Swing Coaches and their Qualifications

This is something I was discussing last night over a bite to eat and a pint with a friend and my brother.

Now the usual route for becoming a teacher is as we all know, obtain a handicap of 4, register with the PGA, do your PAT and then complete the various stages of the PGA diploma course en route to becoming a fully fledged PGA pro. Thus then being fully qualified to teach us mere mortals. This is the fully recognised way that those that wish to pursue the career path take.

What if there was another way to become a swing coach/golf instructor?

Well it seems there is...

Now I'm not talking about doing the PGA degree course at Birmingham Uni, but in fact talking about the European Golf Teachers Federation! Yeah I'd never heard of it until last nights discussion either.

This apparently has been going since the 90's and is a totally different way to become a swing coach, club fitter and has none of the time constraints the PGA diploma course does! Nor from what I can make out the requirement to be off a handicap of 4 or less!

Sound strange? I thought so to!

My friend has/had been stuck at a 6 handicap (5.5exact) for more years than I can remember and had various lessons with various pro's but still handicap didn't budge. Said he came across one of these guys at Darent Valley GC back in January, and since his handicap has finally broke through and is sitting at 4.7 and feels like he can get better! According to him they way they explained the lessons and swing changes were more in-depth yet more understandable and not prompting for a complete rebuild as many pro's do.

Since this he has said he has a real bug to take his own knowledge and take the EGTF diploma course, so much so he's already signed up to do it at Darent Valley.

In all honesty seems a bit strange to me, but if it gets results for people then great, but does this take away from the PGA course, and does it signal a change to the way people get into golf coaching and mean less Assistant Pro's?

Would you be happy learning from someone who was say a 10handicapper at time they took the course? I guess not all good players make good coaches etc!

Below is the link for the EGTF, the one I found interesting was course content section and what is entailed, the not I don't get is though how can you become a swing coach in a WEEK! Yes the course is just one week long!

My other point is how do these coaches get a client base or a job at a teaching establishment!
http://www.egtf.co.uk

The 1st club fitter I went to see about 4-years ago was brilliant. I went to get fitted, but all the time i was on his machine we we were chatting, and he prompted me to try this or try and do that. The results were immediate and effective. Over the years we chat over the phone or I nip down for a reshaft etc, and we talk golf as you do. He actually does swing coaching and in a way thats more relaxed and easy to grasp, with great success too. It's just something he picked up along the way whilst learning the dark arts of being a top club fitter understanding shaft torsion, kick points, bounce, spin, trajectory etc, etc, etc. He's only an 18 handicapper and doesn't get the time he would like to play and not even bothered about getting it lower as he loves what he does.

My latest fitter is Nick Hibbs who was a bit special in golf as an amatuer but knew he had no chance to make it big on the circuit. He went into the fitting side with the top OEM's and recently left the Adams tour van after building clubs for many of todays top players. He knows a thing or 2 as well, so I think there is a place for good teachers, who haven't gone through the usual route. There are some people who are natural teachers in all walks of life, but don't have recognised qualifications, after all there are plenty of teachers in schools who are garbage, but follow a set down cariculam and don't get results.

Pete Cowan I belive got into it in a very unorthadox route, as did Butch Harmon