A Happy New Year to everyone and I assume you’ve all made the standard resolutions, but I hope your willpower has been greater than mine. I made it as far as the 2nd January, that is until I arrived at the Proshop, to discover the Lake District had come to my doorstep. Any plan I had to quit with the expletives that generally adorn my sentences were drowned in the pond outside the shop. The water hasn’t quite reached the cash register yet, so we’re still open for business or just a chin wag if you feel that way inclined.
News from the front line is that Ewan has just become a Dad for the second time, with Sienna being born on 27th December. He hasn’t slept since, so you’ll have to be gentle with him when he gets back to work.
We’ve now done the Proshop Christmas Draw and the winners are as follows:
- Andy Jakeman
- John Martin
- John Ward
- Marc Holdsworth
- Steve Jackson
Your prizes can be collected from the Proshop at your convenience. Thank you to everyone who bought a square and congratulations to all the lucky winners.
I would also like to thank Gill Jakeman and our dedicated band of volunteers, who all add their own passion every Sunday to our Junior coaching programme. The effort you all put in, come rain or shine, is way above and beyond the call of duty and we now have a Junior section to be proud of. We currently have a small group of children that have reached an extremely high standard and between them they are creating a pathway to success, but the generation following in their footsteps will be something to behold. If everybody could show a little patience whilst these children go about their education on course, you may just witness the making of a golfing superstar.
One of our Juniors has just come back from a trip to Lapland, where she met Santa Claus and he told her he’s a pretty good golfer. Darcy managed to get his autograph for me, so that now stands proudly next to the autographs I have from Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
MEMBER INSIGHTS - JANUARY 2024
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THE COACHING CENTRE
HOW TO LOWER YOU SCORES WITHOUT MUCH EFFORT
Without having access to the golf course it’s so easy to neglect practise, but here’s a 5-minute exercise you can do at home that will set you thinking.
Improper aim is a common problem and is a crucial element to get your head around if you’re missing putts. Aiming problems can be a consequence of misperception, whereby the hole position may be perceived to be further left or right of the actual position of the hole. I use a device called the SAM PuttLab for measuring this data and it typically shows the player to be constantly manipulating the putter face for each putt they hit, so there is no consistency in the way the ball rolls.
The biggest factor influencing this perception is the distance you stand from the ball. For right-handed players getting closer to the ball visually moves the hole to the left and if you stand further away from the ball the hole position appears further right. This is the opposite for left-handers. There are other factors to consider such as spine angle, head tilt and the alignment of your feet, but let’s just focus on the biggest influence.
THE DRILL - TESTING YOUR PERCEPTION
Set up a target about hole size and 10 feet away from you, then stand two tee pegs roughly 4 feet in front of you straddling the exact putt line at approximately hole width, between you and the hole. We will call this obstacle “The Gate”. Go back to your start position and aim your putter accordingly, then check to see if there is a clear view through the gate to the target. If the gate seems to be in the way, then you misperceive the hole position and you need to adjust your eye line until the view is unhindered.
Left - Eye position too far inside the putt line. Right - Eye position on the correct line.
Your task is to get used to this situation visually and then roll straight putts through the gate until your confidence builds. Once you’ve succeeded at this drill and got used to the new position, close your eyes and attempt the same exercise. Don’t worry about knocking over either tee peg, just use it simply as feedback and be patient. Over time your body will adjust and learn easily to set up correctly to the hole.
The final result – A Legend is born.
Thank you for reading and I hope you get some benefit from it.
Andrew Lancaster
Head Professional
