Tag Archives: Junior Golf Coaching

Is Clarke The Right Man To Captain Europe?

Well as you all know by now Darren Clarke has been appointed European Ryder Cup Captain for 2016 which seems to be a popular choice among fans and player alike, and no doubt his current sponsors will be very happy with the publicity.

Clarke has won the Ryder Cup 4 times as a player which will stand him good stead as he prepares for seemingly one of the biggest weeks of his life next year in America. He has been victorious under the captaincy of Seve, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Langer and lastly Ian Woosnam in which Darren Clarke bravely lead Europe to victory in Ireland after the death of his wife a week earlier.

Next September the event will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Course in Minnesota, and Clarke will be up against good friend and opponent Davis Love III who will be trying to heal the wounded tiger that is the US team, after many years of domination by Europe.

The last time Europe were defeated in America was under the captaincy of Nick Faldo who didn’t conduct himself amazingly well in Valhalla in 2008. I really we hope we see a professional approach from Clarke as he is known as a bit of a ‘boy’ on the tour and does like to party, but I guess we will only find this out as time goes on…

I’m sure it will definitely be as fiercely contested as ever and will be another great spectacle for this game we all love. It’s a long time to wait, but I remember thinking that when I was waiting for the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, and look where that time as gone!

How to book a golf lesson in London

If you like me are looking for a new hobbie to get your teeth into this year, then why not come to Dukes Meadows and try your hand at golf?

Dukes Meadows Golf really is a little gem only a few miles from Central London and very accessible by public transport. When you arrive here, you wouldn’t believe where you were as you walk from the car park onto the beautiful terracing that overlooks a beautiful lake full of ducks and Canadian geese, and beyond that, a beautiful challenging 9 hole golf course.

The golf course was built in 1996 and has matured into London’s finest and is even a test for professional golfers with it’s fast and slopey greens. It is also host to the Middlesex small course championship every year.

Although it’s a test of golf, it is also the perfect place to come start learning and even have a coach like me take you out there to give you some tips. It only takes about 90 minutes to play 9 holes which allows you time to relax and have a drink outside on the beautiful promenade afterwards.

If you want to find out more about having a golf lesson on a golf course in London then please contact me and view my lesson prices and we can arrange a time for you.

 

Not Bad For A Wie Girl

Well just a week after Martin Kaymer lifted the US Open trophy at Pinehurst No.2, Michelle Wie did exactly the same thing on Sunday and claimed her first major title at the age of 24.

Wie rolled in a long birdie putt on the 17th hole like a true champion after a disastrous double bogey on the 16th and ended up taking the title by two shots from Stacy Lewis.

The young American has been in the spotlight since the age of thirteen, and has had a pretty successful career up to now, but in golf everyone is chasing the majors these days and this will ease the pressure for her and she will now feel that she is capable of winning many more, which I’m sure she will.

Next up on the LPGA Tour is Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.

Mickelson Aiming For Career Grand Slam At US Open

The desperation for Phil Mickelson to win the US Open and to claim a career Grand Slam will make it even tougher for him as he heads to Pinehurst this week.

Mickleson has never won a US Open before but has been runner-up an amazing six times in his home Open, he will be looking to put things straight come Thursday.

Only a handful of players have ever managed to claim a career Grand Slam before, they are Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus , Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen and if Phil can win this week he will truly go down as one of the all-time greats in the game of golf.

Mickelson will be putting great expectations on himself this week like he always does, but there’s no reason why the big American can’t triumph at this tough golf course which is also hosting the Women’s US Open soon after.

If like me you are looking forward to watching the golf tomorrow night, don’t forget to tune into Sky Sports 4 from 2pm.

Enjoy!

Michelson Disqualified For Scoring Error In US Open Qualifier

Landon Michelson a 22-year-old amateur was trying to qualify for the US Open in a second qualifier at Quail Valley. The youngster had shot a pair of 71’s and was set to at least be in a play-off when it dawned on him that he had accidentally signed for a 70 in his second round.

Michelson then had to decide whether to admit the mistake or keep quiet about it and live with knowing what he had done.

He ended up doing the right thing and admitting his mistake and was subsequently disqualified which left him with no chance of chasing his dream any more.

It may seem a bit harsh on Michelson, but the rules are the rules, so next time you’re playing in a competition at your club or anywhere else, make sure that you’re signing for the correct score, otherwise you could be disqualified too!!

Westwood Desperate For Automatic Ryder Cup Spot

Next months US Open is going to an important tournament for Lee Westwood as he aims to get an automatic place in the Ryder Cup team to face the USA in September.

The big Englishman from Worksop is currently 14th in the points list and know that a really good week at Pinehurst could see him guarantee a place in the side for the showdown at Gleneagles.

You would like to think that even if he didn’t make the side automatically, he would get a captain’s pick from Paul McGinley as Westwood’s experience and record in the Ryder Cup is one of the best ever.

Westwood will fancy his chances in the second major of the year after his seventh place finish at Augusta back in April, and since leaving his coach Sean Foley, he seems to have a better grasp on his swing and feels more comfortable with what he’s trying to do.

The US Open starts two weeks tomorrow and will be live on Sky Sports. Make sure you tune in. I think we could see another European winner! 

Fleetwood Hopes His ‘Singapore Swing’ Can Lead Him To Victory This Week

It was a good week last week for Tommy Fleetwood at the Volvo China Open as he finished runner-up to Frenchman Alexander Levy. The Englishman is looking to keep his momentum going having made the journey over to Singapore for the championship at Laguna National this week.

Fleetwood has now had two top five finishes in 2014, and his fantastic display in China has seen him rise up from 41st to 17th in the Race to Dubai.

His only success on the European Tour came  at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last year when he won in a play-off against Stephen Gallacher and Ricardo González in a thrilling tournament, and will be looking to feed off those memories this week.

It’s always difficult to keep the momentum going after coming off such a good week, but he will trying his hardest to get a couple of victories under his belt and get himself up the money list, and the Ryder Cup list.

Read more of my latest blogs 

What’s Up Next?

Hope you all had a nice Easter break and are fully refreshed!

Now the holidays are over and the Easter camps have finished, I’m back to my normal teaching hours again. My lesson diary is busy this time of year, so if you do want to book a lesson then please get in contact with me to arrange a time and day.

The Masters has been and gone and although the final round was a bit of an anti climax it was a great tournament to watch as always in beautiful surroundings.

The next major will be the US Open which starts on 12th June and will be held this year at Pinehurst No.2. Just in Rose will be trying to defend his title around a very difficult golf course. The same golf course will also be used for the Women’s US Open this year.

Well that’s it from me for now, I hope to see you all down at the driving range over the next few days practising hard and getting your game in shape for the rest of the season.

James

 

Golf Courses To Close At Weekends Due To Traffic Problems

A new law is set to be enforced that golf courses across the UK will have to close on weekends due to the amount of traffic being caused on the roads and the fact that women’s husbands aren’t around to take them shopping because they are on the golf course.

UK shop owners have signed a petition to get golf courses to shut at weekends to allow shoppers to spend more time with their partners and hopefully spend more money in the shops.

The petition has been signed by thousands of people and is being passed to the powers that be who are expected to pass it through in the next few weeks.

This has been on the cards for a while now and I’m shocked to hear this news, let’s just hope they see sense and allow the men to do what they love doing most.

Find out more here

 

Arnie Says ‘Hasta La Vista’ To Tiger Woods

The PGA Tour heads to Bay Hill today for the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the last leg of the Florida swing.

Unfortunately there will be no Tiger Woods in the filed due to his persistent back problems to the disappointment of Arnold Palmer, but it will still be a strong field nonetheless.

This event is one of the most prestigious on tour and for many players it is the last one before they hit the first major of the year at Augusta on April 10.

This would normally be the case for Woods, but he now has a race against time to get himself ready for The Masters and if fit enough may have to try and squeeze an extra event into his schedule to get himself prepared.

Woods, despite being hampered with injury was still the favourite going into this week but the door is wide open now for the likes of Justin Rose and the seven other Englishmen teeing it up in sunny Florida.

Should be another exciting week of golf. Next week a slightly lesser quality of filed will be heading to Texas for the Valero Texas Open whilst most of the top players will be trying to hone their game for the big one!

Live coverage is on Sky Sports 4 at 7pm tonight.