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Eugene Marais - Top 50 Master Kids Teachers of the World

Good news for the Vietnamese golf village when the coach of EPGA Vietnam is on the list of Top 50 excellent US Kids Golf coaches worldwide.

How does it feel to be standing among the top 50 Master Kids Teachers of the World? 

I am really honored to have received this prestigious award from such a respected institution. To stand among other great coaches that I grew up idolizing is really a dream come true. It is a testament that if you have a passion for the game and work hard in your field, great things will happen. 

Please tell readers about yourself and the reason you are in Vietnam? 

I grew up playing many sports as a kid. Cricket, Athletics, Rugby, Hockey etc. But it was my love for golf that that was always visibly more important. 

After High School, I enrolled studying my PGA (Professional Golfers Association) in Pretoria, South Africa. I quickly gained a love for teaching Juniors and taking them to different Tournaments all around the country. My work in SA landed me a position in Egypt and the opportunity of creating a Junior Academy at the most respected Golf Course in Egypt, Alexandria Sporting Club. After a few years, I was appointed as the National Coach for the Egyptian Junior Team. 

I decided on Vietnam for many reasons but a big one was that I felt Vietnam had untouched potential and I wanted to be part of the building process in getting a Vietnamese golfer on a professional tour in the future. 

What do you think of Vietnam’s junior golf scene? How to attract them to golf? 

I think the love for golf between the kids in Vietnam is definitively there. In the past 3 years, I have seen the development of the kids and their playing ability. 

The best way to attract kids to play golf is to introduce them to the game. SNAG (Starting New At Golf) is a great way to get them started. The next thing would be to get them enrolled in a group class environment. Our Little Easy Junior Program is the biggest Junior program in Vietnam. Lastly, it is up to the countries golf governing body to introduce more Junior tournaments where kids can compete and showcase their skills. 

As a coach, how is the U.S. Kids Golf Player Pathway superior to traditional methods of coaching young children? 

The Player Pathway program is revolutionary in that they use “Game-based” coaching techniques in creating and teaching the basics of golf. Children are visual on learning, and their attention gets drawn to colorful, active activities that can keep them engaged in the lesson. 

Can a player start at level 1 and become an elite player? 

Definitely. All great players started somewhere. Some of our juniors at EPGA start at level 1 and manage to finish 3-4 levels a year and they end up playing 18 holes in quick time. The U.S Kids Golf Player Pathway is a guide but it’s the players’ hard work and determination that will make them great players. 

How does the U.S. Kids Golf Player Pathway provide motivation for players? 

The U.S. Kids Golf Player Pathway has a ranking system, from levels 1-10. Beginner players will start on level 1 and by the time a player reaches level 5 they are already playing tournament golf. In the PPP (Player Pathway Program) juniors earn pins for their achievements. These pins are like GOLD for our players! They always push each other and want to earn as many of them as they can. That alone keeps them motivated all week until they can return to class on the weekend and challenge for a new badge. 

What were the key takeaways for you in terms of your thinking about coaching kids? 

We are first and foremost here to make kids love the game of golf, not to make champion golfers. You cannot make a player great if they don’t love to play golf. So it is important to first make sure they have fun and then when they are ready, develop them more technically. 

Can a child that has never played golf start out on this program? And what if they can already play at a good level? 

We encourage brand new players to do the program. Level 1 is mainly for the new golfer. The majority of our Juniors starts with no golf experience. If we have a player that shows a better playing ability, we will enrol them into a higher level. Based on their skill level. 

Please tell us more about your Junior program at Ecopark? 

We run the Little Easy Golf Athlete that started with the opening of the Academy in 2017. During the past five years, we have seen over 200 Juniors pass through our program. Some of them are the best players in the country at present time. We run in semesters of 8 weeks and have 3 different levels of classes Learn, Improve, Play. We incorporate fun games to teach new players but also to challenge better players in a competitive environment. 

I have seen some of the best Junior programs in the world and the U.S. Kids Golf Player Pathway program fits in with them. With the great team of coaches we have at EPGA with over 90 years’ coaching experience between us, you can be certain that your kids are in great hands. 

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