PGA PROFESSIONALS’ BEST PRACTICES:
COACHING
THIS IS ONE OF THE FIVE AWARD-WINNING COACHING BEST PRACTICES
Develop a Holistic Approach to Golf Coaching
Monday, January 9, 2023
Shawn Koch, the 2019 Georgia PGA Section Professional Development Award winner, the 2016 Section Teacher & Coach of the Year, the 2016 Georgia PGA Section North Chapter Professional of the Year, a two-time Chapter Teacher & Coach of the Year and a GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, is the PGA Director of Instruction at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
Shawn Koch on the importance of developing a holistic approach to golf coaching:
My coaching philosophy prioritizes five essential elements for improvement – mind, body, club, ball and play. I consider them to be my students’ “vital signs” that must be checked on a regular basis. First, let’s consider the mind. For a student to reach his or her untapped potential they need the correct mindset and focus. Second, the body plays a role in a student’s success. Effortless power comes with correct balance and an understanding of your body’s motion during the swing. Third, the club is an important factor to consider. The club is what ultimately advances the ball from point A to point B. Therefore, ensuring students are using equipment that suits them is crucial. Fourth, the golf ball shouldn’t be overlooked. Students should be aware of why the ball does what it does, and thus an understanding of the ball flight laws is essen- tial. Finally, playing the game of golf well, or at least enjoying the game is the goal. To play golf in the fewest strokes possible requires course strategy and the ability to combine the other four elements. Knowing when to prioritize each of the five elements during a lesson with students is part of the art of coach- ing. Depending on the player, I may only have to check-in on their “vital signs”, while with some golfers, certain “vital signs” may become the focus of our lesson. Regardless of what the case may be, I make a concentrated effort to touch on each of the five elements during each session. I consider this to be a holistic approach to golf coaching. From the coach’s perspective, it means that golf is more than just technique and swing positions. For the indi- vidual, they realize that the aim of the game is to shoot a score, not to have the prettiest backswing.
Shawn Koch on the business impact of developing a holistic approach to golf coaching:
One of the benefits I’ve noticed from adopting a holistic approach to coaching is that I have very few cancellations. Players know that regardless of the weather or external circumstances, there is always at least one of the five elements of their game that can be worked on together. By exposing them to a more holistic approach to golf development, they view me as providing more than just technical golf instruction. Perhaps they feel happy with how they are striking the ball, but they can’t recover well after a round or weren’t able to have a consistent pre-shot routine. These are all elements that are covered within my holistic approach to coaching. By educating students on the various aspects that contribute to their golf game, they have more reasons to sched- ule a session with me, thus increasing my lesson revenue.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email stk@aac1.org.
Editor’s note: The above comments reflect the opinion and experiences of the submitting PGA Professional at the time of initial publishing and are not endorsed by PGA Magazine or the PGA of America. Individual PGA Profession- als submit their own Best Practices that they have experienced success with via their own businesses and / or places of employment.
