To learn more about how PGA of America Golf Professionals are benefiting from meshing different disciplines in their businesses, PGA Magazine talked with PGA Coaches who are combining approaches in their careers and at their facilities. What follows are examples of advantages for coaches and their players to a holistic approach to golf performance.
In a coaching career that dates back to the early 1990s, PGA of America Golf Professional Cheryl Anderson has made having a team of trusted experts part of her approach to teaching the game. From working with PGA of America Coach Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson early in her career to her last decade-plus coaching with 2009 PGA of America Teacher & Coach of the Year Mike Bender at his Florida academy, Anderson has built a network she can rely upon to give her students the best possible experience.
“Everyone should have a trusted network of experts in different subject matters because we’re not just swing instructors, and we haven’t been for a long time,” says Anderson, a two-time LPGA National Teacher of the Year and three-time PGA Section Teacher & Coach of the Year.
“Don’t be overwhelmed and think you need to know everything, or you need to buy every tool yourself. You want to find your team and your experts so you can learn from them, and so you have someone to talk with when you get stuck.”
Anderson has also become an expert herself in a number of coaching areas through multiple certifications across swing mechanics and the mental game. One of her more recent certifications is through Mental Golf Type, which uses personality assessments to help coaches see the learning style that will best suit a student.
“It’s all about creating an environment that someone is comfortable with so they can learn more easily,” says Anderson, who teaches nearly 2,000 lessons annually.
“Take coming up with a practice plan. Some players like structure and need a detailed plan for what they’re going to practice every day. Meanwhile, other people will cringe at that and just like to go with the flow, so I’ll give them a priority list and say, ‘Do it however you want, just do it all by Friday.’ Through these personality assessments, I’m able to figure out what best fits them.”
The Mental Golf Type assessments have also helped Anderson explain her strategies to the parents of her junior students, which benefits her and her clients.
“A lot of parents don’t realize that their kids have different learning styles than they do, and that creates tension in the family,” Anderson says. “I can really help with that and give them the perspective to see the learning process in a different way.”
Anderson came upon the idea of making personality assessments part of her coaching approach by looking back at students she had lost along the way.
“My personal approach really evolved as a result of taking a hard look at the students I lost,” Anderson explains. “I realized that I like to learn and teach in a very step-by-step way, but that doesn’t fit everybody. So, I’ve learned how to understand the person in front of me and how their brain works, and sometimes soften what I want to do to reach different thinkers.
“That leads to an approach that shifts with each student for their benefit, and for mine. Technology, training aids, fitness, stats, they’re all important parts of learning and getting better, but you have to understand what students want – not everybody wants to be scratch, or even a 10-handicap. When you understand your student’s goals and personality, you can really create a great environment for them that keeps them coming back.”
