BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- In playing in my first Senior PGA Championship, I had a number of goals coming into this week. One, I wanted to play well, the best that I could.

Two, I wanted to make the cut. And three, I wanted to learn from this experience in a way that not only made me a better player, but a better teacher as well.

Well, I played pretty well other than just a few holes. I missed making the cut by one shot, though I'm going to try not to think too much about what shot could have made the difference and I definitely can take away memories and lessons that will make me a better teacher than I was before I came here to Canterbury Golf Club.

There is nothing quite like major championship golf. The set up of the course, the conditions, the size of the gallery, the money involved, it's different than your regular weekend round to say the least.

And that is something that I hope students and teachers understand. Learning to hit a good shot on the range, how to grip the club, how to transition into your downswing, that's very important. But there's no guarantee that you'll be able to repeat those under pressure. Especially intense pressure like a Senior PGA Championship.

I truly believe that a big part of teaching is playing in events. Not that you have to be a major championship winner, but unless you enter the arena -- know what it feels like to have to birdie the final hole or get up and down from a bunker -- how can you relate to a student who is battling that situation in a high-pressure environment?

Your body changes under pressure. Your heartbeat, your adrenaline, your sweat glands, your nerves, those things all effect how well you can swing a golf club -- and those things are not something you can totally account for unless you have experienced a similar situation before.

So I would offer that this week's Lesson Learned is to remember that there is a difference between being able to hit the shots on the range or during a casual round -- and tournament pressure, especially that of a major championship.

What does that mean to you? It means that if your goals are to be a player who competes on some level, you would benefit from finding an instructor who can relate to those same situations. We all feel pressure, that's the beauty and appeal of competitive golf. If you don't like to feel pressure and nervous, than competition golf is not for you.

And it's being able to deal with that pressure and perform your best that offers such a great reward. I'm a better player because of what I learned this week. I believe I'll be a better teacher from my experiences this week. But most importantly, I think my students will benefit from my time here in Ohio.

Mike Malaska is the PGA Director of Instruction at Superstition Mountain Golf & C.C. in Arizona and for Nicklaus Golf Academies worldwide. He has been cited as one of the leading golf teachers in the world by numerous media outlets including PGA.com, Golf Magazine, Golf Wold and Golf Digest.