Well that's been a rough month weather wise for golf. The rain has been biblical and the few days it's not rained the wind has been bordering unplayable. Too windy for a kite festival!!!
Despite this I have still managed to get plenty of both golf and coaching in. Hardy souls up north.
One concern is the state of my waterproofs. After losing a few pounds I have been called 'Snoop Dog' and 'Steptoe' by my so called friends. Could prove expensive this diet.
There have been a few common themes have come from clients during the group sessions.
Firstly how one mistake seems to derail them for a number of holes. To address this we really worked on each shot being a single event with its own thought process and execution and how previous shots have no effect on future ones.
Secondly the lack of understanding of the impact of conditions on yardages. There was a tendency to check the yardage and then vastly underestimate the wind and in particular shot shape, ground conditions and temperature. The result, always short. We talked about taking a caddy approach first. Go through the process of asking yourself the right questions to get to right answer. There is nothing worse than hitting it great only to find it was the wrong one.
My two tips for the month comes from a trip to the Warwickshire with the golf society. The first is remember which pocket you put your wallet in. Or at least look properly before mild panic sets in as it will save you an hour of heartache and some unnecessary car journeys retracing the sketchy early morning hangover steps.
The second is when parking your trolley on the side of a hill by a lake put your brake on. If you don't, expect a chest high wade and five minutes of hard labour trying to retrieve a trolley and golf bag full of dirty pond water. Once out of the pond a playing partner offered him his waterproof trousers to change into to which he responded 'I am ok thanks I have got some in the bag'. And he is one of the intelligent ones!! His relieved if slightly embarrassed face soon turned to a disappointment when he realised 15 Marlboro lights were going to be difficult to light and the Porsche key fob had undergone a submersion test. He still managed to paddle his way back and hole his 6 footer for par. Thanks Si for 5 minutes of pure gold.
Next month brings some caddying for England in the Seniors Triangular Match which I am looking forward to and then thoughts will turn to establishing a winter programme. Don't waste the winter months, get yourself in the best place both technically and mentally to start next season.
