March 29th 2021 will be remembered, by me at least, as the day that golf returned after a third national lockdown. In this blog post, I’d like to reflect on the past 12 weeks and the “lockdown learning” I tackled and just take a bit of a breather before things return to some type of crazy for me. I really can’t wait to get back out teaching and seeing people again!
In previous lockdowns, I wasn’t able to complete any training courses or attack that never-ending “to-do list”, but this time I decided I would try and be a little more productive. There were some days after homeschooling the children (please let this be the last time), that I had no motivation to do anything; however with the support of my husband, I managed to complete the Titleist Performance Institute Certification, listened to the #MoreThanGolf Series of webinars arranged through Love.golf, read some books (hardback versions), updated my website (this was more painful than you could imagine), watched several webinars on how to improve social media presence and became an Independent Tropic Skincare Ambassador. Phew!!
I don’t know about you, but I found this lockdown quite tough, maybe because it was the weather or the fact it felt a bit like “groundhog day’; either way having something to focus on for me kept me going, so I thought I’d record my lockdown learning and experiences to capture the journey.
T.P.I. - Titleist Performance Institute Certification
The Titleist Performance Certification (T.P.I.) is recognised worldwide and provides coaches with the wisdom and tools to assist their players to have the most efficient golf swing based on their physical limitations. It’s a course I have been wanting to do ever since I became qualified as a PGA Professional as I knew it would have a tremendous impact on my understanding of the body swing connection.
This qualification provides me with the expertise to ensure that any drills or changes I suggest will be relevant to what a student can actually physically do.
The course consisted of a number of online modules, a full day Zoom webinar and test which all needed to be passed to be certified.
I’m excited to incorporate my learning from this course into my everyday coaching and I will create a more in-depth blog about this in the near future.
#MoreThanGolf Webinars by Love.Golf
During the winter months, I would normally have been attending the annual Love.golf conference, listening to several guest speakers over a few days and networking with fellow coaches.
Due to Covid-19 Love.golf came up with an alternative that delivered several webinars throughout Nov ’20 – March ’21 showcasing inspirational guest speakers from non-golf industries.
The webinars were fantastic and provided a great opportunity to listen to people who wouldn’t normally appear on my radar. I even purchased books from two of the speakers, who I related to the most, as I wanted to know more and it has been a long time since I have read a hardback book!
During each webinar we had the opportunity to break out into smaller discussion groups with fellow Love.golf coaches from across the world, to discuss the issues raised by the speaker and what we could or would do to change things within our coaching set up.
For me, taking some key points and actions from each of the webinars and in particular, the ones led by Mandy Hickson and Dani Wallace kept me focused during this last lockdown.
Webinar - Mandy Hickson - Gender Beliefs
Mandy was the UK’s first female fast jet pilot and has a fascinating and inspirational story to tell.
Some of the points she raised, like being the only female in a group setting or scenario, resonated with me as I grew up being “one of the boys” at my local golf club.
I loved hearing how she had tackled stressful situations and how having the right team and support, meant she was able to progress throughout her career.
I just loved her saying of “Together Everyone Achieves More” (TEAM) and have that scribbled in the front of my diary to remind me of how important it is to have the right people around you.
Webinar - Dani Wallace - Connecting With Your Audience
Dani had so much energy for a Monday evening and I spent the entire webinar giggling because so many of her points hit home with me.
Her key points around social media posting and getting myself to question whether my audience would actually “give a stuff” and that I need to post more regularly have stuck with me.
I have consciously tried to change my posts to be more personable and have seen an increase in audience engagement.
Also, I have posted videos and created some Facebook live broadcasts, which is soo out of my comfort zone!!
Why Love.golf is Important to Me
Being part of the Love.golf community has helped me to feel a part of something and to not being isolated, which can often occur during these national lockdowns. Knowing that there was a group of like-minded coaches on the end of a phone, or group chat to bounce ideas off was brilliant.
Never heard about Love.golf? You can find out more on the Beginner Golf Lessons for Women section of my site.
Website Update
Anyone who knows me well, will know that I hate writing things down (this blog has taken weeks for me to get it right!), so one of my ‘to-do” list tasks that I kept putting off was updating the content of my website.
Having a professional-looking site that includes the services I offer, was important for me to have in place once golf reopened. I am so pleased with the finished version and can’t thank Nick Green, from Websites Designed 4U and Nigel Hanwell (aka dad), for all their help with this.
Becoming an Independent Tropic Skincare Ambassador
I hadn’t heard of Tropic Skincare until 18 months ago when a friend invited me to join her Facebook group. I’d used my previous skincare products for many years so I was sceptical to try anything different but I’m so glad I did as I have been hooked ever since!
The multi-award-winning Vegan beauty and skincare products do what they say and don’t contain any nasties which have been a game-changer in our house.
When we went into lockdown again and golf courses were closed, I looked at other ways to earn some income; however, being an Independent Tropic Skincare Ambassador is so much more than just earning a bit of extra cash.
I just love the company’s ethos and founder Susie Ma’s vision to create a healthier, greener, more empowered world is truly inspirational.
Helping friends and family feel good about their skincare and makeup is such an amazing feeling. I had never heard of the term ‘self-care’ before Tropic, but I firmly do believe that it is so important to take time out for yourself in what has been a pretty crazy year.
If you would like to know more, then please join my Facebook Group for product reviews, articles, offers and giveaways or if you’d prefer to browse, here’s the link to the Tropic Skincare website.
Summary of my Lockdown Learning
I sincerely hope that this is the last of the national lockdowns, but if it isn’t then with friends, fellow coaches and a great team at home, I’ll make the most of the time that we will have together.
It has been a tough year and I, like many, have been on a roller coaster journey of emotions and had to deal with some unexpected challenges; however, I am now looking forward to 2021 and more specifically the golfing season. I am so excited to see friends and family again and interacting with everyone at the golf club where I can put my new skills, knowledge and lockdown learning into practice.
Stay safe everyone.
Kelly
