Tag Archives: golf

Does better course design mean better golf?

Even Tour players look at golf courses the same way most people look at them. They like course layouts where they tend to play well, maybe even more than the average golfer does. For a lot of amateurs the venue doesn’t have quite the same effect on their ability to enjoy the day.

It’s hard for even a top tour pro to love a course he has trouble scoring on. Look at Lee Trevino. He always had problems playing at Augusta National, and he was one of the best players of all time. So, generally speaking, players look at courses through glasses of whatever tint matches their ability to perform.

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How To Win Under Pressure

I just saw a really good interview with Darren Clarke on winning The Open. The main point that stood out for me was when he was asked by interviewer David Livingstone ‘what was the key to controlling your nerves under pressure?’

Darren answered ‘sticking to my routine, that’s something we all practice on and focus on, and it’s key to stick to your pre- shot routine when the pressure is on.’

So next time any of you are doing well in a tournament try and keep your routine consistent, it shouldn’t matter if you’re leading The Open or playing a round of golf with a friend, to hit a good shot you have to be focused whether you’re under pressure or not!

2012 A Great Year Of Golf Ahead

Hello everyone, hope you all had a great New Year’s celebrations and are looking forward to the year ahead as much as me!

We’ve all got a lot to look forward to this year golf wise, it’s a Ryder Cup year again, can’t believe it was well over a year ago since our boys lifted the cup at Celtic Manor, let’s hope they can do it again in America this September.

We’ve got all the four majors to look forward to as well, which I think could be one of the most exciting years ever for majors as there are so many high quality players around now and it is wide open to all of them. Last year we saw four new major winners, and I think some of them names will repeat the same feat this year.

On a personal note I’m looking forward to getting back to teaching, and getting my lessons to improve even more. I saw some great results with my lessons last year and feel they can all take a massive step this year to becoming really good players and achieve their goals much quicker than they could have ever expected to.

So here’s to 2012, look forward to seeing you all practising and look forward to teaching you all!

James

 

A Great Year For Golf In 2011

Well what a year it’s been, we’ve seen some great drama in the world of golf over 2011, we’ve seen four new major winners, we’ve seen European golf dominating the world, we’ve seen an Englishman win the money list on both sides of the Atlantic!

But most importantly for the world of golf we’ve seen the return of the worlds best golfer! I don’t need to mention his name.

Europe won the Solheim Cup and GB&I won the Walker Cup. We have two Englishmen at 1& 2 in the world. I find it amazing how the game of golf is being dominated by Europe.

I think the reason for this is the amount of work and money that has been put into junior golf over the past 10-15 years. It has really helped kids in the early teens develop into tremendous golfers which in past years may not have been the case. Long may this continue!

Well I hope you’ve all enjoyed the golfing year, and there’s plenty to look forward to in 2012 including the Ryder Cup, and who knows, we might see Tiger win all four majors to equal the Golden Bear’s record! Okay maybe that’s unlikely, but I wouldn’t put it past him!

 

Taking your golf lessons to the course

Golf lessons will typically take place on the driving range, where balls can be hit successively in order to practise and hone your game. This is ideal for perfecting the different types of shots, learning about distance, and being able to do this at your own pace.

The game itself is of course played on a course, and after the initial practise it’s here that the fun really starts!

Dukes Meadows Golf Club has a superb nine-hole course, with fantastic greens, great scenery and some challenging holes – it’s perfect for beginners and experienced players alike.

Many golfers are nervous when stepping out onto the first tee for the first time, so an on-course lesson can be great to calm those nerves, learn about the etiquette of the sport, and be guided on which clubs to use and when.

It’s the perfect way to make the transition from the driving range to the course, and it won’t be long before you’re knocking shots off your score with every round…

Please click here for my teaching hours and price list

Westwood shoots career best of 60 in Thailand

Lee Westwood shot a 12-under-par 60 – the best round of his career to date – to establish a five-shot lead on day one of the Thailand Golf Championship.

Westwood carded 10 birdies and an eagle at the Amata Spring Country Club.

“I made a dream start and you start thinking about 59, I guess,” said Westwood, the world number three.

Westwood set the tone for his round with birdies at one, three, four and five and an eagle at the par-five second.

“I guess 59 is one of those numbers where if it is meant to be, it is meant to be. I messed it up with a few pars!”

Westwood really is in the form of his life, if only his putter could remain hot he could be the best player in the world without a doubt.

The competition starts today – Six FREE golf lessons to be won!!

I’m running a competition from today to win six free golf lessons over the next 7 days. All you have to do is click here and like my facebook page, and then enter you details in the contact form provided.

The lessons will take place at Dukes Meadows Golf in Chiswick ,West London, where we can cover any aspect of the game.

Good luck in entering and I hope to see the lucky winner soon!

James.

Six FREE golf lessons to be won!

Tomorrow I will be offering a fantastic prize to end the year with. I will be giving away six free half hour golf lessons which you can use for yourself or you can give to someone as a Christmas present.

They can use the lessons as 6 x half hours or 3 x one hour lessons. The lessons can be on the driving range, on the course or at any of the Dukes Meadows wonderful practice facilities including our fantastic Video Analysis Studio.

All you will have to do is ‘like’ my facebook page and enter your email address. If you have already ‘liked’ my page then you will just be required to enter your email. Then a name will be chosen at random.

The competition will last for a week and will be drawn on the Dec 21st so I will have time to send out a nicely presented gift voucher to the winner.

So keep your eyes open for the start of the FREE lesson giveaway tomorrow!

The tension in Dubai is hotting up for the weekend

An interesting day in Dubai today saw Alvaro Quiros hit the top of the leaderboard with an outstanding round of 64 following his round 0f 68 yesterday. An eagle on the last capped a bogey free round of brilliant ball striking.

Luke Donald found some form today and managed to finish with a flurry of birdies on the last three holes giving him a respectable round of 68 which keeps him right in the tournament and still in with a great chance of winning the money list.

Donald would have been slightly relieved watching McIlroy making a bit hash of the last two holes, bogeying the par 3 17th and then hitting his tee shot in the water at 18 also resulting in a bogey giving him a round of 71.

So the weekend is perfectly set up with McIlroy and Donald both in the top 12 of the leaderboard and playing a course that can offer a lot of birdies and a lot of bogeys which can see some big swings on the scoring.

Make sure your watching when the players tee it up again early tomorrow morning!

Christmas gift vouchers for golf lessons

It’s getting nearer to Christmas everyday and I for one haven’t even started my shopping yet as I’ve been too busy with work and I’m sure a lot of you are in the same boat.

If you’re struggling on ideas for Christmas presents then I’m providing Christmas gift vouchers for golf lessons which come nicely presented on a piece of card which you can even personalise yourself.

The voucher prices are:

£25 for 30 minutes.

£50 for 60 minutes.

£135 for 6 x 30 minutes.

to order your voucher either enter your details here

or contact me personally 0n 07879 652 367

or phone the Pro Shop 0n 0208 994 3314  ext 2 and give my name when ordering.

Good luck with the shopping and hopefully see you soon.

James.