men·tor
noun
1.a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
2.an influential senior sponsor or supporter
I spoke to the large group of insurance business people the other day on the topic of personal development. My speech closed with a quote from one of my favorite people, Mr. Zig Ziglar.It states “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. Today, I was talking to a hungry, young driven golf professional that was seeking my advice on how to become a great teacher. First off I was flattered, second of all I was mindful to give him advice that I wish I would have gotten when I was new in the business. Gathering and sharing information and experience is something that i have enjoyed doing when I felt like I had something to offer someone who could improve their knowledge or outlook on the coaching business. So before I tell you what I told the young man, I posed this question on twitter. The pool of outstanding coaches that I have on my twitter feed is something that I can’t put a price on and will never take for granted. Tonight I was the student and they were the mentors and just set back let the magic of social media run its course. My friends did not disappoint as they never do. The question was,” In 140 characters or less, what advise would you give a young coach?” So here is a culmination of the answers that they came up with. So new coaches, take note and pay attention: I will use their twitter handles so you can follow.
JohnGrahamGolfJohn Graham
AMGolfMindCoachAndy Morrison
ParkytheProMartin Park
IanPeekGolfIan Peek
Sara_PGASara Dickson, PGA
benclaytongolf1ben clayton
@golfgurutv: Coaches. If you had to give a new, young teacher on piece of advice, what would it be. Learn not from a book #mentor”
@golfgurutv #mentor I’m still young;) so I can only speak from my experience so far. Lust for new info & be genuinely interested in people!!
DonalScottDonal Scott
alasdairwattalasdair watt
@golfgurutv Read everything,watch everything,Watch @ range @PGA events. Visit the best instructors. Then formulate what is best. #mentor
IanPeekGolfIan Peek
@golfgurutv #mentor part II ;look at the traits of successful people,gather info from the coaching world o/side golf,write down what u learn
BrentDavisGolfBrent Davis
@golfgurutv watch, study, read about & talk to as many different coaches as possible. Take what works and develop your own ideas #mentor
rcampbellgolfRobert Campbell
@golfgurutv Go see as many top teachers as u can, take lesson or observe them teaching for a day. #mentor
TimCookeGolfTim Cooke
@golfgurutv read, watch, find people to teach! Must help people to develop coaching skill (not just talk about it!) #mentor
@golfgurutv keep asking why #mentor
@golfgurutv great question. Aspiring coaches must pursue knowledge outside of conventional sources/subjects. Gr8 coaching requires cont…
@golfgurutv …knowledge in all facets that influence performance. Seek knowledge to differentiate from the masses. #mentor
@golfgurutv My advice: Don’t latch onto others 2 reach your goals. It’s not who U know, its the hard work U do that creates success
dancarrahergolfDaniel Carraher
CMcCormickGolfCameron McCormick
CMcCormickGolfCameron McCormick
jgpaUSAA. S. Graham III
In my opinion, the great coaches always have a student mentality and are willing to share with others their experiences and knowledge because they understand the big picture. The problem with the golf business is that we don’t want to share best practices because we are afraid or insecure in our future. We think that if we assist others that they will take our piece of the pie. Let me give you a secret, the pie is very big and we havent even bitten off a nibble. There are so many golfers who are afraid of taking lessons because of all of the bad golf lesson experiences that continue to be given because of coaches who aren’t prepared to guide the student in the right direction. IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. It is us, the ones who are the caretakers of the game who need to make it our mission to reach out and share in order to improve the over all quality of the golf instruction business. Okay, Okay, I will get off of my soapbox and get to what my advice was to a young up and coming coach. It has all been said but this is what i think:
1. Find an experienced coach to guide you in the right direction (mentor)
2. Learn why the ball does what it does (D Plane)
3. develop your people skills first and then learn to teach. I see so many that have the info but cant communicate it to the average golfer
4. develop a servant attitude toward your students and learn to build relationships
5. If your student doesn’t get better, it should bother you. Figure it out! Ask for help and don’t be too proud
6.Teach as much as you can (even if it for free) to sharpen your eye. Nothing can replace experience on the lesson tee.
7. Learn all the different theories, methods..do your research and develop your way
8. Get around as many great teachers as possible and don’t be afraid to ask why?
9. get out of the box and learn from coaches in other sports and how they apply to golf
10. Stay humble and stay Nervous!
BTW: Twitter was on fire today. If you are not using twitter, then what are you waiting for…..the info is there!
Please share with any of the buttons at the bottom and your comments are always welcome!
See you on the lesson tee at Carmel,
Guru
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Excellent. Thanks for putting this together & sharing, Jason. And thanks to everyone who participated. You all are mentoring.
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Well Done Guru.
A must read for level 1 PGA teaching class.
JG
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thanks my friend
Jason
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Indeed, keep this topic at the forefront of golf teaching. Let people know the facts, the good and bad, the benefits, and the consequences. You have an outstanding network of pros and amateurs. We need to work together to grow this game! Thanks, Jeff P.
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Ok GURU,
Here you go
Don’t let your education get in the way of learning
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Thank you for posting this Guru. I really appreciated your thoughtfulness and willingness to share your knowledge. I also appreciated you enlisting the help of your friends. All of these comments are excellent and I am happy to have the feedback
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