PGA and Professional Golf Instructors

Expert mentoring and golf training aid

Everyone who plays golf desires to shoot a low score, but often they find themselves plateauing, with a handicap that hovers in a certain range for a long period of time.  It is rare for someone to drastically improve his or her game just by playing more often. 

Practicing at a driving range will help, but it’s difficult to self-assess what you are doing right and what you’re doing wrong.  When you decide to improve your game, seriously, you should seek out professional instructors for private golf lessons. Even one lesson can make a difference if you find out your stance or grip is poor.

PGA: Professional golf instructors

The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) has a  membership list of instructors for the game of golf. Before anyone may apply to become professional golf instructors, they must pass an aptitude test.  They spend years studying various aspects of golf, teaching, tournaments, golf course and golf shop management and every aspect of golf ranging.  These golf professionals must also keep up their credentials through ongoing continuing education programs.

Golf professionals on the golf course 

Most golf lessons with a Pro take place, in hour-long sessions, at a golf course or driving range, or they could take place at a pro golf shop that houses a computer swing analyzer.  In addition to one-on-one lessons, many PGA professionals have begun to use video and computer technology to analyse the golfer’s swing.  Many of the professionals have taken advanced training classes to learn the biomechanics of the golf swing.  More than anything else, they can help you with the mental aspects of the game, and give practical advice about you, your swing, your putt, and your mental game and confidence.

Local instructors 

Golf is one of the more lucrative sports in the world for both men and women, but only for a select few. 95% of professional golfers don’t make their main income from competing but from professional teaching. If you can afford their rates to improve your game, book a session with them. If like most people, you live too far away or find them a bit pricey, book in with your local instructer and hire out a video or two from the pros to give you an added incentive to improve.

Selecting professional golf instructors can be done by accessing a list in your local Yellow Pages phone book, or by going online to www.pga.com.  There you can find listings of local instructors that can schedule appointments to help you improve your game. Private golf lessons from a PGA Golf Professional can range in price between $50 and $100 per hour.  However, these costs are generally reduced if the golfer chooses to purchase a package of multiple one-hour lessons over a period of time along with their membership.

Golf Academies

Many people have also started planning vacations around golf academies run by PGA professionals.  These academies are often geared toward a full day of instruction, and often include several rounds of golf with the instructor.  It is prudent to shop carefully and ask questions when selecting golf academies because some are geared toward one-on-one instruction, and some are set up to instruct large groups of golfers at once, and may not come with the personal attention that you may desire.

There is a information about Bobby Eldridge's PurePoint Golf Academies on the PurePoint Academy page.