As a Reno native, I am fortunate to have worked in the area three times during my career. I’ve also enjoyed working in the Pacific Northwest, Port St. Lucie, Florida and Austin, Texas. My third stint in Reno commenced about 15 months ago when I accepted the PGA of America Director of Golf role at The Club at ArrowCreek, a 36-hole private facility that offers an array of stellar amenities paired with innovative programming, including a state-of-the-art fitness center.
As a former General Manager and Director of Operations, I have spent many hours in recent years considering the programming that not only touches our golfers, but our members in their health and wellness goals, both on and off the course. One of my previous facilities even had a 17,000 sq. ft. gym with over 40 classes per week facilitated by more than 20 trainers. My role in fitness, and golf instruction as a whole, has been much more in line with program development and hiring, training and managing instructors, as well as building and/or redeveloping on-site fitness facilities.
That said, I have always kept my thumb on the pulse of golf fitness and worked with Gray Institute as early as 2010, getting certified as a Golf Movement Specialist in the NG360 Functional Performance System. This connection with Dr. Gary Gray and Dr. David Tiberio made pursuing the GFAA-Gray Institute 3D Functional Movement Coach and 3D Functional Golf Coach Certification courses a no-brainer, as I understand the importance of the program to the industry and more intimately, to my members.
The GFAA-Gray Institute 3D Functional Movement Coach and 3D Functional Golf Coach Certification Program is superior to any other fitness or movement course I’ve taken before. It’s easy to understand for the PGA of America Golf Professional and easy to apply. They’ve done a great job of taking the ultra-complex and making it simple to understand for the coach and player. From a coaching perspective, the beauty of the program is that it’s very scalable and can be applied to elite competitive players who are looking to maximize their mobility and stability, as well as older players who’ve played for many years and may be slowing down due to age or various injuries or physical limitations. This makes the program suitable for all golf coaches and instructors, regardless of the demographic of their student base.
Now, nearly three decades removed from graduating from the PGM Program at New Mexico State University, it’s amazing to see how far the fitness aspect of player development has come. Had this information been available at those early stages of my career, I could have had that much more of an impact on my students over the years. And that’s something we can do now, thanks to innovators in the industry like Dr. Gray and Dr. Tiberio.
It’s important to understand how the body works so we can get the most out of each different and diverse individual based on his or her abilities versus prescribing a pre-determined cookie-cutter swing methodology. This tool teaches us how to assess somebody’s physical abilities and their ability to move while maintaining their stability. Having these tools as a coach has allowed for the relationships that are forged between coach and player to extend beyond the lesson tee. Teaching players how their bodies move and how to improve their range of motion and stability through functional movement training improves their ability to move better on and off the course.
I’m blown away by this program and think every PGA of America Golf Professional should have this education under his or her belt. Without it, their ability to maximize their student’s abilities will be limited. The GFAA-Gray Institute’s 3D Functional Movement Coach and 3D Functional Golf Coach Certification Program is truly a roadmap for learning how to take each individual we coach and assess their abilities, as well as be able to provide specific movement coaching to enhance and improve their mobility and stability. One of the greatest byproducts of this type of training is that our students improve their abilities in all things they do, not just golf.
Michael Sizemore, the 2003 Northern California PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for Resort Facilities and Guinness World Record Holder for most holes played in 24 hours by a foursome (243), is a Quarter Century PGA Member and the PGA of America Director of Golf at The Club at ArrowCreek in Reno, Nevada.