professional by other names familiar to European Tour followers like Carlos Rodiles, Garry Houston and Emanuele Canonica.

And the Italian, who won the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2005, cannot wait to be reunited with Quinta do Lago’s Laranjal, South and North courses.

“It is one of the best weeks of the year,” said the 45-year-old. “The courses are a great challenge and the amateurs all make it a tournament to remember on and off the course.”

And the headline names among the amateur entries are former England footballers Glenn Hoddle and Lee Dixon both of whom play off single figure handicaps.

For More Information & to Enter Visit http://eur.pe/2016Invitational

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For more information about The Invitational Pro-Am 2016, visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘ on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

More information on The Invitational Pro-Am 2016 is available at www.TheInvitational.eu.

In the 21st century the job-seeking process is complex and quick.  A career path can present itself to you in the blink of an eye, and can disappear just as quickly.

The development of platforms such as LinkedIn have shown that it is not just a paper CV that shows off who you are and what you can do.  It’s now possible to find out every bit of detail needed about a potential employee to make an educated decision as to whether they should get a job or not.

It is widely accepted that employers will likely Google an applicant as soon as they get their name.  What comes up in the search can be a window into their lives – whether you like it or not.  To ensure your results are ones that play in your favour, here are some tips to promote yourself better online and ensure a search of your name makes it more likely that you will be hired…

1. Google Yourself

The best place to start – do what an employer might do (ideally on a different computer than your own to see what someone else might see).

This will show you what they might see and could give you a good place to start when identifying where you are visible and what you should do about it.

2. Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile (Or Create One First!)

Firstly, if you are not on LinkedIn then you’re doing it wrong. Join LinkedIn.  It is a fantastic [FREE] resource where you can lay down as much or as little information about yourself, connect with people you know and people you want to know, and ultimately use as a live, digital and interactive CV.

Second, make sure your profile is complete using LinkedIn’s built-in step-by-step guide, add a great photo and take your time on your bio.  Then get connecting – sync your account with your phone or contacts and start by adding people you know.  Then once you have a network the platform will automatically start suggesting jobs and new connections for you – then you can start to action these connections and see where leads might come from.

3. Write a Blog

What better way to express yourself and show-off your expertise and knowledge in your area than writing about it.  You can write anything you want and tailor it to your intended are of work to show a) that you care about what you do/want to do, b) are knowledgeable and have an opinion on it, and c) you are computer/digitally savvy enough to get out there and set it up [but don’t worry it’s actually pretty easy to do with services such as WordPress and Tumblr].

4. Check Your Settings

Go through all of your social accounts and check your privacy settings – you may be happy for someone to discover your Facebook profile through a Google search, but are you happy that they can look at your 10-year old photos from University parties? Probably not.

Settings can often be tucked away or a little tough to root out, but platforms nowadays have great flexibility and control for their users when it comes to privacy – take time to work out what the different on and off switches mean.

5. Make the Most of Your Biography

Your Twitter bio, LinkedIn short biography and any other place where you can add a public biography are what people will see first.  Take time to make this as good as possible – you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but people often do anyway so make sure yours looks great.

6. Reverse Engineer The Search

Work out what an employer might look at that is connected to you – go through the process yourself and make sure everything is as you wish at each stage of a search.  Think about what they want to see and tailor your profiles to that.

Plus, turn the tables on a potential employer and look at their company profiles, connect with people from that company, or even explore their LinkedIn profiles.  They will no doubt do it to you, so you can do it to them.  Going into an interview with knowledge and info on the bosses, co-workers or interviewees will almost certainly be useful in your search.

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

@Sales_Source

Coaching is more than just giving advice. Use this process to help your team members hone their own behaviour.

Coaching is the process of preparing your employees to succeed.  Good coaches can create the mental resources, emotional resilience, business skills, and career development that employees need to achieve their goals.

Unfortunately, while coaching is a well-established part of the sports world, it’s a neglected art in the world of business. Much of the time, coaching is relegated to a five-minute conversation at the end of a yearly performance review.

There’s a better way to handle business coaching. Try this five-step process, based on a conversation with Linda Richardson, founder of the huge sales training firm Richardson:

1. Ask for a self-assessment.

Ask the employee’s opinion of a recent event (e.g. meeting, interaction, project) in which the employee was involved.  Don’t accept a pat response like, “Uh, it went fine.”  Instead, ask additional questions that help lead employee to discover both the strengths and weaknesses of the employee’s performance. If the employee says something like “You’re the manager, what do you think?” respond with, “I want you think this through, then I’ll give my ideas.”

2. Give balanced feedback.

Start with honest praise for the employee’s strengths and your perspective on how those strengths were an asset during the event in question. Then identify one or two key areas where you feel improvement would have helped the employee’s performance. You’re not providing advice, just identifying areas. It’s important to limit the discussion to one or two areas, by the way – more than that and you’ll be “flooding the engine.”

3. Check for agreement.

Resolve any differences between your understanding of the event and the employee’s perception of the event.  Gain agreement on the area where there was a gap between the employee’s performance and how the employee would have liked to have handled the event.  It’s crucial to come to agreement at this point, because otherwise the subsequent steps will be off-kilter.

4. Identify the obstacle.

Ask the employee to identify the obstacle that he or she feels is keeping him or her from better performance.  Ask what he or she suggests to remove the obstacle, and what might be done to address that aspect.  Then provide your perspective on the obstacle and your ideas to address that obstacle. Decide together what needs to be done in order to improve the performance.

5. Set the next step.

For each obstacle that’s identified, establish an action step with a time frame for follow-

up.  Provide positive input and express confidence in the employee’s ability to succeed.  Then revisit the issue at the agreed-upon time.

According to Linda, this coaching method works for several reasons:

• It reduces the amount of time that the manager must spend coaching.  Because the coaching process addresses only one or two of the most important skill areas, a typical coaching session need take no more than 15 minutes.
• It encourages the employee to become more independent, because the employee gradually learns the self-assessment technique and is more likely to buy into the solution.
• It puts the action items in the hands of the employee, leading your worker to become more independent and more likely to internalize the training into daily habits.
• It strengthens the relationship between the manager and the employee through mutual success, and builds rapport throughout the entire process.
• It provides a structure that’s easily followed and can apply to virtually any business situation or problem.
• It is not confrontational, thereby making it much easier for the manager and employee to participate in the process.