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We Caught Up with Eduardo Miquel recently for a Quick Q & A Session
Eduardo Miquel is a professional golf coach from Chile. He is the Director of EM Golf Academy, and a contributor the Chilean Golf Federation. His most notable students include PGA Tour professional and former World No.1 Amateur Joaquin Niemann and Paz Echevarria, former LPGA Tour player. He has presented to the R & A on the development of golf academies and high performance players, both professional and amateurs. Eduardo is one of three coaches from South America recognized on the 2020 List of Best International Golf Coaches by Golf Digest.
Background
Q: How did you become interested in Golf?
A: It was because of my grandfather – he invited me to play at age 10 and from there I did not stop playing and living in and around Golf.
Q: Did you play golf competitively?
A: I played quite competitively. I had some wins as a youth:
South American Pre youth (team)
Youth South American (team)
South American Adult "Copa Los Andes"
4th place Orange bowl
N1 of the Chilean Amateur ranking, before turning professional in 2001.
Q: When did you decide to become a Golf Coach?
A: I always taught and worked at the golf school while competing, until it got to the point where I had a lot of students and realized that I really liked teaching. Q: Why did you decide to become a Golf Coach?
A: As a player I was always a perfectionist and I was very angry on the course. I had experience and technical knowledge and I always liked the idea of guiding the young players, helping them to be better.
On Golf in Chile & South America
Q: How has Golf changed over the years in Chile?
A: Golf has changed a lot at the Chilean and South American level. There are better players and also better coaches. They are all more professional.
Players see the option of being able to live from this and coaches increasingly see a more attractive market and the possibility of living well as a coach. Therefore they prepare well, there is more competition in every sense.
Teaching is more globalized, it is easy to access what the best in the world are doing.
Q: What is the state of Golf in Chile & South America? Do you notice it growing?
A: I don't know how much golf has grown, but it has managed to stay active and with a lot of children coming into the game.
Q: What excites you about the growth of Golf in South America?
A: I am thrilled that children are looking for scholarships in the United States and that more and more Latinos are coming to the most important tours in the world.
On Coaching & Player Development
Q: How exciting is it for you to see Joaquin and the other players do so well?
A: It is a tremendous pride. I love to see the path they follow and how they are achieving their goals. I personally experienced it previously with Benjamin Alvarado (pga tour,) Paz Echevarria (LPGA) and Nicolás Geyger (European Tour). But, without a doubt Joaco's case is exceptional, the talent he has is impressive.
Q: When it comes to teaching, what are the "key points" that you like to focus on?
A: I try to get the most out of each player. They are all very different and you have to work with them individually. I focus a lot on my players understanding the different trajectories. They understand what happens when the ball does not go in line or in a certain way.
Q: How would you describe your "philosophy" to coaching and teaching?
A: My philosophy of life is: to work as hard as possible while still enjoying it.
For my students: find a good balance on and off the court. The most important thing is to enjoy the eternal tuning of swing and life.
Q: What do you say to a 12 year old junior player that wants to play in US College golf or become a professional player?
A: That you work hard to achieve it, that you enjoy what you do, and that you rely on a good coach.
Translation by Africa Madueno Alarcon. Images provided by Eduardo Miquel (group image) and the others courtesy of the Chilean Golf Federation.