“Just who was your golf trainer? Was he/she a qualified teacher? Has this impacted on your game?”

Let me start by stating, golf is evolving from a game of leisure to an athletic sport and as people start to play golf more competitively and put greater expectations on improvement, teachers are under increasing pressure to help players achieve their goals. In Kenya, we have tremendous golf talent. Just as schools hire trained and certified teachers and follow a formal teaching structure to provide the best education to their students, golf is no different.

We have a shortage of certified golf teaching professionals and as such some of the playing professionals are filling this void. Playing and teaching golf are two very different skills, excelling in one does not necessarily mean that the individual is proficient in the other.

The success of a playing professional is measured through his or her personal golfing ability and as such they dedicate many hours of practice to improve their own game. Compare this to a teaching professional, whose success is directly measured through the performance of his or her students. This directly reflects on the quality of instruction the student has received from their instructor. The teaching professional’s focus is directed towards learning, developing and experimenting with new techniques that will eventually be translated to the student through clear and concise instruction. Furthermore, it is imperative that the teaching professional understands each individual student’s body abilities so as to minimize any risk of injury to the student.

Golf being such an individual sport, it is important for both the golfer and the teacher to understand that there is no one-fix-for-all solution. We all swing, think and play differently and have different golfing goals. Through a formal teaching and certification program, a good golf teaching professional is able to follow a structured teaching philosophy focusing on sound methodologies and at the same time adapt this structured teaching to each golfer, focusing on each student’s own abilities. This is key to any golfer’s improvement.

For golfers of both genders, all ages and skill levels, instruction from certified golf teaching professionals can provide a more positive golf learning experience leading to faster improvements. Teaching professionals are trained to focus on, and promote, the following to help their students achieve their goals:
1. Clear & Concise Instruction. Penetrating instruction through sound explanation of the changes being                                                                        made to the student’s swing should leave no question in the student’s mind                                                                    about what they are learning.
2. Proper Practice. Once the student is crystal clear about the changes, deliberate and focused training is                                               required to adopt these changes. Teaching instructors reinforce lessons with a practice                                             plan. Drills and targets are set for the student to develop a specific technique.

The Kenya Golf Teachers Federation (K.G.T.F.) Golf Teaching Certification Program is based on the teaching philosophy of the World Golf Teachers Federation (W.G.T.F.) and follows the international standard of golf certification set by the organization. The certification program focuses on teaching and explaining techniques used to correctly develop the fundamentals, identify and fix swing flaws and analyse ball flight and relating that back to the student. Furthermore, the program introduces golf teaching professionals to new technology such as video analysis, golf swing analysis, etc. which is imperative to develop players to more competitive levels.

For every golfer, instruction from a golf teaching professional will help you improve faster, play more comfortably and consistently whilst reducing the risk of injury. To ensure that you, as an individual, get the best golf instruction possible, prior to starting lessons, discuss the teaching program with the instructor and consider his or her qualifications.

Anokh Jai
Total Golf Solutionz
+254 736 03550
President, Kenya Golf Teachers Federation
United States Teachers Federation Level IV Master Teaching Professional