Overview - Certification Course

Our goals are two fold;

• to ensure that you enjoy yourself and
• to ensure that you learn the fundamentals of teaching

To become certified, candidates attend a 7-day certification course and must successfully compete the following criteria during the week in attendance:

• Verbal Teaching Test
• Written Rules Test
• Playing Ability Test

The Playing Ability Test is based on the following criteria:

• Men: 2 rounds combined score 166 or less.
• Senior Division: Age 50 - 59: 2 rounds combined score 168 or less.
• Age 60 - 69: 2 rounds combined score 172 or less.
• Age 70 +: 2 rounds combined score 176 or less.
• Ladies: 2 rounds combined scores 170 or less.
• Senior Division: Age 50 - 59: 2 rounds combined score 172 or less.
• Age 60 +: 2 rounds combined score 176 or less.

You are taught how to teach every aspect of the game and are made to feel comfortable with the testing scenario.

To us, it is important that you enjoy yourself and you are taught the mechanics of the golf swing in a simplified , easy to understand manner.

Every area of the game will be comprehensively covered so that each student will be made to feel comfortable in both written and teaching situations.

• Ball Flight Laws
• Theory and practical
• Playing ability test
• Written rules test (Rulebook is issued to you and permitted during test. (Rules in brief))
• Detection and correction of swing errors.
• Ball-flight-specific errors; Set-up-specific errors; Swing-specific errors.
• Teaching the golf swing. Full swing and short game.
• Psychology of learning and teaching.
• Video Teaching and Analysis.
• Club fitting
• Faults and Cures
• Practical Teaching Tests (Based on the application of teaching methods, detection and correction of swing errors.)
• Specialised Teaching (Juniors, Seniors, Ladies, Advanced, Intermediate, Beginners, Group and Multiple teaching)
• Code of Conduct for the Teaching Professional
• Safety
• Teaching Positions
• Training Aids
• Swing Drills
• Principles of Teaching

On completion of the course, successful candidates will be awarded a Qualified Teachers Certificate and Teaching Professional Membership Card, which will cover membership of the AGTF for one year and is recognised worldwide.

Student Qualifications

Certificate courses are open to Amateur or Professional golfers, male or female from the age of 18 who have the potential and ambition to teach golf.

Rules of Amateur Status

According to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews we bring to your notice as members of the AGTF with regard to Amateur status:

It is not a breach of the rules of Amateur Status to attend a Certificate Training Course to be trained to teach golf.

Furthermore, membership of the AGTF is not contrary to the rules of amateur status.

However an Amateur golfer would be in breach of Rule 2 - 5 of the rules of Amateur status and thereby cause forfeiture of his/her Amateur status if the member was to receive compensation or payment for giving instruction in playing golf.

Exceptions

Golf instruction may be given by the employee of an educational institution or system, to students of the institution or system, and by camp counsellors to those in their charge, providing that their total time devoted to instruction during a year comprises less than 50% of the time spent during the year in the performance of all duties as such an employee or counsellor.