Record numbers respond in coaching survey

• Record number of PGA Members participated

• Opportunities for growth in coaching identified

• Range of coaching offered to meet individual needs

• Coaches increasingly understanding needs of different types of golfer

• Majority of coaches doing more than in previous 12 months

A record number of PGA Members took part in the PGA’s 2015 golf coaching survey which was run over a four week period before Christmas.

More than 950 qualified pros plus 120 assistants and 282 volunteer coaches filled in the questionnaire which aimed to provide a comprehensive picture of the golfing landscape in England and Ireland.

Key questions answered yielded information on how much coaching is taking place and who is being coached.

The data will be fed into the PGA’s training programmes as well as inform the type of continuous professional development to offer.

Among the findings were that coaching remains widespread among members - virtually all those who responded are doing some coaching ranging from full-time coaches delivering in excess of 41 hours, down to club professionals doing one to five hours a week.

Findings indicate there is also spare capacity to coach with respondents stating they could deliver more and in so doing boost their income further.

The type of coaching offered is wide ranging to suit the individual wants and needs of different types of golfer. 

The survey also yielded valuable insight into market understanding.

Comparing these results to the recent work on golfers’ behaviours and attitudes to golf coaching, highlights that coaches are increasingly understanding the needs of different types of golfer and offering them a product which suits them.

The findings also back up reasons to be positive about the coaching picture. Coaches report that for most of them, they undertook more coaching in the last 12 months, only 19 per cent reported undertaking less.

With the link between coaching and retention in golf (for more please see the Ian James webinar here), it’s positive to see more coaching delivery in 2015 than in 2014.

Warwick Andrews, director of Logic Edge which carried out the survey, said: “The quality of information gained from this year's coaching survey is very encouraging for the future.

“It’s a positive picture. With increasing amounts of coaching being delivered, a greater understanding of golfers’ needs and an enthusiasm to know and deliver more, coaching offers a viable solution to growing the game.

“The more the PGA understands about what coaching is being delivered, to which customers and by what methods, the more they can tailor their support and design a CPD programme that meets its members' needs and those of the volunteer coaches.”

Jonathan Wright, The PGA’s coach education manager for England, added: “It was fantastic that so many coaches responded to the coaching audit; the information and insight we gain from this work is extremely valuable and means we have an up to date picture of the deployment and working patterns of members.

“Members can be assured that the feedback they have given us in terms of their ongoing equation will be fed into basic training and CPD offers."

Jussi Pitkanen, Ireland’s PGA coach education and development manager, added: “The PGA coaching audit results give the coaching team a great foundation for developing the CPD and coach development offering over the next 18-24 months on a local basis, as a response to what coaches have told us regarding their coaching.

“It also gives us great topics for individual discussions with coaches regarding their deployment."