The game of golf is booming like never before, and the good times can keep rolling if PGA of America Golf Professionals use coaching to keep new players in the game.
That was the message of a Thursday presentation on the PGA Industry Stage powered by CapTech hosted by PGA of America President Don Rea and PGA of America Golf Coach Will Robins titled “The Value of a PGA Coach.” Rea, a PGA Master Professional himself, discussed how the industry needs coaches to maintain the surge of enthusiasm for the game.
“We have more people coming into the game than ever, but we need to keep them in the game after that initial experience,” Rea said. “We can’t have a leaky bucket, where players come into the game only to leave. PGA of America Coaches are the people who can show them how to enjoy the game and stay with it, whether they want to play competitively or just get out and enjoy time outside with their friends and family.”
The profession of coaching is also changing, with demand for coaching and instruction programming at high levels. Robins explained how the PGA Modern Coach approach can help professionals do more business and enjoy their jobs more. The initiative, part of the PGA Coach program, uses techniques like the American Development Model (ADM) to help players learn with enjoyable, on-course, data-driven experiences.
“You can get out from behind the counter and make more money, change the lives of your students and still spend more time with your family,” Robins said. “It’s less about swing technique and training for a lot of players and more about getting them out on the golf course and connecting them with other people. If you can get people playing more and playing for longer, you’re going to change their lives and your own.”