1 Apr 2020

Staying Safe on the Course

During the current COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, our world has certainly been turned upside-down, and golf is no exception. Professional golf has halted play, and courses – at least those that are allowed to stay open – are taking all or some the following measures to make playing the game as safe as possible:

  • Removing rakes and water coolers from the course
  • Raising the cup so the ball bounces off it on the putting green, or putting a pool noodle into the hole
  • Removing the flagstick entirely
  • One rider per golf cart
  • No shaking hands after the round
  • No food and beverage except for takeout
  • No congregating in the pro shop
  • Closing the clubhouse

    • While a number of infectious disease experts have weighed in that it is difficult to get sick from playing golf in normal conditions, the severity of the COVID-19 coronavirus in some people mandates that these extra precautions be taken. The USGA has also made some changes to allow scores played under these circumstances to be posted for handicap purposes. For example, in the case of raised cups so the ball bounces off them, the USGA has said that “the most likely score” can be recorded for that hole. Competitions that are still being held at various clubs are not required to use the traditional method of scorekeeping, where scorecards are exchanged and attested at the end of a round. And it’s okay to smooth a bunker and place your ball if that bunker has no rakes. Again, all scores played under these conditions are acceptable for handicap posting.

    It remains to be seen when things can return to normal when it comes to playing golf, not to mention returning to our normal way of living. Estimates range from mid-April all the way to next year. Obviously, we all hope for sooner rather than later. The game provides a healthy outlet in these most trying of times.

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    1 Apr 2020

    USGTF Regional Action Still on Schedule

    The Southwest Region Championship, originally scheduled for March 27-29, has been rescheduled with a new location. It is scheduled for late May and the hope is that the COVID-19 coronavirus situation has been resolved by then to allow tournament competition and travel to safely resume. The USGTF will wait until the last feasible moment to cancel or postpone any future events, as we believe that doing so too far in advance might turn out to be unnecessary. We will also take into account players’ travel plans when making any such decisions.

    To register for this event, please contact Southwest Regional Director, Bruce Sims at (214) 475-5168 or bsims@pga.com.

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    1 Apr 2020

    US Cup On Tap For Vegas – New Location!

    The 25th annual United States Golf Teachers Cup and the 4th annual United States Senior Golf Teachers Cup will be contested Monday and Tuesday, October 19-20 at Revere Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.This year will once again feature a concurrent pro-am, where USGTF participants are encouraged to bring an amateur partner with a format akin to the PGA Tour event played every February at Pebble Beach.(Please note: Bringing an amateur partner is not required to be able to participate in either Cup tournament.) Both the Lexington and Concord courses will be used for the competition.

    Las Vegas is the premier vacation spot in the United States and boasts numerous amenities. Registration will soon open at www.UnitedStatesGolfTeachersCup.com.

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    1 Apr 2020

    The “MATCH” and “The REMATCH”

    In days of yore, it was common for touring professionals to barnstorm the country between events, playing exhibition matches against their fellow competitors or the local hotshots. These matches often drew large galleries to see the best players in the world compete on their home course.

    In 2018, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson staged “The Match,” a would-be pay-per-view match with the winner taking home the entire $9 million “purse.” A technical snafu resulted in The Match being made available free for everyone. Mickelson wound up prevailing in extra holes.

    With the COVID-19 coronavirus sidelining all professional sports for the moment, A Twitter follower of Mickelson tweeted, “Do you think there is a chance you two go play a round mic’d up with one camera guy and just put it out there on a stream for people to watch?? We need live sports.” Mickelson tweeted back that they were working on it and to stay tuned.

    Speculation is that such a match could raise funds for much-needed medical equipment, for first responders and those on the front lines. Mickelson seemed confident that such a match will be held, and as he said, stay tuned.

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    1 Apr 2020

    Liability Insurance Available to USGTF Members

    The USGTF, through Lanier Upshaw Inc and RPS Bollinger, can provide its members $1,000,000 of liability insurance with a $3,000,000 aggregate and no deductible. This important, affordable coverage protects you while performing your duties as a golf teaching professional.

    The annual premium is just $110 and is insurance no USGTF teaching professional can afford to be without.

    For more information, please contact Cathy Fonseca at (800) 350-8005, ext. 8124, or through e-mail at Cathy.Fonseca@BollingerInsurance.com.

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    1 Apr 2020

    “PRO” File – Touring Professional Mickey Wright

    Ben Hogan once said she had the finest swing in golf, male or female. She is considered to this day by many to be the best player in LPGA history. We are talking about the late Kathryn Mary “Mickey” Wright, who captured 82 LPGA titles along with 13 major championships. The golf world lost a giant when she passed away in February. Wright grew up in California and turned professional in 1955 to join the then-fledgling LPGA Tour. Among her many accomplishments, she led the LPGA Tour money list four straight years from 1961-64, won the Vare Trophy for low scoring average five times, and, long before Tiger Woods did it, Wright held all four women’s major championships at the same time in 1961-62 (US Women’s Open, LPGA Championship, Titleholders Championship, Women’s Western Open). Due to foot problems and other factors, Wright semi-retired in 1969 at the age of 34, but still played in select events for the next several years. She lived for years only a three-minute drive from the former USGTF National Office in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
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    1 Apr 2020

    EDITORIAL – Golf Teachers May See A Coming Boom

    Most of life in America has come to a halt as the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak dominates every aspect. Many businesses, including golf courses, have been forced to close in order to stem the number of cases. Golf teachers and coaches have surely felt the impact, too, as “social distancing” has become the norm.

    The good news, I believe, is that once we can return to some semblance of normalcy, people will be eager to seek out that sense of normalcy. Some say that people will be reluctant to return to normal soon. I disagree. I think people will truly miss what they used to do. There may be an initial period of trepidation, but once our health and government officials have cleared us to resume our everyday activities, I think we’ll see people be more enthusiastic and appreciative of what we all take for granted.

    If nothing else, golfers tend to be fanatics about their sport. We could see courses packed like never before. This would represent a great opportunity for USGTF members to reap the benefits of this increase participation. After all, no one wants to play bad golf. If your lesson book fills up quickly after the all-clear is given, don’t be surprised.

    By Mark Harman, USGTF National Course Director

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    23 Mar 2020

    Basic Knowledge When It Comes To Clubs

    By Mark Harman, USGTF Contributing Writer

    I teach at a golf retail store when I’m not executing my duties with the USGTF, and one of my side jobs is doing club fitting.  I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve learned more than I ever really wanted to know about clubs these past three years!  Here’s a little bit of what I’ve learned:

    Irons – Generally, there are muscleback irons, good-players irons with slight forgiveness, good-players irons with technology, and game-improvement irons.  Clubs geared towards good players tend to have less offset and smaller heads, while game-improvement irons have more offset and bigger heads.  Good players who hit the ball relatively short for their skill level should seek out irons that have some distance technology.  Examples include Ping i500, Titleist T200, TaylorMade 790, and Callaway Mavrik.  If distance isn’t a problem but some forgiveness is warranted, options would be Ping i200, Titleist T100, and Srixon Z 585.  I would recommend muscleback irons only for good players who don’t need added distance and who strike the ball fairly pure – in other words, a very small audience.

    Drivers – There are five general categories for drivers:  1) Drivers designed for accuracy with little workability; 2) Drivers designed for workability at the possible cost of accuracy; 3) Low-spin drivers; 4) Lightweight drivers; 5) Draw-biased drivers. There can be some overlap in these categories, but usually they are clearly defined in one of these categories.

    Wedges – It wasn’t long ago that buying a wedge was as simple as picking one out with the loft you wanted.  Now there are bounce angles and sole grinds to consider.  Titleist Vokey wedges, for example, feature six different grinds!

    How do we, as teachers, keep up with all these developments?  As someone in the business, it’s not easy for me!  Not to mention all the different shaft and ball options.  I would advise going to the companies’ websites for information.  While the descriptive text is designed for sales, it also provides some good info on each club.  More importantly, just knowing the categories that exist can be helpful in steering our students towards the correct equipment for their game.
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    Must-Have Apps For All Golfers
    8 Mar 2020

    Must-Have Apps For All Golfers

    By Ben Bryant, MA
    USGTF Teaching Professional
    Tampa, Florida

    There’s a lot of junk in the Apple and Android app stores. Far too often, when we search for the right app, we end up with a list of knockoffs or shoddy apps that fill our phones with ads or bloatware and aren’t worth the bandwidth to download. But there are a few gems out there. These apps are the “diamonds-in-the-rough” that can be indispensable for the serious golfer.

    The Official Rules of Golf by the USGA
    Every golfer needs a copy of the rules, and now it’s easier than ever to keep it right in your phone. This app features a shortened version of the rule book, covering the most common situations on the golf course. It also has the full Rules of Golf available if you really need it. The app contains high-quality videos demonstrating the proper interpretations of everything from movable obstructions to abnormal course conditions. Best of all, there are no ads on this app, and it’s entirely free.

    GolfLogix GPS + Putt Line
    There are a lot of GPS apps out there. Pretty much all of them are going to help with yardage and scorekeeping. What sets the GolfLogix app apart is their Putt Line feature. It shows a 3-D contoured map of your green, complete with arrows showing which way your ball will break. By drawing a line on your phone’s screen, you’ll get an arrow showing you the direction you need to putt. It basically makes the read for you. The app is free to download, but you’ll need to pay $9.99 a month to continue using the Putt Line feature.

    Zepp Golf Swing Analyzer
    The Zepp Golf Swing Analyzer app is free to download and features a great video library of professional swings and swing analyses. To really make use of it, you’ll need to buy a $150 sensor sold by Zepp which attaches to the back of your golf glove. Through the sensor, you’ll be able to track all manner of swing metrics like club plane, tempo, hip rotation, and backswing positioning. The cost of the sensor makes this app by far the most expensive on this list, but this kind of powerful swing analysis can be an invaluable training aid. As a nice bonus, the sensor can be used for a variety of other sports like tennis or baseball.

    The Master’s App
    You might not keep it on your phone year-round, or you might. Honestly, it’s one of the best apps covering any sporting event. Sure, you can watch the main CBS telecast, or with this app you can stick with coverage of your favorite player or you can relax and watch live feed of groups coming around Amen Corner. Download it now and relive Tiger’s historic 2019 Masters win one more time.

    Golden Tee
    That’s right! The ubiquitous track ball arcade game – a mainstay of sports bars and family restaurants across the United States – is coming to your phone. Prepare to see your work productivity fall off a cliff as you spend countless hours competing against players around the world on five authentic 18-hole courses. Customize your avatar in traditional golf attire or make them wear a scuba diving mask and a cape! Slated for release in the last quarter of 2019, Golden Tee will be free to play, but like all video games these days, will contain in-app purchases.
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    Good and Bad News
    7 Mar 2020

    Good and Bad News

    By Norm Crerar
    USGTF Contributing Writer, Vernon, British Columbia

    As I write this article, I am sitting at my computer on a bright sunny day in the Okanagan Valley in southern British Columbia. The wine grape harvest is on; apples are being picked; golf is winding down, and here in Canada it is Thanksgiving Day. And what a lot to be thankful for! As I said, the sun is shining after a very wet and cool fall. Snow has already arrived at our ski resort just 25 minutes away and 4,000 feet higher in elevation. That will probably disappear, but we could be cross-country skiing by early November and alpine skiing by the end of November. This is truly a great place to live!

    On the bad news front, I was at a bagpiping event May 5th and, walking up some old concrete steps, I caught my toe on the top step and fell on my face. My left arm extended, and I landed toward that side. I stretched all of the ligaments in my rotator cuff and am now just able to take a bit of a backswing (I am a lefthanded golfer), so I have not been able to play golf at all this past summer season. The good news is that my wife more than made up for my lack of playing with her more than twice-a-week outings and is now a certified golf fanatic. The bad news is that I have been in a position of having to applaud her every high point: longest drive on one hole; closest to the pin on another hole; winning the deuce pot, and on and on. For someone who used to wonder how pro golfers being interviewed could remember every shot they made going back multiple years, she has certainly mastered the art. My reward for being such a good and attentive listener and staying at home with a massive to-do list: I am now caught up and way ahead on the ever-important marital points!

    On the bad news front, I have to admit to having an addiction. I am addicted to big events! The good news is, I have run into and continue to have great friends who believed in the vision and are committed to what we are doing. Thank-fully, they also believed that it is as easy to do something big as it is to do something small, and we are all rewarded for our efforts. We also believe that what we are doing is great, but if we stand still and don’t strive to be bigger and better, someone else will pass us or come up with something to replace us.

    And so it is with the golf teaching business. Thankfully, the USGTF technical committee is constantly analyzing teaching techniques and new equipment, and how to make use of it to get more people golfing more often. Are you as good as you are going to get? Of course not. Even as we get older, we want to stay engaged, and thankfully we continue to learn from our peers, the teachers who have gone before us, and from the young, new thinkers coming up behind us that now make up the technical squad.

    On the trivia front, I was entertained the other day listening to a radio program that featured an English-language specialist. He and the host were talking about “collective nouns.” You may not have heard of the term, but you have certainly used many. Here are some examples: A flock of birds; a flock of sheep; a herd of deer; a hive of bees; a litter of puppies; a murder of crows and a pack of hounds. As I listened, I realized there was nothing pertaining to golf. So here goes: Students standing around on the lesson tee waiting for the golf pro – a slice of golfers. The foursome of old guys holding you up – a cart of fogies. The locker room after the senior Stableford – a sag of butts. The 20 ladies from the health resort next door out for a trek – a babble of walkers. Members of your teaching federation at a gathering – a company of USGTFs. I know there are bigger minds out there than mine that can come up with similar or more creative offerings. Send them in to your editor! I am sure there will be a prize waiting.

    The last bad news is that my wife and I are without a TV in the summer. Perhaps that is good news, as both Canada and the USA are in the throes of national elections. Perhaps that is good news and something else to be thankful for. If you feel good about things, do not turn on cable news. But there is an antidote for feeling the world is going to end in a few years. Standing in a lift line last winter, the lift operators had a radio on the outdoor speakers, and a psychologist was explaining to listeners that if they were in the midst of a Christmas crisis, take a walk in the woods. The quiet and refreshing solitude would fix them right up. How lucky are we with golf in that most golf courses are just that, solitude in nature.

    For me, the good news is that I am usually really deep in the woods, a lot!

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