How to Become a Golf Teaching Professional
By Steve Silverman
Golf is played by millions of people around the world and it is a sport that offers many business opportunities for those interested in pursuing them. That includes those who are interested in becoming teaching professionals. While it helps to be an excellent golfer yourself, the key is being able to communicat with and teach other people how to play the game.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Start playing the game when you are a youngster. The earlier you start, the easier it is to build a good swing that you can repeat time after time. It also gives you time to learn the nuances of the game and learn how to make difficult shots.
Talk to experienced players about their game. This could mean the local club pro or it could mean a solid low-handicap golfer. If they can give you pointers and you can learn the rationale behind those pointers, the better off you are. You will gain understanding of the game as well as practical experience.
Play in as many tournaments as you can in your formative years. Learning how to play in clutch situations helps you understand what it takes to succeed when the pressure is on. This is an important lesson as you become a golf teacher because many of your students want to know how to perform their best when a tournament or match is on the line.
Get certified by the United States Golf Teachers Federation. This organization licenses and certifies more than 17,000 golf teachers. You will learn how to run a pro shop, how to organize a staff and what to teach in a series of lessons. There are four levels of certification and reaching the top level enables you to become a head teaching professional at a golf course.
Enjoy teaching the game to others. Don't become a golf instructor just because you weren't good enough to become a touring professional. Go into it because you love the game and enjoy helping others improve.
Tips & Warnings
Talk to your students honestly when evaluating their game. You won't help them by saving their feelings. Honesty pays off in golf instruction.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
