Find a golf pro… it’s easy. As we say in the golf business… “There are more teachers than players”. But seriously, if you’re in the market for a golf lesson, finding a golf pro takes very little time if you look in the right places. Most golf pros can be found, of course, (no pun intended) at a golf course. To find a golf course or golf learning center, look them up on the web through your favorite search engine. Just type in “Golf courses in… ” or “Golf lessons in …” with the metropolitan area you live in.
Now finding a golf pro that’s right for you, well, that might take a little more effort. Just because they have the “pro” title, doesn’t necessarily make them a competent teacher. Some important considerations are:
- The length of time the pro’s been teaching.
- How often do they teach. Do they teach full time or do they have other duties such as running the pro shop or tournaments.
- What associations are they members of and are they a member or an apprentice of that association.
- Does the pro use video technology?
- Days and hours that they teach.
- Do they offer on the course playing lessons, short game or putting lessons.
Having been at Torrey Pines for twenty years, one of the most popular questions I get is “Do you teach beginners?” My answer of course is “absolutely”. Other questions are “Do you teach junior, ladies, seniors, the handicapped?” Just because a teaching pro has more experience than another doesn’t mean they only teach the more experienced player. The teaching pro who teaches full time or has more experience has observed more swings than the less experienced or part time instructor. The advantage of an experienced pro is they can frequently reveal the flaw sooner and establish a quicker remedy to the fault at hand. Again, it doesn’t mean they only teach the better player.
Generally, most golf pros better qualified to provide lessons are members of the PGA which stands for the Professional Golfers Association. They become PGA members only after they complete an apprenticeship. The apprenticeship takes about five to six years to complete which includes passing a playing ability test and numerous subject matters from specific business issues to teaching. That’s not to say apprentices or non-members of the PGA are not competent at teaching. There are golf instructors, coaches, club fitters, etc., that are very competent at teaching. They’re just harder to find. Being a member of the PGA or having credentials at least gives the golfer looking for lessons a bench mark to start with.
