As part of the agreement, CoachNow becomes a ‘Coaching Software Supplier’ to the CPG and will assist PGA Professionals and coaches across its network with the running of their coaching businesses through preferential product access and pricing, as well as educational content and resources on the business of coaching.

Ian Randell, Chief Executive of the CPG, said: “Evolving the way golf coaches engage with their clients towards a more relationship-based model is key to driving long-term success for golfers and coaches. We fully believe in the tools and capabilities provided within the CoachNow platform to achieve that progression for every golf professional and coach and thus furthering their position as golf’s ultimate influencer.

“We are therefore delighted to be expanding our longstanding partnership with Golf Genius to now embrace CoachNow, supporting our efforts to innovate and provide world-class learning and business opportunities to PGA Professionals and coaches, and urge those interested in developing their coaching businesses to take advantage of this exclusive offer and access to the CoachNow platform.”

Trusted by the world’s best coaches, academies, and national programmes in 140 countries worldwide, CoachNow is a technology platform that helps PGA Professionals build successful coaching businesses with enhanced athlete collaboration, communication and coaching tools.

Craig Higgs, Managing Director of Golf Genius International, commented: “CPG are a key partner in the game of golf who drive standards in the business of golf coaching across the globe. We’re really pleased to be working with them, their Member Country PGAs and consequently, their PGA Members to drive world-class coaching through technology. Our entire team is looking forward to an innovative and industry-evolving partnership.”

Exclusively available to PGA members and coaches of the CPG network, the member offer includes 4-month’s free trial access to CoachNow Pro, followed by a discounted price on all plans after the free trial period has concluded.

Any interested and eligible members can find out more at coachnow.io/cpg or by contacting emea@coachnow.io.

This collaboration combines CPG’s extensive global network of countries and their golf professionals, with TCA’s dynamic resources in coaching facilitation and education delivery. Together, they aim to create opportunities that maximise access to high-quality learning experiences, fostering growth and development within the golf community.

Launching in December 2024, the partnership debuts with the TCA’s Winter Webinar Series in Partnership with CPG, a lineup of engaging and informative online sessions intended to empower coaches with practical knowledge and skills.

For more information on the CPG International Learning Series visit cp.golf/3JeGAmW, and for more information on The Coach Alliance visit TheCoachAlliance.co

Christiane spoke to the CPG direct from Paris during the Olympic Golf women’s competition about her experiences as a Rules Official during the week, the electric atmosphere at Le Golf National, and her valuable advice for PGA Members early on in their careers looking to develop themselves.

………..

The Olympics so far have been amazing, and, knowing that I would come here, I’ve watched a lot on TV. Obviously the crowds were amazing for the men, but I have to say that it’s as good for the women. Especially the French girls have been supported massively, but so have the entire field – the fans have been amazing.

We could hardly move anywhere with buggies, which is always a good sign because it means that a lot of people are there to watch.

The atmosphere is amazing and it does feel different than a normal tournament because you just have far more people involved. People are really cheering each other along and they’re playing for their country rather than for prize money, which does give a bit of a different atmosphere.

Especially on the first tee when the players tee off – there are so many people cheering for every player and it is absolutely amazing.

My role this week has been as a rules official, but we do change the official assignments every day. Some days I’m assigned to a specific zone where I am responsible for any rulings popping up in that area. But on other days I’m assigned to be a rover, in charge of managing pace of play, and I could be either on the front nine or back nine, or as general rules, or keeping an overall picture.

To be part of the Olympics as a rules official is just amazing to be honest. It is always nice to be part of a big team, and we only get to meet the officials from the other tours where we do majors usually. So when we share tournaments it is always nice to meet up and collaborate. We have our colleagues from the LPGA but also we have people here from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, The R&A, and USGA so it’s always really nice to be involved together and see what happens on the different tours and exchanging things.

The core setup this week is a little different to what we do on normal weeks on the LET, and much closer to what we do in major weeks. It is a bit tougher than the average LET tournament – the main differences are the course is playing slightly longer and green speed a bit faster. Plus we have an entire agronomy team here besides the local greenkeeping team and supervisor.

So there’s just more resources involved than what we normally have, but otherwise the standards are similar.

If I talk from a rules perspective, then if I’m just a rules official at one of our tournaments, then it is absolutely similar to what we do here. The only difference being that we have more referees out there than what we normally have. Normally we have around 6 – 8 rules officials out there – this week we are fortunate enough to have one rules official covering two or three holes, so we just have more staff on the ground.

My best piece of advice for a PGA member early in their career…? I started off with teaching and I really enjoyed my time doing that, but I think it is all about exploring what prospective options you actually have. Most people think it is purely teaching or maybe being a club manager, but there are so many options around what you can do as a PGA Member. Explore your options, try different things, and then try to find something that will inspire you to do it for the rest of your career. There is nothing wrong with doing one thing throughout your career at all but I am sure many would like to try different things along the way too.

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For more on the 2024 Olympic Golf  visit igfgolf.org/olympic-games/2024/paris.

Dr Mark Bull has a PhD in sport and exercise science as well as being a fully qualified PGA coach. Mark’s area of interest is in human movement and why/how humans move the way they do and how it influences how they move within the golf swing and how we can help learn and improve our movement performance.

Mark works with and supports over 500 PGA coaches and has worked with to date over 175 PGA/DP tour professionals, including 11 major champions.

The two day seminar includes lunch and coffee. Fees:

• CPG Member Country Preferred Pricing – €690
• Non-CPG Member Country – € 790

Register by 26.04.2024 on a first come, first serve principle. The number of participants is limited at 20.

Find Out More

2 day Seminar for Golf Coaches:

Andreas Kali’s “Whole Istic” View On Developing Golfers, is an opportunity to learn directly from him as he shares his systematic approach to improving player performance of all skill levels. The two day seminar is highly interactive and will combine theory with a hands on approach to improve the learning experience for everyone.

Attendees will leave the seminar with tools to improve: Performance and swing analysis, player communication, order of technical changes, drills, transfer, games, learning environment and more…

The two day seminar includes lunch and coffee. Fees:

• CPG Member Country Preferred Pricing – €690
• Non-CPG Member Country – € 790

Register by 05.04.2024 on a first come, first serve principle. The number of participants is limited at 20

Find Out More

…………………………

Dr Mark Bull: The relationship between the physical possibilities and impossibilities and the swing

When: 17 October, 2022 – 09:00 – 17:00

Where: Houtrak Golf, Netherlands

Price: €200 excluding VAT for PGA and GPA* members; €300 euros excluding VAT for non PGA and GPA Members. (This amount includes lunch)

Delivery Language: English

Mark Bull will visit Amsterdam on the 17th of October and will share his knowledge about the golf swing in combination with possibilities and impossibilities. He will spend the entire day working at Houtrak Golf with interested golf professionals and physiotherapists. You will be able to immediately apply the information that Mark provides in practice.

Topics that will be discussed include:

• Anatomical imbalances and how they affect how we move/sway.
• Understanding why we move the way we do within the golf swing.
• How we learn movement within the golf swing.
• Movements that may be related to pain/injury
• Movements consistent with clubhead speed.
• Use of case studies around player development, both in terms of performance and well-being.
• Understanding 3D kinematic data in addition to club kinetics and ground reaction forces.
• Exploring the story behind the data, what did the player do to produce the values we see on the screen…
• It will be a practical day where theory will alternate with practice.

Program:

• 09:00 reception
• 09.30 start program part 1
• 13:00 Lunch
• 14.00 start program part 2
• 16.30-1700 end of program

Prices:

• 200 euros excluding VAT for PGA and GPA* members.
• 300 euros excluding VAT for non PGA and GPA Members.
• This amount includes lunch; *GPA – Golf Physiotherapist Organisation

Minimum number of participants 10
Maximum number of participants 24

To Register Contact jh@pgaholland.nl

The PGA of Belgium’s modernisation of coaching work and services seminar with Paul Kaster, Kayleigh Franklin and Dr. Nick Molinaro is open to all PGA Members.

…………………………

Modernisation of coaching work and services seminar with Paul Kaster, Kayleigh Franklin and Dr. Nick Molinaro

When: 3-day seminar, Wednesday 26 October – Friday 28, 10am-5pm (Possibilities of coming to one day only)

Where: Royal Bercuit Golf Club, Belgium

Price: PGA Members – 335€ or 125€/day

Delivery Language: English

Major education seminar of the season where we hope to see as many pros as we can, as we will be covering the modernisation of the coaching work and establishing how to build ones coaching services in these modern days and reach international appeal!

With special intervention by Kayleigh Franklin (TPI level 3) on site on the 26th and by Dr. Nick Molinaro by video conference.

All 3 days will have specific contents that are possible to follow day by day, as you will be able to discover in the following schedule:

Day 1:

1. Paul & Kayleigh Franklin Introduction
2. The Assessment Process & Live Lesson with a Junior Anthony Selects (?)
   1. How Paul starts with a client
   2. Kayleigh’s Role in the Assessment
3. Creating a Plan
   1. Paul determines plan based on the player’s goals, movement capabilities, apparent “golf IQ.” Plan takes into account fitness issues if Kayleigh is able to see the client first.
   2. What comes first?
   3. If Kayleigh didn’t see the client first, I conference with her and her team afterwards regarding fitness evaluation and player’s goals. Speed potential is a big subject for anything we are doing.

Day 2:

1. Morning:
   1. Paul works with player who was subject of the evaluation.
   2. Putting evaluation with the same player before launching into golf swing.
   3. Discussion of what we would do on the course if playing holes is possible as part of the evaluation.
   4. Fitness program is something they will get started on as we begin to work on golf swing things.
   5. Early golf swing work should be simple, especially if there are mobility or stability impediments that show up in the fitness screening and/or a grip change is involved in the early stages.
   6. Grip, set up and pivot/post changes can be extremely productive but also can go against a player’s DNA if they have been playing a certain way for a while. These changes need to be discussed gradually and carefully based on the player’s mental/emotional makeup and state. For the coach to observe and decide. The art of coaching.
2. Afternoon:
   1. Club fitting and it’s role in the process
   2. Performance can be bought
   3. Shoes
   4. Ball fitting
   5. Zoom Presentation by Dr. Nick Molinaro
   6. Paul discusses his mental coaching styles, who he has learned from and worked with including Dr. Nick, Bobby Foster (Golf Mental Workshop) and Dr. Rick Jensen.
   7. Discussing process oriented thinking with players early on sets the stage for how you function and communicate as a coach.

Day 3:

1. Morning:
   1. Putting
   2. Playing Lessons & On Course Assessment
   3. Using Data – GameForge & Arccos
2. Afternoon:
   1. Developing Practice Plans
   2. Focus on Skills
   3. Q&A

For more information or questions contact Director of Education of the PGA of Belgium, Anthony Otterström, at anthony.otterstrom@pga.be.

Click For More Information & Detailed Schedule

Click To Register

Inside the Ryder Cup with CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, and Jeremy Snape.

The CPG Business Club hosted a live forum with Founder and CEO of Sporting Edge, Jeremy Snape, interviewing Ian Randell live from Whistling Straits, host venue of the 2020 Ryder Cup. Visit the CPG Business Club and find out how you can join future events: https://cp.golf/CPG-Business-Club​

THE WINNING MINDSET

This article is available in The Insider by CPG magazine, click here to download your digital copy.

The similarities between sport and business are often discussed, but there are few people better placed to shed light on the subject than former England cricketer Jeremy Snape. Here, he tells us what the two worlds have in common and what they can learn from each other.

CPG: You were a successful sportsman and changed tack totally on retirement. Why was that? 

Jeremy Snape: I had always considered myself a journeyman pro. I had 19 years as a professional cricketer, starting at Northants with an incredibly talented team with the likes of Allan Lamb and Curtly Ambrose and a squad full of legends that did not win a huge amount but had a great time. And then I moved to Gloucestershire, who were always underdogs. Everyone fitted together into this tight unit, and we surprised so many people, and ultimately redefined one-day cricket during that period, winning five or six trophies around the turn of the century. And that gave me the springboard to go and play for England. I was man of the match on my debut, but I guess I did not always find I was naturally confident. I was hard on myself and quite analytical – I remember playing a game in front of 120,000 screaming people in India but the loudest voice was in my head, and it was the one that was saying, “Are you sure you are good enough to be here?” I let the emotions divert me from my gameplan and no one had ever coached that, and I suppose it sparked a fascination for me in psychology and mindset and how leaders create a high-performance environment. So that is what I turned to.

CPG: I guess whatever we do we can all empathise with those doubts creeping in…  

JS: Yes, absolutely, and I have spent more time trying to understand this now over the last decade or so but often the highest performers are the ones that have the most doubt and insecurity because they have built up so much and they have got so much to lose. And part of that mindset is actually continually testing the boundaries, which means you are living on the edge and you are out of your comfort zone. Elite performers can actually find comfort in that uncomfortable space and they keep going there because they know that if they can overcome those fears, then that is where their proudest moments come from, and their best achievements.

CPG: And you studied this formally?

JS: Yes. I did my Master’s degree at Loughborough University while I was still playing actually, and there was a moment of epiphany, in the final of the Twenty20 Cup in a tight game at Edgbaston, when I needed to hit a boundary to win, and I used some of these skills that I had learnt from my Master’s degree. In India I had been so focused on what the newspapers and the media might say the next day that I forgot to watch the ball in front of me. Here, I was so focused on my breathing and my routine that I played an instinctive shot, and won the game for us.

So I saw the power of these techniques personally in my own career. I wish I had learnt them earlier but that is the way it is, and that gave me the passion to become a performance coach and help people to understand how they can use their mindset to give them a competitive edge rather than be a hindrance. And that led on to coaching in the IPL with Shane Warne’s team, the Rajasthan Royals, coaching South Africa as they went from number four to number one in the world, and then joining the League Managers’ Association (LMA), supporting the leadership development for the Premier League managers and below.

CPG: And you set up Sporting Edge. What was the aim there?

JS: Sporting Edge is ultimately about going inside the mind of champions, elite performers from sport, the military, academia, best-selling authors, futurists, and trying and find out what is it about this high-performance mindset and this high-performance leadership style that can be broken down into tangible tools that business leaders around the world can use. For me the mindset of high-performance in elite sport and in business are exactly the same. We are trying to get the best out of ourselves and to overcome those doubts, we are trying to get the best out of our individuals that are around us, and we are trying to bring an organisation together and help them to navigate change. The lessons absolutely translate across perfectly and we have proven that with thousands of executives around the world, using our digital library of video insights to fast-track their success.

CPG: Do business leaders need to be selfish to succeed?

JS: As a professional athlete you need to be self-focused. Not necessarily selfish but definitely self-focused, and that can lead into selfishness. The team dynamic is all about selfless performance – what can I give to my team? What does my team need of me now? And we tend to think more selflessly and longer-term in a team situation, whereas when we are under pressure we tend to think about survival in the short-term in our own career. I guess in golf that is where that incredible resilience of living in the moment and being able to build a strategy for your tournament or for the day or the round that you are playing and then be able to break it down into these tight routines. So, for example, if you are playing golf for four hours you are actually only playing golf for 23 minutes and it is the transition between the downtime when you are walking up and down the fairway, what you are thinking there, and that ability to really dial up your focus onto the next shot. You have got to be able to forget the last shot, whether it was a brilliant shot and you feel euphoric or whether it was a terrible shot and you have ended up in the woods. You have got to be able to stop that last shot from contaminating the next one, and that is one of the key mental skills that golf demands.

And it relates into business in that you might be a salesperson who has had three bad sales calls but the fourth call, you cannot afford to go into with low energy, low mood and a negative mindset, because that fourth call might be the one that actually transforms your business. It is that ability to reframe and reset yourself every so often rather than just seeing it as a whole day at work or a whole round of golf. Elite performers have that ability to break the game and the day down into focused units of performance.

CPG: The idea of an individual focus is really interesting but what about when golf becomes a team game?

JS: It is very interesting, I did an interview with Paul McGinley about his leadership at the Ryder Cup, and I think there were a few key elements there. One of the things he tried to do was build this emotional connection with the team. So, clearly all the stars are incredibly successful, they are financially secure, there is nothing that they really need but this team culture has the opportunity to be the thing that they are most proud of in their career and Paul McGinley leveraged this in a couple of ways. First of all he connected them back into the emotional history of the Ryder Cup, so all the players that had gone before them in that lineage. They used really powerful, emotive imagery of people like Seve Ballesteros and tried to bring some of that mindset, almost like the ancient wisdom of these forefathers was speaking to them, that they wanted to be part of this community. And then he, sort of, fast-forwarded it again and asked the players, you know, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were sitting in a pub in 15 years’ time when we were old and grey and we could look each other in the eye and say we did it, during those few days, we were the ones that absolutely sacrificed and delivered and we stayed true to the team spirit.”

McGinley was one of the first people to use data in an analytical review. For two years before the Ryder Cup he was looking at the course profile and the pairings and match-ups. He had got really strict rules around meetings only being 30 minutes, so he had to make sure that in those 30 minutes he had got their attention and their focus. And then he made sure he understood different people’s requirements so, for example, some leaders would have mandated a team meal every day at a particular time whereas McGinley had a rolling buffet because he knew that some of the Scandinavian golfers might have wanted to eat early and go to bed early whereas some of the Southern European might have stayed up later and gone to bed later. Having that ability to flex the environment for individuals to be at their very best meant that they did not feel as if they were fighting against the team, they were bringing their best as an individual into a team environment. And then because they had been supported as an individual, they could give as much as they could.

I have also interviewed a lot of Olympians who have spoken about individual performance being great but actually what really make them proud are when they have played their part in something bigger than themselves. Because that is not just a test of skill, but being part of a high-performing team is a test of character as well.

CPG: Are there attributes that these elite athletes, and by extension business leaders, share?

JS: Elite performers need certain core attributes, without a doubt. What I have learned from interviewing some of the world’s elite performers is that they have got this ability to visualise the endgame in high definition. They can imagine what it is going to feel like. And they can see themselves on the podium, they can build this incredible vision of what it is like and that is what motivates them. But they are also able to break that down into the behaviours and processes that are going to help them to do that. And then, more importantly than anything, they can set out a strategy. The discipline to be able to stick to these basics day after day after day is what sets them apart. So, we all see the Olympians on the podium, we all see the Tour de France cyclists in the yellow jersey, but what we do not see is them hacking up the mountains in the rain for four hours a day, for five years in a row.

The other thing I think is really important for entrepreneurs and elite sports stars is the ability to create a high-performance team around them. They rotate their hitting partners, physios, biomechanists, psychologists, nutritionists around them depending on what their game needs at the time. One of the challenges when you become successful is you get an echo chamber around you of people that just want to say that you are doing really well and they do not want to challenge you. What you actually want is a group of advisors who are going to support you and challenge you to be the very best you can be, to give you honest critique to keep you on track, and that could save you years of making the same mistakes.

CPG: Moving away from the absolute elite level, what would you say to the 12,500 professionals who are part of the CPG?

JS: The analogy I often use which is relevant here is that we are all the CEO of our own performance company. It is very easy when you are part of a big organisation to feel like you are another cog in the machine but actually when you run your own business it is critical, every decision that you make about how you communicate, your marketing outreach, the customer service that you offer, the risks that you take with the events that you are putting on. I think having real resilience is absolutely critical, having that optimism is absolutely critical, and we have needed both of those things over the last couple of years with COVID. But I think it is also important to have some kind of strategic roadmap of where you want to be.

One of the experts in digital strategy that we interviewed spoke about three time horizons being critical for leaders. The first time horizon is what’s your email inbox and your to-do list for the next few weeks or the next quarter. And then he spoke about horizon three being this disrupted future which is maybe five to ten years out where technology might have a different role to play. And the most important place to focus on is horizon two, which is this middle ground between our to-do list and this crazy world that may be very different in the future. Having that ability to plan some of these skill developments or entrepreneurial activities where a golf pro may be learning new skills or setting up a website or building some digital courses, they might seem like they are nice-to-haves in the future but if we are constantly just focused on navigating the short-term and surviving, we never build that business model in horizon two, which could be the thing that completely transforms our business.

CPG: Do you believe that golf is the sport of business?

JS: I do. First of all you get to meet lots of new contacts. If we get to play golf with a friend or a business partner and their colleague or client, then that sort of proximity is already a trusted relationship. And as the game unfolds you get to see what people are like under pressure, when they are losing, when they are winning. You do not often see that on a zoom meeting or sitting in a business meeting. Seeing somebody’s emotional profile as they go through pressure I think is a fascinating tell of what that person’s character is like. And again, you are spending a long period of time, maybe three or four hours, out in the fresh air, you are getting plenty of exercise. You are able to be creative because you have got the blood flow and your brain’s switching off from a lot of the analytical processes and often that is when our best ideas come.

In so many of our social interactions there is a power hierarchy, isn’t there? This person is a more senior leader than me, this person is a multi-millionaire, therefore we defer to their power. But in golf, you could have a multi-millionaire who is rubbish at golf and a young buck who is playing off scratch and those power hierarchies are inverted, and you get a pretty good sense from the way people interact with each other what they are like in business. So yes, I would say golf provides a great shared experience and is very much the sport of business.

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VISIT SPORTING EDGE

Unlike its publicity-courting cousin, running, walking is rarely associated with leadership and success. There are relatively few examples of Fortune 500 CEOs ‘powering through’ a 20k stroll on their way to work, nor prime-time comedians ‘sauntering’ through the Sahara Desert for their latest charity/publicity drive. Walking is an also-ran in more ways than one.

And yet, a quick flick through the history books reveals enough famous walkers to more than rival their more fleet-footed counterparts.

From Beethoven to Steve Jobs and the Queen, walking has helped many a historic heavyweight to achieve success in their chosen field, even if they haven’t yet felt the need to brag about it to their favourite financial journal.

As scientists will attest, walking offers an array of benefits for regular practitioners.  Aside from the obvious physical perks of regular exercise, there are the various mental benefits to consider.

Walkers tend to enjoy lower stress levels, as well as increased cognitive function.  To add to this, a recent study by Stanford University found moving around led to an increase in creativity in 81% of participants who had previously been seated.

The only area where walking really falls short (aside from the crummy PR team behind it) is the obvious time commitment involved.  This may explain why it’s rarely the activity of choice among time-pressured modern professionals.

The flipside to this is that, contrary to more aerobically challenging activities, it can be crow-barred relatively easily into the working day.  As well as being the perfect option for a reinvigorating, yet sweat-free lunch break, it is a great way to put a new angle on interviews, one-on-one meetings, and brainstorming sessions.

The most potent pro-ambulatory argument, however, is perhaps the fact that walking is what we humans are originally designed to do.  Not pounding the pavement clad in lycra or expensive running shoes, or – worse still – wedged in behind a computer screen for 10 hours straight.

Walking may not win you any awards in the image stakes, but your body (and possibly career) will thank you for it.

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: LinkedIn; Design School; Inc.com

The successful CPG Podcast, which has provided listeners with regular insight and conversations around golf, professional golf and the golf industry, has been relaunched into a new and exciting Podcast Show.

Prairie girl Amanda Minchin has always been a master of all tasks. As a youngster she excelled in a variety of sports — hockey, softball, soccer, basketball — and when she started working at Estevan Woodlawn GC in her teens after getting hooked on golf at 12, she didn’t limit herself to one gig. She toiled in the back shop, on the turf crew and in food and beverage. Need a grip changed? Check. A green cut? Check. A burger for lunch? How would you like it cooked?

Now, some three decades after starting in the junior program at the 400-member Saskatchewan club — known as TS&M Woodlawn Club since 2012 when a naming rights agreement was struck with TS&M Supply to fund a renovation after flood damages — Minchin is its general manager. Serendipitously, but also maybe predictably, she’s the boss.

“I guess I had the best education in terms of experience,” laughed Minchin, who was born and raised in Estevan.

But just like her days punching a clock, general manager isn’t Minchin’s sole title. Along with being vice-president of the PGA of Saskatchewan, she is also Woodlawn’s head professional. She’s one of 29 female head professionals in the country and one of a very few to hold both head pro and GM titles. Minchin says she enjoys a bond with other female head professionals in Saskatchewan, and across the country, citing Bobbi Brandon, the head pro at Saskatoon’s Moon Lake G&CC, as a friend and mentor specifically. However, she also says she doesn’t ever think about working in a male-dominated industry.

“It’s never been an issue, if you’re a woman or man,” she said. “To me, I wasn’t raised like that. I was just raised that you do whatever you want. The stuff that you want to do, that’s what you do. Sort of a genderless thing. And that’s how we try to approach things at our golf club.”

A club that recognized and conceded her desire to keep the head pro job when she was named GM. Minchin was adamant about that.

“I got in the golf business because I love being a golf pro, I wanted to be a golf pro,” she stated. “I didn’t want to give up that side of it.”

Not necessarily a club pro, however. After getting into the game just for fun, Minchin improved dramatically around the time she turned 16. It seemed to happen overnight, she explained. It was then that she started to play competitively and discover the places the game could take her. She won multiple Saskatchewan Junior Girls titles and twice finished second in the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur. She wound up on provincial teams and competed nationally for the first time at the 1998 Canadian Junior Girls at Toronto’s York Downs G&CC. She loved it all — the trips, the courses, the people she met. A U.S. college scholarship emerged as a possibility and she wound up a two-time tournament winner and three-time first team all-conference player at Eastern Illinois University.

Upon graduating Minchin gave tour life a shot, plying her trade on the old Canadian Women’s Tour and teeing it up in mini-tour events whenever and wherever she could. Success — and cash — didn’t come, however, so at 27, having already lent a helping hand in the TS&M Woodlawn junior program from which she graduated, she became a PGA of Canada member and joined the club as assistant professional. She became head professional in 2016 and head professional/GM in 2018. Through the years the accolades have piled up: PGA of Saskatchewan Assistant of the Year in 2012; PGA of Saskatchewan Teacher of the Year in 2015; PGA of Saskatchewan Junior Promoter of the Year in 2013 and ’16; and the PGA of Canada’s Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year in ’16 as well. She was also an assistant coach for Golf Saskatchewan’s 2017 Canada Summer Games team. It’s those junior leader awards of which she is most proud.

“I love teaching kids,” Minchin said. “As a GM/head pro I still get to do our Tiny Linkster junior lessons. I still get to be out there with the five-, six-year-olds on the weekend and teach those lessons. Might be funny to some people but I think it’s cool.”

Of course, a world with COVID-19 has changed some of that. After a long shutdown, Minchin was just getting junior camps at Woodlawn up and running again in early June, having to create regimes for physical distancing, especially at the youngest levels. But she also noted enrollment for camps is up over last year as are junior and adult memberships. The school of thought that golf might benefit from the pandemic with people unable to participate in teams sports has come to fruition at TS&M Woodlawn with members of the public struggling to get tee times as season pass holders gobble them up with the ability to book seven days in advance. That is something Minchin said she has never seen at the club. As for golf being a safe haven in these uncertain times, her sell of the game remains the same.

“I’m going to push junior golf no matter what, COVID or not,” she avowed, noting the club has produced nine juniors who played competitively last summer and had graduates playing collegiately in the U.S. before the shutdown. “I feel bad for kids. I can’t imagine not being able to play sports and do all of their activities. I mean, I grew up loving all sports. So I feel for kids. And adults. I mean, I miss sports. I miss watching hockey and whatnot. If I could say anything, it’s that we of course feel very safe here, it’s a great place for kids to meet other kids. We see it now. Kids are coming here, they are learning how to make tee times on their own, they’re booking online because kids are so good on computers obviously. But it’s not just about hitting golf balls. It’s learning how to talk to adults, play with adults because we have to fill those tee times. The life skills alone, I’ll always preach that, in a COVID world or not a COVID world.

“We want your kids — boys and girls,” she continued. “We just think kids should be introduced to golf. Whether they decide to go play competitively or whatnot, obviously as golf lovers we see the benefits of it as a lifelong game, so we’re going to be really pushing that in the next year.”

And why not? Look what joining the junior program way back when has done for Minchin.

“I’m from the junior program and here I am 30-odd years later as the GM. To me, that’s a cool story.”

The PGA of Denmark have revealed an exciting new educational seminar programme focused on Junior Development for early 2020, and registration is now open for all interested delegates.

Hosted by the Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, host venue of the European Tour’s Made in Denmark Event, the series of seminars will draw key speakers from across various coaching disciplines including kinesiology, coaching children and elite level golf.

Whilst the first day will be in Danish, the final three days will be provided in English and so interested parties from international PGA’s are encouraged to attend and engage with what will be an insightful and progressive educational event.

Seminar packages are available on a daily basis with a €150 fee per day to allow flexibility to pick and choose which events to attend.

For more information and to register, please use the links below.

DOWNLOAD INFO PACK

VISIT THE PGA OF DENMARK

The five attendees of IPE – Danilo Kraljevic, Luka Karaula, Robert Savic, Vladimir Efremow and Piero Mina, arrived in Holland representing various PGAs including Serbia, Russia and Croatia.

The week gave the students an opportunity to complete the first half of their required eight residential days (in which the last four will be completed in February), receiving information from tutors across various disciplines including golf coaching and club administration. By attending, the students have taken the first step into achieving their own professional goals in the golf industry, and the necessary qualifications to support their respective golf clubs and clients in the future.

Director of IPE Jim Van Heuven Van Staereling, commented on the week: “The students enjoyed their stay and went home with an open mind and probably more questions than when they arrived.

“However, facilitating this desire for further learning is the main aim of the first stage of IPE, and I very much look forward to observing their further development over the next few weeks and months”.

Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club was a perfect host for the week, providing perfect practice facilities, 36 holes of golf  (9 of which are flood-lightened) and a close proximity to the country’s capital, Amsterdam. This all enabled a seamless delivery of the programme and maximised the student’s overall experience.

Between now and February, students will undertake and complete an online portfolio – new to IPE, that is guided and assessed by IPE course tutors. This covers every element on the course specification and prepares each student for the final stage of the programme in February.

Upon successful completion of IPE’s learning outcomes, students will attain  ‘Apprentice Professional’ status and be well on their way to becoming a fully qualified PGA Golf Professional with their respective CPG Member Countries.

For more information about IPE, click here

Visit Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club

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There is a well-known phrase: ‘people leave managers, not companies’. Ensuring your organisation is made up of leaders with the right characteristics, level of self-awareness, potential and ability is fundamental in fostering an environment of high engagement and high performance, both of which are key drivers of business success.

Leadership goes beyond the successful delivery of projects or achievement of strategic targets; it’s about engaging your people on the journey towards realising a vision. We surveyed over 200 HR and business professionals on their views on leadership, engagement and talent, and a host of recommended actions from industry experts that you can implement in your own organisations.

This whitepaper aims to reflect on the relationship between leadership and engagement, covering the following themes:

• The role of leaders in driving engagement and performance through team values
• Psychological methods of defining talent and measuring potential
• The impact of employee engagement upon performance

Click Here to Download the Free Whitepaper [ThomasInternational.net]

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Reuben Conibear

Reuben has worked in the Marketing team at Thomas for just over 3 and half years. As Marketing Executive, Reuben’s core focus is to ensure a high quality experience for Thomas customers at all times. In his spare time, Reuben enjoys kayaking, bouldering and spending time with his friends and family.

PGA of Sweden present a unique event with the short game guru. James will be at PGA Sweden National to do a workshop for PGA Professionals on September 3 and 4.

After selling the first day our in just a few hours, a second day has been added. First come first served applies.

The workshop is open for PGA Professionals of any PGA.

You will learn short game and putting from one of the masters of the short game. The seminar will be both theoretical and practical containing Short Game, bunker and putting.

Venue: The PGA of Sweden National, Sweden

Date and time:

• 3 September 2019. 09:00 to aprox 17:00 (Sold out)
• 4 September 2019 09:00 to aprox 17:00 Register now! limited number of participants.

Seminar fee (including seminar, coffee and lunch):

• 2500 Sek plus VAT for PGA of Sweden members.
• 3500 Sek plus VAT for other national PGA members.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from James in person.

Who is James

For the last 25 years James has served as the Director of Instruction at The Golf Academy at Shadow Ridge Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the 2018 PGA of America’s National Teacher of the Year and is a nine time recipient of the Nebraska PGA Section Teacher of the Year Award. He is a fixture on GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America list, and ranked 16thby his peers in Golf Digest in their Top 50 Best Teachers in America lsit, but first among short game specialists. He has shared his unique beliefs on short game performance and effective coaching though a DVD Instruction Series entitled “Phase 5 System” and authored two books, Your Short Game Solution: Mastering The Finesse Game from 120 Yards and In and Your Putting Solution:A Tour Proven Approach to Mastering the Greens.

James is on the Titleist Performance Institute Advisory board and shared his knowledge and experiences with many pro’s around world including his own Coaches Only Short Game Workshop, Golf Education Asia, The World Golf Fitness Summit, PGA Sweden, PGA Spain and the Federation de Golf Columbia. He is the current Short Game Coach to 13 fully exempt Tour players including Stewart Cink, Ben Crane, Tom Pernice and 17 Ricoh Women’s Open Champion I.K. Kim.

Click Here to Register Now at PGASweden.com

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Fact File

Formed: 2002

Members: 36

Players: 1,222

Courses: 16

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“We literally built the first golf hole in Hungary during the early 1980s.” How many people can lay claim to such an achievement? Well PGA of Hungary Professional, László Tringer, can. Not only was László, his father and a few friends right at the sharp end of golf’s re-emergence in the former communist state around the time of independence, but he was also responsible for the creation of the PGA of Hungary at the turn of the century.

I caught up with László and Áron Makszin in a very cold and snow-covered Budapest in February. Why I agreed to go to Hungary at that time of the year is something that I have asked myself for the last few days. Even so, the cold exterior is more than made up for by the warm hospitality and of course the celebrated Goulash soup.

The reason for my visit was to deliver the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Tutor Training course to a group of Professionals who currently are or soon will be, delivering the PGA of Hungary professional education programme. Education is taken very seriously in this part of the world. The University of Sport and Physical Education, which emerged from the world famous Semmelweis University, is an education partner of the PGA of Hungary.

As is the case in many emerging golf markets, there are those who have lived each faltering step along the way. László and Áron are such people. I also caught up by Skype with PGA Professional, Damian MacPherson, who was out of the country during my visit.

Damian moved to Hungary 20 years ago and has since built a career and reputation that has resulted in an award from the government to recognise his services to the game. Thankfully all three were willing to share their experiences. Lived experience is often a subjective account of what actually has happened, but this potential weakness is more than made up for by the rich understanding that emerges from every ounce of their being.

For most of us, it is hard to imagine starting to play golf when there are no facilities, no equipment, and no access to knowledge. Imagine starting to play on an athletic field, or building your own hole. With no courses available, what would you do?

For László the answer was obvious – build one. Well, perhaps not a full course, but a least one hole and then another. Three holes later, these creations eventually became holes seven, eight & nine on the Kisoroszi Course, and once again golf was on its way.

Not content with his efforts, and after a period of training with the PGA of Germany, László returned to Hungary to form the PGA of Hungary. As the President, he has overseen every step of the development of the Association and now acts as Vice President.

Meanwhile, Áron was competing in the Decathlon and racking up two gold medals in the national athletics championships. Imagine his surprise when this seemingly simple game that involves swinging a club and hitting a ball proved too difficult to master. Áron says that the “challenge and the environment were the key drivers” for his involvement in golf. He found it hard to understand as an athlete who could easily control his body positions and copy from master teachers, that he was unable to do the same in golf. He was hooked. Áron is a lifelong learner and sees every situation as an opportunity to develop his knowledge or skill. Golf satisfied his thirst for continual exploration and learning.

Golf has been played in Hungary since the early 1900s, but it was football that was the major sport when under the Communist party rule. Golf was banned as it was thought to be a potential threat to the party and so the existing golf facilities were destroyed. The nation had success in other sports, swimming, water polo, athletics and handball, but surprisingly there has been success on the golf course too. Although the link to Julius Boros, the son of two Hungarian immigrants to the United States, is somewhat tenuous, ‘Boros’ as they simply call him here, won two US Opens and played on four USA Ryder Cup Teams.

Hungary is a very different nation today than it was just 30 years ago. In an economy that has zero unemployment, one might think that golf professionals might have an easy life. This is not the case for the 37 PGA of Hungary members who serve 1,300 officially registered players along with another estimated 500 nomad players. You can do the maths, but it clear that from a population of ten million people, golf is not likely to feature in the top ten sporting pastimes. Why so?

According to László, people like golf when they see it on TV. The Olympics he says has had a small positive effect – so why do more people not play? Many people try golf, but few are really grabbed by the shirt and bond to the game. Time? Expense? We have heard these reasons before and yet alpine skiing, sailing and tennis have all gone onto to enjoy a burgeoning appeal. Why then has golf not made this step?

Damian, who arrived in Hungary in 1998 with no intention to stay more than a year, is fully integrated into the Hungarian way of life with his family and friends. He has no intentions of going anywhere else. He has experienced the difficulties of getting golf to penetrate into the hearts of the Hungarian people. People try the game but rarely take the next step, “perhaps it is perception,” says Damian. “The government see it as an elite sport and when youngsters go home saying that they have tried and enjoyed golf, it is met with parental advice to forget golf and take up one of the more mainstream games.”

Áron, who is the Secretary-General of the Hungarian Golf Federation also makes the point, “perhaps the perception built up by the media is not helping”. Golf is no more expensive than alpine skiing and sailing, and it likely takes around the same or less time, so is there a misguided perception? The Hungarian people see the sport as elitist, for the rich, the powerful and the famous. Until now it is not a game for the people, or so they think, he says. The Federation together with the PGA and golf facilities, of which there are now 18, are all behind a project that will help newcomers have an experience that is inexpensive and entirely inclusive.

Even after more than 20 years, László, Áron and Damian still have the passion to help the Hungarian people get into golf. Typically Áron sees education as being an essential tool for the professionals and says that all professionals now, more than ever before, need to have great communication, personal relation and coaching skills.

All three agree that Hungary needs more players, to which László adds that they also need a good player, someone who can make it on the European Tour and perhaps win a tournament. A dream? Perhaps. But a dream that the professionals in Hungary will keep working for.

Click to Find Out More About the PGA of Hungary

But it’s not just the oldies among us that are affected; millennials are frequently hit with these ‘senior moments’ too. Perhaps there’s an argument for mandatory name-tagging for everyone? Alternatively, there are a number of simple tactics that can help ward off this most socially awkward of conditions. Here is a selection of the best ones to try:

1. Concentrate

Most name blanks are created at the initial meet and great stage when people tend to be distracted by all the other thoughts running through their mind. By listening and fully engaging you stand a much better chance of recalling specifics such as names.

2. Repeat

Having registered the name, the trick is to consolidate it with as much repetition and reaffirmation as possible. Asking your new acquaintance to spell it out in full will help lodge it firmly within your temporal lobe. Warning: this may make you look odd if their name is John Smith. But you could try “John with an ‘h’?”

3.Write it down

For those with a visual rather than aural learning style it’s helpful to write down the name at the earliest convenience. You might even look to carry around a note-pad for this very purpose, though this could also make you look like an undercover detective on a bad day.

4. Name association

Similar to the popular word association drinking game but with more names and less drink, this tactic involves creating links and patterns between the person’s name and those of celebrities or people you know. Always keep your workings to yourself to avoid causing offence.

5. Address it head on

If after all this your new connection still remains nameless, your best bet is to meet the situation head on and own up to your forgetfulness. Do this early while your forgetfulness is still easily brushed aside. Waiting until the office Christmas Party could make things awkward, especially if Secret Santa is involved.

With several potential tricks up your sleeve, compensating your name-blanking tendencies is easier than it seems. Don’t start reaching for the nametags just yet.

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

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As Thomas International continues to roll out the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI) worldwide, a vast amount of data is being collected and analysed alongside a great deal of data about workplace and leadership outcomes.

These results were presented in a symposium at the 2018 International Test Commission Conference in Montreal [read more about it here]. This represents one of the largest HPTI studies done to date, including nearly 10,000 participants.

One of the defining features of the HPTI is it’s optimal trait levels for leadership. The HPTI goes beyond identifying personality traits and provides clear guidelines for identifying high potential leaders based on their personality traits. The recent studies confirm and reinforce the importance of personality traits for leadership.

The Process

Good scientific research involves thorough testing to build on theories and collect large amounts of data. This helps to confirm findings and improve the knowledge and understanding of the topic under investigation. Thomas International have been testing and validating the HPTI with workers around the world to ensure HPTI results and reports are valid, reliable and useful in workplaces around the world.

This process ensures the HPTI is a scientifically validated tool, and allows the continuous development of additional knowledge and resources to improve the utility of the HPTI in practice.

One of the papers presented at the 2018 International Test Commission Conference in Montreal looked at the results from a study of nearly 10,000 participants. Alongside the HPTI, various workplace outcome variables were also examined. The results demonstrated that the theoretical underpinnings and psychometric properties of the HPTI are valid and useful for North American populations.

Key Findings

First, the items and personality traits tested by the HPTI can be used in workplaces in North America. This research also involves a localisation process for the HPTI, so population norms and optimal levels of traits tailored to North American workers, leaders and businesses.

Second, this is the largest study to date examining HPTI traits at different levels of leadership. The results show very significant differences in HPTI traits at the different levels of leadership. The results confirm the importance of HPTI traits for leadership, and show the importance of HPTI traits increases with leadership seniority.

The chart below show increasing levels of each personality trait in each leadership category. This is a clear pattern which shows how important optimal HPTI trait levels are in leadership, and senior leadership in particular.

The results also show a greater spread between some traits. For example, those not in leadership tend to have average Ambiguity Approach levels. Senior leaders show substantially higher Ambiguity Approach which is essential for the level of complexity and uncertainty they face in their work.

Competitiveness, on the other hand, shows a relatively narrow spread. Although Competitiveness rises slightly higher at more senior levels of leadership, the differences are relatively modest. This is consistent with previous findings that extreme levels of competitiveness can be counterproductive in leadership positions.

Overall, this clearly shows the importance of HPTI traits in leadership and highlights that the HPTI traits are even more important in senior leadership. As HPTI research is conducted around the world, the research results clearly and consistently demonstrate how important HPTI traits are for leadership potential.

Implications for Business

HPTI personality traits are incredibly useful in assessing high potential at work for three reasons (discussed in more detail in High Potential: How to spot, manage and develop talented people at work).

1. Personality is stable

Personality traits are relatively stable from early adulthood into later life. It is a consistent pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving. This means personality is a very useful early indicator of potential at work.

2. Personality is rooted in the brain and biology

Personality comes from neurological processes and structures. That means personality is essentially hardwired in the brain, and very difficult to change except in cases of extreme psychological intervention. Unlike factors such as motivation which can change day-to-day or year-to-year, personality is a useful long-term predictor of both performance and potential.

3. Personality traits interact

Personality traits do not exist in isolation. The traits interact to form a whole, overall personality structure. Having high or low levels of one particular trait will influence how all other traits are experienced and expressed. This means it is important to look at all the HPTI personality traits in combination. The research described earlier in this article reinforces how important all of the HPTI traits are for overall leadership potential.

Getting a full picture of a person’s personality traits provides important information about making decisions related to identifying, managing and developing high potential at work.

Read more about each of the 6 traits of high potential in leadership and how the HPTI can support you in recruiting and developing your (future) leaders.

To find out more about the real-life applications of the HPTI, please get in contact on info@thomas.co.uk or call us on +44(0)1628 475 366.

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Ian MacRae

Ian has been an organisational psychology consultant for over a decade and is the director and co-founder of High Potential Psychology Ltd. He is the co-author of High Potential: How to Spot Manage and Develop Talented People at Work and the High Potential Trait Indicator (HPTI), a measure of leadership potential, which is available to Thomas clients.

When team members work well together, there is little they cannot accomplish. Looking at the bigger picture when it comes to your teams, such as their behavioural and emotional preferences and the impact they have on each other, can greatly increase your chances of developing a high performing team.

Patrick Wright from the Rugby Business Network (RBN) uses Thomas assessments to do just that. Thomas tools allow them to gain a deeper understanding of an individual’s preferences, something the RBN have used to develop athlete performance, enhance transition programmes and ultimately deliver results.

Developing self-awareness in the USA 7’s Rugby team

Mike Friday, Head Coach of the USA 7’s Rugby team, has been working with Patrick at the RBN to embed Thomas assessments into the team’s training programme in the lead up to the Rio Olympic Games, in order to improve consistency in performance through greater self-awareness amongst team members.

As a high performance sporting team where effective communication is crucial to successful performance, the team needed to develop their understanding of each other. As a result, they implemented Thomas’ Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) to identify their strengths, limitations, motivators and communication preferences; helping team members and coaches to tailor communications to individuals, so as not to misinterpret them and stifle learning.

The PPA compatibility report was also used between players, coaching staff and the management team. The reports uncovered a number of potential challenges to effective team relationships, which allowed them to put timely strategies and development plans in place to help individuals to modify their behaviour to the preferences of others.

The players also noticed an immediate impact after implementing Thomas assessments. Madison Hughes, player and captain of the USA 7’s Rugby team comments, “The Thomas PPA helped the team take a different perspective on communication with each other. In particular, it helped us realise the different ways people see things and therefore that with each individual, different approaches are necessary.

Mike concludes, “it has been very insightful working with Thomas International. It has encouraged open communication within the squad and has created a foundation for us to create winning performances on the pitch and to be a more united squad off the pitch. I would highly recommend teams looking to find the edge in high performance to explore this approach.”

For more information, visit ThomasInternational.net.

Photos provided by Mike Lee/KLCFotos

The PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Professional is an established part of the coaching tour de force from the Peter Cowen Golf Academy, having worked with, and influenced, over 40 European Tour players across the last decade.

Much like many coaches, Walker started his golf career on the playing side but, having left the game, it was only when he actively sought out his old coach, Peter Cowen, to help him out of his then office job in London that he got fully into golf coaching.

“When I look back now to my younger years, possibly to my detriment, I was almost more interested in coaching and practicing than playing because I used to get very nervous,” says Walker.

“I was bored in an office job in London and I contacted Pete who was my coach before I gave up golf and it was he who said well you could teach, in his words, standing on your head. I was just really interested in coaching, and I couldn’t wait to get to work every day.”

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“I think it’s a shame that a lot of coaches keep their cards to their chest because I’ve found that just by having conversations you learn different things from everybody…”

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Walker was placed as the Padawan Apprentice to a Jedi Master in Cowen, whose coaching pedigree speaks for itself when you see the list of players he has worked with. His exposure to Cowen’s working environment enabled him to absorb much of his knowledge whilst also being given the freedom to establish his own philosophy and opinions.

“I am extremely privileged with the fact that I have had ‘on-tap’ access to one of the best coaches in the world. All the questions that would make you scratch your head; you could get answers or Pete’s opinion of that answer.

“I think it’s a shame in the golf industry that a lot of coaches keep their cards to their chest because I’ve found that, whether it’s Pete or other coaches, just by having conversations with them you learn different things from everybody.”

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“I wouldn’t be doing what I did last year if it wasn’t for Pete – it’s that simple. I owe him a lot.”

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Clearly even a slight dipping of the toe into the mind of Walker shows how much Cowen, and other coaches, have influenced him:

“Without Pete then I wouldn’t have received any awards if it wasn’t for him – I wouldn’t be doing what I did last year if it wasn’t for him – it’s that simple. So I owe him a lot.

“What I most enjoy is talking technique and hitting balls with Pete and comparing ideas, what some players do that he’s worked with, what other players do that I’ve worked with – it’s just constantly stimulating your interest so it’s a fortunate position to be in.

“Other coaches that you travel with – for example Phil Kenyon, the putting coach – I talk to him a lot about coaching because it transcends into other areas, not just technique. Managing people, looking at statistics or score reports – it’s a myriad of things that you’re actually doing. I wish people would have more open conversations or forums because I think it helps everybody ultimately.”

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“What I’ve found is that if you’ve got a pupil you were on the same wave-length as then it’s gratifying whether they’re just starting or whether they’re playing for a living…”

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The professionals covered by the Cowen/Walker partnership reads more like a football squad than a roster of individuals, and the multinational, multi-tour group mean that it can be non-stop for Walker throughout the season, travelling to various tour events and making sure he is available to his students.

“Coaching tour players around the world is a bit of a double-edged sword – I don’t like the travel, and I don’t know many people who do, but the places that you go the other side are more than worth it…you get unbelievable experiences.

“Being on tour might test you a little more, but it’s all contextual and rolls along the way. I would have been just as nervous doing my first lesson to a group as teaching on a large stage like the Ryder Cup or something like that because it’s new at the end of the day. I guess the more you do it the less nervous you get.

“What I’ve found is that at any level, if you’ve got a pupil that you were on the same wave-length as and you get on with then it’s really gratifying whether they’re just starting or whether they’re playing for a living. It can be gratifying coaching at whatever level – a beginner to a 12 handicap just as much as coaching somebody to win his or her first tournament.

“It’s especially gratifying with someone like Matt Fitzpatrick who you’ve coached from being a kid. When he won the US Amateur that personally was one of the most satisfying moments because you’d seen him as a 13 year old kid coming to the driving range and then you’ve taken him all the way up to walking on the first tee at the Ryder Cup with him.”

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“The fundamentally important thing is to know your topic absolutely inside-out whatever level you’re at…”

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Much of Walker’s success is attributed to the help of his fellow coaches. This culture of sharing and advice is evident in his own views on how PGA Professionals can advance themselves as

coaches and it doesn’t take much to get him enthused and impassioned about his area of expertise.

“Some people are extremely good at coaching juniors, others at coaching your bog-standard player, and other people would be more interested in elite coaching…I think you need to identify what you prefer early on.

“But irrespective of any of those avenues, you need to know your subject inside out because all of the best people I’ve come across – not just in golf but in different industries – they make complex subjects appear simple, and to be able to make it simple you need to know as much as possible.

“The fundamentally important thing is to know your topic absolutely inside-out whatever level you’re at – then pick your route and try as hard as you can.”

Earlier this year Walker was awarded the John Jacobs Award for Teaching & Coaching at the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Annual Congress Gala Awards in recognition of his position as a leading light in the profession.

“I felt very humbled and very proud – especially with John Jacobs linked to my roots at Hallamshire and Lindrick Golf Clubs at different stages. Matt Fitzpatrick, originates from Hallamshire, and my first proper golf lesson was at Lindrick with Pete so it seems quite fitting.

“I am extremely honoured to be associated with such a household name, especially with his recent passing. I know it’s a cliché but everybody values being acknowledged by their peers…if things like this happen then it gives you a boost of confidence and it’s really satisfying.”

@bizzwriter

Focus on a few core components of leadership and you can take your company to new heights.

Company leaders always want to motivate, inspire, and support their people to the absolute fullest.  But most go to bed at night suspecting that they’re coming up a little short.  Maybe more than a little.  Take heart: You can become a truly great leader.  All it takes is:

Perspiration

Great leadership requires effort – lots of effort. And much of that effort revolves around learning: about your people, your operations, your industry, and yourself.  Be relentless in your pursuit of knowledge about everything – and everyone – In your business ecosystem.

Vision

Develop a clear vision for what your business is all about, and don’t lose faith in it.  Know in your heart that you and your team can accomplish anything you set out to accomplish if you work together and believe in one another.  You will undoubtedly encounter setbacks, but don’t be deterred.  Learn from failure and remain confident.

Communication

Great leaders communicate sincerely, often, and in many different ways to everyone in their organisations.  They inform, provide feedback, and motivate – Intelligently and honestly.  Connect with all your people and cultivate multiple channels for two-way.  When you hear your own words and messages repeated back to you from your employees, or when your employees talk among themselves using your words to describe your vision and goals, then you know you’re making an impact.

Collaboration

Form teams and groups that are constituted for maximum effectiveness.  Recognise that in order to do their very best work most employees need consistent support and input from co-workers, peers, and managers.  When you create this kind of environment, you’ll see an immediate impact on productivity and effectiveness – as well as morale.

Decisiveness

Highly effective leaders are decisive when called upon to make tough calls quickly and confidently.  Take a moment to assess a difficult situation and then calmly and rationally consider your options.  As soon as you have the information you need to make an informed decision, make it.  Don’t let fear of being wrong prevent you from making what you know is the right call.

Integrity

Study after study finds that the No. 1 quality that employees want leaders to possess is integrity.  Always be candid, forthright, honest, and fair.  Treat your people as you want to be treated.  Your employees will respect you and respond in kind.

Inspiration

When times are tough, be the person that people look to for inspiration.  Don’t just talk, act.  Reassure your employees and help them overcome their own doubts and anxieties.  Model the kind of positive behaviour you want to see in them.

And we have been doing so throughout history. Stories have allowed us to pass on information from one generation to the next in the form of books, visuals and the spoken word. Some cultures rely heavily – or solely in some cases – on oral storytelling to pass on traditions, values and beliefs. Members of the Native American Abenaki tribe, for example, have traditionally told their children stories as a way to teach them right from wrong and so instil core values in them. Fairy tales have done the same for many cultures for hundreds of years.

So why stories? What makes them so valuable?

First and foremost, stories allow us to make sense of the world around us. The way this works is quite simple: our brains are hardwired to look for patterns, i.e. finding links between cause and effect. This is how we learn from a young age. For example, if we touch something very hot and it hurts our hand we make the causal connection between the two and learn not to touch that thing again. The end result of this thought process is a story, which we can then share with others to spread our knowledge.

Stories can touch us in any number of ways. They can open our minds to new perspectives, inspire and persuade us, help build our confidence, grow a sense of inclusion and incite change. Ultimately, they can be used to shape our values and beliefs. Think, for example, of how stories are used within religion and politics to influence how people think and what they believe.

A story’s power comes from its narrative form, which draws us in much more than dry facts ever could. Evidence from neuroscience suggests that when we listen to a story our brain patterns start to mirror those of the speaker, allowing us to connect on a deeper level. The way a story is structured – with a clear beginning, middle and end – also helps to maintain our engagement as we long to hear the outcome.

Being a great storyteller is an incredibly useful skill for any professional to have, and a relatively easy one to master: after all, it’s something that we practise almost every day. However, to perfect the art there are some ground rules to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you understand your audience and how best to best to engage them.
2. Your story needs to be easy to follow with a clear structure.
3. Don’t forget the power of delivery: your tone of voice and body language can influence engagement levels.

Evaluate your own storytelling skills: how comfortable do you feel telling a story? How good do you think you are at engaging others when you speak? Then start practising those skills. Whether it’s at your next networking event, during a presentation, or a meeting with your boss or a hiring manager: tell a story about you, your career or the project you are working on. Chances are whoever’s listening will remember that story over anything else.

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: Abintegro; The Guardian; The Health Foundation

Reviewing your CV is something you should do every so often, thinking critically about what should be included and what is better left behind.

Here are our tip 8 CV errors to avoid this year:

1. The words “CV”

Avoid planting “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of the page – at this stage, anyone reading it will have a clear idea of what it is they’re looking at. Include your name at the top instead.

2. Photos and personal information

Unless you’re an actor or model, there’s no need to include a photo of yourself. The same goes for personal information (other than your basic contact details).

3. Personal aims and objectives

Employers today don’t particularly care what you want – it’s all about their needs. If you do decide to reference what you’re looking for, make sure that it’s an exact match for what they want.

4. Jargon and buzzwords

Recruiters appreciate plain speaking, so there’s no need to litter the page with industry jargon, especially if it’s not relevant to the sector you’re hoping to work in. The same goes for “best-in-class”, “synergy” and all those other generic buzzwords – they’re not going to impress anyone.

5. Everyday hobbies

The fact you enjoy “reading, gardening and socialising” isn’t exactly going to make a recruiter swoon. The interests section can really make you stand out, but to do so it needs to add another dimension to who you are. This is a chance to show your passion, the diversity of your interests and skills. If you can’t think of anything besides going to the cinema consider skipping this section altogether.

6. Political affiliations

Avoid references to memberships or affiliations with polarising (or arguably any) political groups, unless these are specifically relevant to the job.

7. Fluff

Unless you’re going for a role as an artist or graphic designer it’s best to keep the frills – infographics, wacky fonts, fancy headers and footers etc. – to a minimum.

As eye-catching as they are, they’re also likely to distract from the real “meat” on your CV and may also confuse the applicant-tracking systems that many employers now use. Stick to a simple, modern font like Arial.

8. “References upon request.”

It’s clear you will provide references (otherwise you wouldn’t apply for the job), so either include the names and roles of your references or de-clutter your CV and remove it.

When it comes to your CV there’s one overarching rule to keep in mind: don’t include information that doesn’t directly pertain to landing the job. Less is always more – so before sending your CV out into the big wide world do a double take to make sure everything on there is relevant to the person who’ll be reading it.

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: Huffington Post; National Centre for Biotechnical Information

Composite Graphic Credit: Flatart / Freepik

What this example demonstrates is the power – and danger – of negative thinking. Research into negative thoughts has shown how they lead us to dissociate from the outside world and turn our focus to one thing only: the thing that is making us feel angry, scared or bad about ourselves. As a result, we stagnate.

Positive thoughts have the opposite effect, opening our minds to see a whole range of possibilities and therefore welcoming new ideas and perceptions. Barbara Fredrickson, a professor at the University of North Carolina and researcher of positive emotions, believes thinking positively can even have long-term benefits. In her ‘broaden and build’ theory she describes how the broadening of our sense of what is possible generated by positive thoughts can lead us to develop new skills and so progress in life.

For some of us, looking at things from the bright side is something that comes easily; others find it harder. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost, though: thinking positively is something that you can train yourself to do.

First of all, you’ll need to start making a conscious effort to not give in to negative thoughts. Recognise when you start dwelling on the bleaker side of things and put a stop to it by asking yourself what you could do to make the situation better. Then start setting actionable goals for yourself – reaching them will empower you.

The next step is to foster positive thoughts. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. While positive thinking creates positive emotions, this process also works the other way around. This means that doing things you love, that bring you joy, can help you to think more positively. Think, for example, of a time where you engaged with something you are passionate about: perhaps you went to a concert or saw a film you really loved. Did you feel inspired afterwards? Perhaps it even led you to actively pursue a goal related to that passion?

Or you can try something new. Meditation has been proven to help cultivate positive thoughts, while a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality showed that writing about positive experiences can have the same effect.

Thinking positively means getting out of your head and looking for solutions. It’s something you may have to practise to get better at, but ultimately it can open doors that you may otherwise have walked right past.

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: Huffington Post; National Centre for Biotechnical Information

Composite Graphic Credit: iconicbestiary / Freepik

Registration Closes – Nov 09, 2017

Price – $119.00

Participating in a U.S. Kids Golf Certified Coach Seminar enhances the coach’s knowledge of all aspects of youth golf that can be utilized to enhance his/her current program or provide the basis for establishing new offerings. Areas of focus during the seminar include:

Perfect Swings Begin with the Perfect Fit:

The importance of properly-fitted clubs to maximize success for both young golfers and their coaches. Proprietary research on swing speed development for junior golfers.

Scaling the Game:

Research regarding proper length of course setup for players based on their driver carry distance will be provided so that coaches will become experts in golf course setup and yardages. Tailoring the course for young golfers will result in lower scores, encouraging more rounds and increasing retention.

Enhancing Current Junior Programs:

Tools, resources, best practices and bringing “fun” to their junior programs through a games-based curriculum. The seminars will feature an outdoor session that will demonstrate game-based learning with games from the U.S. Kids Golf Book of Games.

Other topics presented in more detail include:

• Analysis of golf participation and programs vs. other youth sports.
• “Scaling” of the following elements for youth: Equipment, The Golf Course, Competition and Instruction.
• Parental involvement and introduction to the “Positive Coaching Alliance”.
• High-quality instruction focusing on fun and achievement while teaching fundamentals.
• Introduction to golf-specific games to serve as a key component in instruction.

Completing the Certified Coach process

Certified Coach Frequently Asked Questions

LOCATION – Gut Kaden Golf and Land Club GmbH, Kadener Straße 9 , D-25486 Alveslohe

DATE AND TIME – Thursday, 9 November | 8:15-16:30

HOTEL INFORMATION –  A limited number of rooms are available at Gut Kaden.  Reservations can be made at Gut Kaden.

Click Here to Find Out More About the Seminar – http://eur.pe/2idJSKu

Fred observes that hospital patients judge their experience not only by the way they are treated for the disease but also, and more importantly, by the way, that they are treated as a person…

If Fred is right, and incidentally I think that he is, and if this concept transfers across into golf, which I think it does, then the ‘how’ is perhaps more important than the ‘what’? This is an essential point for all, coaches, managers, and leaders to recognise. By the way, the great ones do; that is one reason that they are great.

Content, or perhaps we should call it knowledge, can be learned. In fact, content can be learned by almost anyone on almost any subject. Certainly, there is always content to learn or be updated on, that is the nature of progress. Often people have a fascination for content, and yet they have a hard time sharing that knowledge in a way that can make a difference in the life of someone else. I believe that it is possible to learn enough content for whatever role you have in a short period of time to become good at almost any subject. Learning to share that knowledge however is altogether different.

Back to Fred Lee and his five behaviours. Fred conveniently created the acronym S.H.A.R.E. Essentially these behaviours boiled down to the following values: using initiative, being part of a team, understanding the customer’s feelings, treating them with courtesy and making sure that communication is open and honest.

• S – Sense people’s needs before they ask (initiative)
• H – Help each other out (teamwork)
• A – Acknowledge people’s feelings (empathy)
• R – Respect the dignity and privacy of everyone (courtesy)
• E – Explain what is happening (communication)

So if the ‘how’ is so important then how can golf focus more on how to share experience and knowledge so that it is relevant, timely and useful? There are many answers to this question, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

You need to make sure your efforts are being mirrored in the results you see, which means having a system in place to allow you to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Here are our top 10 tips for a systematic, successful search:

1. Take some time out

Start by giving yourself 24 hours off from your search to create some space in your head to start organising yourself. A small time investment now could save you hours in the long-run.

2. Create a workspace

Having cleared some space in the temporal sense, set aside a room or desk that’s clear and clutter-free. Doing this will automatically make you feel more focused.

3. Clarify your goals

Draw up a list of your main goals: what kind of position do you want, when do you want it by and what salary are you willing to accept? Then have an alternative plan in place for each of the above.

4. Have a set schedule

It’s been said that the difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline. Commit a certain period of each day to working on your applications and stick rigidly to this.

5. Sharpen your search materials

You need to be ready to roll with your application at short notice. This means maintaining an up-to-date CV and cover letter template as well as keeping your professional profile ticking over on sites such as LinkedIn.

6. Soup-up your inbox

The email account is the jobseeker’s command HQ. Sorting your emails into different categories – jobs applied to; open positions etc. – will help you stay on top of things.

7. Create a system

Alongside this, you’ll need a tracking system that lets you know where you are with each application at quick glance. It needn’t be an elaborate spreadsheet, but should have all the information you need clearly laid-out.

8. Then use it

The best data management system in the world is no use to you unless you keep it regularly updated. Make sure your version includes a ‘next step’ section to encourage you to follow up on any developments.

9. Map your networking

Monitoring your informal job enquiries is no less important. Stop trails from going cold by keeping a note of any meetings or encounters you have while setting reminders for when to follow up.

10. Review your progress

Taking stock of your search is more important now than ever. Review what’s been working well and what hasn’t. Then decide how you’re going to improve things.

Job hunting can be a relatively painless business or it can be a long, hard slog. While there are usually a number of factors involved, often some simple organisation and forward planning can prove the difference.

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: Graduate Fog; Quint Careers; Business Insider

“I think women’s golf has a great future if it can market itself correctly. For me it’s as exciting watching a ladies’ tournament as it is watching a men’s tournament. Sometimes people get a bit drawn to how far the ball flies and they attack impossible pins and take on impossible shots, but the ladies play really clever golf too.

“I was at the Evian Championship last year and what I saw was very impressive – they had a very professional attitude and were really focused on the range so there’s no difference between them and the guys. I would like to see ladies get much more TV time and more acknowledgement for what they are doing.”

Interview Highlights:

00:29 – How Marie got into golf…

01:39 – Entering a golf club as a young girl golfer…

02:21 – The changes in golf in Austria…

03:23 – Marie now works at the same facility that she started her golf career at…

06:25 – Being driven by those that originally discouraged her golf…

08:23 – Getting the Austrian National Team Coach job…

09:20 – Becoming involved in ‘Communicology’…

11:25 – Using ‘Communicology’ to break things down and not get lost in the detail…

12:10 – Key learnings from Marie’s career so far…

14:19 – The difference between teaching & coaching…

16:00 – What changes has Marie seen over the time she worked with the Austrian Girls squads…

18:49 – Working as a National Coach is a 24/7 role…

19:41 – What is the future of girls’ golf…

20:48 – The challenges face in women and girls’ participation…

23:01 – The difference between girls and boys’ sport …

24:26 – What are the mistakes most beginner golfers make…?

28:15 – Who is the best lesser-known coach Marie has worked with…?

30:19 – What advice would you give your 25-year-old self…?

31:09 – Marie’s views on who she feels are ‘successful’ people…

32:05 – Marie’s favourite book…

33:01 – The advice has Marie found beneficial up until now…

35:01 – What might surprise listeners about Marie…

35:19 – The golf equipment that gives Marie the most joy…

35:55 – Marie’s dream Fourball…

36:34 – Advice for aspiring PGA Professionals…

Find out more about Marie at www.functionalgolf.at and at functionalgolfat on Facebook.

Find out more about the Confederation of Professional Golf Golf Development Team at http://eur.pe/GolfDevelopmentTeam