LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals Division Shows Its “Seoul”
Jay Na Named Approved Education Provider in South Korea
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA., January 25, 2012 – The LPGA continued its global expansion today with the announcement that the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals division now has an Approved Education Provider in South Korea.
PGA Master Professional Jay Na will now serve as the Approved Education Provider for the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) membership in South Korea. In this role, Na will help to schedule, promote and conduct LPGA Teaching and Club Professional education and certification programs throughout the country.
“We are extremely excited to partner with Jay Na to bring the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Educational Programs into Korea for the first time,” said Dana Rader, LPGA T&CP National President. “We are confident that we have found a partner who can ensure that, whether you are attending a program in our home state of Florida or in Korea, you will be receiving the same quality educational experience.”
Na, a PGA Golf Professional since 1999, has already been tutoring Korean LPGA applicants for several years. His philosophy of instruction and belief that every student has his or her own unique way of swinging the club aligns well with the LPGA’s student centered approach to teaching.
“It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve as the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Official/Exclusive Education Provider in Korea,” said Jay Na. “Teaching is the single most important responsibility for golf professionals and I am proud to help bring the LPGA education programs to Korea to help produce outstanding teachers who will help grow the game of golf.”
The LPGA Tour currently has 42 South Korean members. Including Se Ri Pak’s groundbreaking U.S. Women’s Open victory in 1998, South Koreans on the LPGA have accounted for 101 Tour victories. Eight-time Tour winner Jiyai Shin became the first South Korean player to assume the No. 1 spot on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings in 2010, spending 16 total weeks as World No. 1 following the retirement of Lorena Ochoa. The Tour plays the LPGA HanaBank Championship each fall in Seoul. The tournament was won in 2011 by current Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng.
LPGA Professionals achieve certification by completing a multi-year series of educational programs. They must first pass a Playing Ability Test (PAT) to ensure that they are qualified to play and teach the game of golf. After passing the PAT, LPGA Professionals go through three levels of education and testing in order to obtain Class A membership status.
A team of U.S.-based LPGA National Education Program instructors will travel to South Korean in May to help conduct the first T&CP program in the country’s history.
“This is a very exciting time of growth for the LPGA and our Teaching Division both domestically and internationally,” said Nancy Henderson, Executive Director for the LPGA T&CP membership. “Through these programs we look forward to further growing the game of golf and continuing to develop some of the best instructors in the world.”
Full Article: LPGA.com News & Entertainment
Related posts: