The PGAs of Europe Teaching & Coaching Conference (TCC) was first held in Milan in 1991, initiated by Donato di Ponziano who, at the time was head of the new Training Standards Committee. From the beginning, the conference was intended to be a regular event, preferably biennial, staged at different locations throughout Europe in order to stimulate continuous development and fresh ideas.
It was Leif Ohlsson, chairman of the PGAs of Europe Education Committee and former leading lecturer at Sweden’s famous Boson Institute in Stockholm, who used the phrase ‘the ladder that never ends’ in relation to education.
The TCC is an important rung on that ladder. It has previously been staged in Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain and Germany. When staged in Munich in 2005 it attracted more than 1,000 PGA pros from over 30 countries.
On behalf of the PGA of Sweden Mikael Sorling, managing director PGA of Sweden and Johan Hampf, the head of education, said, “We at the PGA of Sweden are proud to host the 2007 PGAs of Europe Teaching and Coaching Conference in the year of our 75th anniversary when 1,000 PGA Professionals from all over the world will meet, develop themselves and exchange experiences.
“It will be the biggest Teaching and Coaching summit ever held in Swedish sporting history…offering the chance to listen to some of the best golf presenters in the world.
“The topic of this year’s conference is ‘Aiming to Simplify’. Anyone who has tried it knows that golf is a complex game. But is it too complicated? Many people give up golf because it is either too time consuming, or just too difficult. So the questions are:
• Do we need to simplify the game in order to keep existing golfers ‘on course’ and attract new ones? If so, how?
• Are the courses too difficult? Is our teaching too complex?
• Do we introduce golf in a correct and attractive way to different age groups?
• In what way do we look upon the PGA Professional?
The TCC will provide an excellent platform for professional colleagues to come together to discuss these important issues and much more, to share best practices and strengthen the integrity of the sport.
We look forward to seeing you in Malmö in October, and wish all participants an exciting and instructive three days! “
Register on line: www.pgasweden.com/tcc
The specialist speakers in an international programme are:
Helen Alfredsson
The 2007 Solheim Cup Captain, will give delegates a run down on the big event on the ladies’ schedule when she makes her presentation in Malmö on October 11-13.
In addition to her Solheim Cup reflections, Helen will discuss what sound coaching has meant to her during her career, all the way from early junior stage on Gullbringa Golf Club just outside Gothenburg to the very highest level.
Now aged 42, she plays primarily on the U.S-based LPGA Tour and is also a life member of the Ladies European Tour.
She began her professional career on the LET where she was rookie of the year in 1989. A year later came her first professional victory, in the Women’s British Open. She won twice on the LET in 1991 and also recorded victories on the ALPG and Japanese tours.
Since 1992 she has won five LPGA Tour events, including one LPGA major, the 1993 Nabisco Dinah Shore. Alfredsson has continued to play in a limited number of events in Europe, recording eleven victories. She finished top of the European money list in 1998.
Jamil Qureshi
Expert psychologist chosen by European Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam to help motivate his brilliantly successful 2006 team at the K Club.
One of the foremost practitioners of performance-enhancing psychology, hypnotherapy and Neural Linguistic Programming, Qureshi has also been hugely successful outside of golf.
By focussing on working to their strengths, rather than dwelling on their weaknesses, he has enabled captains of industry to achieve their potential professionally, and personally. This has brought him high powered business clients in many parts of the world.
He also appears on TV shows to help people overcome their phobias with outstanding results. “Over the years I’ve studied and worked with many psychological techniques. Mindshaping is a product of my studies, an amalgam of what I’ve found gets the best results in business, sport and life”, he explained.
Chuck Hogan
Chuck Hogan’s client list includes such names as Ray Floyd, Johnny Miller, Peter Jacobsen, John Cook, Duffy Waldorf and many more among the hundred or so professionals with whom he has worked on the leading American tours.
Also, he is considered to be one of the foremost authorities in the golf instruction industry having written several books, and produced videos and audio tape programmes along with award-winning packages such as Nice Shot! and The Player’s Course.
Regarded by his peers as the “Teacher’s Teacher”, he has created the LPGA’s revolutionary teaching handbook and programme, and works as a consultant for the PGAs of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as collegiate champions like UCLA and Arizona State University.
Chuck became a professional golf instructor in 1969 after graduating from college (Bachelor of Science, Education) and spent more than thirty years researching golf learning and performance.
Kjell Enhanger
The Swedish sports psychologist Kjell Enhager is a former tournament player who has been a professional golf instructor since 1977. He has written several best-selling books on the mental side of the game and developed the highly successful coaching model of the Swedish national golf team.
For eight years he worked with Nick Faldo and he is described as ‘one of Sweden’s best-loved speakers on the subject of personal and professional development’. Not only an interesting and skilled speaker, Kjell is also an enthusiastic entertainer, so you can be sure to have a few good laughs along with his expertise.
Lynn Marriott & Pia Nilsson
The US-based pairing are among the world’s leading coaches with far too many accolades to their name to list here, though Pia is remembered in PGAs of Europe circles as a 5-Star Professional award winner in 2004.
As co-founders of Vision54 the two talented ladies have established a concept and web site that provides valuable aid to golfers of all levels, especially those with the ‘vision’ to believe they can shoot ‘54’… an ambition upon which the title is based.
The innovative duo received the No.1 ranking in Golf Magazines “Top 25 Golf Schools in the USA” while former Solheim Cup Captain, Pia, who has worked extensively with Annika Sörenstam, was been head coach for the Swedish National Team from 1990-1999.
Lynn has been named as one of the Golf Digest 50 Greatest teachers and was Director of Education at Arizona State University Golf Course from 1993-1999 and LPGA Director of Teacher Training 1988-9. In 1992 she was LPGA Teacher of the Year.
Famous Swede, Pia, was Solheim Cup Captain in 1998 having been a LPGA Tour player from 1983-87 and, also, she earned the King of Sweden’s medal of the 8th dimension with a royal blue ribbon for leadership in sport.
Dr. Greg Rose & Dave Phillips
Two experts provide an in-depth look at ‘The Five Most Important Body-Swing Connections’ and how the body influences the golf swing.
Greg is a Doctor of Chiropractic with an undergraduate degree in Engineering from the University of Maryland who specialises in 3-D biomechanics, strength and conditioning, manual therapy, rehabilitation, nutritional supplementation and therapeutic exercises as they relate to golf.
Over the past nine years he has helped over 500 professional golfers and 3,000 amateurs reach their peak performance through physical conditioning and nutritional support.
He is the co-founder of the new Titleist Performance Institute, where he and Dave Phillips have developed the ultimate golf learning experience, combining the best in swing analysis, physical fitness, and equipment fitting all in one facility.
Dave Phillips is a Class A and faculty member of the PGA of America and has devoted the past sixteen years to becoming a world-class instructor. His vast experience includes working with David Leadbetter, Hal Sutton, Tom Kite, Peter Jacobsen, Brad Faxon and many more.
Born in England and raised in Africa and Australia, Dave has had the unique experience of playing competitively all over the world. He has been featured many times on The Golf Channel and in a variety of Golf and Sports publications.
Tom Wishon
The 32-year veteran of the golf equipment industry specialises in clubhead design, shaft performance analysis, and clubfitting research and development.
He claims to be the only designer from the custom clubmaking side of the golf industry whose clubhead designs have been used to win on the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and in Ryder Cup competition.
Tom has also been responsible for more than 50 different clubhead design technology ‘firsts’ in his career in the golf equipment industry having written seven books on clubmaking, shaft and clubfitting technology.
He serves as the Technical Advisor to the PGA of America’s web site, www.pga.com
His recent book, The Search for the Perfect Golf Club is a best-seller in the US and was selected as the 2006 Book of the Year by the International Network of Golf while his follow up book, The Search for the Perfect Driver, was published recently.
Tom currently heads his own company, Tom Wishon Golf Technology, which specialises in the design of original, high-end custom golf equipment and clubfitting research for independent custom clubmakers worldwide.
Alan Hocknell
Dr. Alan Hocknell is a crash dynamics engineer, who earlier in his career studied the impact of collisions on moving vehicles and their occupants. Today, Hocknell is Callaway’s vice president for innovation and advanced design.
Peter Mattsson
Peter Mattsson is the Director of Coaching for the English Golf Union, having previously been Head Coach for all of the Swedish Golf Federation teams (1998-2005) involving amateurs as well as professionals.
He is also currently enrolled in doctoral studies at the University of à–rebro in Sweden where his research involves performance and optimising practice in golf. Peter became a professional golfer in 1990 and studied physical education with a special emphasis on golf at the Stockholm University College of Physical Education and Sports (1991-1994).
After college, he spent two years working with the Swedish Golf School in Spain, before returning to Sweden to coach the Swedish Boys team that reached the final of the European Boys Team Championship in 1996.
He has since coached numerous teams at European and World Amateur Championships as well as the professional World Cup. Coauthor of Golf: Steps to Success with Paul Schempp, he has also published a number of golf books in Swedish.
Register on line: www.pgasweden.com/tcc