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14 Jan 2014 Brandon Lee

Self image and competitive golf

By: Geoff Bryant, WGCA President In a recent study, as individuals, we average hearing seven criticisms to every one compliment. And most of us remember the negative comments far longer than the positive statements. As we often see ourselves through the eyes of people who discourage us, many of our limitations become self-imposed. This is why Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote: “Most of us die with the music still in us.” The World Golf Coaches Alliance challenges all competitive golfers to remove those self-imposed limitations in order to play your best golf. Believe that you can win. Work to make it happen.

The Essence of Golf Club Management

By Geoff Bryant, Contributing Writer, US Golf Managers Association Have you ever entered a pro shop facility where the staff barely gives you the time of day, does not make you truly feel welcome or could care less about any idle, friendly chit chat? I’ve always known that the way employees treat customers, reflects the manner in which they’re being treated by management. The pro shop staff for instance can truly set the mood for the facility itself. They can in fact, give any customer “a good feeling“ about the facility. Customers want to be recognized, they want to be greeted with a warm friendly smile along with eye contact and they want to feel as though they’re special. Which of course they are. A golf club manager therefore has to be wise enough to understand this and hire an individual with the personality that will fit this bill. How you educate your staff therefore can be a huge factor in the popularity of your facility………. a direct reflection on you, the golf club manager. Education of staff takes continual observation to ensure that staff attitudes remain upbeat and positive. Tommy Lasorda, the legendary baseball manager of the LA dodgers, once said that managing people is like holding a dove in your hand. If you hold it too tightly , you kill it, but if you hold it too loosely, you lose it. In other words employees are not necessarily bad or inferior people because they make mistakes. They may be doing the wrong things the wrong way because no one has taken the trouble to educate them in the business of golf. Even though we may be living in a sea of information, many individuals are still looking for direction. Most importantly, when handling your staff though, be sympathetic and encouraging. If people make even a little progress, show them you have noticed and appreciate it. In brief, put yourself in the shoes of your employees on occasion and ask how you would like to be taught by someone who understands the business of golf protocol more than you do.

TRAINING AIDS

As golf teaching professionals, we constantly look for ways to help our students get better. We read books, attend continuing education classes, watch videos, and visit with other golf teaching professionals, all the while trying to learn more and become a better instructor. For anyone has been to a large golf store chain like Edwin Watts or watched Golf Channel, we have seen numerous training aids. Ironically enough, each piece of equipment or technique boasts that it can cure every fault in the golf swing. Now, while it would be nice, we all know there is no quick fix or miracle pill you can take to attain the perfect golf swing. How often do you try these training aids? Do you research the new training aids as they come into the market? Are you investing into your own teaching career? These are some questions you should ask yourself to make sure you are staying current on new training aids and teaching methods. When you are in one of the big golf store chains, head to the training aid section and try a few out. While there is no reason to buy all of the training aids in the store, it might be helpful for your business to invest in a few that you think can benefit your students. When you are trying these training aids, think about some of the common problems your current students have and imagine yourself in their shoes, asking, “Will this help me?” If you think it will, then it will help your students get better, thus helping your business grow. Don’t be afraid to invest in the future of your business.

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