Golf Instruction Blog

Perhaps the best known golf instruction book ever written.  Most modern golf teaching is  based on  Hogans's method.  If you are looking for a place to start building a swing, this is it. It explains grip, posture and the fundamentals of a strong movement.  However, be aware that Hogan's method was idiosyncratic, and had elements that will not help the average or even good player.  A book that every golfer should read, but maybe not follow too closely.

 

Probably the first golf 'psychology' book, and still one of the best.  Gallwey's concept of 'relaxed concentration' is the best description of the perfect mindset with which to play the game. I have recently re read this book after reading 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle.  The Inner Game made a lot more sense having understood the role the go plays in what and how we think.

 

I love this book.  Based on the principles of 1920's teacher Ernest Jones, it takes the basic concept of simply swinging the clubhead and expands it.  Although the principle is simple, there is a lot of detailed analysis of ball flight and shot patterns.  The chapter on the mental side of the game is some of the most common sense I have ever read on what can be an over complicated subject.

 

Around the end of 2006 I had a really bad time with my short game. Actually, I had the yips, and this was after spending my entire amateur career with a great short game.  My technique was unusual, and I worked on feel. When it started to go wrong I completely lost my confidence.  I found some articles in Golf Digest by Stan Utley.  The technique Stan was advocating just got me straight away.  Totally different from anything had seen, but so simple and effective.  It works on the same fundamentals as what I use and teach in the long game.  My short game is now the strongest part of my game.  I have taught these techniques to students from single figures to beginners with fantastic results.  This book is brilliant.

 

This has been a really important week on the coaching side of things.  For some time now I've been more and more aware of how much of a benefit it is to be fit to play golf.  By fit, I don't mean that we all need to be in the physical shape as Tiger Woods.  But it makes a huge difference if your body has the full range of movement required to make a golf swing.  This range of movement is often restricted by daily life.  If you spend hours every day behind a desk or in the car, I guarantee that you will have some joints and muscles which won't be working as efficiently as they should.

I have been working with Dave Sanders on my own golf fitness for 18 months now.  I have been wanting to bring Dave in to help my students in the same way he has helped me improve my movement and my awareness of how my body works during the swing.  This week Dave joined me on the range as I was teaching.  We did six lessons together and the results were as good as I had hoped they would be.

I know exactly what I am looking for when I watch someone swinging the golf club.  I know what I want to see and if I'm not seeing it, I need to help the golfer find the right movement, feel it and then produce it again and again.  The frustration comes when I can't find a form of words, or an exercise to help them find the movement I'm looking for.  Sometimes it is my communication which is at fault, but often I am aware that the student understands exactly what I am saying, is trying their best to do it, but their body won't let them.  This is massively frustrating for them, and to a lesser extent for me.

As we were working, Dave was watching the golfers swinging.  He picked up straight away where any problems were.  Mostly the issues were tightness in the calves, hips and in the neck area.  A simple movement assessment was carried out to identify the extent of the problem, and we could recommend a range of stretches and activation exercises to start addressing the problem there and then.  In some cases the improvement was instant, and very noticeable.  A movement which had been difficult or impossible before the muscles were stretched and activated, now became much easier.

Dave Sanders and Matt Vickers working on the Range at Collingtree Park GC. This has big implications for all my students, and the potential is there for significant improvements in scores and results.  Imagine if you have been practicing for a while on a certain area in your swing, but it doesn't seem to be improving.  You know you're doing the right thing, but the shots are not getting better.  It could well be that you physically can not make the movement you are working so hard to do.  Your body will find away around the problem the best it can, but the results will always be a compromise, and will always mean a loss of power and consistency.

For example, if your right hip is tight and your right glute isn't active, (a very common state of affairs if you drive a lot or sit at a desk for long periods) you will slide the hips in the backswing and have to pick the club up with your hands and arms.  From this position, it is almost ineveitable that you will throw the club out over the top in the downswing, wiping across the ball leading to a big slice, a pull low and left or a shank.  The harder you swing, the worse it gets because you are having to use your arms, rather than your body to swing the club.

A simple movement assessment can make you aware of an issue like this.  We can give you a little programme of stretches and exercises to address the problem, and very quickly, you will find that the part of the swing that was proving such a problem, resolves itself very easily and with no real effort.  I am so convinced of the benefit of this process that I am going to make it a priority for all the golfers I work with.

If you would like to arrange a time to come to the range for an assessment please get in touch either on 07976 401 545, or via the contact page.  If you are frustrated at a lack of consistency in your game, or you are struggling with a particular area of your swing, this could be the answer.  At the very least, we can eliminate the possibility that a physical restriction is a reason for your frustration.

Whatever you do in your day to day life, your body will change and adapt to the demands placed on it.  It will get stronger in certain areas, weaker in others, more or less flexible in different areas.  This has obvious implications for your golf swing.  If you spend all day, every day sat in a car or behind a desk, your body will adapt to that environment.  Then when the weekend comes along and you ask it to perform an athletic movement such as the golf swing, with little or no preparation, you are probably going to be disappointed with the results.

Now I understand that it is unrealistic to think that everyone can achieve Tiger Woods' like levels of golf specific fitness.  However, with a little knowledge and application, significant improvements in golf fitness can be achieved, allowing the golfer to make sometimes rapid and significant improvement in areas where they may have been stuck for some time.

There are three main factors in a golfers physiology that will affect their ability to swing the club; stability, strength and speed.  Typically these factors will be linked. The average male golfer will usually have issues with flexibility and stability,  women golfers often have good stability, but can usually improve their strength and speed (although technique is often a huge factor in ladies not hitting the ball as far as they should).  Seniors often have flexibility issues, as well as a loss of power, (although again technique and mental issues are often a factor here).  For juniors it is important that they stretch and prepare properly to swing the club, to prevent injury and to prevent problems later in their golfing career.

There are a number of stages to providing someone with a complete programme for improving their golf. They are:

1. Assessment
2. Preparation and stretching
3. Explanar drills
4. Golf technique

Let's look at them in more detail.  I'm assuming a student is coming to see me for the first time.

1. Assessment

Normally I will watch the student hit some shots at the start of the session.  Then we will stop and have a chat.  I like to find out what the student is looking to achieve, what their interpretation of their golf swing is, and any what issues if any, they feel they have.  Once we have an idea of the direction we are going, we carry out a short series of simple physical tests to get an idea of any restrictions or weaknesses in the body, that may affect the players ability to swing the golf club efficiently.

2. Preparation and stretching

Once an assessment has been made and we have identified specific areas of the body which might be causing a problem, we can select some simple exercises to start to address these issues.  Typically it will be flexibility and strengthening for stability in the early stages.  We can produce a programme, maybe taking 10 or 15 minutes a day, which will build up golf fitness, and also offer suggestions to combat lifestyle issues which may be causing problems.

3. Explanar Drills

One of the reasons I am a big fan of the Explanar Golf Training System, is the way it provides a bridge between fitness and conditioning and the technical side of the golf swing.  Using Explanar we can begin to make the most of the improvements in strength, stability and flexibility and blend them into the movements we are going to use during the golf swing.  The Power Roller is significantly heavier than a normal golf club so it stretches and strengthens the golfing muscles, while at the same time allowing the golfer to feel the correct movements more easily.

4. Golf technique

When the golfer starts to begin to feel more comfortable making the correct movement on the Explanar, we can then move onto the range and start to hit shots.  Usually the golfer is pleasantly surprised at how easy and free the golf swing feels after the improvements in preparation, compared with how their golf swing normally feels.  Sometimes immediate and significant increases in both distance and accuracy are apparent as the benefits of the physical conditioning work are felt.  As the golfer gets into the programme of conditioning, even more improvements become apparent.  Consistency is one of the main benefits as the golfer's stability improves.

Having played the game at a high level for over twenty years I am very aware of the importance of physical conditioning in improving performance on the golf course.  However the benefits of improving fitness can be even more significant in terms of lifestyle.  Injury prevention, cardiovascular fitness, improved flexibility and joint mobility, reductions in chloresterol and body fat, improved body awareness and increased confidence are all significant contributors to an improved quality of life away from the game.

If you would like to know more about improving your fitness, either for golf or for general well-being please get in touch via the contact page, or by calling 07976 401 545.

I play in lots of Pro Ams throughout the season, both in the UK and abroad.  The format is usually a team of three amateurs with one professional. The amateurs play off their club handicaps. The team  takes the two best scores from the four players on each hole to give an 18 hole total.  These events are always great fun and are a chance for the club golfer to see at close quarters how the professionals get round a golf course. If you would like to play with me in any of the events listed in the Tournament Schedule, please either call me or send me an email.

I have played tournament golf since I was 17.  The first big events I played were the British Boys and Carris Trophy, and later on all the big UK Amateur tournaments including the English and British Amateur Championships, St Andrews Links Trophy and the Brabazon Trophy.  Since turning pro in 1998 I have regularly played various Mini Tour events, Europro and Challenge Tour, British Open Qualifying and European Tour Qualifying Schools.  I havn't been as successful as I would have liked up to now, but I'm still playing, playing better than ever, and enjoying my golf more than I ever have done.

I love teaching, but like most golf pro's, I started playing golf to compete and to see how good I can be.  The two areas of the game compliment each other.  Teaching helps me understand my golf swing more fully, while playing tournaments tests the mental side of my game and means I can understand what my students are going through when they are playing.  I couldn't teach this game if I was just stood on a driving range all day and never played a tournament.

The golf swing is only one part of the game of golf.  The body and the mind are totally interconnected.  Unless you know how pressure affects the body and the golf swing, you can't really understand or teach the whole game.  As Ben Hogan said, 'Golf and tournament golf are as different as tennis and ice hockey'.

The trouble for the average player, is that most Tour Pro's these days don't teach the game.  They don't need to, as the money they make from playing is massive compared to 30 years ago.  There has been a divergence, with golf professionals specialising as either teachers or players.  This doesn't mean that there aren't teaching pro's who are good players, it's just that there aren't many of them.  If you do find a teacher who can really play the game, and can communicate the thoughts and feelings he has when he plays to you in a lesson, then you will have a big advantage over the lesson from the teacher who has learned his trade purely from a teaching manual or at training conferences.

I will be playing Europro Tour and Jamega Tour in 2010.  I am intending to blog from the tournaments on these pages.

There’s no getting away from the fact that playing professional golf at any level costs money. Tournament entry fees on the Euro Pro Tour are £275 per event. Travel, accommodation and caddy fees can easily double the bill every week. Equipment and every day living expenses all have to be paid for. The rewards for success are fantastic, but getting onto the European Tour where you can start to earn 'proper money' can be a lengthy and expensive process. I have always paid for my tournament golf myself, with occasional help from friends and family. I have probably spent around £100,000 over the past 10 years playing professional golf.

I will continue to play competively for as long as I feel I am improving and have a chance of being successful, and as long as I am enjoying tournament golf. With the success of the Seniors Tours, golf is probably the longest career in professional sport, and the rewards for success in the end can be fantastic.  I am grateful to everyone who has supported my golf over the years, either directly or indirectly. All of you who have come to me for lessons over the past year either at Stagsden or at Collingtree are contributing to my ability to play tournaments next year, as well as improving your own games, so thankyou.

If you would like to be part of my campaign on the EuroPro Tour next year there are a couple of ways you can help.  The first is by coming to see me for alesson or two.  I can promise you will enjoy it and it will improve your game. The second is by clicking this link here.  It won't cost you a penny, and could save you up to £400 a year on your utility bills as well as helping with my tournament entry fees.

With the increased media coverage of the Europro Tour on Sky Television and through the internet, there are real and credible marketing opportunities for businesses to get involved with player sponsorship as part of their marketing strategy.
I have a range of options available to businesses who would like to get involved. These include

• Branding and logo promotion on clothing and equipment
• Corporate golf days
• Business development days
• One on One coaching for staff or clients
• Pro Ams
• Website and Newsletter promotion

And anything else which I can think of which will add value to a business relationship!