PROFILE
Title: Director of Instruction, Belfair, Bluffton, South Carolina.
Years as a PGA Professional: 13.
Top achievements / honors: PGA Master Professional.
SOCIAL MEDIA / ONLINE
Website: BruceWilkinsGolf.com
RELATED: PGA Professional Spotlight archive
TAP-INS
What is your most memorable round of golf? Shooting 67 with a good friend of mine.
Q&A
The First Call: What made you want to pursue a career in golf?
Bruce Wilkins: My passion for the game and my love for learning.
TFC: What is your favorite instructional tip to share with a golfer?
BW: Change the way you practice. Make your practice time more deliberate and mindful, so it has an impact on how you play the game.
TFC: What is the best advice you have received on your career path?
BW: Find your passion and your niche early, so you do not get stuck in a part of the industry that does not make you excited to get better.
TFC: Is there a particular area of your job that you find most rewarding?
BW: I enjoy making golf enjoyable again for those who are older. My main demographic is 60 years of age and older. Many of my clients are recently retired or have physical limitations that have affected their game. I enjoy working with the individual in front of me, to find their own swing and often this requires a new fitness program, as well as a swing modification. While many PGA and LPGA Professionals are actively growing the game, I spend a lot of my job keeping people in the game.
TFC: Do you have a preferred style or philosophy for teaching golf?
BW: I do not. I believe there is no one way to swing a golf club, but rather a more effective way for each individual to swing their swing. I make an effort to help my clients through whatever means necessary and I am constantly adapting and learning new ways to communicate better. My philosophy is based on health and longevity in the game first, followed by an understanding of controlling the club face. I will then educate the player on the pattern of their swing, which will better help their ability to produce the distance and direction they desire.
TFC: When you look at your career, in what area(s) do you believe you have evolved for the better? And how so?
BW: I see myself as a student of the game. I have always made an effort to learn better ways to communicate, as well as build my knowledge of the golf swing. I have always tried to better myself through learning from the past and the present, as I believe this will only continue to make me better for those I work with.