Author: Jonathan Mannie
Posted on: 5th Jun 2015
Chairman of the Confederation of Professional Golf Education Committee, Jonathan Mannie, will be presenting at the 2015 Coaches Circle from 27-28 July at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort. Here, Jonathan looks at how coaches can be better prepared to meet the objectives of national teams and their federations.
The interaction between a federation and their national coach is a fundamental of any success which the players will have on the course. A harmonious relationship must exist in spirit of mutual trust and respect. A thorough understanding of the selection structure, aspirations and needs of the federation is perhaps the most important first step.
Once fully understood, the relationship can develop and be hugely beneficial for all parties, federation, coach and most importantly for the players. The coach is effectively a bridge to connect the federation and players, and if the objectives of one collide with the other then it will be the coach who has to deal with the impact. It is obvious that the coach must deliver on the federations objectives, but must also protect the interests of the players.
Coaching a group of talented athletes is always a challenge and involves some key areas that require understanding:
- Understanding of the standard of golf throughout Europe
- Understanding entry criteria into top amateur tournaments
- Understanding the development of players from good to elite players
Transparency in the structure, selection criteria and reporting is a must and should be laid out in the contract, whilst clarity in the expectations of all concerned will make things easier and as time goes on.
During the presentation I will also look at some of the concepts that I have developed which help to define my approach to coaching national teams that will act as a ‘how-to’ guide.
One of these is BTMES, which stands for Body, Technique, Mental, Emotional and Social. Working with these five areas as key markers in your schedule and programme will help address many challenges before they become a bigger issue.
In preparation for the presentation I would encourage you to look into the structures of federations, how national teams are established, as well as the selection criteria that are commonly used for national players.
Author: Jonathan Mannie
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Jonathan is a Confederation of Professional Golf Board Director but has also been Chairman of the Associtation’s Education Committee since 2002, having headed up the PGA of Austria’s education for 12 years prior to this. Jonathan also sits as a Trustee for the Ryder Cup European Development Trust.
Previously he played on the Sunshine and European Tours and after qualifying as a PGA Professional moved into Education and Coaching. He has worked as Regional Coach, Technical Adviser and National Coach for the Austrian Golf Federation as well as being the Swiss National Team Coach.
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