PGA Year One - UK Edition - Assignments

Following the first year of the PGA I will give you a brief overview of the 2014/2015 assignments to give you an idea of what to expect.

1. Club Fitting

This assignment is a simple one really. The idea is to do a complete fit on a regular golfer. This includes creating a fitting form and then listing a systematic approach to the fitting process. Following the completion of the assignment you are to include the club specifications (Loft, Lie and Length) of the recommended clubs.

2. Sales Skills

Generally this assignment was met coldly by other assistants and as a pointless 'filler' assignment.

The assignment required the assistants to look at two sales attempts in the work environment, one that failed and one that was successful. Following reviewing what you did well and poorly you could make recommendations such as trying to up-sell.

3. Golf Retail

This assignment request Assistants to conduct a Mystery Shop on a larger golf store

and then to compare against your own pro shop. Following this, again we make two recommendations. This was felt like another 'filler' assignment by most with no real purpose.

4. Golf Coaching

This is an assignment that actually felt like it merited being a Professional Golf Assignment. This assignment presented three golf shots with data provided by Trackman, maybe the PGA is waking up to the 21st century...

The task was to identify the ball flights as fade, draw, pull hook etc, and then to detail the impact factors that caused the shots. This is essential whilst coaching so really there is no excuse for failing this if coaching is what you enjoy. 

It also requested that we compare what a change of grip to the golfer may cause to happen. All in all a good meaty assignment.

5. Sports Science

This assignment appears to be a pain BUT out of all assignments this was the assignment I learnt the most from.

The assignment had Assistants research the rates that juniors grow and develop looking into things such as Peak Height Velocity and different Athlete development models. It was interesting to compare that people of the same age may have different biological ages therefore you may teach two 12 year old children differently.

6. Other Stuff

Aside from assignments there are things such as knowledge tests that you must complete before you attend the fun filled residential week at the Belfry. One of which was a 4 man sports science presentation on fundamental movement skills.