In order to best serve the growing needs of members across Canada, the CGTF has decided to implement the role of Regional Director across Canada. The following individuals have volunteered to serve in this position for their areas:

Regional Director Maritimes – Ron Beaulieu
Ron became a CGTF member in 2004. He is employed as the teaching professional at the Memramcook Golf Course in New Brunswick, just outside of Moncton. Ron may be contacted at 506-383-9494 or via e-mail at beaulieu-rf@rogers.com.

Regional Directors Quebec – Yves Therrien & Daniel Corbeil
Yves Therrien has been a member of the Canadian Golf Teachers Federation since the year 2000, and he has been teaching golf full-time during the summer for the past 17 years. As a representative of the CGTF, Yves has a Master Teacher certification and has also been a course examiner in Québec for the past four years.

He has university training in biomechanics, sport physiology and sport psychology. He has been coaching nationally and internationally in various sports such as freestyle skiing, sailing, car racing and snowboarding. Some of the athletes that he has coached in those sports represented Canada in major world events andwon a gold medal at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics.

In addition to teaching golf, he is also a writer of golf and snowmobile chronicles for local newspapers and websites. Yves can be reached at 514-806-9837 or by e-mail at elispor@hotmail.com.

Daniel Corbeil started playing golf seriously in early 1980 and decided at that time to take his game to a whole new level. He played many tournaments as an amateur and read everything he could find on the various techniques of golf. In 1989, Daniel started in the golf business as a personal  clubfitter and clubmaker. In 1996, he decided to make golf teaching his career, and that year he joined the CGTF. Since then, he has been teaching golf and running golf courses and shops in various locations in Quebec. Daniel can be reached at 450-436- 7924 or by e-mail at dangolf@videotron.ca.

Regional Director Southwestern Ontario – John Goodman
John has been a member of the CGTF since 2004, and currently he teaches clients in the Burlington and Hamilton areas at local driving ranges. This past summer, John teamed up with a fellow CGTF member and helped organize and teach at a junior academy at the Sawmill Golf Club in Vineland.

John has a background in elementary school teaching and sports coaching, and can be reached via email at johng54@cogeco.ca or by phone at 905-627-4187.

Regional Director Southeastern Ontario – Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly was born, raised, and first learned how to hold a golf club in Ireland. His highlight was winning the Irish Father & Son Championships in 1974, and later that year he got married and immigrated to Canada.

Paul is a Master Teaching Professional with the CGTF and is employed as a teaching professional at Foxbridge Golf Club. Paul has been a member of the CGTF since 1997. Paul can be reached at 905-852-6446 or by e-mail at pkelly@interhop.net.

Regional Director Northern Ontario & Manitoba – Marc Ray
Marc has been a member of the CGTF since 2001. He is a Master Teaching Professional, and is currently employed as the manager of operations at the Hollinger Golf Club in Timmins, Ontario. Marc has been involved in the golf industry since he was 14 years old, and enjoys teaching the short game and specialty shots the most. Marc can be reached at 705-264-5358 or via e-mail at marc@hollingergolf.ca.

Regional Director Alberta – Tim Crough & Fred Cowley
Tim Crough began to play golf as a youngster in Calgary, Alberta. He was first introduced to the game as a caddy for his father. Tim also caddied on the Canadian Tour, watching the likes of Moe Norman and Stan Leonard in their prime. He has earned a Level III Canadian Coaching Certification, and in 1998 completed his Level III USGTF certification in Phoenix at the Ahwatukee Country Club. He began teaching the next spring and has been at it ever since.

Tim’s students range from beginners to young pros and a number of better amateurs in his area. Tim has helped to initiate and organize tournaments for Calgary Special Olympics that raise over $50,000 per year, every year, for their programs. In 2008 he will be working with the City of Calgary golf courses, providing lessons for kids who do not have the financial capability to play the game. In 2005, he earned his Level IV CGTF Master Teaching Certification at the first Level IV course held in Canada.

The main focus in his teaching revolves around the basics, the mental game, and seasonal planning for the better player. In Tim’s words, “As always, golf does not build character; it exposes it.” Tim can be reached at (403) 540-4102 or by email at tcgolf@shaw.ca.

Fred Cowley has been in the golf business for 20 years and owns his own fully-equipped custom club-building and fitting shop located in Calgary, Alberta. Fred specializes in properlyfitted golf clubs and game improvement lessons. He started his business focusing on providing clients with custom-built and fitted golf clubs. “I realised that being able to provide lessons on how to swing the clubs would enhance my clients overall golf game,” Fred states.

Fred’s career has spanned the full spectrum of golf, with experience in the turfgrass management, club-building, and teaching fields. Fred became a CGTF member in 2005. Fred is also a member of the PCS and GSA. He can be reached at 403-264-7377 or by email at fred@aceclubworks.com.

Regional Director British Columbia – Bruce Williams
Bruce Williams was born and raised on the prairies, and his first experience with golf was as a caddy at St. Charles Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the age of 14. After owning and operating an insurance brokerage, he sold out and moved to the “Valley” in British Columbia, where he met his wife Bonnie.

Not quite ready for retirement, he considered becoming a golf professional. Bruce took the CGTF certification course in 2004 to further his dream, and is about to open his own winter golf school. He is a fan of Ernest Jones (“swing the clubhead”), and his goal is “to make it simple, the way golf should be.” You can reach Bruce at (250) 767-6627 or by e-mail at fluffy53@telus.net.

The CGTF is very proud of the Canadian Team who recently competed in the World Golf Teachers Cup in Las Vegas. The third place team finish was the best finish that Canada has seen since the inception of this event.

What a great time I had at the World Golf Teachers Cup in Nevada. I know that a picture is worth a thousand words so these photos represent an invitation to all WGTF members to join me here in Austria at the Dolomitengolf Championship golf course located on the south side of the Austrian Alps near the city of Lienz. The mountains in the background are the Lienz Dolomites. You may contact me by email at: u.paetzel@t-online.de.

As first announced in the last publication, we are pleased to relay that the two large-scale tournaments we hosted in Fall 2007 were very successful in attracting phenomenal talent and granting further exposure to USGTF-Korea as the #1 golf teaching organization in Korea. The first annual Yamaha Tour, held September 17-18 and the third annual Giga Tour, held October 8-9, each boasted a purse of over $100,000 USD. Both tournaments were televised on the Korean version of ESPN, J Golf Broadcasting, and were featured on the network nightly news as a part of the sports news highlights.

In addition to all this great news, we had the distinct privilege of welcoming USGTF president Geoff Bryant to our country and the Yamaha tournament. Geoff, we thank you for bearing the long trek over to Korea to witness and participate in our event!

Brief recap of First Annual Yamaha Tournament:
Unlike what was previously reported in the Fall 2007 issue, which stated a total of 171 qualifying players would compete in the first annual Yamaha tournament, there were a total of 192 qualifying players. On the second day of the tournament, there were concerns about the uncooperative weather as heavy rain poured on the players, who impressively maintained their composure and finished their rounds, especially the top two who went into sudden-death when their scores tied after their final rounds.

Congratulations to all participants!

I would like to inform you of the active existence of the Puerto Rico Golf Teachers Federation and the Dominican Republic Golf Teachers Federation. We are in the process of trying to unify both organizations’ domains under one domain that would become the umbrella (The Federations) with the Puerto Rico Professional Golfers Federation. This way the PRGTF and the DRGTF will become members of our National Olympic Committee and the Department of Sports and Recreation of the Government of Puerto Rico.

This could be our first step toward golf becoming an Olympic game. These federations, could then establish a national ranking system that will officially dictate and name all national golf teams to represent Puerto Rico in all international competitions, including The World Cup of Golf.

I have also designed an integrated instruction golf system methodology for our certification courses, “The Holistic Method for Better Golf.” I am proud to announce that the instructional golf system of Jesus Rodriguez for juniors is also part of our instruction curriculum.

Rodriguez has 25 tournament victories and has participated in nine World Cups.

The Australian Golf Teachers Federation is proud of its efforts over the past twelve months, with successful certification courses and many new members in jobs in the Australian golf industry. A large percentage of our certification course participants are also from overseas countries, especially the Asian region, as Australia has a reputation for the most reasonably priced and finest golf courses in the world.

The overseas participants are flying the WGTF flag well in Asia, and it’s common to see them represented at overseas driving ranges and golf facilities. Members of the Australian GTF have launched two golf academies in Hong Kong and are working on other opportunities, as well, in other countries.

These initiatives give further opportunity to WGTF members for work opportunities and give the WGTF more recognition. The Australian Golf Academy in Hong Kong has been extremely successful so far, and is wellreceived by local golfers. In a short period of time, it already has the largest junior golf training program in Hong Kong. We are happy to be working closely with Mr. Steven Mak, HKGTF president, to advance opportunities in the region. Please see the websites www.juniorgolf.com.hk and www.australiangolfacademy.com.

The AGTF has worked with Hays International College, which has registered Certificate and Diploma courses in golf in the Australian education system to cater to college-age students who look for a golf education with a view to full-time employment in the golf industry. We see this as an important part of providing skilled workers in all sections of the golf industry, as well as, of course, becoming a golf teaching professional. Please see the website www.hic.vic.edu.au.

At the time of this writing, the annual Australian Golf Teachers Federation Cup is being held at the 13th Beach Resort in Victoria. James Douris (back-to-back winner of the USGTF Cup) is a red-hot favorite, and our congratulations go out to him for flying the Australian flag well. Thanks also to all our members who represented us well at the 2007 World Golf Teachers Cup in Nevada. We welcome all WGTF members to Australia for the 2009 WGTF World Cup, and guarantee if you make the trip you will have a great time.

Hello everybody. Congratulations on the successful organization of the recent World Golf Teachers Cup in Boulder City, Nevada. I know all of you had a wonderful and unforgettable time there. I hope to see you all in the coming event in Australia in 2009.

This past November 7, HKGTF organized its first Golf Teachers Cup tournament at Nansha Golf Club, PRC. It was a wonderful day, the temperature was around 24°C with little sunshine, and the wind was moderate. Twenty HKGTF members were competing for the HKGTF Golf Teachers Cup Champion Trophy in an exciting but friendly atmosphere. Men played from 6,171 yards with a course rating of 69.4, and ladies played from 5,212 yards.

The mood of the tournament was sometimes very quiet, sometimes humorous, and sometimes cheering took place when someone made a birdie. Mr. Zhou Xue Wen, who is the club pro at Nansha Golf Club and who organized the caddy training program, won the championship with a remarkable score of 7-under-par 65. His round featured seven birdies and 11 pars.

I believe this record may not be easily broken for many years. The runner-up was Mr. Kam Sun, who shot a 76, along with Mr. Joeson Chung, also with a 76. All of us had a good time at Nansha.

The next HKGTF Golf Teachers Cup will be held in November, 2008, at Nansha Golf Club, PRC. All WGTF members are welcome.

Another incredible adventure took place recently at the World Golf Teachers Cup in Las Vegas, with so many of us traveling from overseas and participating in the event. For me, just the thrill of standing on the immense practice facility with teaching professionals from over 25 countries was an awesome experience. So many new and old friends continue to keep in touch with us.

Our new year commences with a visit to Florida and the merchandising show. We are also conducting a diploma course in Florida at the Kissimmee Golf Club for those from Great Britain who have stated a desire for certification in a warmer climate this time of the year.

There have been many appointments of our coaches to golf clubs throughout Great Britain and Ireland this year. One of our members, Chris Hall, has just purchased his own facility, Burstow Golf Club. In fact, for anyone flying east out of Gatwick, the facility is clearly visible from the air. Chris has welcomed all members to use his facility.

We conducted our first examiner training seminar recently at Beadlow in Bedfordshire. We welcome Mark Phillips, Keith Renton and Mark Wright to the Masters program.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at peter@coachouse.fslife.co.uk if any of you plan on visiting London in 2008. Here’s wishing all of you the very best in your golf teaching endeavors.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SENSE OF BALANCE

While top athletes today require great physical strength, they also require a highly refined “sense of balance.” The USA and Russia, having produced a lot of top athletes, excel in the field of developing athletes’ balance skills.

Some might think this ability is a genetic gift or influenced by one’s quality of physical condition. This sense, however, can be improved in our daily exercises. The sense of balance is one of the most important skills given to both humans and animals. Primates’ sense of balance is determined by functions of inner muscles that hold one’s core and the nervous system functions that administer the inner muscles.

Though the sense of balance is required in any sport, golf and skiing, in particular, demand this  sense the most. It determines how fast one can link the brain’s reaction to the  inner muscles. So, in order to have a better sense of balance, it is necessary not only to train the inner muscles, but also to improve balance signals in the brain.

As for golf, inner muscles and balance systems in the brain get linked together only between the takeaway and impact. Given that an average swing speed of amateur male players is about 1.38 seconds, the time to train the sense of balance is generally limited to less than two minutes, even though a golfer might put in a long practice session. This situation means that improving the balance system (working only with the inner muscles and brain sensors) is virtually impossible with normal  golf practice routines.

However, it’s not difficult to establish a link between reactions of the brain and the inner muscles. By using some simple tools, you may realize the primates’ potential – the “sense of balance” – easily.

For example, a flat board placed on a cylindrical roller could be a useful training tool. With one foot placed at either end, the board can be tilted from side to side, and the balance point found. This easy exercise helps you train your semicircular canals in your inner ear, and you become conscious of your native balance control sensors in your brain. This training also strengthens your inner muscles, muscles of your neck, thighs, knees and back foot, all of which are all needed in golf swing.

Annika Sorenstam, one of the best female players of all time, believes in the importance of balance skills. She is one of the pioneers who brought “balance training” into golf.

Her average drive is about 265 yards, fourth on the LPGA Tour, and this is not that far behind male professional players at all. By getting an excellent sense of balance and deleting unnecessary moves from her swing, she has established a very simple and natural swing for executing long drives.

Her training drill is to swing her golf club while standing on a balance board. This consists of a board placed on a balance ball or a similar ball. This drill enables her to strengthen not only her balance skills of side-to-side direction, but also her balance in all directions.

This exercise was very effective for her to find the center of her balance. As a result, she makes accurate shots, even with an uneven lie, without any problems in making a smooth movement of her lower body, upper body, and head. With her trained sense of balance, she may feel as if she is on a flat lie, even though she is not.

Primates can feel the center of balance in any position. Once a golfer makes a conscious control of his balance, he can always swing a golf club on the same line.

In closing, be aware of the importance of balance, and bring balance training into your daily exercises as an important key in improving the golf swing. It certainly has proven to work for Swedish primates!

Dr. Yoshitaka Kagasaki is PhD of Bio Mechanics physiology. He was All Japan  Sports Association Training Coach and Nagano Olympics Japan Team Training Coach. He started teaching golf to his son, Kota when he was 8 years old, based on his training theory and Kota now 11 years old, got runner up at 2007 Callaway Golf Junior World Golf Championships.

Before I start with the news from Brazil GTF, I would like to congratulate Mr. Bryant and all the USGTF staff for putting up a great event in Las Vegas. We had a great time there, and we were able to increase our circle of friends and also our circle of contacts in the golf world. Participating in an event of this magnitude is a great experience, and I absolutely recommend it for anyone who has not had the opportunity to do so, and for the ones that attended the previous Cup in Brazil, it sure was a pleasure to see all of you again. The Wartelle family and Kern Doucet hosted us in Lafayette, Louisiana, the week before this year’s World Cup, and they could not have done a better job. We all had a blast, including the amazing 30-hour drive from their hometown all the way to Boulder City. Thank you all for everything.

Starting in late January, Brazil GTF will host a seminar in the city of Curitiba that will put all the local teaching pros in accordance with the new Brazilian law that demands every sport teaching professional to attend a 200-hour physical education seminar or attend a 4-year college to receive a degree on PE. The purpose of this seminar is to give the teaching pros the opportunity to renew their knowledge, learn more about the human body and the way it functions. They will have to attend, during a 6-month period, classes such as human anatomy and physiology, fundamentals of motor development and motor development in golf, and golf marketing, among others. Mr. Luiz Martins and myself are among the professors selected by the Brazilian Physical Education Council to teach during the seminar. Both of us have a major degree in Physical Education and will teach the subjects related to golf.

I hope to see you all again very soon. Happy Holiday everyone! I look forward to your visit to Brazil!