See below for each day’s PGA Professional and the links to download the posters.

Day 22 – Damian MacPherson

“Be open minded and make every effort to develop your knowledge and skills to then use in a work situation. I would summarize in 4 words: LEARN, USE, ADAPT and GROW.” Damian MacPherson (PGA of Hungary) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hWCUZX

Day 21 – Paul Eales

“The first way to keep people in the sport is to let them play…” Paul Eales (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hSL45j

Day 20 – Mike Walker

“The day you stop learning is the day it’s time to hang up your boots and do something else.” Mike Walker (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hBtNPQ

Day 19 – Steven Orr

“The essence of what we do as coaches every day is to try and change habits – technical, mental routine-driven – it is essentially changing behaviour” Steven Orr (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2h5agbF

Day 18 – Pete Cowen

“With everybody what you’re trying to do is constant improvement of the same thing…so they know that when they’re stood on the first tee under the most extreme pressure it works.” Pete Cowen (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hGDs8r

Day 17 – Andrew Knott

“Don’t believe everything you read or hear from people who have only scratched the surface – nothing is ever quite what it seems at face value.” Andrew Knott (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hTCpSU

Day 16 – Tony Bennett

“If you want some things to change, then you have to change some things.” Tony Bennett (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hzIhQL

Day 15 – Michel Vanmeerbeek

“Handling pressure? Do what you’re good at! Don’t try silly strategies or shots you’re not really confortable with.” Michel Vanmeerbeek (PGA of Belgium) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hsqW9A

Day 14 – Keith Williams

“I always advise players to enjoy the experience. Have fun…whatever the score it’s a privilege to play at any level!” Keith Williams (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2gFm7Nr

Day 13 – Stefan Gort

“Say welcome to the funny or strange thoughts or impression in your mind, welcome them to your world and make it your friend. Don’t fight the thought; it will only become stronger. The more you accept new situations, the easier it is to deal with.” Stefan Gort (PGA of Switzerland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hkZs5L

Day 12 – Stéphane Bachoz

“Golf is not only a sport but also a GAME, filled with values and virtues. This is what makes it accessible to everyone and not just to sportsmen.” Stéphane Bachoz (PGA of France) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hkJpri

Day 11 – Ian Peek

“Coaches need to understand all of the barriers that may be in place when a plater undergoes transition from amateur to professional golf or junior to senior golf.” Ian Peek (PGA of Germany) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2hBDFpM

Day 10 – Jim van Heuven van Staereling

“In golf clubs where juniors are successful, there is a leader. There is always someone who leads the programme and has owndership.” Jim van Heuven van Staereling (PGA of Holland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2gqfxud

Day 09 – Paul Eales

“We must not restrict a student’s learning based on our beliefs.” Paul Eales (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2gjPIvC

Day 08 – Annemieke de Goederen

“Golf is changing: less traditional, less strokeplay, less 18 holes. People want different things than they did 30 years ago…we need to find out what the golfer of today actually wants.” Annemieke de Goederen (PGA of Holland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2gjOLSv

Day 07 – Sarah Bennett

“It is vital to have an understanding and up to date knowledge of technological advancements from a coaching perspective. But what’s really important is having the skill to utilise each one in the most effective and suitable way for each different client.” Sarah Bennett (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2h5OfZF

Day 06 – Butch Harmon

“Always have a target in your practice – if you aim at nothing you’re going to hit it every time.” Butch Harmon (PGA of America) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2g1VLA2

Day 05 – David Leadbetter

“That’s the great thing about this game, you continue learning…I think if you’re not learning then you’re going backwards.” David Leadbetter (PGA of America) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2gTgpDZ

Day 04 – David Kearney

“The environment we create as coaches is vitally important for our students – are we going to tell people what to do or help them help themselves?” David Kearney (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2gTXY2u

Day 03 – Ian Peek

“The key to having a successful transition is for the player and coach together to know where the barriers are…” Ian Peek (PGA of Germany) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2h65sT3

Day 02 – Jim van Heuven van Staereling

“Junior coaching has to be fun – if there is no fun then just stop. The Learning should be hidden in the fun – they don’t know it. But you do.” Jim van Heuven van Staereling (PGA of Holland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2h1C4NV

Day 01 – Steven Orr

“Whether you’re trying to change something huge or just one thing, if you start tiny you’ll see great results.” Steven Orr (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) Click here to download the Poster for FREE – http://eur.pe/2fJZRS8

The “get rich quick” attitude is more prevalent in golf than anywhere else. We all just want to buy a golf club and hit it 20 yards further today with no additional work.

We don’t admire the guy that slowly improves year after year and suddenly is the club champ after 15 years of improvements and not getting caught up with every swing tip and quick fix thrown at him.

Learning doesn’t happen quickly.

Skills that are retained and that hold up on the golf course aren’t learned in a 30 minutes range session.

Golf requires skills that are durable and flexible. Dr Robert Bjork talks more about this in an episode of the Golf Science Lab you can listen to below.

As a golfer you need skills that are durable enough to hold up under stress and pressure and flexible enough to adapt to any of the potential challenges you might face on the golf course. If you play golf you’re going to face pressure and the golf course isn’t going to be perfect. You’ll need the ability to hit it off dirt under a tree with a 5 iron.

Mistakes and errors are part of the learning process.

To build those core attributes it requires a healthy learning environment and the understanding that mistakes and errors are part of the learning process.

If you want to learn you have to push yourself. Your practice has to be difficult. And when things get difficult most likely there will be some mistakes. That’s OK though. Your performance during practice doesn’t indicate how much you’re learning.

Here’s an example…

How many times have you just been killing it on the range. But you step over to the golf course and everything is lost. And vice versa. How often have you just been awful on the range and then hit the ball really well on the the golf course.

We all can relate personally or know someone that has described this.

Here are 5 concepts every golfers needs to understand about getting better at golf.

#1 – Embrace the challenge.

#2 – Mistakes and errors are a healthy part of the learning process.

#3 – Long term steady growth is far more exciting than any “quick fix”.

#4 – Don’t chase “fix” after “fix” and stick with a plan.

#5 – Build skills that are flexible and durable.

Start to change your mindset when you approach practice and you’ll see skills that you actually retain on the golf course.

Embrace the long-term growth plan.

And don’t get distracted by the next “quick fix”.

A recent tweet by a former Tour player insinuated that somehow this inanimate device was responsible for the decline of a certain iconic golfer.  This added fuel to the fire, stoking what’s become a rather redundant debate on the benefits of technology in golf instruction.  The apparently arithmaphobic detractors seem to point to ‘The Numbers’ as the most prominent wrong-doer in their indictment of Trackman.  Their central point being that measuring and then quantifying the intricate details of the swing will leave a golfer a confused, overly-technical mess.  All those numbers– robbing the game of ‘feel’ or artistry and replacing it with sterile, cold, hard measurements.

Yes– in the wrong hands or delivered carelessly, all those numbers can be bad.  But the same can be said for anything being administered by the inexperienced or misinformed!  This frequently cited reasoning is reductive and hardly a compelling reason to condemn the measurement device or its users.  It can actually be a massive aid in shifting the learning environment from command-based, prescriptive instruction to one that is performance-focused and more conducive to effective skill acquisition.

And that’s not to say that we’ve never been guilty of over reliance on ‘The Numbers’.  But we’ve also utilized them in a way that enriches the feel and artistry of players.  In fact, because our prime concern is usually to just enhance impact alignments instead of obsessing over positional ideals, we make less wholesale ‘swing changes’ than ever.

Ultimately, our job as coaches is to create confident and competent performers who thrive under difficult conditions.  All TrackMan does is provide information – our job is to take that information and use it to help people move from A to B.  More often than not, that information is incredibly useful in facilitating that process…if used appropriately.

We hope to help everyone see beyond the recent discussion and gain a better understanding of how it can be used to facilitate learning and improved performance.  Below are a few elements of the learning environment that coaches can enhance through thoughtful application of Trackman.

AUGMENTED FEEDBACK

The most important ingredient to the learning process is feedback– it’s largely responsible for bridging the gap between experience and understanding.

There are two primary types of feedback; intrinsic and augmented.  Intrinsic feedback are the sounds, feelings, etc. that the performer experiences as a result of hitting a golf ball.  Augmented feedback is anything related to their performance that they can’t directly experience.   Technology helps provide augmented feedback that helps players process the intrinsic feedback they receive during practice.  The golf swing is a unique motor program in that it’s often very difficult to detect movement errors from intrinsic feedback alone.  Trackman allows learners to more accurately evaluate results thus informing future trials.  It acts as an accelerant in bridging the gap between feel and real.  Yes, FEEL!  Trackman users can, in fact, become better FEEL players based on the feedback provided.

There is also an element of confidence and motivation to consider.  Research has shown that having accurate Knowledge of Results can motivate performers to persist longer at practice tasks.  They are able to see the tangible results of their efforts through the quantitative changes that can infuse learners with self-efficacy and the confidence to persevere.

The challenge for coaches and players is the amount and schedule of the feedback, not the feedback itself.  Numbers don’t hurt people – they’re inanimate concepts.  Rather, as our friend from Happy Gilmore in the accompanying image suggests, people hurt people.  Ensuring that athletes receive the right feedback at the right time keeps the learning process moving forward.  Too much feedback, too often– creates dependency, which often yields to the adage of ‘paralysis by analysis’.

When in a ‘Transfer Training’ mode with a student, we recommend that you no longer provide the quantitative feedback of Trackman, opting instead to withdraw Knowledge of Results and allowing the golfer to prepare within a more authentic performance context.

Providing different types of feedback, such as summary feedback, positive or negative bandwidth feedback, or athlete-led feedback can accelerate the learning process and reduce the likelihood that an athlete becomes dependent on ‘The Numbers’.

ACTIONABLE:

Rather than give feedback on every shot, try two different methods when giving feedback.  First, only give feedback when performance falls within a certain range.  The range could be negative (when performance falls outside of the range) or positive (when feedback falls within the range).  This helps decrease dependency and creates more of an independent learning process aided by feedback only when needed.  Secondly, when getting ready to give the feedback– engage the performer.  Ask them where they think their movement was in relation to the standards of performance that you both set.   This helps them calibrate internally and fosters a better sense of what they need to create the desired outcome.

IMPLICIT LEARNING

Implicit learning occurs when an athlete learns something in the absence of instruction.  Coaches should strive to help athletes learn as implicitly as possible, as skills learned in this fashion are proven to hold up better under pressure.  Often times, focusing on the effect of the desired movement or having an external focus of attention can help in this process.

Believe it or not, coaching with TrackMan can facilitate implicit learning.  One of the benefits of TrackMan is the ability to control what numbers are visible to the coach and player.  For example, one of the keys to playing great golf is managing curve, which, for argument’s sake, means controlling the face to path relationship and the impact point on the clubface.  To help people learn the old-fashioned way and ‘dig it out of the dirt’, simply spray the face with Dr. Scholl’s and put up only the launch direction and spin axis numbers.  Then ask them to accomplish the task of generating a positive launch direction and negative spin axis (draw), or negative launch direction and positive spin axis (fade).   This exercise creates many learning opportunities and provides a means by which a player can achieve repetition without repetition.  Providing a learning environment in this fashion helps the individual self-organize and begin to develop novel solutions to accomplish the task of curving the ball to the target and hitting it solid.

ACTIONABLE:

Get creative with what numbers you enable the student to see.  Spin axis and a bit of Dr. Scholl’s goes a very long way in helping an athlete understand their ball flight and how it is influenced by where they make contact on the face relative to the sweetspot.  Additionally, try attack angle and launch angle for someone who struggles with contact precision and trajectory control.  Ask them to keep the attack angle shallow while getting the ball to launch lower.  Attacking the problem externally paves the way towards the possibility of learning a movement implicitly or in the absence of directive instruction.

TRANSFER TRAINING

Golf is hard.  The sport demands that a player be able to excel under extremely stressful conditions, often. Players are continually challenged to vary the distance, shape, and trajectory of their shots on every hole they play.

One of the core challenges inherent in the player development process is creating an environment that engages the psychological processes and physiological stressors that the athlete experiences during the course of play. Being able to create conditions that require the performer to plan, execute, and review the shot, while making each shot significant and carry a consequence, is really helpful in facilitating transfer and closing the gap between practice and performance.

TrackMan makes bridging the gap between training and play easier.  Combine and Test Center enable coaches to develop games that test the athlete’s ability to use all their skills (technical, tactical, mental), to accomplish the task of moving the ball from A to as close to B as possible.  In the end, much like golf, they receive a score that let’s them know where they are and provides perceived significance to each ball.  As scores improve, players are also able to see how and when they are making progress.  This type of satisfying feedback motivates players by allowing them to see the direct impact of their efforts.

In essence, through games and transfer training applications, technology enables coaches to design tasks that are more representative – the added pressure, difficulty, and variability ensures that the task, environment, and first-person experience closer resembles that of the course.

ACTIONABLE:

Make your own skills tests and training protocols in test center.  These are great ways to start a session or to challenge a player that is demonstrating good performance from a more stable environment.  Test center allows you to leverage the task-design matrix by virtue of assigning meaning to each shot, as well as giving you the opportunity to randomize the order of the task (distance).  Ultimately, it helps you, the coach, strike a great balance between task difficulty and environmental stability – a must for helping people progress their skills and perform on the course!

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There are many professional fields that have advanced as a result of technological development.  Golf is no different.  As long as people try to reach higher levels of performance, tools will be developed to support those goals.  The important thing for coaches will be to look at the technologies objectively and devote the time and energy necessary to master them.  Hopefully, our discussions and ideas on the use of TrackMan to support the skill acquisition process sheds some light on how to do that and can help you be more effective.

–Corey Lundberg & Matt Wilson

1. Strut Your Stuff

A number of club professionals have staged successful fashion shows for members at the club. These don’t have to be huge in size and can be linked with a charity evening. Most good apparel brands will help the retailer with this event. You don’t have to be as slick as the Milan catwalk and you will find that members will respond positively. Engaging with them on this social occasion will help cement your retailer/customer relationship.

2. Individually Target

Target more of your customers individually. Consider what makes them tick and what they are missing from their golf wardrobe. If you ‘home-in’ on 5 club members a week you will have tempted 60 (and possible spouses) in 3 months.

3. Invitation-Only Events

How about special retail invitation evenings after shop hours? Provide some wine and ask a select number of members and spouses in for exclusive apparel presentations on new season lines. This will make them feel special, encourages them to buy before other members, builds long term loyalty as well as getting your season off to a great sales start.

4. Offer Something Special

Follow the supermarket trick of the loss-leader. Place a fashion item customers can’t miss at a great price, and when taking their money ask them about their golf wardrobe. Link smaller accessories and P-o-S items with bigger purchases through special offers.

5. Get Social

Put aside any reservations about social media and use it. Twitter/Facebook etc is imperfect – but you can reach people through it from the local community. Highlight daily deals and create more of a buzz.

6. Research!

Research among your customers to find out what products they are talking about. Is there a buzz brand? Can you be the first to stock the new brand? Too many golf retailers follow the expected; think niche and does that work for your members?

7. Quiz Your Customers

How many of your members know what the top 20 players in the world actually wear? Hold a quiz with a prize of a new season shirt. Ask them to answer what brands the top 10 players wear versus the brand of clubs they play and see who wins.

8. Competitions

Organise a sweep for Tour events, and have a clothing item/accessory as part of the prize. Make a big deal about who has won the ‘red shirt’ etc this month.

9. Daily Deals

Create momentum in turnover with an ‘offer of the day’; create more regular sales with this method. One deal a day for a week, for the first member who comes in, as a loss leader; advertise it via email to your members and see how successful it is.

10. Involve Your Assistants

Ask your young assistants to find out more about what younger golfers are looking for. Set them to work, get them thinking and helping! They know plenty about the best gel product for their hair, how good is the rest of their fashion knowledge?

11. Look for Expertise

Is there an expert on women’s apparel on hand for you. If not, would any members or their friends be interested in helping? But be careful, wait until you find exactly the right person.

12. Take a Strategic Approach

Make a list of the types of customer you are missing. Devise a strategy for attracting these people.

13. Golf Gifts

How can you lure the outside community into your shop? Golf gifts can save the bacon of a busy person; does the town feel your door is open to them? Get more people in apart from the usual suspects.

14. Secret Shopper

Visit the best golf shop in your region and study their moves. Take it to another level and go to a department store or local high street fashion shop and learn from the true retail specialists. You may be amazed at the ideas that will come to you.

15. Incentivise the Staff

Tell your assistants you all must do more to sell apparel. Set yourselves a tough weekly team target. The first time you hit it buy the team a meal and a few beers. Strengthen the confidence of the team.

16. Commission

Do you offer commission to your sales assistants to encourage them to become business orientated rather than just being friends with the members who they play golf with?

17. Talk to the Customer

Talk to every member about golf products. You will learn from them, they will learn from you, and they will also be far less likely to buy from the internet. There is still lots of loyalty out there, but you have to accept that you can never be everything to everyone.

18. Educate the Staff

Set your team the task of learning more about the brands you sell and the individual products. Task each team member to inform the rest of you of the benefits to the golfers of these products, thus creating a pride in sales knowledge among your staff. Building a professional sales team can help you turn the corner in your shop in 2015.

Pro Shop Points of View

“By offering a really strong, very friendly personal service to all our customers it really does make all the difference. Their first port of call for apparel items and shoes won’t be the internet. They will always give us the opportunity to sell to them, they will always look and ask questions and we do our best to supply them with an interesting choice.”

Maurice Campbell, Head Professional, Leighton Buzzard Golf Club, UK

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“It’s a tough world out there so you have to do things a little differently. I now have a lot of non-golfing customers and I promote the shop on social media to draw them in – in fact I’ve had lads messaging the shop on Facebook on a Saturday afternoon looking for something to wear that night; within an hour they’ve been in the shop and picked up a new shirt.”

Simon Fletcher, Head Professional, Morecambe Golf Club, UK

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“Golf retailing is difficult, no question, and that is why any pro has to differentiate themselves from the rest. If you have hundreds of Indian restaurants together, how do some of these manage to rise to the top, flourish and generate real customer loyalty?

“We have to make sure we provide a really friendly experience for our customers. We say that an independent pro can often compete with the online retailers in terms of price, but they can never compete with us in terms of personal service.”

Daniel Webster, Head Professional, St Annes Old Links, UK

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It is a given that enhancing sports performance requires a commitment to training and practice. But what should the nature of training and practice be during development?

The three stages of development are:

• Early or sampling
• Middle or specializing
• Late or investment

Alfred North Whitehead called the three stages the romance stage, precision stage and generalization stage. Studies show any emphasis on structured, deliberate, effortful training and practice during the first or early stages of development is now associated with great costs.

In most cases deliberate practice is not associated with great levels of sports proficiency when compared with diversified, enjoyable, playful training.

In 2002, Cote and Hay researchers said:

1. During the early sampling years there should be low frequency of structured deliberate practice and lots of “play” activity.

2. During the specializing years there should be equal amounts of deliberate practice and deliberate “play “activities.

3. During the investment years there can be more deliberate practice than deliberate “play “when training (the skills have already been learned).

One other key component during the sampling years it is important to sample several different sporting activities, instead of specializing in one sport.

An athlete’s cognitive system (brain) during training is being re-organized to meet the needs of the tasks at hand. Researchers have now assessed what they believe to be the optimal amount of structured, deliberate practice and the optimal amounts of deliberate “play “activities that best support the three stages of development.

At each of these stages there are different amounts of time devoted to deliberate practice and deliberate “play.” An athletes involvement with other activities beyond their main sport will also influence their development.

This Developmental Model of Sports Performance (DMSP) is consistent with general theories of child development (Paget, 1962 Vigotsky, 1978) that support the building blocks for physical, cognitive and emotional development.

When it comes to sports participation there are three natural outcomes, people either become…

1. Recreational participants
2. Elite participants
3. Those who drop out

It has been shown that which one of these three outcomes individuals will experience is influenced heavily by the type of activities and contexts they experience during their three stages of development: sampling, specializing and investment (Cote et all, 2003 Cote & Hay, 2002)

This model (SMDP) has allowed researchers to asses what appears to be the optimal amount of deliberate practice and deliberate “play “at each stage of development. Simple repetition is insufficient, training activities must increase to a complexity just beyond current developmental stages.

Negative Consequences of Early Specialization

Early specialization is associated with dropping out in sports, while staying involved is supported by early diversification.

“A lack of enjoyment was the most common reason for withdrawal from sports altogether…”

When elite Russian swimmers were studied it was found that 9 and 10 year olds who began specialized training spent less time on their national team then the athlete who waited to begin specialized training until 13 or 14. These 9 and 10 year olds who specialized early also ended their sports careers earlier than athletes who started to specialize later in life (Bompa 2000).

A single focus on tennis at an early age contributed to withdrawal from the sport (Lochr, 1996).

Parents of hockey players, both active players and ones that dropped out (ages 6-13), found the players who dropped out spent more time in deliberate, specialized practice and training “off ice” (low enjoyment), than the expert athletes who experienced more “play “(Hodges and Deakin, 1998).

A lack of enjoyment was the most common reason for withdrawal from sports altogether (Ewing and Seefeldt, 1996).

The Value of “Play” During Early Development

Respected research has demonstrated that a significant component of the early sport experience of current elite athletes was a wide spread involvement in a range of both organized sports and deliberate “play “activities.

Researchers Cote and Hay defined deliberate “play “as an activity designed to maximize inherent personal enjoyment. Deliberate “play” activities are normally regulated by flexible rules, adapted from standardized sports rules, and they are normally set up by the participants involved in the activity.

John Brandsford, editor of How People Learn pointed out that “play” activities should promote “interest” over focusing on trying to make play fun. When “play “is interesting, individuals stay interested during their unwanted outcomes.

When involved with deliberate “play” there is less concern with the outcome of behavior than with the enjoyment of the behavior.

Deliberate “play “behavior in sport can have immediate value in terms of motivation to stay involved in sports and it also has benefits related to the ability to process information in various sporting situations.

Motivation based on self regulation (Ryan and Deci, 2000) supports the idea that early “intrinsically ” motivating behaviors (deliberate play) have a positive effect on staying motivated, becoming more self determined and being committed in future sport participation.

From a skill acquisition perspective, deliberate “play “serves as a way for athletes to explore their physical capacities in various contexts. This was found to be true for elite hockey players who spent more time in deliberate play than deliberate practice activities before the age of 20.

These findings also hold true for elite and recreational baseball players (Gilbert et all, 2002). The elite players were involved in more deliberate “play “than recreational players from ages 6 to 12.

When investigating 17 Australian rules football players who were elite players, classified as expert decision makers and 15 elite players classified as non-expert decision makers, the results showed that expert decision makers have invested a significant greater time in varied deliberate “play “activities playing basketball, football, hockey, all within a space of two years (Berry & Apernethy, 2003).

Deliberate “play “in various contexts will ultimately provide a broad foundation of skills that will help to overcome the physical and cognitive challenges of various sports as well as their main sport (DeKnop, Engstrom, Skistad, 1996).

Schmidt and Wrisberg (2000) suggested that transferable elements could be categorized into movement skills, perceptual skills and conceptual thinking skills.

• Movements – biomechanical and anatomical actions.
• Perceptual – environmental information that individuals are interpreting emotionally.
• Conceptual – strategies, guidelines, rules.
• Sports skills demands include:
• Physical demands such as power.
• Movement demands such as precision and esthetics.
• Cognitive demands such as perception memory, or strategic capabilities.

These demands are developed more efficiently through deliberate “play” than structured deliberate practice

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You may ask ‘Why should I fit?’ but the better question is ‘Why shouldn’t I fit?’

While some may think that fitting is the latest marketing hype, in reality it’s not a fad and has stood the test of time.  It’s based on upon simple fundamentals that the consumer understands make a difference, and with golf being a game of little things, fitting addresses those little things.

With consumer knowledge on the benefits of being fitted constantly improving, more and more are planning to be fitted for their next purchase.  Offering a fitting service is becoming an essential part of maximising club sales, with the vast majority of golfers now wanting their clubs to be custom fit for them.

The benefits of being fitted have become increasingly more apparent in recent years with consumers benefitting from increased confidence, which in turn enables them to “Play Their Best”.

It has become commonplace for lessons to lead to fittings as consumers discover they are using equipment that is detrimental to their playing ability, while fittings also lead to lessons as consumers refine their technique in adjusting to properly fitted clubs.

Being fitted correctly can result in improvements in consistency, distance, accuracy, ball flight, distance control and overall confidence, as properly fitted clubs promote a more efficient swing.  Achieving the above leads to a more enjoyable experience on the golf course and enhances a consumer’s love for the game.

Custom fitting has also become a proven way of establishing one-on-one personal relationships with consumers, leading to a development of trust and loyalty, which results in repeat purchases.

Providing a high level of custom fitting enables consumer expectations to be exceeded and also allows the right level of inventory to be held and stock turned appropriately.  There are many fitting myths that exist and present barriers to those thinking about offering it as a service to their consumers.  In reality however, fitting doesn’t take long and it isn’t expensive.

While custom fitting is obviously valuable for the consumer, the benefits of offering custom fitting as a service are often overlooked.  Gaining an advantage over the competition that doesn’t offer it as a service helps to build consumer relationships, respect, trust and loyalty.

Investing in the ability to provide a high level of fitting is an effective and profitable business venture, providing the ability to tap into a niche market as custom fitting can only be conducted by a trained fitter with the correct tools.

Custom fitting is proven to work effectively with every level of golfer, ranging from touring professionals to complete beginners.  It also provides the opportunity to provide a personable service, ideal for strengthening relationships with customers and increasing the chances of repeat business from not only the customer, but the customer’s friends through word of mouth.

PING is renowned for providing the most comprehensive fitting strategy in the industry, as well as the fastest delivery service, which results in a quick turnaround to ensure customer satisfaction, meet demand and optimise cash flow.

By not offering custom fitting as a service, a major element of competitive advantage is lost, resulting in a potential loss of business due to customer requirements not being fulfilled.

Market trends indicate that more and more consumers are planning to be custom fitted for their next club purchase as the large majority of consumers want to be fitted due to the potential performance benefits to be gained.

Statistics have shown that fitting is not a flash in the pan fad and that it’s a concept that’s here to stay.  With peers regarded as the primary influencer on buyer behaviour, offering a good fitting service will cause word to spread and maximise business.

For more information on PING’s custom fitting services visit www.PING.com/fitting.

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

One of Europe’s most popular golf and leisure destinations, Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Community is inviting the PGA professionals and amateur golfers from across Europe to celebrate all that is great about golf, hosting two unique tournaments. The Lumine Golf Festival will see PGA professionals celebrate the sport with amateur golfers of all abilities, through exciting competitions to be held over the award-winning golf courses from 6^th-12^th February 2017.

The celebrations will begin with the returning Confederation of Professional Golf Fourball Championship Presented by Costa Daurada. The 2017 edition of the tournament will once again be hosted across Lumine’s Championship Lakes and Hills courses from 6^th-8^th February 2017. With space for 120 pairs, any classified male or female PGA members and trainees, within a Confederation of Professional Golf member country, are invited to enter the latest edition of the Championship.

Following the professional-only tournament, Lumine will welcome golfers of all abilities for its inaugural Lumine International Pro-Am. Taking place from 10^th-12^th February, the tournament calls for one PGA Professional and three amateur players to battle it out over the renowned Lakes and Hills courses. Alongside the pro-am event, professionals will also compete in a 54-hole stroke play tournament for a guaranteed prize fund of €20,000.

Calle Carlsson, General Manager, Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Club, says: “We are really excited about our Golf Festival in 2017 and as always, we are looking forward to welcoming back the Confederation of Professional Golf and their Fourball competitors.

“This time around, we wanted to create a prolonged period of celebration and fun for golfers of all abilities, from PGA Professionals all the way to fledgling amateurs and recreational golfers. The addition of our International Pro-Am 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 our fantastic golf courses, and renowned hospitality.”

Designed by two-time Major Champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, Greg Norman, The Lakes course proves the most technically difficult of the courses. Positioned on the lowest lying land on the property, navigating its way through areas of wetlands and natural vegetation, the 6,300 metre par 71 golf course offers a Links design that is a genuine challenge for any golfer.

Meanwhile Lumine Hills undoubtedly gives players the most spectacular views from the resort, rolling through leafy woods of white pine and extensive plantations of olive and carob trees, the Hills course rises to offer exceptional views out onto the Mediterranean Sea.

The Troon managed property lies just 50 minutes south of Barcelona and is home to a luxury Beach Club and a state-of-the-art golf academy. Neighbouring the property is Europe’s most popular theme park, Port Aventura, a comprehensive meetings and conference centre, the coastal towns of Salou and Cambrils, both renowned for their nightlife and cuisine, and just ten minutes away is the cultural town of Tarragona.

For more information and to enter visit:

• Confederation of Professional Golf Fourball Championship: http://eur.pe/2017FourballChamps
• Lumine International Pro-Am: http://eur.pe/2017Lumine

Your interviewer is likely to be looking for evidence of the innate qualities and softer skills that play a big part in determining whether you’re the right person for the job. These are some of the key character traits your potential employer really wants to see:

1. Motivation

Most employers are looking to do more than just fill a spot on the pay roll. What interviewers arguably value above all else is a genuine desire to work for their organisation and to share in their long-term vision and goals.

Demonstrate this by showing you really understand the company and what differentiates it from its competitors. Being inquisitive and asking questions is an effective way of showing interest and engagement.

2. Communication

A CV can be doctored, professional experience spun or plumped up, but people skills are hard to fake in a face-to-face environment. How you go about building a rapport with your prospective employer offers them vital clues as to how you’ll interact with colleagues and clients. Little things – like smiling, making eye contact – can certainly help spark the connection you need.

Remember to talk about your experience of working in a team: when you’ve recognised you need other people and that collaboration has engendered great things. Businesses only succeed with good teams.

3. Problem solving

This is more than being good at the odd puzzle it’s about an innate desire and ability to go the extra mile, really look at the issues and a drive to find solutions. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate resourcefulness, enthusiasm, dynamism, agility and innovative thinking.

Go to the interview with examples of your problem solving skills, but more than that – get excited about sinking your teeth into something and finding a solution for all concerned. Employers love a problem solver.

4. Inspiration

Hiring managers are hoping to come across that one, unique candidate who will inspire them and demand to be hired on the spot. When selling yourself as the perfect candidate how you deliver your story becomes just as important as what you are saying. Originality and authenticity are key qualities so avoid focusing on generic skills and attributes that your competitors might have. Keep it concise and hone in on your ‘unique’ experiences and achievements, showcasing them at the beginning of your delivery.

Of course, each role is different, but that doesn’t mean that some approaches and techniques aren’t better than others. A few staple building blocks from which to build your interview strategy can be a great place to start.

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: Fortune; LinkedIn

Vector image designed by Freepik

Thomas Bjørn has been named as the European captain for The 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris, France, from September 28 – 30, 2018.

The 45 year old was the first Danish player to represent Europe against the United States when he made his debut under Seve Ballesteros in 1997, the year the biennial contest was first played in continental Europe at Valderrama, in Spain. Twenty-one years later, he will become the first Dane, and the first Scandinavian, to lead Europe when The Ryder Cup returns to mainland Europe for the second time at Le Golf National.

Bjørn will bring a wealth of experience to the role of captain, having featured on three victorious European Ryder Cup teams as a player, with successful appearances at The Belfry in 2002 and the win at Gleneagles in 2014 following his 1997 debut. He has also served as a vice captain on four occasions – under Bernhard Langer in 2004, Colin Montgomerie in 2010, José María Olazábal in 2012 and Darren Clarke at Hazeltine National earlier this year – while he has also made a hugely significant contribution to the development of the European Tour as Chairman of the Tournament Committee since 2007, a role he will now relinquish following his appointment as captain.

The 15-time European Tour winner, who was twice a runner-up in The Open Championship, also knows the 2018 host venue particularly well, having played in the Open de France a total of 14 times at Le Golf National, with his best finish a share of third place in 2007.

He was chosen as Europe’s 2018 Ryder Cup captain by a five-man selection panel comprising the three most recent European Ryder Cup Captains – Clarke, Paul McGinley and Olazábal – as well as the Chief Executive of the European Tour, Keith Pelley, and European Tour Tournament Committee member Henrik Stenson.

He said: “It’s a huge honour for me to be named European captain for The 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris. This is one of the greatest days in my career.

“I studied a lot of captains as a player and as a vice captain and always wondered what that feeling would be like to be the one leading out a team of 12 great players. Now it’s my turn to do just that and it is an exciting moment for me.

“I have lived and breathed the European Tour for so long, and now I will do the same with The Ryder Cup for the next two years. I’m very much looking forward to taking on this task.”

Bjørn’s Ryder Cup career began in 1997 when he qualified for Ballesteros’ team only a year after winning the first of his 15 European Tour titles at the Loch Lomond World Invitational, and only two years after winning the Challenge Tour Rankings in 1995. He won one-and-a-half points from his two matches at Valderrama, partnering Ian Woosnam to defeat Justin Leonard and Brad Faxon in the fourballs, and then halving with Leonard in the singles.

In his next appearance in 2002, Bjørn took two points from his four matches at The Belfry, teaming up with Clarke to defeat Tiger Woods and Paul Azinger in the fourballs, and beating Stewart Cink in the singles.

He had to wait another 12 years to make his third appearance as a player, qualifying for McGinley’s team at Gleneagles where he partnered Martin Kaymer to earn half a point against Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker in the Friday fourballs.

In the intervening period between his second and third appearance, Bjørn was part of the backroom staff on three occasions, assisting Langer at Oakland Hills in 2004, Montgomerie at The Celtic Manor Resort in 2010 and Olazábal at Medinah in 2012. He then reprised that role under Clarke at Hazeltine National earlier this year in his only experience of defeat to date in the Ryder Cup arena.

Bjørn now succeeds Clarke and will lead the European bid to reclaim the Ryder Cup, while he will be looking to extend the continent’s impressive run of consecutive victories on home soil to six.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, speaking on behalf of the Ryder Cup Europe selection panel, said: “We are delighted to announce that Thomas has accepted the invitation from the panel to captain Europe at The 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris.

“Thomas has many wonderful characteristics which he will bring to the role of captain. Firstly, he is incredibly experienced having played in three winning Ryder Cup teams and having been a vice captain four times. He also has commitment. We have seen that over the last nine years as Tournament Committee chairman, so we know as Ryder Cup captain he will have the same unwavering commitment.

“Thirdly, he has passion. Not only for this wonderful game, but for the European Tour and Team Europe and he wants the Ryder Cup to be the greatest sporting event it can be. So when you look at his these characteristics, I am convinced they will make him great Ryder Cup captain.”

Bjørn is the second captain after Clarke to be chosen using Ryder Cup Europe’s new selection process – the third method used to pick The Ryder Cup captain since players from Continental Europe joined the fold for the 1979 contest, under the captaincy of John Jacobs, at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

From then until 1997, when the late Ballesteros led Europe in his homeland at Valderrama, the European Ryder Cup Captain was chosen by the Ryder Cup Committee, who selected Jacobs again in 1981, Tony Jacklin in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989, and Bernard Gallacher in 1991, 1993 and 1995.

However, in 1999, Mark James was the first European captain to be nominated by the European Tour’s Tournament Committee and ratified by the Ryder Cup Board, a process which went on to select Sam Torrance (2002), Bernhard Langer (2004), Ian Woosnam (2006), Sir Nick Faldo (2008), Montgomerie (2010), Olazábal (2012) and McGinley (2014).

For more information on the Ryder Cup visit www.rydercup.com

Image Courtesy of European Tour/Getty Images

Whether it is promoting a tournament, curating content from contributors, adding posts to our social media presences, or creating content around our education and golf development work, it is undoubtedly marketing.

We see, hear and touch (and often taste smell) marketing all the time, and the world of golf is no exception to this.  Ever walked into a pro shop and been hit with offers on the latest gear?  Ever been playing and at the halfway house you wonder why there is a fan directing the smell of bacon out across the ninth green?  How about winning a prize in a tournament that’s been donated by an equipment manufacturer?

What I really like about marketing (to talk about it in very general terms) is that it can really be simple, clean and effective.

PR stunts and activities are often some of the simplest (and most fun) ways of generating interest in something and getting people talking – and that’s what PR is really all about.  Here are some examples:

The ALS ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’

Simple concept – you film yourself being doused in ice cold water, you donate to the cause, and you nominate three others to do the same and so on.   [You can view our Chief Executive, Ian’s challenge below:]

Here the marketing focus was on generating funds and encouraging people to share that message through social media.  The ALS Association went from a previous year of $1.7 million in donations to $13.3 million.

Tiger Woods Hits a Ball From Europe to Asia

To promote the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final in 2013, Tiger took to Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and after closing one side from traffic he launched a ball across the bridge.

It might have caused chaos at rush hour in Istanbul but the stunt went all over the world generating a huge amount of PR for the event and for Turkish Airlines who are renowned for working with the biggest stars.

Bubba Watson and Oakley Make a Hovercraft…

Bubba has form in this area – barely a week goes by where his sponsors have made use of his personality and liveliness to promote products and services.  Two years ago Bubba teamed up with Oakley to create Bubba’s very own fully operational hovercraft golf cart.

In the video he wears Oakley product but, as with many things like this, it’s not about the product.  It’s about creating something that is fun, shareable and gets people talking.

It was released ahead of the 2013 Masters where Bubba would hope to defend his 2012 title and to date has had almost 9 million views.

Creating your own hovercraft might be a step too far but it is always worth looking out for examples and see how you could apply the principles to your business, club or brand.

You might not reach millions but it can be a cost effective way of showing a fun and innovative side to a business and activating PR (stunts or otherwise) could well generate excellent quality interest in what you do.

Seen any good examples of golf PR?  Feel free to send then to aw@CPG.com.

My Reading List

• ‘How Topgolf Flipped The Traditional Driving Range Model And Created A New Category Of Entertainment’ [Forbes.com] – http://eur.pe/1wUdQI6
• ‘Donald Trump: I’m Huge!’ [GolfDigest.com] – http://eur.pe/1MlTxoy
• ‘Public Relations Tips and Tricks for Your Business’ [Inc.com] – http://eur.pe/184KH13
• ‘My top tip for a great speech – Richard Branson’ [Virgin.com] – http://eur.pe/1x8Y2f7
• ‘The psychology of Web design: How colours, typefaces and spacing affect your mood’ [TheNextWeb.com] – http://eur.pe/1ELQs06
• ‘7 Goal-Setting Tips and Strategies for Social Media Marketers’ [Blog.Bufferapp.com] – http://eur.pe/1GyBrkH

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

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[Click here to find out more about Robins Golf]

Create a vision

Most coaches think of the customer first and come up with all the reasons that a new coaching program WON’T work instead of looking at what will drive you as a coach.

COACHES QUESTION: What would drive you to be passionate to come to work every day?

COACHES QUESTION: What do you not like doing? (write down 10 things you don’t want to do and then write down the 10 you do)

“Bring your passion to the forefront” Instead of dreading your day craft a business, work, and students that you actually enjoy working with.

Sell it before you build it

The minute you have your vision and passion, share your passion with your players and start to get feedback on what they’re interested in. The key here is to communicate don’t sell.

The biggest sales tool you have in your marketing arsenal is the INVITATION. By building relationships with students you have an opportunity to invite them into programs and opportunites that are the BEST fit for them.

Focus on getting results whatever the cost

How do you balance technique and getting people on the course? We talk about the difference between being a coach and a teacher.

Find who you are and stand up for what you believe.

Links / Resources:

• Robinsgx.com (grab the free videos and resources he has available)
• Listen to Will’s story

Golf will thrive because of the open air environment in which the game is consumed. Golf supports moderate physical activity, satisfying social interaction, distraction from the never ending roller coaster of life’s ups and downs, and not least the game offers a personal challenge.

The game is fundamentally one in which, you take a stick, to hit an object to a target, that is in, on, or above the ground.

Golf is not only a game but also an industry. An industry that ‘services the game‘. Be mindful of those three words – ‘services the game‘.

Without doubt, the game and the industry must be aligned to deliver an experience that men and women want to consume in the way that they want to consume it. Golf should entertain, challenge, and above all be an enjoyable experience. Even though the game and the industry must work together, the game should not become a service provider to the industry.

From this standpoint, there are many questions that continue to attract my attention, two of which are as follows:

Q1.

Imagine if we drop a handful of clubs and balls into a remote part of the Amazonian Rain Forest, where the villagers had never heard of Tiger Woods, and there were no TV or golf magazines. What game would they invent?

Would the villagers design a game where they take a stick, to hit an object to a target, that is in, on, or above the ground? Perhaps so. Would it be the same as we find in the some 200+ golf playing nations in the world? Would it have four par fives and four par threes on a 6,000m + course? Would it have miles of buggy paths and two starting points and finishing points, each near to a clubhouse?

Q2.

Imagine that the golf ball travelled just 30% of the distance of the current ball. What effect would that have on the game? I suspect very little. Golf would still entertain, challenge, and above all be an enjoyable experience. I do however think that such a change would change the industry.

Certainly, courses could be made that were just 30% of the current length. So 2,000 metres would offer the same challenge as we have now over a much longer course. Golf course developers would need less land, and so potentially less investment; the course would perhaps be easier to design, certainly easier and cheaper to construct and maintain. Smaller parcels of land could be more easily found near to areas of population, so making the game more accessible. Would golf take less time on this shorter course? Is it reasonable to expect that if the ball travelled just 30% of the ‘normal’ distance, then it would also only go 30% of the distance into trouble? Perhaps there would be less time spent looking for golf balls? Would this form of golf become both a quick way for established golfers to play a few holes and at the same time be a simple but effective way for newcomers to be introduced to the game?

Softball in the US, has legions of participants, soft tennis and soft cricket, all forms of the mainstream sport, have introduced a ball to make their game more accessible. Could this simple act give golf a much-needed boost to reach new communities? The commentators say that golf needs to be more accessible, less expensive, quicker and easier. Perhaps a ball that travels significantly less distance will help.

In any case, I advise continually questioning why we do what we do, and also how we do it. Perhaps the answers will be surprising.

In a way, it is good advice (to start with anyway) because once you are a specialist, you have authority, can build a reputation and are likely to be paid more.

For the modern PGA Professional this makes perfect sense, we have seen a trend over the last 20 years towards specialist players, coaches, golf psychologists, retailers, club-fitters, club managers, corporate event organisers etc and away from the traditional club professional model – although, of course, that quite rightly still exists.

So how do you maximise your opportunities as a specialist?

It might seem contradictory but my solution was to specialise and THEN diversify.

The day golf finally met business for Jeremy Dale

I am quite certain that no professional golfer ever set out to become a trick shot artist.

Everyone dreams of playing for a living BUT, when you see a new opportunity, it is a good idea to explore the potential.

My big chance came in the summer of 1991 at the Rijswijkse Golf Club in The Hague when Head Professional John Woof unwittingly gave me the opportunity of a lifetime – an opportunity that quite literally presented me with a fork in the road of my career.

Find yourself a business model (or mentor) BUT make up your own version

As an assistant, I saw a really good future business model in John.

He was earning from a few different areas of the golf business but was really well known at that time in Holland for the quality of his play.

As well as winning tournaments (both nationally & internationally) and making the PGA Cup team, he was also a successful coach, had some sponsors and, importantly for me, he performed a really good trick shot golf show. It was the first one I had ever seen and I liked the combination of entertainment mixed with a high level of skill and accuracy.

John also ran events (for his sponsors & featuring his show), sometimes took them on private outings to famous courses, and later in his career, despite being a foreigner, he became a golf commentator on Dutch TV.

It was especially obvious to me that John was able to carry over his reputation for tournament golf into everything else he did.

I concluded that to have a good career in golf, you should be really good at one thing (whatever your speciality might be) but ALSO diversify your range of products AND be good at selling them……..by the way, don’t forget that last one!

(If you are a coach read Ian Clark’s excellent blog on making sales and creating a client base)

Look out for a life changing opportunity

I decided that I needed to put together a golf show………….….if I could become really good at that then it would do for my business what playing had done for John.

The problem was that I did not want to copy anyone, I needed a USP of my own and was well aware of the importance of being my own person.

I had no idea what that could be until that day at Rijswijk in 1991 when John asked me to give a lesson to one of his sponsors, who happened to be left-handed.

After the lesson, I asked if I could have a go with his club since I had never hit a shot left-handed. It felt quite good and I was very surprised at the quality of my best shots so I spent the whole evening on the range.

This did not have to be a life changing moment, but that is exactly how it turned out.

I decided there and then that I was going to relearn the game left-handed so that I could put together a switch-hitting golf show, something that, unsurprisingly, had never been done.

I was about to find out why.

Left-Handed Golf – my hard won USP

John said: ‘’Give yourself two years’’ and (cryptically) ‘’You never know’’.

He was right on both counts.

My father always used to say ”We never give in’’. He was only partly joking, it’s great advice.

Everyone else thought I was nuts and looking back, I can see what they meant.

My good friend and co-assistant at the club, Michael Unsworth, had seen almost every shot of my left-handed experiment, from hitting air shots to making cuts in Dutch PGA events.

I knew I was making progress when he said to me:

‘’When you started playing left-handed I would always hope you’d hit a good shot off the first tee……..now I kind of hope you don’t!’’

It was a frantic time. Somehow, within two years, I learned to speak Dutch fluently, made the required scores in professional tournaments (left-handed) and passed the exams with the Dutch PGA. Later, having contacted Lawrie Thornton at the Confederation of Professional Golf, I passed the British PGA exams too.

I was all set for a career in golf as a trick shot artist and did my first proper show in April 1994 at Golf & Country Club ‘t Sybrook in the Netherlands.

You never know!

Wind the clock forward and these days people assume that switch-hitting was just something I could always naturally do but nothing could be further from the truth.

It had seemed impossible to me that I would make a living from golf but it has somehow happened.

So far I have performed my show in 39 countries in front of business people and top golfers from all parts of the globe. I have also met and performed with many of the great golfers I grew up watching on TV. Gary Player, Seve, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Tony Jacklin, Padraig Harrington, Ian Woosnam and so the list goes on.

Specialise in one thing – but diversify your business too

What I have also done is (like John Woof) use the golf show to develop other areas of my business.

Here is a list of the other things I have done in the last 20 years in golf:

• PGA Coach – individual coaching, golf schools and golf holidays
• TV presenter
• Organiser and Promoter – World Golf Trick Shot Championship
• Writer
• Charity event organiser
• After Dinner Speaker
• Brand Ambassador
• Master of Ceremonies
• Agent
• Charity Auctioneer
• Business and Marketing Consultant for other PGA professionals

I even won a trick shot competition in America in 2015 and finished No. 2 in the World Golf Trick Shot Championships in 2005.

Specialists really do get paid more

My advice to any golf professional is to find the thing you do best and specialise.

Work hard to gain the knowledge and expertise you will need – invest in yourself, go on courses, ask other PGA Members and read everything you can find on your subject.

It does not matter what your specialist area might be. As long as you are (and are seen as) one of the market leaders, you’ll have an advantage you can really use.

Being an expert gives you credibility and a chance to make a reputation that you can THEN exploit into other areas.

I think it is a winning formula.