Well 18 months ago I started on a journey, my quest to improve my game and anyone else who’ll listen! I’m planning to post more of what has worked for me and what hasn’t - 2007 has been a great golfing year for me. I’ve broke my personal best in March shooting 80. I then finally broke 80 for the first time in April shooting 79 and then broke it again shooting 78.
But my most memorable round so far has got to be the day (8th September) when I shot 80 at my home club Hampton Court palace. Having started with a double bogey, I then went par, birdie, bogey, bogey to be 3 over par by the time I’d reached the 6th tee. I then went birdie, birdie, hole in one, par, to finish the front nine at 1 under par!
OK the hole in one was lucky, it was the 8th hole, a par 3 playing about 160 yards that day and I although I hit my Mizuno MX23 7 iron nicely, I’ve got to admit that a lovely members bounce on the edge of the green took it nicely in the right direction and it rolled 20 feet or so up the green into the cup. But, the previous holes were birdie, birdie! I had been 4 under for 3 consecutive holes (not sure that’s ever going to happen again in my lifetime!) and I’d had 3 birdies and an eagle on the front nine. If only I hadn’t started with a double bogey. If only. If only. These must be two of the most commonly used words in golf, specially in the club house after a round. I certainly used them a lot that day. For after sending an MMS of me by the flag with my playing partners to everyone in my phone on the 8th green I then somehow managed to hit a solid drive down the 9th and make par but then totally lost the plot losing balls on the 10th and 13th and shooting 45 in for an 80. The weird thing is I was still hitting the ball nicely on the way in, I just wasn’t “in the zone” anymore and I was making mental errors in my approach to the round, the hole and shot selection.
I was guilty of over celebrating, I was distracted and my game suffered. I’ve learned a lot from this experience and who knows next time (stay positive - you never know it could happen!) I have a front nine like this perhaps I’ll be able to maintain it for the back nine too.
I decided to start my quest to improve my game at the top of the game. I began with an investigation to find out who the best coaches in the UK were. Most of the instruction I had seen was from David Leadbetter or Butch Harmon or other US coaches (Dave Pelz, Harvey Penick, etc) but I could hardly persuade my long-suffering wife, although a keen golfer herself, that I needed to fly to the US once a week for a $1,000 dollar lesson. I had to start closer to home. Who and where was the current crop of great British golf coaching talent? Eventually by sniffing around I managed to link European Tour winners with their coaches and I finally got a nice list of international names covering all aspects of the game:
Pete Cowen, PGA Master Professional - Europe’s most successful golf coach - He has had more winners than any other coach and coaches over a dozen top players including Henrik Stenson (he has rebuilt his swing and got him to World No6), Colin Montgomerie, Thomas Bjorn, Simon Dyson, Charl Schwartzel, Oliver Wilson, John Bickerton. He’s also coached some of Europe’s greats including Darren Clarke, Ollie, Woosie, and Lee Westwood (got him to European No 1).
Harold Swash - Europe’s putting guru. He has worked with 8 of the 12 European Ryde Cup team in 2006 and runs putting schools in the UKand US. He is the UK’s foremost authority on putting and instructor to many of the world’s top professional and amateur golfers including Padraig Harrington, David Howell, Thomas Levet, Darren Clarke, Ian Woosnam, Constantino Rocca, Robert Jan Derksen and Nick Faldo to name just a few.
Denis Pugh, PGA Master Professional - Denis is probably best recognised these days as the golf analyst on Sky Sports Golf Night. A former tour player himself he has coached over 150 Tour Pros since 1988, his most notable success being his long time association with 8 time European Order of Merit winner and Ryder Cup start Colin Montgomerie.
Dr Karl Morris is one of Europe’s leading Sports Psychologists, delivering cutting edge methods of peak performance and goal achievement to a range of clients across sports and business. From the world of golf, he has worked with players such as Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell, Alison Nicholas and Trish Johnson to name a few. He has written and starred in the Pocketshots™ editions on the mental side of the game.
Ramsay McMaster is a world leader in the field of Golf Physiotherapy. As director of the Melbourne Golf Injury Clinic he has given golf specific programs to over 5,000 golfers. A consultant to individual players on every Tour in the world (11 Tours) and a consultant Physiotherapist to US, British and Irish, Australian and New Zealand PGAs amongst others.
D.J.Wilkinson and Steve Gould are from London’s oldest, most famous and most successful golf school, the Knightsbridge Golf School. They have been teaching golfers of all abilities from beginners to tour superstars and celebrities for years. Yet they still offer very reasonably priced golf lessons to amateurs!
Keith Williams, PGA Master Professional - One of the most experienced coaches in Europe. Keith was National Coach and Director of Coaching for the English Golf Union for 9 years and was instrumental in writing the manual which is used for training all PGA professionals. As well as being a European Senior Tour player he has coached major winners and the PGA champion. He currently works full time on the European Tour and also teaches the Czech National golf squad.
I asked many of the UK’s best coaches why golfers were not improving their games despite all the latest advances in technology; the answer almost to a man was, “People don’t practice, and if they do practice they don’t practice properly.” So with the help of some of the best coaches in Europe (if not the world) I set about working out how to practice properly - see Golf Practice post.
But my most memorable round so far has got to be the day (8th September) when I shot 80 at my home club Hampton Court palace. Having started with a double bogey, I then went par, birdie, bogey, bogey to be 3 over par by the time I’d reached the 6th tee. I then went birdie, birdie, hole in one, par, to finish the front nine at 1 under par!
OK the hole in one was lucky, it was the 8th hole, a par 3 playing about 160 yards that day and I although I hit my Mizuno MX23 7 iron nicely, I’ve got to admit that a lovely members bounce on the edge of the green took it nicely in the right direction and it rolled 20 feet or so up the green into the cup. But, the previous holes were birdie, birdie! I had been 4 under for 3 consecutive holes (not sure that’s ever going to happen again in my lifetime!) and I’d had 3 birdies and an eagle on the front nine. If only I hadn’t started with a double bogey. If only. If only. These must be two of the most commonly used words in golf, specially in the club house after a round. I certainly used them a lot that day. For after sending an MMS of me by the flag with my playing partners to everyone in my phone on the 8th green I then somehow managed to hit a solid drive down the 9th and make par but then totally lost the plot losing balls on the 10th and 13th and shooting 45 in for an 80. The weird thing is I was still hitting the ball nicely on the way in, I just wasn’t “in the zone” anymore and I was making mental errors in my approach to the round, the hole and shot selection.
I was guilty of over celebrating, I was distracted and my game suffered. I’ve learned a lot from this experience and who knows next time (stay positive - you never know it could happen!) I have a front nine like this perhaps I’ll be able to maintain it for the back nine too.
I decided to start my quest to improve my game at the top of the game. I began with an investigation to find out who the best coaches in the UK were. Most of the instruction I had seen was from David Leadbetter or Butch Harmon or other US coaches (Dave Pelz, Harvey Penick, etc) but I could hardly persuade my long-suffering wife, although a keen golfer herself, that I needed to fly to the US once a week for a $1,000 dollar lesson. I had to start closer to home. Who and where was the current crop of great British golf coaching talent? Eventually by sniffing around I managed to link European Tour winners with their coaches and I finally got a nice list of international names covering all aspects of the game:
Pete Cowen, PGA Master Professional - Europe’s most successful golf coach - He has had more winners than any other coach and coaches over a dozen top players including Henrik Stenson (he has rebuilt his swing and got him to World No6), Colin Montgomerie, Thomas Bjorn, Simon Dyson, Charl Schwartzel, Oliver Wilson, John Bickerton. He’s also coached some of Europe’s greats including Darren Clarke, Ollie, Woosie, and Lee Westwood (got him to European No 1).
Harold Swash - Europe’s putting guru. He has worked with 8 of the 12 European Ryde Cup team in 2006 and runs putting schools in the UKand US. He is the UK’s foremost authority on putting and instructor to many of the world’s top professional and amateur golfers including Padraig Harrington, David Howell, Thomas Levet, Darren Clarke, Ian Woosnam, Constantino Rocca, Robert Jan Derksen and Nick Faldo to name just a few.
Denis Pugh, PGA Master Professional - Denis is probably best recognised these days as the golf analyst on Sky Sports Golf Night. A former tour player himself he has coached over 150 Tour Pros since 1988, his most notable success being his long time association with 8 time European Order of Merit winner and Ryder Cup start Colin Montgomerie.
Dr Karl Morris is one of Europe’s leading Sports Psychologists, delivering cutting edge methods of peak performance and goal achievement to a range of clients across sports and business. From the world of golf, he has worked with players such as Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell, Alison Nicholas and Trish Johnson to name a few. He has written and starred in the Pocketshots™ editions on the mental side of the game.
Ramsay McMaster is a world leader in the field of Golf Physiotherapy. As director of the Melbourne Golf Injury Clinic he has given golf specific programs to over 5,000 golfers. A consultant to individual players on every Tour in the world (11 Tours) and a consultant Physiotherapist to US, British and Irish, Australian and New Zealand PGAs amongst others.
D.J.Wilkinson and Steve Gould are from London’s oldest, most famous and most successful golf school, the Knightsbridge Golf School. They have been teaching golfers of all abilities from beginners to tour superstars and celebrities for years. Yet they still offer very reasonably priced golf lessons to amateurs!
Keith Williams, PGA Master Professional - One of the most experienced coaches in Europe. Keith was National Coach and Director of Coaching for the English Golf Union for 9 years and was instrumental in writing the manual which is used for training all PGA professionals. As well as being a European Senior Tour player he has coached major winners and the PGA champion. He currently works full time on the European Tour and also teaches the Czech National golf squad.
I asked many of the UK’s best coaches why golfers were not improving their games despite all the latest advances in technology; the answer almost to a man was, “People don’t practice, and if they do practice they don’t practice properly.” So with the help of some of the best coaches in Europe (if not the world) I set about working out how to practice properly - see Golf Practice post.
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