Blog

1 Sep 2024 admin

NOVEMBER MASTER COURSE

Are you interested in taking your teaching skills to the next level? The next USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional® certification course will be held Monday-Wednesday, December 9-11, at the USGTF National Office in Fort Pierce, Florida. In addition to lower playing ability test requirements, candidates must submit a written thesis, complete a shotmaking demonstration and pass a written teaching test. Candidates must have been a fully certified member in good standing for a minimum of 12 months. Many participants call it one of the most beneficial learning environments they have experienced.

To register, please visit http://www.usgtf.com/master-golf-teaching-professional.

1 Sep 2024 admin

CGTF CUP A ROUSING SUCCESS

By Marc Ray, CGTF President

It has been almost 20 years since British Columbia hosted the CGTF Cup, making this year’s tournament at Green Tee Country Club in Langley on May 14 a special and historic occasion. Most of the participants played a fun practice round, adding to the excitement and camaraderie. The general consensus was everyone had a great time and cannot wait for the tournament to return in Western Canada.

We extend our warmest regards to everyone who traveled from near and far to participate. Your presence and enthusiasm made this event truly memorable. The camaraderie and sportsmanship displayed as you cheered each other on exemplify the spirit of golf and community. A special congratulations to Bobby Flouris, who triumphed with an impressive one-under-par score of 71, mastering the challenging Green Tee course and winning the Bob Bryant Trophy. The course played like summer conditions — fast and firm but fair — making it a fun and enjoyable venue for all. Bobby’s performance was nothing short of spectacular on the well-conditioned track. He was able to run away with the win as a first-time participant.

We also commend Michael Fraser for his remarkable second-place finish, along with Ken Beaumont and Jesung Woo, who tied for third place. Tim Crough and Gilles LeBlanc secured a tie for fifth. Our 2023 champion, yours truly, finished in sixth place this year. Daryn Kreppi’s journey from Windsor, Ontario, proved to be well worth while as he ground out a solid round to earn a passing score for his playing ability test requirements and attained his full certification.

A special thank you also goes out to Master Golf Teaching Professional Curtis Nelson of Drive Golf Academy for hosting the pre-tournament golf social for the CGTF members. This event allowed participants to warm up their swings and meet each other in person. The CGTF utilizes Zoom for many continuing education sessions, which have built strong connections and friendships, making it fantastic to meet in person for the first time. The golf swing discussions were so much fun.

Thank you once again to all the participants, and a special shoutout to Valerie Beebe and Nitro Rite, who contributed to the success of this tournament, capturing photos of each of the parings. We look forward to seeing you all next year for another exciting edition of the CGTF Cup back in Ontario. Bobby has committed to come out and try to defend his title in 2025.

1 Sep 2024 admin

REGION UPDATE

United States Golf Teachers Cup – The 28th annual championship will be held Monday and Tuesday, October 7-8, at Painted Desert Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. Registration can be found at http://www.usgtf.com/uscup.

Southwest – The USGTF Southwest Region Championship will be held Friday-Sunday, September 20-22, at Twin Creeks Golf Club in Allen, Texas. The entry fee is $250. For more information and to enter, please contact region director Bruce Sims at bsims@pga.com.

1 Sep 2024 admin

“PRO” FILE – OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER AND LYDIA KO

Is there anything Scottie Scheffler can’t do when it comes to golf? The man who is playing Tiger-esque golf in 2024 achieved something that Woods will likely never do in winning a gold medal at this year’s Olympic Games event, firing a 62 to overcome a faltering Jon Rahm and claim the top spot on the podium.

It is no stretch to say Scheffler is matching, and in some ways surpassing, what Woods did at the peak of his career. The difference, of course, is that Woods did it over a period of many years while Scheffler is just finding his stride. Time will tell if he can keep up his blazing pace.

For Lydia Ko, her Olympic gold medal also meant qualification into the LPGA Hall of Fame, perhaps sports’ most difficult hall of fame to qualify for. After an impressive start to her career, winning twice on the LPGA Tour as an amateur — the first time as the youngest player ever — she also became the youngest to win a major championship and to ascend to No. 1 in the world. However, after 14 victories in four years, she began a series of equipment, caddie and coaching changes that left her adrift for a number of years. Fortunately, she found her way to the top of the game again starting in 2021 and has since won five more times in addition to her Olympic victory.

Ko has the distinction of being the only player, male or female, to hold a gold, silver and bronze medal in Olympic golf. One would be foolish to bet against her attaining another in 2028 at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

1 Sep 2024 admin

“PRO” FILE – USGTF MEMBER SEAN MOORE

By Sean Moore

Sean Moore has been a teaching professional in the Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia area for the past five years. After nearly 15 years as an athletic director in the private-school world, he decided to change career paths to be able to spend more time with his family while continuing his joy of working with people through sport.

Moore played basketball in college, and following a career-ending injury, he decided to continue through graduate school to earn a Masters in Education. After a successful career in athletics, including Athletic Director of the Year and the State Award of Merit, he wanted to return to the game of golf, which he loved as a kid. He was given an opportunity to begin his golf instruction career with a mentor at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington. After building a strong group of clients, he was then asked to join Rudy’s Golf and Sports Bar as the director of golf instruction in Alexandria, Virginia.

He loves working with students who are new to the game and individuals who want to learn the sport in a relaxed environment with a less-technical format. He greatly focuses on core fundamentals that will allow students to enjoy their time on the course with family and friends, building lifelong memories. He believes that golf can be such a tool in life in that regard and that it is the one place you can learn a tremendous amount about yourself, conduct a meeting, witness constant, natural beauty and share time with partners, colleagues and friends alike.

Moore cherishes seeing the growth of his students and when they call or text about a gorgeous course, a personal best score or a skill to work on in their next lesson together. He loves spending time with his wife and son, and truly embraces the moments he has shared on a golf course with everyone, including his boss, mentors, students and his dad.

1 Sep 2024 admin

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT – MO LAUBSCH

By Keith Turchan

My name is Keith Turchan, Assistant Golf Professional at the Preserve at Verdae in Greenville, SC. For my student spotlight, I’d like to introduce you to Mo Laubsch. Mo is a big fan of Scottie Scheffler, minus the footwork. He is an 8^th grade student at Presbyterian Academy and has only been playing golf for a little over 3 years. Even though he is fairly new to golf, he has made his HS varsity golf team and has been competing in SCJGA golf tournaments for the last 2 years. Here is what Mo has to say:

“I love playing golf because it’s one of the only sports where you don’t have to rely on anybody else; it is you against the course. It’s also really technical where a lot of things can go wrong, so that’s why I try to practice every single day. Coach Keith teaches me at the Preserve at Verdae in Greenville, SC where I am a member. His instructions help me to be calmer on the course and develop my own swing without rushing through each shot. Training with him has made my fundamentals a lot better. And he is always there on those frustrating days for a quick tip as well, for which I am very thankful. So far my best round was an 80 from the white tees (the men’s tees) at the Preserve at Verdae. I want to continue playing golf in high school and then play golf at a Division 1 college. My dream is, of course, to become a golf professional on the PGA Tour.”

Some of the things that Mo and I work on are feel moves. When a golfer hits a golf ball at speed, it is really hard to tell what is going on. You can have an idea based on direction of the shot, trajectory, curve, thin or fat; but what did it feel like? What caused the good or bad shot to happen and how do we fix it?

To address this, we use a few drills to address his stability and a drill to prevent him from becoming stuck in transition. These feel drills or feel moves help him overcome less than perfect golf shots and bounce back on the golf course.

You would never know that Mo is a beginner — his knowledge of all things golf related is truly remarkable and he is not afraid to ask a question. His attention to the details of his golf swing and the ability to feel and make adjustments when needed combined with a positive attitude is why I believe he deserves this student spotlight.

1 Sep 2024 admin

USGTF INDUSTRY PARTNER – BUSHNELL RANGE FINDERS

When it comes to rangefinders for golf, the undisputed leader is Bushnell. As the most popular rangefinder among PGA Tour players and their caddies, Bushnell offers unrivaled quality for golfers of all abilities.

Their newest rangefinder, the Pro X3+, offers just about every possible feature that can be found, including 7x magnification, slope compensation, wind speed and direction, and is waterproof. Other Bushnell products offer 6x magnification with their famous Pinseeker with Visual JOLT technology and are water resistant.

Bushnell offers all USGTF members in good standing a personal use discount. For more information, please contact the USGTF National Office at (772) 88-USGTF.