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17 Dec 2012 Corina Pelloni

Golf…the team game

After 40 years of playing and watching golf, I am not fazed by much of what I see. But, the recent Ryder Cup was amazing. Watching talented athletes that were programmed to be independent from childhood become so emotional about a team competition was fascinating. They may have been playing for their country, but I think just as much or more they were playing for each other. These guys play against each other intensely all year, battling every week. Here they are, pulling so hard for each other, you could feel the tension and drama through the TV. It may not have turned out the way you wanted, depending on your nationality, but the competition was something to savor and appreciate. Most all of us that play or played the game seriously were drawn to golf because we were wired to think and react very independently to a greater extent than the average person. We rely solely on ourselves: Very disciplined, very self-motivated, answering to no one but ourselves. I have found most very good golfers are comfortable being alone, and can function well when left to rely on themselves. So, you have to ask yourself, why would these independent millionaires want to win so badly as a team? They were jumping, hugging, completely exuberant, real and very genuine. Some of the European players that are so stoic on the tour turned into little kids on Christmas morning. I believe we are naturally drawn to community. No matter what you accomplish in life on your own, feeling part of a team that pulls together and wins together is a special feeling. Think about your most enjoyable rounds of golf. For a lot us, myself included, the rounds in which we had a partner and won were the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences the game could offer. I don’t think the nature of the game is that natural to most of us, simply because we are born to be part of a community. There is no doubt accomplishing something completely on your own is great, but being a part of a winning team can definitely be more satisfying. One of the most enjoyable memories of my life is a great example. Many years ago I worked at and managed a facility that had a lot of high school-age female athletes working in the restaurant. We had a natural rivalry with another facility not far away. At some point, the challenge of a softball game between the two facilities became a reality. The problem was this: They had eight guys and one girl. We had one guy – me – and eight girls. You most likely guessed the ending by now. We played great and my team of eight girls and I beat the almost-all-boy team. It was an incredible day. The rush of adrenaline during the game was exhilarating. The feeling of euphoria at the end of the game beat any feeling I ever had accomplishing something on my own. I could live to be 100 years old and I will never forget that feeling. Recently, I got paired in a competition with another golf professional. It was a better-ball match. I didn’t know this person well before we played, just a very recent acquaintance. The bond we created that day was remarkable. After just four hours on the course, I felt like I had known him for years. He calls me now occasionally for business reasons and we relive the round a little every time we talk. Yes, we mostly play golf for ourselves, but don’t ever underestimate the value and satisfaction of being part of a team.

To anchor or not…

We have come to the point that has been building for almost two years regarding whether belly or long putters will remain legal, or to be more specific, what constitutes a stroke according to the rules of golf. As has been the case with other rules changes, this is a reactionary change. It could be Sam Snead dropping putts from everywhere while straddling his putting line, or Johnny Miller going on and on during a broadcast about how much spin the tour players are getting out of the rough with the old grooves. Because of the recent success of a few tour players that use the longer putters anchored to the body, once again the USGA and the R&A have responded to the publicity. After over 120 years of golf in the modern era (post 1890), we are still defining what constitutes a stroke. Personally, I agree that tour players should not be allowed to anchor the club. My disagreement comes with the rules organizations not allowing for different rules for the average golfer. In a publicly released statement, the PGA of America has taken a strong position against the change based on the premise that we should not do anything to make the game more difficult because of the shrinking number of new golfers. My question is, why do the most talented players in the world, the elite few, have to play the same rules as Joe Hacker just trying to have fun playing the game? Every sport adjusts their rules to the competition. College football rules are different than NFL rules. Amateur baseball was different than Major League Baseball for decades because of the allowance of aluminum bats. Length of games, equipment, and many other differences exist depending upon the level of competition and talent in every sport. Why not pressure the tour into making the change on their own instead of rewriting the rule book for everyone? Or, write a separate rule book for competitive golf? The precedent was set already with the groove rule being implemented with different timetables between the competitive versus the non-competitive golfer. I have seen research done citing the lack of difference in putting stats with conventional versus anchored on the tour. The flaw in this research is that it only looks at stats on tour as a whole, lumping together all players. In other words, yes, maybe the percentage of missed 8-foot putts is the same, or the number of putts per greens in regulation is the same. But, what the research didn’t cite was the difference between a tour player that switched from conventional to anchored. In those cases, there are some dramatic improvements. Therefore, my contention is that it does make a difference. This is great for the average golfer who struggles to putt well, but it’s not a fair advantage for the millionaire tour player. To purists, the club should be controlled from both ends, grip and butt. The club should be swung as an extension of the arms freely away from the body. I completely agree with this argument for the tour player or high-level competitive golfer. But, I also agree with the PGA and others who say, why change something that might discourage participation among the masses? So, should we continue to teach juniors who have professional aspirations the conventional method? Of course. But, I am very confident there are not a lot of 40-year-old new golfers that will become tour players. Unfortunately, the average golfer will junk his belly putter and the image presented to the non-golfer is the same as it has always been – a bunch of stubborn old guys unable to see that we need to make the game easier for the average person, not harder. Although this may not be reality, perception is reality. So, the perception will still exist among the general public. When the image of the game is changed to be more inclusive and less stringent, maybe we will see growth in the game. In the meantime, let’s continue to make the game as difficult as possible for Joe Hacker. Why make it easy for him…golf is supposed to be hard, right?

Definition of a golf coach: Defining their roles in the industry

By: Geoff Bryant, WGCA President

“There are two kinds of golf: Golf and tournament golf” – Bobby Jones. Years ago when I was the ski school director at Mount Snow in Vermont, I had achieved the highest certification available from the Canadian Ski Instructor’s Alliance. I was extremely proud of this achievement, because it signified that I was a dedicated teacher as well as a very proficient skier. In the mid-1970s, however, the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation was created, indicating another level of certification than what I currently possessed. At first, I felt somewhat insulted that there was now a new level of ski teaching competency to achieve, and that somehow my current certification was now no longer sufficient to be regarded as a professional ski coach. As time went on, I began to think about what the differences were between a ski instructor and a ski coach, and why someone might need certification in both of these areas. The answer, of course, was in the changes that the sport had undergone in the previous decade. People could now learn on shorter skies, equipment was much safer, and snow making as well as snow grooming had become a science. All of these elements had a huge effect worldwide on the number of people who now took up the sport. High school and college teams, ski clubs, and individuals were now competing against one another more than ever. And, the new professional ski racing circuit had also evolved. Ski racing had become a niche industry, and in short, individual skiers and teams loved to compete against one another. I soon realized why the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation had evolved. Even though there were already accomplished ski teachers, there had become a need to certify individuals who could then help others compete, which is different from only teaching the mechanics of the sport. Learning from this, it is easier to lay out the general differences between a coach and teacher, so that way we can apply the definition to all sports, including golf. In preparing to write this article, I reached out to the National Golf Foundation, the United States Golf Association, and the PGA of America for what their definitions were. None of them had definitions to give. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity for the USGTF to officially and clearly lay out our definitions for a teacher and a coach. A golf teacher is an individual who instructs others how to play the game of golf. This can include all facets of the game, from golf etiquette to swing mechanics. They may teach all age and ability ranges of individuals learning the game. A golf teacher is generally very knowledgeable about the game, and they themselves are proficient players. So, the head pro at your local golf course or the instructor at your nearby golf range are golf teachers. A golf coach is a person who helps a team or individual COMPETE at golf. As anyone who has ever played in a golf tournament knows, competing and playing for fun are two very different things, as Bobby Jones noted. Like a golf teacher, a golf coach is someone who is very knowledgeable about the game, but, unlike a teacher, a coach’s goal is to get that individual or team to compete well and hopefully win. A coach is there to help overcome the adversity of competition. This may include devising a game strategy, dealing with team dynamics, or encouraging confidence in a player when they may lack self-confidence. Just as the ski industry evolved many years ago, the golf industry is currently undergoing a change. Professional golf has never been more popular. The incentive for playing competitive golf has never been higher, and new technology and better equipment has made the game more accessible to more people around the world than at any point in history. Similar to the ski industry, there is now a need for professional qualified golf coaches. The golf teacher and the golf coach both fulfill vitally important roles in the industry. Imagine you are a beginner who wants to learn the game, or even an advanced player who just needs a few tips on lowering your score. In both cases, one would more likely seek out a golf teacher for lessons. On the other hand, if you needed help overcoming the adversity of tournament golf or the grind of daily practice, then a golf coach is what you would need. Naturally, there are many overlapping characteristics between a golf teacher and a golf coach. Certainly, an individual can be both. But, it is that element of competition that sets these two roles apart.

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