Words from the Education Wing—Working for Golf
By Glenn Cundari
Technical Director, PGA of Canada
I’m writing this blog sitting on my hotel bed—the same bed I experienced my first earthquake just a few days earlier—in Lima, Peru. I'm here working on behalf of the R&A and PGAs of Europe in the Working for Golf program, supporting coaches and the Peru Golf Federation in its development.
One of the objectives of this week’s blog is to tell the story of the most inspiring golf course I’ve ever visited. San Bartolo Golf Course, just outside Lima, has left me with more of a lasting impression than Amen corner at Augusta, the Road Hole at St. Andrews and the 18th at Pebble Beach.
I’m told the van full of kids will be arriving shortly. Along a very dusty dirt road (Lima receives about 12mm of rain each year) rumbles a white van. It pulls up to near where we are standing and my first thought is “how do the hinges of this van door that transports the kids from the local community not fall off?”
The kids are pumped to be here and explode out of the van.
As they say hello to their coaches, find their stations and organize their equipment, each junior—without being prompted—walks over to me, shakes my hand and welcomes me to their course. Have they been told the foreigner is here and be sure to be polite? Nope, other visitors too are getting the same treatment as me.
San Bartolo is my first experience at a sand course with oil greens. Only the practice green has grass. By North American standards, this community and golf course would be labeled as impoverished.
However, there is a real sense of joy here. These kids are having genuine, meaningful, long lasting fun. They are also working hard on their games.
As some of these photographs depict, there are many teaching aids and nearly every one is handmade. Children rotate between putting, chipping, pitching, full swinging, skipping, striking, throwing and kicking—it’s Long Term Player Development (LTPD) in action. I would send my own children to this program in a heartbeat.
Personally, one of my highlights of this course visit was the privilege of being asked to help present this month’s prize packages to the hardest working juniors. What made this prize presentation different than all the others is the juniors receive a basket of groceries to support their families. At that moment I had difficulty processing the experience—and I'm still not sure I have processed it yet. Simply put, I have never experienced golf like this.
After speaking through a translator to head coach Luis, I'm not sure he realizes what a quality program he is leading. I congratulate him and feel the need to have my picture with a true golf leader.
**Words from the Education Wing is a weekly blog written by different staff members from the PGA of Canada’s National Education Department**
Technical Director, PGA of Canada
I’m writing this blog sitting on my hotel bed—the same bed I experienced my first earthquake just a few days earlier—in Lima, Peru. I'm here working on behalf of the R&A and PGAs of Europe in the Working for Golf program, supporting coaches and the Peru Golf Federation in its development.
One of the objectives of this week’s blog is to tell the story of the most inspiring golf course I’ve ever visited. San Bartolo Golf Course, just outside Lima, has left me with more of a lasting impression than Amen corner at Augusta, the Road Hole at St. Andrews and the 18th at Pebble Beach.I’m told the van full of kids will be arriving shortly. Along a very dusty dirt road (Lima receives about 12mm of rain each year) rumbles a white van. It pulls up to near where we are standing and my first thought is “how do the hinges of this van door that transports the kids from the local community not fall off?”
The kids are pumped to be here and explode out of the van.
As they say hello to their coaches, find their stations and organize their equipment, each junior—without being prompted—walks over to me, shakes my hand and welcomes me to their course. Have they been told the foreigner is here and be sure to be polite? Nope, other visitors too are getting the same treatment as me.
San Bartolo is my first experience at a sand course with oil greens. Only the practice green has grass. By North American standards, this community and golf course would be labeled as impoverished.
However, there is a real sense of joy here. These kids are having genuine, meaningful, long lasting fun. They are also working hard on their games.
As some of these photographs depict, there are many teaching aids and nearly every one is handmade. Children rotate between putting, chipping, pitching, full swinging, skipping, striking, throwing and kicking—it’s Long Term Player Development (LTPD) in action. I would send my own children to this program in a heartbeat.
Personally, one of my highlights of this course visit was the privilege of being asked to help present this month’s prize packages to the hardest working juniors. What made this prize presentation different than all the others is the juniors receive a basket of groceries to support their families. At that moment I had difficulty processing the experience—and I'm still not sure I have processed it yet. Simply put, I have never experienced golf like this.
After speaking through a translator to head coach Luis, I'm not sure he realizes what a quality program he is leading. I congratulate him and feel the need to have my picture with a true golf leader.
**Words from the Education Wing is a weekly blog written by different staff members from the PGA of Canada’s National Education Department**