Building for the future

The PGA is looking to establish a regionalised network of equipment technology workshops which assistant professionals can use to bolster their club making skills.

With a shortage of workshops in some facilities, it’s hoped the idea will catch on and help assistants get valuable experience and help them through their assessments.

Simon Hubbard, the PGA’s training executive for golf development, said the network would operate on a voluntary basis with assistant professionals expected to provide their own materials.

“Part of an Assistant Professional’s training involves them learning and practicing the art of club building in preparation for an assessment,” explained Hubbard, who is a PGA Fellow Professional.

“This requires the student to build a club to required specifications, to swing weight and loft and lie it.  We are extremely proud that this is one of the jobs which sets us apart from other PGA’s and maintains our status as the leading training programme in the world.”

“One requirement for an employing PGA Professional is to provide the facilities required to learn these skills or to allow the assistant to use the facilities of another venue.”

“We place the emphasis on the assistant contacting local PGA Pros who have this facility and who are willing to let them practice there.” 

“I would like to establish a regionalised network where assistants are provided with contact details of willing participants where they can get in touch with a local PGA pro and use their workshop facility to practice at.  There would be no financial remuneration but assistants would be expected to provide the materials – clubs, shafts grips etc and they would have to sign a disclosure while using the facility.”

“The primary reason for setting this up is to provide practice facilities for students who do not get the opportunity at their place of work, but if it is successful I would like to expand it to include assessment refresher courses in areas where we do not have tutors available.”

Any PGA members in a position to offer this facility and would like to get the network up and running please contact  simon.hubbard@pga.org.uk