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EGTF CPD DAYS SCOTLAND 25 & 26 JULY 2013

Two excellent days of learning were held in Scotland recently, allowing EGTF members the opportunity to increase their knowledge in some key areas in the golf game.

Both days were conducted by EGTF Master Professional Stewart Craig, one of the best coaches around in the golfing world.

DAY ONE

Teaching with technology centered on the new equipment on the market that can help golf teachers provide a better service and understand key areas of the golf game better.

Stewart looked at how important balance and stability in the golf swing are, using the SAM balance lab, which shows where your weight is at address and how it moves through the backswing and forwardswing, giving vital information on cause and effect problems.  The days are always very interactive with the information delivered in an informative but fun environment by Stewart.

STEWART CPD 1

We also looked at Flightscope launch monitors and Swingbyte teaching aids that give excellent information back on what the club and ball are doing through the swing. Flightscope is a high end product and gives a host of data on the ball and club, which can be invaluable when fitting and teaching.  The emergence of launch monitors has also allowed a better understanding of the new ball flight laws that the golfing world has adopted.  Stewart went through the new theories on D plane and ball flight which allowed everyone a better understanding of these new topics.

BETTY CPD 1STEWART CPD 2

Swingbyte is now an excellent tool with which to teach, clipping onto the shaft of any club and recording club path, face angle, club head speed, tempo and much more.  We looked at how to use it in teaching and everyone was very impressed by the accuracy of the data (comparing to the launch monitor) and obviously at a price that most people can afford (around a £100).

device

Lots of good information and very interactive for all attending, is always the hallmark of a good instructor and well presented training day.

DAY TWO

Putting was the discipline for day two, with the first part of the  morning devoted to putting technique, looking at the most important part of the game in depth from a technique point of view, using knowledge along with teaching aids to help improve people’s strokes.  In the afternoon we looked at how to read greens more effectively, with the thoughts and theories based on the new Aimpoint system.  Stewart covered the basics of green reading along with the scientific values of Aimpoint now being used by many of the golfing tours around the world.  Everyone found this session very useful and took away some great new knowledge to help improve their own green reading and their students as well.

PUTTING CPD 1PUTTING CPD 2PUTTING CPD 3PUTTING CPD 4PUTTING CPD 5

Putting days are always very good and highlight the importance of a sound technique and the ability to read greens effectively.  Again Stewart shared his vast knowledge built up over 16 years teaching at the highest level  with all attending on this day, helping to educate golf coaches to become better.

Thanks to Stewart and to Forthview Golf Academy and Falkirk Golf Club for their hospitality during our stay.

Bill Abbott – EGTF Director of Education

Garry Corkish

Amateur golf career was BB&O player, playing off 1.4, member of Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire.

Ex RAF military free fall instructor completed over 3,000 free fall descents mostly from c130 Hercules worked mostly with SBS, SAS, and pathfinders from 2 para plus delta force from USA. RAF in 1989.

I have been teaching on the Costa del Sol since 2001.  I’m married to wife Yvonne who plays off 12 hc, have son Stuart 15 hc aged 32, and daughter Jo who is also an EGTF qualified ex England player.

I am age 57 but feel like 77 as had back op in 1999 to fuse L4 And L5 and osteoarthritis of left knee, but still manage to skid it around at level or a couple under in the weekly local Pro event here in Marbella.

 Garry Corkish 1

Where do you work?

Atalaya Golf Academy Spain on the Costa del Sol, not far from Marbella.

Where do you play golf? 

Mostly Atalaya , El Higueral and the Marbella golf resort.

What is the best thing about being a Teaching Professional?

Seeing someone’s face when they discover success with their golf after being frustrated on the golf course !  And the fact that you can never be too old to teach golf.

What is the worst thing about being a Teaching Professional?

Never receiving any shots !!

How many lessons do you do in the Summer and the Winter?

Average number of lessons throughout the year per week is approximately 5 pw but playing lessons are now becoming more popular.

What do you consider is the most important lesson you could give someone and why?

9 hole playing lesson – as you see everything a golfer does and think while playing.  In theatre is the best place for someone to learn.  Mat or range lesson is still good for beginners or basic swing mechanics but on the course is without doubt the most effective and quickest way to take shots off a player’s score.

What is your favourite drill and why?

L to L drill with a short iron as this gives a variety of solutions; balance, control, removes the urge to hit the ball hard, wrist hinge, and active use of the hands.

Who is your favourite player and why?

Of all time, Ben Hogan for his pure determination to succeed.  Currently Justin Rose for his attitude on and off the golf course.  He handled his latest win, US Open with grace and balance, mentally and physically.

Who would be your favourite fourball and why? 

Ideal 4 ball would be Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus  and Seve Ballesteros.  Hogan for his pure swing, Jack for his ability to focus and concentrate, Seve for his imagination and short game ability.

Which is the best course your have played and why?

St. Andrews old course, for the history, but mostly because it is so well balanced as an 18 hole test.   The first time you play it you think what’s all the fuss about !  Then after a few rounds you then begin to see a strategy that needs to be applied to achieve success.  It starts with a pretty easy par 4 then depending on the tide, it’s a steady increase in difficulty until you turn after 9 with good birdie chances and a real tough finish from 15.  Great course. 

Garry Corkish 3

What is your best and worst experience you have had in golf?

Two best experiences in golf for me which are of equal pleasure:

1. Watching my daughter shoot 4 under in the South African Amateur Open and then get selected for the England elite under 18 squad.  In the field was the current GB and Ireland Curtis Cup squad 18 players and she blew most of them away in the stroke play comp.

2. Was shooting 7 under 66 at Penina off the white tees back in 2006 while playing in a friendly match. 

Worst moment was when my daughter Jo got hit in the right eye by a ball in the junior County foursomes while I was playing in the Burford foursomes Pro Am and she lost 90% vision in her right eye.  She got selected for England after this accident which made the best experience (above) more important !

Why did you become a Teaching Professional?

Passion was always in golf.  When I was an IFA in the UK, I only got involved in this job to fund my golf, so when the company folded I decided to join the golf professional ranks.

Note :- I did try to join the PGA back in 1991 and had a position lined up at Castle Coombe, but PGA Regional Director Nigel Blenkarne phoned me up and informed me I was three months too old to become a member !!! You had to be under 35 to be a PGA member, what a farce !! Since then a couple of guys took the PGA to court and European ruling found it was deemed to be age discrimination and now its all changed !

What is the best tip you could give a junior golfer?

Always have fun when you play or you will walk away from the game later on.  When you learn, start at the hole and work backwards so the last thing you learn is the tee shot or driver.  This worked very well with my daughter and the Swedish Golf  Foundation were pretty good at this strategy back in the 90’s.

What’s in the bag?

Ping i20 driver project x 5.5 graphite 
Taylor made rbz 15 deg fairway wood reg shaft graphite
Ping i20 hybrid rescue club project x 5.5 graphite
Calloway 1 iron steel reg shaft
Ping i20 irons CFS steel shaft 
Ping anser wedges 50, 54, 58
Odyssey two ball black ice centre shafted putter with 370g head weight plus 4 strips of lead behind face 
Ball is new Calloway tour I hex chrome great ball ! Only just changed from 15 years of prov1 golf

Garry Corkish 2

EGTF JUNIOR PROGRAMME

BYG 2009-09-20 WEB

The EGTF Junior Programme has been established to provide coaches with a structured course of lessons for young people who are interested in learning the game of golf.

The Junior Programme has been trialled with golfers already and proved to be a great success with the children and also the adults bringing them along. The idea was to give good, basic playing skills in a fun and friendly environment.

These days golf clubs, driving ranges and schools want to see a professionally run programme that covers everything from golf swing technique, to health and safety in golf, rules and etiquette, and how to develop life skills.

If we can give the kids a structured pathway to follow, with ideas and competitions, then each week should prove to be great fun and a fantastic learning experience.

We have given you the structure and template to provide the service, which can be followed exactly as set out, but also left it fluid if it needs to be changed to suit your coaching ideals, or the place you will be working at.

All documents are in Microsoft Word and Excel, and logos can be altered if need be to show your own junior company. The tests can also be changed if your facility hasn’t got all of the necessary areas needed to complete each level.

There are nine levels altogether, five Beginner stages, and four Advanced stages, totalling 36 weeks of instruction. The cost has been kept down to a sensible level to allow more people to use it in the golf marketplace.

The five Beginner levels cost £150 and the four Advanced levels cost £125, but if bought together the total nine level package will be £250, showing a saving of £25 off the full price.

 

Pricing for each junior golfer coming on the programme is down to the individual coach, but I would suggest anything between £6 and £10 per session would represent good value.

This would then mean that if just two kids completed the full 36 week course at £7 each per week, the total income would be over £500, representing a 100% increase in the outlay. Obviously with the correct marketing and commitment to the programme, groups of between 10-20+ children should be achievable, allowing for excellent returns on the initial expenditure.

This type of professionally run programme can provide the golf coach and the golf facility with a tremendous revenue stream and also enhance the reputation of everyone involved.

What you get is a nine level programme, set out with technique and ideas, along with a student booklet for each level, which can be printed off for each student signing up for the course and also a coaches booklet for each level, which can be printed off to allow for correct continuity for the teaching professional running the course. Each level has its own certificate to hand out on completion by the junior involved.

The Junior Programme revolves around the thoughts and theories of the EGTF coaching manual and course attended by the teaching professional, as we have found that the simple ideas on coaching at all levels work with all standards and ages of people. You will also receive the EGTF teaching manual on your CD along with the Junior Programme files to ensure that you have all the information needed to complete each level with your students.

We hope that by providing a first class training programme for your junior students, you can add another quality product to the services that you already offer.

Please enjoy the EGTF Junior Programme.

Thanks
Bill Abbott
Director of Education

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David Fluke

 

I am currently the Head Professional at Hill Barn Golf Club, Worthing, West Sussex and also teach part time out of Avisford Park Golf Club, West Sussex. My roles with both clubs are purely to supply the teaching arm to members, guests and visitors. My company is called South Coast Golf.

I am also the Director of the South Coast Golf Tour – a golf tour aimed at business and corporate clients who actively use the golf course to entertain and win new business.

We are in our third year of trading; our last event at Crowborough Beacon Golf Club in April attracted over 60 players.

It’s been incredibly hard work to get to where we are now, through sponsorship and bums on seats the business is now making a profit. As a direct result of the tour (which was always my intention) I have increased my lesson bookings with clients I would or may never have had the chance to meet.

David Fluke Hill Barn Pro Portrait

What is the best thing about being a Teaching Professional?

Helping my clients and pupils to achieve and succeed their golfing goals.

What is the worst thing about being a Teaching Professional?

English winter seasons

How many lessons do you do in the Summer and Winter?

I teach on average – 25 lessons a week in Winter and 45 lessons a week in Summer

What do you consider is the most important lesson you could give someone and why? 

Focus on your short game – the key to reducing your scores is by getting the ball “up and down” more often.

What is your favourite drill and why?

I personally like the “presetting the wrist drill” – I like the feeling of just turning my shoulders to completion and the club is set on plain and on line.  It feels a solid position before I start my down swing.

Who is your favourite player and why?

I have a lot of respect for Phil Mickelson. I enjoy watching him play aggressive golf but I also like the way he conducts himself on and off the course. You can see why he is very popular all around the world.

Who would be your ideal fourball and why?

Dream fourball – Phil Mickelson and I take on Tiger and Rory.  That wouldn’t be a bad match to play in.

Which is the best Course you have played and why?

I really enjoy the Majlis course at the Emirates in Dubai.  It’s a real tough test of the backs with lightening quick greens. Every hole is different to the next. The location being surrounded by skyscrapers adds to the unique feeling you can only get from being in Dubai.

What is the best and worst experience you have had in golf?

Worst experience – being stuck out on Rockwood golf course when this storm came in.  How to this day we weren’t hit I have no idea?  The fork lightning was hitting the ground only a few metres away!

Best Experience – For fulfilling my dream to become a teaching professional.

Why did you become a Teaching Professional?

I love the game of golf. I am also a student of the game. I realized several years ago that I had a good understanding of the golf swing and I was able to communicate with people with a simple to understand approach. To earn a living from doing something I love gives me a reason to jump out of bed every morning.

What is the best tip you could give a junior golfer? 

Best tip for junior – expect some bad days and enjoy the good days.

What’s in the bag?

I have a deal with Benross Golf to use and sell their clubs.  In my bag I have:

Benross RIP Driver 10oC Aldila’s lightweight RIP PHENOM stiff
Benross RIP 3 Wood 15oC Aldila’s lightweight RIP PHENOM stiff
Benross RIP Speed Hybrid 20oC Aldila’s lightweight RIP PHENOM stiff
4 – PW Hot Speed Irons R300 shafts (Very forgiving clubs)
52oC, 56oC & 60oC Lazer milled ZIP IT wedges – Old model
Benross Putter – MOI Baccarat
Titleist PROV1 balls

If any EGTF Pro is out their selling golf equipment, I strongly advise you to book an appointment with the Benross Rep.  The new product range look great and play great but most importantly they have 36% sales margin on the RRP.

Feedback from our Members – CPD Days, Darenth Valley GC, Kent 10 – 11 September 2012

EGTF Master Professional Paul Daykin, a long time member of the EGTF, had this to say about the recent CPD Seminar:

I first met Bill Abbott on my diploma course at Oliva Nova GC in Spain in 2005 where he was the lead instructor and to be perfectly frank I initially greeted a lot of his methodology with sceptism.  Prior to the course I had been a County Player, a Club Champion in 4 different decades and scratch golfer for nearly 30 years… so what the hell was all this mirror-image teaching about ? 

However after a couple of days of the course I realised how little I really knew about teaching the game and from that point I became a convert to Bill’s approach to coaching golf.  His methods are supported by an incredible knowledge not only the game of golf but also as to how to deliver professional coaching.  I have been fortunate to have enjoyed many more days in Bill’s company and took the Masters course within months of the diploma.  I followed the Master’s with a succession of CPD courses with the most recent being at Bill’s Teaching Academy at Darenth Valley GC in Kent , on Monday 10th September 2012.

The Putting Biomechanics course was, as with all Bill’s courses, extremely well researched and presented and contained a lot of the very latest information. For me personally the day was particularly useful as it offered an insight into the most up to date putting technology and a variety of practical teaching applications.  The ‘slo-mo’ analysis and classroom feedback was again fascinating and provided an in-depth look at not only my own putting stroke but the opportunity to analyse others.  Bill even managed to find time over lunch to re-grip and re-weight two putters I had brought along with a couple of new-style grips and the modified putters have created a renewed interest in putting from my pupils and visitors to the Open Day at my home club this weekend.

So what do you get from a CPD course with Bill Abbott ? Great information in an easy-to-understand format with thorough attention to detail, presented with a keen sense of humour and a totally professional approach and with the additional bonus of an insight into the latest technology in the area the course addresses.

In simplest terms there is a quote about teaching that can sum up my personal experience of Bill’s CPD days and his approach to teaching golf:

” A great teacher is the one who suggests rather than dictates and inspires his pupil with the wish to teach himself” 

That is exactly what Bill does, so if you get a chance to attend one of his courses you owe it to yourself as a ‘teaching professional’ to learn from the best.

EGTF Professional Mike Graf, a new EGTF member this year, also attended the two CPD Seminars and had this to say about the days:

Having done the Diploma course in July I recently completed 2 consecutive days with Bill on “Putting Biomechanics” &” Video Analysis Cause & Effect Teaching”.

They were excellent days not only because it was still fresh for me but more importantly it offered a dramatic insight into my own game and the power of video analysis as a coach.   Both days I was with much more experienced people who already use these techniques both in golf and in other sports. I’m certain though they were equally impressed by what Bill offered us.  Without doubt these development days at whatever stage you are at enhance your capability as a player and coach.  There is always something new to learn and or create that “lightbulb” moment.

On top of all that, great value for money but don’t all rush at once as I did enjoy the almost one to one opportunity! I was just surprised not to find more of you there.

The CPD days are for the benefit of the EGTF members and I will be putting on more days next year to help people gain a better knowledge in coaching techniques for themselves and their students.

EGTF Masters Course

6 – 11 August 2012

It was a pleasure to have EGTF Professionals Jeff Hatton and Robert Mummery on the recent Masters Course at Darenth Valley GC in Shoreham, Kent. 

Some excellent work was conducted by both members during the week which made for a great learning environment.  Good playing standards, coupled with good teaching standards makes my job as an instructor very pleasant indeed.   Both Jeff and Robert achieved high marks in passing and I wish them both well in the future.  Armed with more knowledge and a better understanding of the important topics, you can only be a better coach.

L – R: Jeff Hatton, Bill Abbott, Robert Mummery

There are still places available for the Masters Course at Oliva Nova Resort, Spain from 26 November – 1 December 2012

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