The Difference Between Coach and Instructor

For as long as there have been PGA Professionals, the terms “coach” and “instructor” has been mostly interchangeable. But, as they say; Times, They Are a-Changin’.

PGA of Canada professional Louis Melanson of the Louis Melanson Golf Academy in Moncton, says the difference between a golf coach and golf instructor is actually pretty cut and dry.

“Teaching or instruction is more technical, like a specialized skill set,” he says. “Coaching on the other hand, you oversee the entire development of a player rather than just a small part.”

And as PGA of Canada President (and the Association’s Lead Learning Facilitator) Glenn Cundari points out, teachers or instructors work with golfers, where as coaches work with performance athletes.

In 2009, the PGA launched a Coach of Developing Competitors (CDC) education pilot as part of the Teaching and Coaching Certification Program (TCCP). Melanson was one of 19 PGA Professionals who took part in the pilot that was aimed directly those who wanted develop his or her skills as a golf coach, not purely a golf instructor.

“We’re defining a significant difference between instruction and coaching,” says PGA Professional and Director of Sport Development for the Golf Association of Ontario, Mike Kelly. “It’s obvious given the history of the sport that you could have a pretty good career being an instructor. But, to have a career in coaching is a pretty new concept.”

Kelly points out that in Ontario, a number of Junior Development Centres have taken off in part thanks to TCCP-trained coaches. He says a nation-wide pilot in 2012 will see Junior Development Centres springing up across the country come next summer.

In early 2012, the PGA will host its first CDC workshop open to all PGA of Canada Members who are working through the coaching stream.

Running from Jan 31-Feb. 5 at PGA Centre for Golf Learning and Performance at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla., members will have a chance to learn from five facilitators—Dr. Greg Wells, Dr. Penny Werthner, Henry Brunton, Derek Ingram and Glenn Cundari—in a worksop that involves a mix of classroom and on-course learning.

Melanson, who has been a PGA Class “A” Professional for more than a decade, says the opportunity to learn from a group of facilitators with such a strong sport science background, was one of the highlights of the workshop he attended in 2009.

“The information was awesome,” Melanson emphasizes. “We (the pilot group) got to listen to different experts in their fields so that was really key for me.”

At the CDC workshops, participants will see a focus on four main learning objectives: Developing Athletic Abilities; Analyze Technical and Tactical Performance; Performance Planning; and Planning a Practice.

In the weeks and months after taking part in the workshop, Melanson one of the provincial coaches in New Brunswick says he’s seen the benefits in the way in which he conducts his business of coaching.

“The workshop has really made my job as a coach a lot easier. I’m more of a planner now than I ever was before, so I’m not just doing things the by the seat of my pants,” he says. “And it looks a lot better too when you’re working with parents they go, ‘oh hey, look at how organized he is.’”

CDC training also aligns with coaches working with athletes in the “Train to Play “ and “Learn to Compete,” as well as the “Train to Compete” stages of the Long Term Player Development Guide for Golf in Canada, Cundari says.

Coaches working with provincial and national teams should take note that certification and training in CDC is required for coaching at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Quebec as part of the National Coaching Certification Program conducted by the Coaching Association of Canada. Furthermore, national coaches at the 2015 Pan-Am Games and the 2016 Olympic Games will be required to have gone through the training as well.

Members who are interested in participating in the once-a-year- workshop should register by Jan. 12, 2012.

For more information, visit the Programs page and Teaching and Coaching page at pgaofcanada.com, or email education@pgaofcanada.com