Alyth Golf Club PGA professional Paul Arthur recently became a Certified Putting Instructor (CPI), adding to his qualifications and club membership offerings, taking advantage of the PGA in Scotland’s 2017 special initiative to help subsidise the CPI Course for its members.
“I took the CPI Course to become certified as a putting instructor. The short game is important for golfers to improve.
“There is a big putting green in front of my shop and a lot of the time it is empty and underutilized. People just love hitting the ball far, but scoring is around the green. If I can just get some of my clients down to only having 2 putts per green that will be huge for their game.”
CPI Paul Arthur
The Certified Putting Instructor (CPI) Course, is a certification based on scientific principles offered by U.S. based Frankly Golf and the PGA with the goal of helping golfers putt better, adding an extra dimension to the services that the golf professional can deliver.
Arthur, who turned professional in 1996 is not only a Class AA PGA professional, he also has a Diploma in Club Management, being the first pro in Europe to obtain this qualification. He sees the CPI qualification as an important way for PGA professionals to further their training and career to better serve golf clubs and their club members.
“If a pro wants to further their career they need to look at training. Golf clubs are now looking for extra qualifications. Having their pro qualified as a CPI enhances the reputation of the golf club. If they work together the golf club can keep members interested in improving their game and the club may even benefit from outside business.”
Arthur is looking forward to sharing some of the new things he learned from the CPI Course with his members in the coming months, with some indoor clinics and activities at Alyth Golf Club.
“I found the CPI Course to be most enjoyable. I liked the fact it was online and I never had to travel to The Belfry. I learned a few new things and it gave me confirmation of what I knew. It tied up all the elements nicely.
“I enjoyed the drills and liked the knowledge in the course, especially The Degrees of Freedom that are discussed which are very precise. The process was technical and the lesson very practical.
“A lot of what was taught was conventional to good fundamentals and I liked that the CPI Course process allows you to identify what is most important for the student,” said Arthur who is uniquely positioned to help his students. Not only does he have a strong playing record, but he gained a lot of experience by caddying at a top level, allowing him to observe some of the best golfers in the world.
“In 2010 I worked on the European Tour with my friend Chris Doak, and in 2011 I worked on the Senior European Tour with Andy Oldcorn.
“Caddying on the Senior Tour was special because those guys were my heroes growing up. It was great to watch how they practice and how they get better. It really opened my eyes to how hard they work and how good they are. Watching them up close was amazing,” said Arthur.
Frank Thomas, founder of Frankly Golf and the CPI Course, former longtime USGA Technical Director and inventor of the graphite shaft said,
“Paul, with his additional qualification in club management has clearly recognized the benefits of the CPI Course and how this can significantly benefit the golf club while using the most underutilized amenity at the facility, the putting green. Even with Paul’s experience he took advantage of the CPI Course and its structured and systematic approach exposing the Six Degrees of Freedom, the understanding of which is the basis for developing a natural stroke. Well done, Paul.”
Certified Putting Instructor 