Golf development boosted by PGA involvement

For golf to grow as a sport of choice among all South Africans, young players from disadvantaged areas need to receive quality coaching. The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) has recognised this and is working together with the SA Golf Development Board (SAGDB) to improve the skill levels of all the coaches in the development programme.

For 2008, the two bodies are working together on a mentorship programme which sees PGA coaches holding monthly sessions with development coaches to share their knowledge. Top coaches such as Jamie Gough, Vaughn Tucker and Ben Fouchee will be helping the SAGDB coaches with practical coaching suggestions and advice.

“SAGDB coaches are responsible for taking the game to children at schools in previously disadvantaged areas,” explains the PGA’s director of education and SAGDB board member, Dennis Bruyns. “In order to make the game sustainable for these children, they need to be taught correctly. Therefore it is important that the PGA gives all the support and encouragement it can to the SAGDB coaches so that they can become more skilled.”

The first mentoring session in the Western Province region took place in the middle of March. The SAGDB’s six coaches in the region met for an hour with PGA professional Wayne Bradley.

Bradley took time to discuss some finer points of coaching and emphasised the importance of ensuring that children in the SAGDB’s programme receive the correct equipment. He also used computer software to illustrate comparisons with different swings.

By offering development coaches this level of assistance, the SAGDB believes that the standard of coaching throughout the country will improve. It’s important that the learners in the SAGDB programme receive technically correct instruction, and this initiative will go a long way to ensuring the coaches have the required expertise to do that.

“The coaches were all looking forward to this opportunity and they weren’t disappointed,” said the SAGDB’s regional manager Michael Bredenkamp after the session. “All the coaches were very positive afterwards, since they feel that this practical coaching will only help to strengthen their own coaching abilities.”

PGA coach Wayne Bradley (right) with SAGDB coaches