Michell Crum

Dear Candidate:

Thank you for your inquiry into the world of golf instruction and coaching. Golf instructing is a very rewarding career. I am writing this letter to introduce PGTC of America and myself. My name is Mitchell A. Crum and golf is my love and my life.

I began my journey 19 years ago. I packed all I owned, a few clothes and my clubs in my car and headed for Florida. I knew that I had to somehow find a way to be in the golf business. My dream is, and has been for the past 16 years, to make it to the big dance (PGA tour). It has been a challenging, but rewarding, 16 years. I was very fortunate to have a sister in the business who was working with some great teachers, Harvey Penick, Chuck Cook, Fred Griffin, and Mike Adams, in Austin, Texas.

After about two years of playing various mini-tours and leading the money list for the Mid-West mini-tours, I decided to take a job teaching for a golf school for which my sister had been working. The next 13 years were a great learning experience and I have had a successful career as a full-time golf instructor and part-time player. I have worked for almost every golf school in the country and have traveled to every state to teach or play. I have paid the price, teaching for eight hours a day and then practicing my own game to keep my skills in shape.

Sometimes I think I have slept in every K-Mart parking lot from Florida to California. I have had odd jobs at night when money was tight. But, through thick and thin, I have awakened every morning with a smile on my face because teaching golf has kept my dream alive.

In 1991, I started out on my own and opened the United States Schools of Golf. I am now the president of one of the country's hottest and most personalized golf schools with over 60 locations nationwide. I also have the honor of working with past and present tour players and PGA and LPGA tour winners. Some are on my staff and some are my pupils, but either way, I think we give and take from each other.

Through my years of travel, I have seen the good and the not-so-good in the business. The Professional Golf Teachers and Coaches of America was formed to give people an alternative way to get into the golf business and to provide training for coaches worldwide, hopes of making the journey a little smoother for others. If you want to become a qualified and recognized golf instructor or coach it will take heart, dedication, hard work, and a willingness to be the best. If you will give the PGTC of America all of those things, we will give you the knowledge for success.

I think you are all familiar with the PGA. While the club professional performs a multitude of duties, which are geared toward increasing enjoyment of the game, he/she has become, to a great extent, a businessperson and an administrator. In most cases, their livelihood depends upon operating a profitable golf shop, driving range, golf cart concessions, tournament programs for men, women, and juniors, club storage areas, and lesson programs. Add to that the needs of countless individual members, from junior boys through senior women, and what emerges is a job description incorporating many facets. This organization requires 3-5 years of apprentice work. Our organization devotes its professional efforts to these two areas: (1) Teaching and training all fundamentals and facets of teaching the game of golf, (2) Continuing education, career advancement, and placement for our membership.

If all your questions are not answered on this website, please feel free to call 1 888 4WPGTCA or 843 333 3230 and a staff member will assist you with your needs. All classes are limited to the first 25 applicants, so make plans early to attend a certification class near you. In Golf and in Life, it's the Follow Through That Makes the Difference.

Sincerely,
Mitchell A. Crum