Golf & Tourism Magazine July - September 2014 | Page 13

Interview

The
Consummate

Coach
By Alberto C. Medina Gil

Few things are more
important to a young
athlete than a good
coach: someone who
not only teaches the
game, but can guide a
promising young player
through the trials and
tribulations of winning,
losing, and always
striving to be better.

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nd while that’s surely the case in every sport, it may be especially true in
golf, a game that demands so much
physically and mentally, and requires the
steady direction and counsel of a talented
instructor.
Eduardito Figueroa is one such coach. The
veteran player, head golf pro at Palmas del
Mar Golf Club, is one of the top instructors on the Island, working with junior players of all ages and helping to mold many
of them into young champions. His secret:
a successful blend of experience, technical
know-how, and a vital personal touch that
engenders trust and brings the best out of
his young charges.
Figueroa has been a golf instructor for
nearly 20 years, during which time he has
worked with some of the Island’s best
young players. But his experience with the

game goes back much farther than that.
“I started playing when I was seven years
old,” says Figueroa, who won multiple local championships as a junior and had success as a player in Puerto Rico Golf Association (PRGA) events. He has seen everything
there is to see on a golf course, and he
credits those decades of experience with
allowing him to relate to young players and
dispense sage advice.
“It’s very important, and there are a lot of
coaches who just haven’t been in those moments in tournaments when you’re winning,
or losing; all those moments in the heat of
competition when a lot of things go through
your mind,” says Figueroa. “I’ve been there
many times, and I know how to explain how
they should handle those situations when
they encounter them.”

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