August 2016 Presidential Message

Thanks to our new Media/PR person, Sally J. Sportsman, I had the privilege to represent the Guild in two radio interviews this past week.

Two questions both interviewers asked were “Why join the International Clubmakers Guild (ICG), and why go see an ICG member?”

I answered that the mission of the ICG was to raise the skill levels of our profession and to promote clubfitting/clubmaking to the golfing public internationally using 21st century technologies. Both hosts were impressed with our continuing and professional education efforts. 

At this month’s ICG Board of Director (BOD) meeting, the BOD - following the spirit of our mission - voted to mandate continuing professional education (CPE) as necessary to maintain ICG certifications. We’ll all have to continue to raise our clubmaking/fitting acumen in order to stay on the Certified Members Google Map and www.GolfMDs.com directory. 

CPE points will be accumulated by attending Regional Chapter meetings - still time to sign up for the St Andrews Meeting! - the PGA Show, taking our future Launch Monitor Course and other courses soon to be in development, watching our Webinar Series and taking short quizzes, participating on a Task Force and so on.

Certification plaques sent out forward from this date will have 5 year expiration dates. If you’ve been active in your CPE, new plaques with new dating will be sent out at the 5th anniversary dates. 

Certification should not be the end all of professional development, but rather a signal to your clients that you have reached a level of high standards and that you’re continuing to maintain and exceed those standards of a profession that continues to change with new technology and products. 

I told the interviewers that I tell my kids that Mom and Dad are always learning, that if you stop learning after you leave school, you’ll become irrelevant in this modern ever-changing world; and the day I stop learning is the day I’ll leave the golf business. 

I personally welcome the challenge of maintaining ever growing standards, and I believe that our mission statement becomes more relevant each day.

We are the ICG!

Jacques Intriere

ICG President

[email protected]