Does The World Need Another Golf Pro?

There's a new way of thinking in the golfing community and it just might affect the career choice that you make. The new movement of anti golf pro is starting to emerge and for those that want to make a career out of the sport that they love, it just might cause you to listen to what everyone has been saying.

As a golf pro, your job is to help other golfers be the best golfer that they can be. You might work with them on their swing, their putting and even their sand traps. All of the work that you are doing is helping them to get closer to their dreams of being a better golfer. This sounds all fine and dandy, but with all of the new books and videos available, it almost seems like the personal touch is going out of style.

Golf instruction DVDs and seminars are mainly geared to one thing: making money. Along the way, they might also help the golfer to improve their swing and maybe shave a few strokes off their games. However, in the end, they're just another product on the market that may or may not work. The videos are neither able to give corrections if the golfer is doing something wrong, nor are they going to be available when the golfer is actually working through what they've learned. But a golf pro is a hands-on teacher that can move with the golfer through the issues that they have as they're actually experiencing the problems.

A golf pro can help the golfer adjust their swing as they're practicing so that they can build the muscle and memory to be able to take the skills that they have learned onto the golf course. A relationship between the golfer and the pro emerges and allows them to interact with each other in order to create better golf players and better golf scores.

What's happened recently is that many more 'golf pros' are touting themselves as such without the background in the game. These are business profiteers that are trying to get into the high price golf market with flashy slogans and big promises. However, they do not have the skills to back them up. But to the average everyday consumer, they don't realize this fact and succumb to inferior instruction that doesn't help them at all. And then they need to move onto the next 'golf pro' that they find.

The real golf pros have had to prove to their clients that they are more than just another person trying to make money. You'll find these true professionals employed through golf retailers as well as through country clubs and golf courses. These are pros that have had extensive training in golf and teaching golf skills in order to improve someone else's game.

What a golfer should do is investigate the credentials of the golf pro that they have chosen. Perhaps they can look into the classes that the pro states they have taken or perhaps look at their golfing scores to see if they practice what they preach. Any 'pro' that touts his or herself on the Internet or via another print media should be looked upon with caution as you can't verify their credentials or see them in action.

So, if you're looking to become a golf pro, you will want to make sure that you know what you're doing and that you can show your prospective clients that knowledge. All of the videos and training books in the world cannot teach golf as well as a true professional can.

Andy West is a freelance writer and communications specialist for SDGA. San Diego Golf Academy is a premier golf school with five locations across the United States. For more information on becoming a golf pro, please visit http://www.sdgagolf.com.

What Do You Give a Dog and Wine Lover? a Wine Crate Dog Feeder

Treat your dog like a person, and he will treat you like a dog Not my pooch!

They are family members we pamper our pets like our kids, we throw them birthday parties and arrange play-dates, and hire dog walkers for them. We dress them up for Halloween (my 85-pound black lab Bird in a bumble bee costume?) and take them along on trips.

Every dog owner I know has that special relationship with his pet Im sorry to say that I prefer my dog Bird over most people I know and yes, I will provide him with the very best.

The pet industry has taken notice: according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), we spent over $36 billion on our pets in 2006 a confirmation of how much they are a part of American family life. High-end hotels (frett linen for your four-legged friend?), cafs, restaurants and deluxe boutiques have quickly opened their doors to our canine population. From doggy spas and dog fashion shows to luxurious pet products, we seem to spoil our furry friends rotten (or is it ourselves?).

If you are a dog lover and a wine connoisseur (and I am!), these unique dog dishes will satisfy your desire to feed Fido with panache and also feed the interior decorator inside of you. Treat your classy pooch to a fine dining experience and furnish your home with a beautiful piece of doggie furniture.

Being elevated, these dog diners also promote healthy eating and drinking habits for your pet. Two doggie bowls recessed side-by-side in a stand is not a novelty, but in an authentic wooden wine crate oh l l!

The feeders are hand-crafted by Whiner and Diner out of recycled (did I hear eco-chic?) wooden wine crates from European and Californian wineries. They come in different sizes to accommodate the tall and the short ones, and are outfitted with 1- or 2-quart stainless steel dog bowls (embossed with paw prints or plain edges, for minimalists). Depending on the size chosen, the dog dishes can consist of either a single-bowl or a double-bowl configuration.

You can choose from a few basic colors or have the dish custom color-washed to complement your unique dcor (match it to your kitchen cabinets, your floor or wherever your imagination takes you). And, of course, you wouldnt dream of owning an upscale pet feeder unless it was hand-personalized with Fidos namewell, they can do that too!

Now, if only they could get your favorite Chteau Margaux wine cratethey will, depending on their inventory! Voil! However, they do not include the winetoo bad!

Bone Apptit! A votre sant!

Catherine Simms is an artist/ designer for http://www.artalacarte1.com Plaster Works with a Twist, http://www.whineranddiner.net Dog Dishes and Dog Beds, http://www.lionheartdogscats.com Pet Adoptions in Pound Ridge New York.