“PRO” FILE – USGTF MEMBER DAVE HWANG

By Dave Hwang  

In 1995 I moved to the United States from South Korea as a representative member of Asiana Airlines. This was where I first encountered golf. Initially, golf was just a pastime hobby, an activity that I picked up because of work, but as I continued, it slowly became one of my life’s passions. I found it fascinating and challenging, and I found myself delving deeper into the study of golf in both theory and practice.

Over the years, I realized I wanted to share this passion for golf with others, especially in the larger Korean community. In 2004 I received USGTF education from Master Golf Teaching Professional Mark Harman and obtained the title of Certified Golf Teaching Professional. I began teaching golf in the Korean community.

From young children who have barely mastered their fine motor skills to the middle-aged parents seeking new hobbies, I had the privilege of teaching golf to a wide spectrum of people. In many ways, teaching has been a learning curve. As I crafted and tailored lesson after lesson, I realized that GPS + ABC is crucial for anyone learning golf. GPS (GRIP / POSTURE / STANCE) + ABC (ALIGNMENT / BALANCE / CONCENTRATION) are, in my opinion, the most important aspects for all golfers.

I also emphasize the importance of putting, considering it as another game in golf. For Korean golfers, I highlight the saying, “putting is money” and “putting is rice,” underlining the significance of putting and emphasizing square impact in putting. Especially on flat ground, the ball must go straight, requiring the putter to hit square during impact. I regularly practice stroking with two balls to ensure they roll at a similar speed.

I obtained the master certification in 2014, and in efforts to make golf more linguistically accessible to the Korean community in the United States, I wrote and distributed several golf manuals in Korean. With information so readily available nowadays, I do caution against self-teaching for beginner golfers. Often, I found that this could lead to poor form that is difficult to correct.

As of now, I am currently working as a foreign language master professional examiner in Georgia and Chicago. Georgia has one of the fastest-growing Korean communities in the United States. Here, I aim to initiate regular meetings and competitions among USGTF professionals to discuss and research teaching methods, and work towards stabilizing lesson prices.