There’s no doubt that the PGA Training Programme is a gateway to the world and it’s taken Dublin native Amy Condon all the way to Abu Dhabi Golf Club where she is the Head PGA Professional.
Condon, who turned professional aged 21, came through a challenging time, studying her PGA degree during the Covid-19 pandemic but it was a course she thoroughly enjoyed, completing her training under Karl O’Donnell at Newlands Golf Club and Peter Morgan at Elm Park.
She feels the environment that she trained in gave her the tools to implement everything she learned while studying the PGA degree.
“What I loved about working under Peter Morgan while studying the PGA is you really got to implement everything you were learning while training. We were either doing repairs, shadowing Peter, teaching groups or kids, running competitions, looking after the members, selling goods in the pro shop. With the club that I was in, I got to experience everything.
“It’s one of the best degrees. It can take you anywhere in the world and gives you a taste of everything. If you want to be a director of golf, a head pro, a coach, a custom fitter, you can.”
Condon’s coaching philosophy is to simplify the game and create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere during lessons while addressing essential elements of the golf swing.
Condon’s first venture into the Middle East took her to the Claude Harmon Performance Golf Academy in Dubai in October 2021 where she worked for a year.
But it’s Abu Dhabi Golf Club where she has made her name over the last two years, becoming an elite level golf instructor, teaching golf to mostly expats and local Emirati women.
Condon credits the PGA programme as the reason she is working abroad and says the degree is like another passport and shows how highly regarded the PGA qualification is.
“Because it’s so well regarded, it helps you get a job. Never did I think I would be working in Abu Dhabi!
“It’s very business and number orientated over here and the distance from family and home can be tough. I struggled with it a bit but now I’m taking it in my stride and I’ve put what I learned in the PGA into practice and become the best coach that I can.
“I’ve learned to stand on my own two feet being abroad and The PGA helps you do that.”
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows as she describes it, the weather can be a challenge. During the summer, temperatures can peak at 57 degrees celsius so Condon gets the bulk of her lessons and coaching camps done between September and June.
