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1 Apr 2024 admin

NEWS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The sport’s accessibility and popularity extend beyond the professionals in South Africa, with numerous golf clubs and facilities welcoming enthusiasts of all skill levels. The social aspect of golf is emphasized, and many golf courses are situated in picturesque locations, providing a serene escape for players.

Neil Pearce started the First to Eighteen Junior Golf Academy for kids ages 4 to 12 and is modeled on The First Tee program in the United States, and focuses on responsibility, etiquette, honesty and integrity, sportsmanship, confidence, respect, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

The USGTF, as the largest international organization of certified golf teaching professionals globally, has extended its reach to South Africa, contributing to the development of golf talent in the region. Through its certification programs and membership opportunities, the USGTF facilitates the training and networking of golf teaching professionals in South Africa, enriching the country’s golfing community and promoting the growth of the sport.

1 Apr 2024 admin

REGION ROUNDUP

All USGTF members, regardless of membership level or residence, are eligible to play in any region championship. You may also refer to region championship action at https://www.usgtf.com/tournaments-for-golf-teaching-professionals.  

Northeast – The USGTF Northeast Region Championship will be held Thursday, June 20, at Mountain View Golf Course in Ewing, New Jersey. Tee times will begin at 12 noon. The entry fee is $185. For more information and to enter, please contact region director Bob Corbo at simductivegolf@gmail.com.  

Central – The USGTF Central Region Championship will be played in July at Walden Ponds Golf Course in Hamilton, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. The exact date will be determined soon. The entry fee is $250. For more information, please contact region director Tony McMullin at tmcmullin72@yahoo.com.  

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 Apr 2024 admin

“PRO” FILE – THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER

While he doesn’t have the record of Tiger Woods – and frankly, likely never will – Scottie Scheffler has, for the past two years, played a lot like him. In fact, it can be fairly stated that his game is the equal of Woods’ in his prime save for one thing, and that is consistent excellency with the putter.

From tee-to-green, Scheffler has no peer on the PGA Tour. He has been number one in strokes-gained: tee-to-green 10 times in the past two years, while the next competitor has done that only three times. He has won eight out of his last 49 PGA Tour starts for a winning percentage of 16.3%. for context, Woods’ career winning percentage is just over 20% and Jack Nicklaus’ hovers around 11%, so Scheffler is indeed in rarified air. He also became the first player to successfully defend his Players Championship title, on the heels of a dominant 5-stroke win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

What’s curious about Scheffler’s game is that, while he was pegged for stardom at an early age and throughout college, few outside observers would have thought he would become so dominant. Putting was never his strong suit, but he has solved that problem, at least for the moment, by switching to a mallet putter. He also has a swing with footwork that is unique, but obviously, the ball has no idea what his feet are doing. At present, his peers are left scratching their heads over how to up their games to compete with golf’s latest dominant player.

1 Apr 2024 admin

“PRO” FILE – MASTER GOLF TEACHING PROFESSIONAL YONGBEOM KIM

By Yongbeom Kim

After immigrating to Texas in 2001, golf became a new challenge for me through daily practice and playing, even in my busy engineer’s life where I could learn and practice golf much more than in my native Korea.

After obtaining USGTF certification, I have developed a more consistent swing and better scores through my playing and practicing, and have learned a great deal by studying theory. As a result, I developed my philosophy of teaching golf. In 2015, I started working as the director of the USGTF Foreign Language Certification division and am imparting my knowledge and experience to those USGTF candidates.

Above all, I learned a great deal from the curriculum’s How to Teach Golf textbook, and instructed the candidates based on this content. I also opened the Prime Golf Academy to teach beginners through advanced players. In particular, seeing those who have obtained their USGTF certification through me and to teach others to play golf has been highly rewarding, and I plan to continue doing so for quite some time.

1 Apr 2024 admin

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT – ANNIE MASCOT

Annie Mascot’s foray into golf wasn’t exactly love at first sight. As she put it, “I remember being 10 years old, outside in the cold and rain, just thinking, ‘When will this be over?'” However, her parents urged her to continue, and when she joined her middle school’s golf team, the Augora Hills, California, resident met USGTF professional Jim Govostes.

“When I started on my middle school’s team in 7th grade, I was not good by any means,” said Annie. “I had an untrained swing and the temperament of, well, a 7th-grader. I would get frustrated that I wasn’t good and that I wasn’t the best, that I would mess up from time to time. Of course, we all get frustrated about those things, but the reason why my frustration didn’t get the best of me in those early years has a lot to do with Jim. He would remind me that change takes time, that practice makes improvement, and that if I just kept going, eventually I would get there.”

Said Govostes, “Annie started her golf career with a pretty ugly golf swing. But there was the base of a very, very powerful golf movement in her swing. She wanted to improve, and she had a mother and father that both supported her. We started weekly lessons, and we worked on backswing, turning, staying solid from hips down and delivery.” Being strong-headed, Annie didn’t always take to Govostes’ teaching, but in the end, it paid off. She said, “Switching my mindset from being insecure about where it started to having pride in how far I came is what made me start to fall in love with the game.”

She turned that love of the game into great success, winning the individual NCAA Division III national championship in 2023, setting a single-round scoring record of -5 along the way while representing Washington University of St. Louis. She is now a mechanical engineering Ph.D candidate at Stanford University, a great testament to her academic acumen, which, in the end, is the most important accomplishment of all.

1 Apr 2024 admin

USGTF INDUSTRY PARTNER – SWING PROFILE

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5. “Student Lockers” system for organizing student videos
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