COACH KIRSTY FIRST PGA PRO

TO ACHIEVE SPORTSCOACH

UK TRAINER STATUS

FROM THE PGA NEWS SERVICE
Working mum Kirsty McDonald has become the first PGA professional to join an elite band of nationwide coaches.The Rugby-based mum of two, who only gave birth to her second child eight weeks ago, has attained SportscoachUK Trainer status - putting her among 30 of the best in the whole of the country.
Under her new SportscoachUK status, McDonald is putting the PGA tutors through their paces to ensure that they come up to scratch when they're in the classroom.
McDonald has been a golf pro since 1996 and will continue to be one of the PGA's leading swing tutors, but her new qualification has allowed her to achieve her childhood dream of becoming a teacher.
"When I was younger I always wanted to be a teacher but my dad was a teacher and told me not to do into it, but somehow I've managed to go full circle and got into it," said McDonald, who also played on the Ladies European Tour for a spell.
"I've been teaching on the PGA Foundation degree and the diploma before that for a few years. This is just a progression up from tutoring.
"It's taken me over two years to get this and with raising a family at the same time, my little boy is just over two and my daughter's eight weeks old, it has been achallenge and a bit of struggle but well worth it."
McDonald, who was presented with her certificate at the PGA's Belfry training academy, explained what she will now be doing as one of the select few SportscoachUK trainers in the United Kingdom.
"I'm teaching the tutors to teach," she said.
"It's not golf teaching, but I'm still coaching in my eyes even though the context is different. It doesn't matter whether it's golf technique or how to use a flipchart, it's the same thing.
"This qualification is recognition that I know how to train tutors. The motivation for me is to maintain the quality of our coaching and to do that you need to have good tutors in place who can transfer their experience and knowledge.
"I don't think there are many other institutions putting their tutors through as rigorous a test. We're really making sure that the quality of knowledge and ability to deliver is there."
The 36-year-old is proud of being the first PGA professional to achieve the SportscoachUK trainer certificate but insists more tutors are needed, given the growth of the game.
"I feel really honoured to be the first PGA professional to get this," she said. "But we need more trainers to qualify to train the tutors. There are more and more people who want to be golf tutors. There's so much more demand so someone needs to make sure that the tutors are trained to a high level and that the standards are maintained."

+The image above, courtesy of the PGA, shows Kirsty McDonald (on left) with the SportscoachUK representative.