Student Spotlight – Ignacio Placencia
By David Smith, USGTF Certified, Torrance, CA
I met Ignacio Placencia in March of 2022 when I started teaching at Montebello Golf Course in Montebello, California. This young man was on the driving range with the Bishop Mora Salesian High School golf team and was having a hard time with his swing. Being that I saw him with his golf team, I automatically assumed that they were there for lessons with their coach. I was right, but I could also see that Ignacio needed help – really needed help – before he hurt himself.
I gave him some instruction, and then a couple of weeks later he called me to sign up for lessons. Ignacio has put in the work and has been going through “the process.” He has grown so much in the game in such a short period of time due to his work ethic, discipline and desire to be good at the game of golf. He will play his last season on the golf team at Bishop Mora Salesian in the spring of 2023 and as his instructor, I am quite sure he is going to surprise everyone at how good he has become. I am proud of Ignacio for sticking with the process and he deserves this spotlight.
He wants to attend the University of Texas at Austin. The field that he is most interested in and that he plans to study is finance. He wants to be able to provide financial advice and information to families and individuals regarding financial planning and investing.
In Ignacio’s own words, “The game of golf has provided me with the skills to be patient and disciplined. Golf has taught me what hard work could do for you. The beginning of the year I wasn’t practicing that much and you see it in my swing. Then, during the summer, I started taking golf seriously. My swing was better and so was my on-course game. The way I see golf being a part of my future is by connecting with new people every time I play.”
USGTF member Mike Givens is in his sixth year as the head men’s and women’s golf coach at Menlo College in Atherton, California. During his tenure at the NAIA school, Givens has led the men’s team to seven tournament victories, including setting tournament scoring records in five of them. Menlo was also ranked nationally for the first time as a program under his leadership. The women’s team has had an equally impressive run, winning six tournaments and seven players have been awarded as All American Scholar Athletes, including the highest Menlo College team GPA at 3.61 and ranked with the 10th highest team GPA in the nation.
Expanding on its global mission, the WGTF and USGTF will soon have a presence in the country of Vietnam, one of Asia’s fastest-growing golf markets. Several dozen courses are now under construction in addition to those already in business. This outreach by the WGTF into Vietnam is expected to be mutually beneficial and to bring qualified golf instructors to that country. 
When the USGTF was founded in 1989, the only option for prospective male golf teachers who wanted certification was to join the PGA of America. Women had their own organization, the LPGA, but it was more known for conducting professional tournaments than its teaching division. While women were welcome to join the PGA, at that time it wasn’t commonplace.
Thirty-four years later, the USGTF is firmly established and is looking to the future. A change in leadership occurred in 2020 when Brandon Lee became president and CEO, and his energy for the organization is well known. The USGTF’s role in the industry will continue to expand as more people seek certification and make an impact in the golf industry. By developing well-trained and certified instructors and coaches, USGTF professionals offer a level of competence that is unmatched.
Many USGTF professionals have found their niche in the junior golf realm and are helping the next generation of players to excel. There are too many to name everyone individually, but Thomas Parkin, featured in this edition of the e-newsletter, embodies the spirit of USGTF professionals who dedicate themselves to the junior set. The USGTF will also continue to innovate its programs as knowledge and technology increase, which in turn will produce the most skilled instructors possible. That not only benefits the USGTF and its members, but also the golfing public.
By Walt Abraham, USGTF Master, Walnut Creek, CA
Jayleen Sito started taking lessons from me at age 7 as a beginner. She has progressed through the years because of her love for the game. At each age starting at 10, she has been one of the top golfers in her age group in Northern California. She finished 2nd in the points standings in 2021 and was invited to the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where she finished in the top 30 and again in 2022, where she finished in the top 25.
She has won numerous tournaments during the last few years on the U.S. Kids Tour, Junior Tour Northern California and the American Junior Golf Association. This year, she has won the JTNC Invitational in June, the U.S. Kids NorCal regional, and recently took first place in the U.S. Kids Monterey Championship at 3-under par, while also taking bronze medalist honors in the second tournament of the week
Jayleen is one of the nicest young ladies around. She is also competitive and dedicated and is always the one wanting to do more, and will shortly be giving back by helping younger children with no experience get into golf through her mother’s school program. She is a fine example of what makes golf a great game.
Thomas Parkin from Santee, California, was drawn towards golf at the age of 4 and started playing more seriously at age 9, often playing 36 to 54 holes a day during the summer. After graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England, he married Chrissy, now his wife of 13 years, that same year.
Chrissy, who was an Olympic-level ice dancer, inspired him to do what he loved and led him to work in the golf industry. The next year, they relocated to San Diego, California, where he began his golf coaching career. He has successfully run his own golf school for seven years at two different courses; served as a swing coach to a high school team which lead to their rapid improvement, and coached junior golfers who competed in the Junior World championship.
He and Chrissy have a four-year-old son, Caleb, who loves to work on his golf game. Interestingly, he also had a successful career on the side as a wedding and events deejay. Other business ventures include starting an online health and fitness blog and YouTube channel with his wife, personal training, and music production. He is currently in the process of launching a golf YouTube channel.