Learning Something New

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional

A month ago at the World Golf Teachers Cup at Boulder Creek Golf Club in sunny Las Vegas, a demo day was held before the tournament started.  Different teaching-aid manufacturers were in attendance to share the latest and greatest in technology to make improvements to one’s game.  Like most teaching professionals, we have our go-to training aids.  I spent almost two hours visiting with the reps of these training aids.

During my visits with each vendor, I continuously learned new things.  It made me laugh, because I always feel like we need to grow our skill set as teaching professionals, and an opportunity presented itself to help me do just that.  An even bigger benefit was that I noticed I wasn’t the only one.  Over half of the players in the tournament were listening and learning from these folks.  The dialog between our members was amazing.  Golf swing theory, ideas, and solutions to problems were abundant in every conversation.  When I returned home, I was extremely excited to show off the new training aids I had purchased, and share the knowledge I had learned with everyone from my wife to my children to my students.  My enthusiasm was contagious and it spread; business is even picking up because word is getting out on the success I’m having with these new tools.

This is an important fact to keep at the forefront of our minds:  as teaching professionals, we must keep learning . . . no different than college instructors, doctors or nurses.  There are so many ways to obtain knowledge: attending a demo day or the USGTF Masters class, visiting with other instructors, or reading books.  Our skills and our success depend on continuing education.  Would you prefer to go to a dentist who is up to speed on the latest and greatest technology, or one who has an antiquated practice?

As we come close to another wonderful year in the books, I challenge everyone to make it a goal to learn more this year. Continue to expand your skills and garner knowledge.  Take it one step further and share your ideas and the teaching aids you implement that make you more successful – both personally and professionally.  Happy learning!