Issue link: http://pgaofcanada.uberflip.com/i/182277
LEARNING TO COACH The PGA of Canada with Golf Canada have restructured their coach education and certification initiatives to recognize the importance of the coach's active participation in the learning process – learning is self-directed by coaches actively seeking new knowledge and the resolution of personal coaching issues. their journey to certification. Therefore, coach development should be viewed in terms of a lifelong process, recognizing that coach education is simply a stop along an individual's journey to becoming a coach – likely beginning well before coaches enter the PGA of Canada's coaching stream. tors, great amateurs and champions on the world's professional stage. Coaches must continue to critically look at the traits of and competencies of successful coaches, regardless of the sport or field. It is competence that will, to a large degree, predict their success and the success of their athletes. There is a well-told story of a traveller in the Scottish Highlands who asks a local person for directions to Edinburgh. The reply was, "Well if I was travelling to Edinburgh, I would not start from here!" Similar to the traveller, the development of coaches requires the overlay of practical experience along with formal education. All coaches will enter the Competition Stream at different points along Similar to the Australian system for coach development, the PGA of Canada has adopted a competency-based education model in efforts to enhance coaching competencies (i.e., what coaches can do) according to the context within which they work, rather than relying on what they should know. Supporting future and current coaches must be a priority if we are going to develop healthy young competi- Strength and Conditioning Coach to numerous National Hockey League players, Peter Twist may have put it best when it comes to coach development in stating, "We have to be confident about our knowledge, but very humble about it. With new information we're just clamouring for the next day to improve things. I'm very comfortable changing what I say, changing how I coach." Competition Stream. abilities; tournament planning; managing relationships; supporting athletes at, competitions; working with other support staff; and reporting on athlete progress. The PGA of Canada is the only PGA in the world to have clearly distinguished the difference between the competencies of an instructor and a coach. Instructors in the Instruction stream are PGA of Canada members with participants usually experiencing golf for the first time through a series of lessons. The Intermediate and Advanced golfers contexts phase into specialized Instructors who are specifically there to assist golfers in gaining enhanced skills and in some cases cross over to the Coaches in the Coach Stream often have previous coaching experience and are PGA of Canada members. They tend to work with athletes over the long term to improve performance, often in preparation for club, regional, provincial, national, and international competitions. The focus of coaches typically involves analyzing multiple performance factors; periodized planning; developing athletic Athletes in the New Competitor Stream are new to golf from a competition perspective. Developing Competitors are those competing at higher levels of competition such as provinicial championships. High Performers are those playing at national and international level championships. 5