Bringing uniformity to golf's coaching system

Singapore

THOSE who want a golf coach or trainer can either head to any golf club or range, or visit a private academy and hire someone for an hour-long session at rates that vary from S$900 to S$1,300 for a package of 10 lessons.

Depending on where you go, the problem that some face is the big gap in the abilities and skills of the coaches, for they come from very different backgrounds.

Some coaches, schooled in their own ability as playing professionals and banking on sheer experience, have been teaching for more than 20 years and are set in their ways, showing little need for enhancement.

There are others who have gained a quick teaching certificate from Thailand, after becoming professionals by registering two 75-and-below scores in the qualifying test.

Another group who are mainly foreigners, many armed with coaching certificates from their respective countries and hired directly by individual clubs, ply their trade even without being members of the local professional body, the Singapore Professional Golfers' Association (SPGA).

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To bring about some uniformity and harmony in the coaching system, the Singapore Golf Association (SGA), Sport Singapore, and the SPGA are organising a fully integrated course from December 14-17 at the Sembawang Country Club.

Safe management measures will be in place for the 50 attendees and there are also plans to conduct future sessions.

The three bodies are calling on SPGA members to attend the coach education journey, titled SG-Coach Level 1 Golf Coaching (Full Integration), after which they will be given the opportunity to get registered with the National Registry of Coaches (NROC).

Principles, values of golf; sports science; techniques

The fees will be borne by the SGA. The course will be conducted by national coach Matt Ballard, an Australian who played professionally for 14 years before transitioning into high-performance coaching at the Queensland Academy of Sport. It will be facilitaed by SGA general manager Jerome Ng, a professional himself.

Among the topics are principles and values of golf, sports science and the technical aspects of the game.

The course is mainly done indoors with the occasional range sessions. Along with Mr Ng, local professionals Justin Han, Marc Kawasoe and Chang Ren Chiat will help when the course attendees break into small discussion groups.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, the SGA is also planning to recruit and train a local caddie corps on the basics of golf rules, etiquette and education on putting-line reads.

When international events resume and are held in Singapore again in the future, this group can be deployed to carry the bags for professionals who might be unable to travel with their regular caddies.

This is one area that has been neglected over the years since caddies gradually became a dying breed when many golf clubs switched to enforced buggy usage.