# I wanna be a teaching pro



## andwhysee (Jan 5, 2010)

I am 37 and have played golf regularly for 2 years. My score is about 90 with about 15 handicap. I only had 2 hrs of lessons from a friend who plays better golf. I wanna go to one of these places in FL or somewhere to get a teaching certificate. Am I too old for this? Of course I will take lessons too. I am bilingal and can attract golf learner who speak my native language.
Any advice will be appreciated.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

HI and welcome to the site I'm not sure on the golf school as I'm from Australia but have you truyed googling it? you can normally find what you are after that way. Good luck with it all. One thing I could think of is that you might need to get your handicap down a little, although I'd love to play with a 15 handicap. But though the school to become a pro I'm sure you'd learn alot and your score would fall.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I don't think you are ever too old to do something new. One of my son's friends in college was a 70 year old man who decided to get a proper education in dairy science when he expanded his family farm to a size that required some modern equipment and techniques to get the job done.

The simple thing would be to speak with one of the local pros in your area. Tell him what you want to do, but first, talk honestly about where your game is now. Ask how to improve it to the point that you can teach, which often requires the ability to demonstrate what you are trying to teach someone else. It's easy to get a lot of knowledge between our ears, but I would expect my teaching pro to be able to show me what he wants me to do. No offense, but you need to improve quite a bit beyond being a 90's shooter to set an example for your students.

As for those golf schools we see on television, my understanding is that they are quite effective for learning all you need to know to run a shop, do club repairs, take care of business and analyze student's swing problems. Keiser University runs a very good school in Port St. Lucie, Florida.


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## Up North (Jul 3, 2008)

Never too old to do anything. I'm a 44yr. old college student, and yeah I have been to a couple of the parties. Until I saw what went on at the last one...got out of there as soon as I could.

Seriously, if it's something you really want to do and can make a decent living at it then go for it. Good luck with the decision.

And we can certainly help with the education part of it, between Surtees, Broken Tee, and myself, I'm sure we've noted a lot things NOT to do. I know I'll never tee off with a putter again...that gets expensive and not a lot of results.

Buck


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## andwhysee (Jan 5, 2010)

*Thanks..*

Of course I need to take more lessons, practice more and improve my game before I become a golf teacher.
I am thinking about doing freelance teaching through craigslist or similar websites. I can also target people who speak my first language too.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Good luck with it all and if you need any pointers like Buck said we can tell you what not to do. I wish you all the best. How much is a lesson in the big USA anyway?


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## andwhysee (Jan 5, 2010)

well the cheapest deal i got was like $40 for 45 minutes or buy five 45 minutes lessons for like $500 OR SOMETHING


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

It similar pricing over here to I mean with regards to the $40 for 45 min gee if I was paying $500 I'd be expecting to get at least 10 1 hour lessons......


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## tony12 (Mar 24, 2010)

very interesting forum thread i just loved to read it twice


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

Becoming a teaching golf pro is a good thing at any age. Attending one of the various golfing schools available would get your own game in order well enough to have credibility as a teaching pro. I know if I went to a teaching pro, his/her's game would have to be equal to, or better than mine. Those schools also teach other subject matter besides swing mechanics. They teach how to run the various phases of a golf course. Most course instructors I know are also part of the course's management team.

I think that an aspiring teaching pro would do well to adopt the "KISS" method of instruction, as in "Keep It Simple Stupid". If the student, and the instructor have difficulty staying on the same page during the learning process, the instructor will eventually run out of students. One thing to remember is the golf swing learning process is never ending for both the student, and the instructor. I am also a proponent of the instructor including the different causes, and effects of the various ball flights. On course information on errant ball flights causes will save the golfer many strokes during that particular round. I would also suggest the instructor include at least a little tuition on some of the basic rules, and etiquette of golf. Of course I also don't believe a lot of students would want the extra instruction that had little to do with the actual swing, and the possibility of 300 yard drives. I don't think the instructor should imply there is, or that they know what the secret of the golf swing is......There is no such secret. (JMHO) Those instructors who use the word "secret" in their advertisement, or teaching process are just playing with the pocket books of the ill informed. IMO the only part of the golf swing of any importance is properly applying the club face to the back of the ball for a consistently controlled ball flight. How the club face gets to that proper impact position is going to be different from player to player, but is the only thing in common most good golfers share.

Although I am not an instructor of the golf swing, I have taught some of my own family members how to play well enough as to not embarrass themselves on the golf course. I am in the minority, but I believe the best way to learn the game, and swing is from the green, backwards to the tee box. My reasoning is that while learning to use the longer, harder to hit clubs, the golfer has already acquired a stroke saving short game to help offset the errant ball flights we all hit with the longer clubs. Also, while learning to swing the shorter clubs, the golfer is building a better understanding on swinging the longer clubs. 

Just some of my thoughts on golf swing instruction.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Sounds like very wise advice.


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

Something else I would like to add about teaching pros. More times than I want to count, I have had teaching pros bring their students right out to the driving range, next to everyone else who are hitting balls. That in itself is not a problem. The problem is the pro talking at the top of his lungs so that everyone can here him. This is not a good thing. It's tough for us range rats to focus on something when someone else is jabbering up a storm with in hearing distance. Besides, I think most students, paying hard earned money, would prefer private lessons when ever possible.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

FrogsHair said:


> I am in the minority, but I believe the best way to learn the game, and swing is from the green, backwards to the tee box. My reasoning is that while learning to use the longer, harder to hit clubs, the golfer has already acquired a stroke saving short game to help offset the errant ball flights we all hit with the longer clubs. Also, while learning to swing the shorter clubs, the golfer is building a better understanding on swinging the longer clubs.


In this you are following the teachings of Harvey Penick. He started any raw beginner with the putter and worked outward. It could be a long time before he allowed a student of his to use a driver. He was also a proponent of spending 90% of your range time with just a 7I. 

Another recommendation on this same theme... When a student is ready to try the course for the first time, make it a short course. Either go to a par 3 course, or start each hole from the 150 yard area and play in from there. Again, that's just in keeping with working on the scoring end of the game before moving on the longer and harder to play clubs. 

It may not feed the ego in the same way as banging the driver, but it is more satisfying in the long run when a student discovers the joy of scoring well. It's important for him to feel that once he gets into that 150 yard range, he has the confidence to get the ball in the hole with a minimum number of strokes.


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