Back in 2011, we profiled EGTF Master Professional, William McKenzie. This is an update on what he has been doing since then.

Where are you Teaching now?
When I qualified as a Teaching Pro in 2005 I was working as the Manager at Berryhill Driving Range, Peterhead in North East Scotland.  I started teaching, doing a few lessons and steadily built up a client base to keep me busy and worked hard on building my reputation and learning my trade as a golf coach.  I worked at the range until 2013 when I decided to leave and start my own business and started up my own company WLMgolf.  I teach now at Berryhill Driving Range, Myrus Golf Centre in Macduff and Fraserburgh Golf Club.  I now teach 7 days a week dividing my time between the 3 golf facilities.  I also offer an online swing analysis service via my website at WLMgolf.com

Have you completed any additional Courses?
I passed my Diploma course in 2005 and I then completed my Masters Course in 2006.  I have qualified as a Certified Putting Instructor with Eyeline Golf.   I have plans to attend additional courses in 2016 to help increase my knowledge so I can teach other aspects of the game.

Who do you Teach?
I teach a wide variety of golfers from beginners to Tour Professionals, men, ladies, juniors of all ages.  I take great pride in helping all my students improve, from weekend warriors trying to break 100, to County players getting to the standard required to make it on to the team.  To date I have taught more than 30 individual club champions at various clubs in all categories.  One thing I’m proud of was a local ladies club championship quarter final match play.  I was teaching 7 of the 8 players and the eventual winner and runner up.  Also helping a future County player reduce his handicap from 3.1 to +2.1 and helping him to get picked for the first time.

Do you specialise in any areas of the Game?
I  teach all parts of the game from driving through to putting.  I like to work with different players on whichever part of their game needs improving be it driving, helping them find the fairways or long irons to high towering mid irons stopping quickly on the green, to chipping, pitching or improving their bunker play.  As a Putting Instructor, one day I have thoughts to specialise in this but at the moment I enjoy helping with all parts of the game, so will see how it all works out.

What are your biggest changes since 2005?
Without a doubt the biggest changes in the golf industry since I qualified as a Teaching Professional is technology, There is a whole new world of convenience and opportunity for any Teaching Professional to learn from the volume of information available on the Internet.  There is a wide array of launch monitors to provide swing data now, to help diagnose all the key elements in the golf swing.  My only concern as we embrace all the technology available is that the art of teaching is lost in a world of numbers searching for the perfect swing.

What are your plans for the future?
Keep learning, keep enjoying my profession.  I can say the last 10 years as a member of the EGTF have been the best years of my working life.  I still have the enthusiasm of a teenager. I get up every morning looking forward to the day ahead to help all my students / golfers improve their ability to play this great game.  I have always had a thought to  teach in the sunshine as it’s sadly lacking here in Fraserburgh, so if any golf resorts in the sunshine are looking for a good instructor give me a shout.

Willie Mckenzie EGTF Master Teaching Professional – WLMgolf.com

My name is Loretta Christey-Clover, joint owner and director of the Christey-Clover Golf Academy, a limited company which specialises in the tuition of golf at schools. I am also a current final year undergraduate, studying for a BSc (Hons) degree in “Computing and IT with Mathematics” through the Open University.

I have seen first-hand through my years of golf teaching the confidence that pupils can grow by acquiring new skills, with every student bringing something individual that can be nurtured and redirected into productive learning. It is the sense of satisfaction that comes from unearthing or enhancing a student’s potential which makes me relish my job. “Computing and IT with Mathematics” offers challenges that compliment my passionate work ethic and this was a contributing factor when choosing to use my new degree to become a full time teacher. Outside of the degree I continue to develop my golf teaching by studying new techniques emerging from the golf world. Some of my existing clients include Port Regis Prep School, Hazlegrove Prep School, Perrott Hill School, Henstridge Golf Club and Trent Young’s Endowed Primary School.

Prior to the establishment of the Christey-Clover Golf Academy, I worked in industry, with an emphasis on software security and gas analysis throughout Europe, the USA and the UK. I worked predominantly in the roles of Engineering Sales and Marketing, managing and working with teams across the globe and have over 15 years’ experience in these markets.

Clients know me as a highly motivated educator who can always be trusted to find a positive aspect of a student’s ability to build upon. My aim is always to tailor the lessons to the students and offer new approaches and ideas that will inspire continued progression. I believe that learning comes with enjoyment and try to make lessons as engaging as possible. I also believe that sport is vital for the health and wellbeing of students and would encourage all students to take up sport.

I currently teach two programming hobby groups for prep school students in preparation for what I hope will be a future expansion of my teaching career.

I started playing golf aged 7, but I had been around golf since the age of 3 as my father was on the Committee at our club.  I was Junior Captain and played under 21’s for Surrey County Golf Union.  I won three County titles including Surrey Championship at Croham Hurst 36 hole event.  After that win, golf would become my career, but I waited until I had some savings.  I wanted to start abroad and called an Advert in PGA Profile, an Assistant needed in Germany.  I went for an interview and started immediately.  I found it was only Teaching Pro’s they wanted and I would soon be teaching every day from March-October.  So this was when I became a Golf Teacher in 1989-90.

Where do you work?

A Golf Centre in Germany (Dusseldorf area) as Head Coach and also Manager of the Range and Short Course.   A famous German Tennis player owns it and it also has 6 indoor Tennis courts.

Where do you play golf?

I play at Rittergut Birkhof where I also work 2 x per week since 1997.

What is the best thing about being a Teaching Professional?

Helping all kinds of people from all jobs or unemployed, so that golf keeps them occupied and out in the fresh air making good use of their free time.

What is the worst thing about being a Teaching Professional?

The long Winter or leaving family and friends when heading out to Germany for sometimes 10 hard months’ solid teaching, is hard to get used to.

How many lessons do you do in the Summer and the Winter?

No lessons in the Winter but the Summer varies 30+ per week.

What do you consider is the most important lesson you could give someone and why?

Start with good posture.  Learning how to stand correctly will avoid any injuries to the spine, knees and hips.

What is your favourite drill and why?

Simply the goalkeeper drill.  Stand like one for good posture.

Who is your favourite player and why?

Favourite player of modern times is Rory McIlroy because he has a good golf swing and short game.

Who would be your favourite fourball and why?

Ideal 4 ball would be me, Rory McIlroy, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, because of the mixture of all ages and different golf swings to learn off of.

Which is the best course you have played and why?

The Victoria Club in The Algarve for the sun in the Winter and the layout of big lakes and perfect fairways with fast greens.  It also has a very relaxed Club House.

What is your best and worst experience you have had in golf?

The best experience in golf was winning three under 21 Surrey County Championships one after the other.  I also played rounds with the longest hole in one record holder, Peter Lovesey.  I met Tony Jacklin for an hour’s talk one-to-one at San Roque Golf Club in 1990.

The worst experience was playing Winter golf in the UK on muddy, wet and sometimes freezing conditions.

Why did you become a Teaching Professional?

I became a Teaching Professional because I enjoyed it.

What is the best tip you could give a junior golfer?

A junior golfer should always take a lesson or more with an EGTF Teaching Professional, because of the simplified and fun approach to teaching.

What’s in the bag?

I have a contract with Callaway that keeps me up to date with their irons and woods.