“TEACHING PRO” File – USGTF Member Eric Cass
I fell in love with the game of golf at the ripe age of one year old. Dad would take me everywhere with him to caddy in “The Hunt” – a guys’ money game. I used to sell lemonade, golf balls, caddy, cut grass and work around the clubhouse to help pay my golf expenses.
I played golf at Wabash Valley Community College in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, where I was an all-conference player. In 1988 I enrolled in the first class at The Golf Academy of the South in Orlando, Florida, and studied under world-famous golf instructor Wally Armstrong and PGA Tour rules official Gene Smith. In 1989, I founded A Life of Golf for Kids and came back to my hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana. It’s been my life’s mission to promote junior golf and bring quality golf instruction to the kids in the Wabash Valley.
When it comes to golf, it does not matter your age or ability level. The game of golf has so much to offer. Whether you are wanting to brush up on your golf game, prepare for a golf competition, or simply want to beat your friends, I will provide quality instruction backed by the United States Golf Teachers Federation and my lifetime experience. In 2019, I was awarded by the PGA the PGA Jr League National Game Changer Award and the Top Program for the Indiana Section.
I love being part of the USGTF and have no desire to be a club pro. I’ve been teaching and promoting junior golf for over 40 years, and since 1990, I have taught more than 90,000 junior golfers as well as many adults. As for A Life of Golf for Kids, we have produced an endless number of success stories over our program’s history. Giving kids to opportunity to be introduced to the game has built wonderful memories those kids still carry with them today.
By Mark Harman, USGTF Course Director
I once heard someone claim that his dad, a rules guru, claimed that everyone violated a rule of golf on “every” hole. This is a wild exaggeration, of course, but rules violations are common in our game. Here are what I believe are the most violated rules, one in the professional ranks and one at the amateur club level.
Professional
Waiting too long for a ball on the lip of the hole to drop – It seems this one is violated at least once a year by some touring professional. You would think they would know by now that you only have 10 seconds once you reach the hole to see if the ball fall into it, and if it doesn’t, you need to tap it in. Yet somehow, pros are still under the mistaken impression that if they “see” the ball moving microscopically, the ball is still moving and they cannot hit it. The rules are clear on this: If the ball hasn’t fallen into the hole within 10 seconds, it is deemed at rest even if somehow it is still moving microscopically.
Amateur Club Level
Playing the ball from a different spot than where it came to rest – We could spend all day on this as amateurs violate many rules, but by far the most common is playing “winter rules.” Most courses nowadays are in such good condition that it is pointless to move the ball into a better lie. On the course I grew up, Woodbury Golf Course in Plymouth, Indiana (then known as Fountain Head GC), there was no sprinkling system and the fairways were, to say the least, not the best. My dad always played winter rules, but while in high school I read an article somewhere that by playing the ball down on poor fairways, you would become a better ballstriker. From that moment on I have always played the ball down unless winter rules (lift, clean and place) are officially in effect.
Most people aren’t real handy with the rules, but they can be interesting. If you haven’t done this, make it a point to attend a USGA rules seminar this winter.
Volvik, maker of the famous selection of colored golf balls and holder of numerous patents, has partnered with the USGTF to offer members in good standing a personal use discount. Members will be eligible for 20% off the wholesale price of its entire line of golf balls. For more information and to take advantage of this discount, please contact the USGTF National Office at 
By Scott Henry, USGTF Professional
As a youngster, Augustin Martinez was introduced to the game by his father, who was a college golfer in the 1990s. He started to play local junior tournaments in the area by the time he was 8 years old, and attending summer golf camps for enjoyment, with it later turning into love of the game, just his father’s.
When he started, he played at a local par-3 course, which gave him his short game skills. As he grew older, Augustin (Auggie) started winning trophies at these local tournaments. When he reached me at PSJA Memorial Early College High School in Alamo, Texas, Auggie was placed onto the varsity boys golf team because of his previous experience. He did, however, struggle to compete with his peers at the time because of his lack of length off the tee and outside of tournaments, he mainly only had played the par-3 course. After a short while, he caught up with his peers and is now consistently finishing in the top 10 individually at high school golf tournaments. his has spurred Auggie on even further, practicing vigorously over the past summer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Auggie is now a senior in high school with expectations of himself ultimately wanting to land a place on a college golf team, launching him into the best of what life has to offer. His family history and passion for the game motivates him. I am proud of his accomplishments and look forward to watching him grow as a player, but even more so, as a person, in the future.
There may no more enterprising member of the USGTF than Fresno, California’s, Jim Perez. A USGTF member since 1995 and a Master Golf Teaching Professional since 1997, Perez’s start as a USGTF member is memorable. He approached the owner of the local driving range, who informed Perez that he already had three PGA teaching professionals and did not need another pro. Perez pointed out that there was no business at that time at the range and that he would assure more golfers would come. After two such rejections, the owner relented and allowed Perez to teach.
Now, he had to come up with a plan, and it was a doozy. He placed an ad in the local newspaper (when newspaper ads were a thing), selling lesson memberships for $99. Over 200 people bought them in short order (over $20,000 worth), and Perez was off and running.
He also has an interesting philosophy when it comes to how much to charge for lessons. “I make sure I charge more than anyone in the area,” he remarked, “because that gives people the impression that they’re paying for the highest quality.” Of course, it helps that Perez is an extremely competent and accomplished teacher and player. In addition to learning under the USGTF umbrella, Perez has spent time observing teaching greats Butch Harmon and Mike Hebron, among others. And speaking of playing, Perez is a former United States Golf Teachers Cup senior champion and a World Golf Teachers Cup individual senior champion.
Currently, he and his wife Marci own the Bluff Pointe Golf Course in Fresno, where Perez can be seen hard at work most days.