I'm an amateur and I want to teach people how to golf. What are my options?

[dave s]

I can say this:  My son's HS basketball coach (now a retired HS teacher/coach) is a golf instructor at my home and league course.  He's really bad.  I've worked on the range and listened to some of the stuff he's helped the HS golf team kids with. It's obvious to me he really has no business holding himself out as anything close to a qualified golf instructor.  I know he has no credentials.  I've asked the club's two certified teaching pros.  He teaches the kids because the school can't afford the club's teaching pros.

Sad.  But as iacas says, there are a ton of unqualified golf instructors out there.

Back to the OP:  Give it a go.  Teach some folks the golf swing and do it for free for awhile.  See what kind of results your students achieve.  If you're successful, see about gaining the right credentials and certifications and hire on somewhere.  Seems to me there are a lot of beginning golf programs like group lessons, First Tee etc., that might need help.

Personally, I've been playing guitar for more than 40 years.  Since 1979, I've been in bands that play regularly and I get paid for what I do.  My last gig this season was Sept 20.  I played and earned $230 for the effort.  Am I a professional musician?  I get paid, so on one hand, yes, I am a professional.  Do I have any certifications or credentials that proves I'm a professional?  No, not really.  Professional is a loose term in some cases.

Do I teach guitar?  No.  I've tried a few times, but didn't really see any success in transferring my years of knowledge and experience to young kids who think guitar playing is simple because I make it look so easy.  If I had to teach guitar for a living or to even supplement my income, I'd be in trouble.

Now, if I could just get someone to pay me to play GOLF, my life would be complete!!!  I'll trade a paid band gig for 18 holes ANY day of the week!

dave

[Patch]

I know a guy who does not have any PGA/USGA/Whatever teaching credentials. He has his garage set up with all the latest swing training equipment. All kinds of electronic stuff. He uses his garage so that he does not interfere with resident course teaching pros. When it comes time for actual range sessions, he just sits and watches his student hit balls, and takes notes. Once the range session is done, he and the student go back to his garage, and go over what the instructor saw, and noted. The fact that he lives very near the driving range makes for very little time lost. He is a young man in his early 20s who I watched grow up, and has a day job. Golf is a hobby for him, and he is very good at the game/sport.

I pass this info along to help with the OP's problem of teaching on some other instructor's turf.

[Aflighter]

I say if you can teach golfers who are bad  to be better at the game then go for it.Too many experts think you gotta teach them the exact way to hit the ball instead of just teaching them what youve learned.Now you dont need to be charging anything near what a pro would but making some money by helping others is fine.

[CoachB25]

As a HS Coach, I didn't get into coaching to be a "swing coach" but soon realized that although I am not, I am.  My players in the girl's program basically play golf because they got cut in the middle school softball program.  So,the first time they really play is tryouts for the HS team.  From there, I have my work cut out for me.  It isn't ideal.  I can't tell you the number of times I've pulled my hair out trying to figure out what is right for this or that player.  My parents, who are also new to the game are not going to pay for some professional swing coach, typically, until they get to be juniors.  That's the lay of the land for me. 

I don't want to raise a stink and get thrown off of the site before I have been here for a month but I will say that while I'm no expert, I'm as good as many of the swing coaches in my area.  Many of these guys don't have any common sense as to when they attempt to change players.  (Typically in the middle of our playoffs.)  None of them come to watch players on the course.  Few actually affect positive change in my players.  Almost always, parents will want me to fix what was once not broken.  Again, I'm not a swing coach.  BTW, video is a great tool and some resources such as Jim Hardy's information really help me.  I hope I haven't violated any rules by naming someone like Hardy.  JMHO!