Being a golf instructor

Hi all,

Had a bad day at work and suddenly a wild idea of being a golf instructor just came to my mind.

I'm curious, how does one be a golf instructor and what are the pros and cons of being one?

haha if u become 1 do let everyone of us know!

believe u need coaching license to be qualified

If I do choose to become one I will let u know! =)

But I was looking through GR forums but there were no posts on how does one become a coach in Singapore.

Just want to also understand the difficulties in being one as well.

Bro Blurnana,stick to ur job and stop dreaming...

Haha. Frankly, I don't quite like my job as much as before. Need a new job!

Need to past a pro test with Singapore professional golf associaltion . you got to shot 14 over or less for two round


Link of last month pro test entry :http://www.sinpga.org/July%202012_PRO_test__Entry_Form,.pdf

Thanks Cyp_PGA. I guess in order to teach, you need to show that you can do it as well. Was reading some sites in US and England, it seems that courses and diplomas are required.

You also must have patient, if not vomit blood.

I actually like to teach, but not to a big group cos I do have stage frights.

CYP has the pro_test part covered. But just because you can play to 14 over par for two rounds does not mean that you can give a golf lesson. Conversely, just because you cannot play great golf does not mean you cannot teach.

I feel there are several ways to become a good teacher.

1. Read as many golf instruction books, manuals, and theories on the golf swing you can. The better educated you are on the different methodologies of the swing, the more well rounded you can be and then you can focus on what you feel is the best method to teach. Once you have found a method you like, learn it and become an expert in it. Then learn how to teach it.

2. Go to a golf academy or teaching certification program to get some credentials. Whether it is PGA or some golf instruction school, or something of the sort, you can learn how to give a golf lesson and some methodology by which you can market yourself.

3. Find someone who is a good teacher and learn how to teach as an apprentice under them. Learning how to give great lessons is different than just knowing the golf swing. There is an art that great teachers understand and can execute.

4. Know that it is your passion and what you love and want to do. I was in golf for 15 years and have given over 1000 lessons and I lost the passion for it. It is a hard road and only a select few are truly good at it, even fewer make it a lifelong career.

5. Speak to other instructors and find out what they did to get to where they are today. Hopefully they will share with you the path they went down to get to their spot. It should give you an indication as to what it will take to get there.

6. Pros: Being around golf, meeting new people, helping people get better, set your own schedule (when you become a senior instructor), decent pay with experience.

7. Cons: Long hours, watching swing faults and poor shots all day can become poisonous to your own swing and game, unsatisfied customers, pay can be low to start, sometimes people don't listen to what you tell them.

All in all it is a great lifestyle and I can think of many less desirable ways to make a living. I loved when I did it and still help out from time to time. But I found a different path for me, one that led me away from the game. There are others who have the passion and read instruction manuals like they are economic thesis papers, learning what it takes to become better and doing it day in and out. If you are one of those people who wants to make a difference in peoples's games and loves golf and teaching with a passion, then I say go for it. If you are just looking to change careers because you had a crappy week at work, I would say you will wash out in a short period of time and you should look elsewhere. The golf industry already has enough overpaid under-qualified people, look at it with both eyes open and only do it if you have the passion for it.

Thanks for sharing your own personal experience. There are apparently a lot of schools and academy in Singapore, but all is for teaching golf, not teaching how to coach golf. Such schools are overseas and I doubt lessons will be cheap. It would just like doing an overseas degree.

Isn't it an irony that people always look for doing things they have passion for, but yet doing it over a long makes one lose their passion for it?

As for me, I knew that desk bound job isn't for me but to bring in the dough. Just that I want to try something now that at least I look back, I won't regret ( or probably regret more!). That was why I wanted to understand more from you guys since many have the experience to share.

blurnana wrote:

Hi all,

Had a bad day at work and suddenly a wild idea of being a golf instructor just came to my mind.

I'm curious, how does one be a golf instructor and what are the pros and cons of being one?

hahaha - we've all had those moments bro. either become a pro, instructor, caddie to a pro or simply just quit and golf for life. but then i woke up from my dreams and got back to work so that i can enjoy my weekend golf. haiz. i think sometimes just going to the range with a driver does help to unleash work frustrations.

I dun think u need any passing of tests to be a golf's pro in SG.

All u need to do is to rent a bay at a driving range and do marketing for students.

The passing of the pro's test is only to boost yr credentials and give confidence to yr clients that they are learning from a better player who knows how to play well.

Correct me if i'm wrong

I know some of the instructor only hold USGTF & nothing else..

davecsh wrote:

I dun think u need any passing of tests to be a golf's pro in SG.

All u need to do is to rent a bay at a driving range and do marketing for students.

The passing of the pro's test is only to boost yr credentials and give confidence to yr clients that they are learning from a better player who knows how to play well.

Correct me if i'm wrong

Hi Dave,

I think you are confusing teaching golf and being a recognized Professional Golfer.

Anybody can rent a bay and teach golf, it is up to his/her potential students to determine if he or she is a good teacher. Caveat Emptor.

Being a recognized Professional Golfer, i.e., a member of a PGA (Professional Golfer's Association), be it in Singapore, Malaysia, US or any other country, is another matter completely. The entry, qualification and progression requirements may differ from country to country, but all of them are run as Professional Organisations, albeit some more so than others.

Credit where credit is due please. A Golf Pro of any PGA has done his/her time and gone through the grind to earn what they have, it is extremely unfair to be making sweeping statements about their qualifications.

But perhaps our definitions of what constitutes a Professional Golfer are different.

Hi Derek,

I agreed with u.

I'm referring to Teaching Pro (not Touring Pro).

I recently played with a teaching pro whose game looked more like that of a 10 handicap than a pro..one line I remember him saying 'do as I say, not as I do'. So I guess if he's still in business, it goes to show that you do not necessarily need to be able to play that well to teach (although you would definitely need a certain level of competence to demonstrate what you're trying to teach otherwise I doubt your students will remain confident in you for long)

NUMBER 1 : Patience .
Number 2 : Must have different ways of teacher and ask if the teaching suit the students .
number 3 : Practice As much as possible and make sure your student dun laugh at you and think that you are a bad teacher .
number 4 : Make sure you are earning enough to make a living !!
i think tats all ouh wait also make sure lesson is fun !!! Good Luck Hope You Can Become a Very Good Teacher !

Hi guys

It's been interesting reading this topic and I'd very much like to contribute. I myself have flirted with 'trying to make it tour' to taking a backseat, opting for a more pragmatic role in golf, as the realists might argue.

Teaching this wonderful game requires not just the knowledge off the training manual but also the charisma to portray your teaching method as attractive and most importantly applicable. This is very much different from being a tour player as his priority would revolve around 'what works for me' rather than what concept could I create that would be feasible for another to digest.

I'd have to agree that being a competent player is a necesscity ( as what the SPGA pro test suggests) but the 'Golf Professional' journey should be a holistic experience, preparing you not only to play your best but equip you with skills ( club fitting, agronomy, club management
, golf biomechanics and so forth)

I've been fortunate enough to be given the most fantastic opportunity at Laguna National. I may not be able to disclose certain details but it is an exciting prospect to be working in an environment where I feel will be beneficial to my golfing education. Though there is not a school that teaches you how to teach in Singapore ( not a reputable one that I know of) I do think many of my fellow professionals have taken the initiative to learn and upgrade themselves. The Singapore PGA has coaching seminars for members to attend and I do hope that they continue to organise more of such, hopefully on a more frequent basis in the future.

Being a golf instructor is definitely an intrguing career path and I'm glad to say that I'm one of those who does enjoy his work very much!