The world of golf professionals, or coaches, seems to be an ever-changing, ever-growing industry, replete with “innovative” methods of training.  Many coaches who push these so-called new techniques promise unrealistic results, and stress the importance of dishing out your hard-earned cash. Now, there are good coaches out there—even great ones. But those genuinely helpful experts are tough to come by.

With the army of coaches at your disposal and an industry loosely, if at all, regulated, you may be better off taking matters into your own hands. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and neither do great coaches. What’s more, a great coach isn’t cheap. If you’ve decided that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze for you, let’s look at the steps you should take to be the best coach you can be for yourself.

Being your own coach doesn’t involve knowing everything. All it takes is a commitment to lifelong learning, with the goal of one day severing your dependence.

Many trainers and coaches have a dirty little secret: They want your dependence. Your reliance on them provides them with a repeat customer. Selling long-term packages, products, or other services guarantees a paycheck. They try to create an environment of full-service training, without the “burden” of educating you on the how and why of what they are doing.

Yes, every coach has bills to pay, but they also have the underlying responsibility to educate and pass on their wealth of knowledge so that their individual, group, or class can become independent. The coach must create an atmosphere where clients are engaged with the reasons, processes, and nuances of the program. This will subsequently elevate the client from trainee to self-learner to self-coach.

At some point or another, everyone needs a coach. The first time you step into a facility to better your performance, health, or life in general, you are entering uncharted territory. Form, technique, programming, and other organic variables could all use a bit of instruction for the newbie. And regardless of experience level, if you’re the type who depends on others for every element of your training, then you may need a coach for a significant amount of time.

But if you have mastered the basics of training and its most fundamental principles, and you are ready to educate yourself to the next level, you can learn to coach yourself. Let’s define what steps you need to take to become your very own coach. This actionable list may seem rudimentary, but the steps are essential to build your initial foundation of knowledge and accountability.