By Phil Sykes, PGA Professional.
As a child, I always dreamed of becoming a professional footballer but found out all too early that I wasn’t going to be good enough to make the grade but I was saved and by accident I came across another sport…………..golf!!
Once trying my first few shots I instantly became hooked and found it the most frustrating AND rewarding sport I had ever tried!!!!
At 17 I left home to train and take my qualifications to become a Professional Golfer.
Playing in local tournaments was great fun and being around a golf club and golf shop introduced me to so many people from all different walks of life and offered a career with so many opportunities.
I started the coaching side of the profession with the juniors at my first club and found quickly that the whole coaching experience was very rewarding and challenging at the same time.
On qualifying, I was under the impression that I knew everything there was to know about how to teach the game until I took my first move overseas. How wrong I was !!!!!!
I quickly learnt that I needed to know far more about the golf mechanics and the whole “learning to coach” process. The fact that I had qualified as a Professional Golfer only meant that I had been able to remove my “L” plates!!!!
Fast forward to now 32 years later I am still enjoying coaching and using all the experiences and knowledge gained to help players enjoy and develop their games further.
Over these years I have always embraced technology and made efforts to continually learn both through my association and with my peers.
I also remember very early on an ex PGA captain once telling me that “The day you stop learning is the day you stop” !!!!!
With this always in mind, I work to deliver educational, entertaining and thought-provoking sessions to either individuals or groups and aim to try and learn one new thing for myself every day.
