Junior Golf Update

It’s a team effort here at the club with new faces coming to our junior sessions thanks to members spreading the word and our schools program. It gives me so much satisfaction to see so many juniors developing and improving their golf having started from scratch!!

Over the course of the last month we have enjoyed welcoming in new faces to the Tigers and Development groups. All academy members that have been playing in the Sunday competitions have been busy reducing their handicaps, some as big as 20 shots!!

Here are a few of the latest pictures taken from our Junior sessions at the weekend including our Tigers and Development group.

An Afternoon with Titleist

This year we re-introduced Titleist to our product lines with the awesome new Vokey Sm6 wedges and Scotty Cameron putters leading the way.

On Tuesday 19th July we’ve been chosen to hold a very special day with Titleist here at the club.

On Tuesday 19th July at 12noon-3pm, Team Titleist will be with us here at the THSG giving product talks and demo’s on the new Sm6 wedge and Scotty Cameron putters.

You will be able to come along or book in for a proper fitting for either the sm6 wedge or Scotty Cameron putters. We will be on hand to help answer any questions you have on the products and help you find the right selection to suit your game.

Wedge and putter fitting is often over looked in the game, which is criminal considering these are the clubs you use the most in a round of golf. We take this part of custom fitting very seriously and with team Titleist here on the day we will have every wedge and putter for you to demo with free expert advice thrown in!!!

If you would like to book in for a fitting on the day please email Tim tim@timhallschoolofgolf.co.uk

THSG Short Game Weekend

Last week we held our THSG Short Game Weekend for all the members at The Ross-on-Wye Golf Club. We ran clinics to help members improve and gain a better understanding of this all-important part of the game.

When somebody comes to me for a short game session its often the little changes that make so much of a big difference. The difference is then shown in their scoring.

“The average 18 handicap golfer hits around 70% of their shots from 100 yards and in, including putting off course”.

That’s a pretty important part of the game to get right and is SO often overlooked.

We ran a weekend of clinics to help the members at ROWGC improve and have a better understanding of this all-important part of the game. We covered clinics from understating the importance of bounce and using it when in bunkers, too a putting masterclass with our short game specialist Oli Leett.

The sessions went down very well, we even gave time for members questions at the end of every session. We also learnt a lot as coaches picking up on the most common issues, which included the ‘dreaded thinned chip/pitch’, ‘club selection in the short game’ and ‘problems with pace control in putting’.  

Natasha Starts Tomorrow at the THSG

It’s Natasha’s first day tomorrow so be sure to drop by the golf shop and welcome her to the club. We’re all very excited to have Natasha joining us, she’s going to fit in just perfect at the THSG.

A new face at the THSG as we welcome Natasha Martin to the team. She’s currently going into her 2nd year of her PGA training and will be taking over as lead instructor of our Junior program.

She’ll also be teaching within our ‘Get Into Golf’ program and ladies coaching program going forward.

Good Luck Natasha…!

Niall Wins at Frilford GC and is Now Off Scratch

In a rain effected event at Frilford Heath GC Niall Powell takes the top spot with unbelievable round. It wasn’t just the winning, this brilliant score reduced his handicap too!

Niall has been at it again with a unbelievable round at Frilford Heath GC. Playing in the Gold medal event, Niall went into the tournament feeling pretty good about his game.

After the front 9 he wasn’t in the best of spirits with a 2 over par score. He gave himself a good talking too and that made all the difference shooting 6 birdies on the back 9 for a 4 under par total. Then over lunch the torrential downpours put pay to the afternoon’s play, cutting the event down to just 18 holes. Niall’s score was the best over the one course winning by 4 shots. It wasn’t just the winning, this brilliant score reduced his handicap to 0.0. His handicap has now been cut a massive 3.2 shots since January.

Niall’s leaving us in August for his scholarship to Kirkwood College Iowa, if you would like to play in his leaving competition then please keep Sunday 7th August free, its our next THSG Golf day. All proceeds from that competition will be going towards to Niall’s leaving gift.

Every Golfer is Unique

Here at the THSG we don’t just teach one methodology. We treat every pupil as individual and tailor lessons and practice plans to suit. Just as Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk and Shane Lowry are illustrating, their techniques are all so very different.

I came across a fantastic illustration this week on Twitter straight after Dustin Johnson won at Oakmont. It was the picture of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the US Open (From left to right Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk and Shane Lowry.)

This illustration for me speaks a thousand words as to what works best for golfers out there that are looking for serious improvement.

Understanding that everyone is unique and there certainly isn’t one methodology out there that works for everyone. Here at the THSG we treat everyone as an individual and design bespoke lesson and practice plans to aid your improvement.

Practicing Properly

Our own research into practice has been a real eye opener over the past few years. Golf is a unique sport and in practice we have historically struggled to replicate the feeling of competition in practice.

After years of research the THSG have devised our own deep practice by a set of measurable practice drills, designed to simulate the real thing. We have tested this on a number of pupils and the results are alarming.

Aimed to help pupils gain focus, improve skill set and help practice deeper.

If you would like more information on these new practice techniques then please email Tim

Team THSG Take on Exciting New Direction in Coaching

Last week myself and Oli successfully took a two-day training course with the world renowned TPI organisation, which promises to change the way we teach forever! Our new TPI certification will allow us to offer a 16 stage screening (taking only 10 mins) to better understand our pupils physical limitations. To celebrate we're offering FREE SCREENING for the whole of June and July.

To book your FREE Appointment email Tim tim@timhallschoolofgolf.com

This has been exciting year already for the THSG investing in the 3D Kvest coaching and now this. We strive for continuous improvement not just in our pupils but in ourselves too.

So what is TPI?

TPI actually stands for Titleist Performance Institute. It is the world's leading educational organisation dedicated to the study of how the human body functions in relation to the golf swing. When a pupil comes for a lesson at the THSG, we see many reasons why the swing is at fault, for me the two main reasons come from the following:

• Poor understanding of the correct movements
• Strength, flexibility and mobility issues

Our new TPI certification will now allow us to take our pupils through a 16 stage screening (taking only 10 mins) to help us understand better what physical limitations that pupil have. If we can gain a better understanding of what they are, then we can work more efficiently on other areas. We will also be able to give exercises to improve strength, flexibility and mobility around key joints and muscles that are most used in golf.

Since 2003, TPI has studied thousands of golfers ranging from the top professional tour players to weekend enthusiasts. An incredible amount of data on players of all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels has been gathered during this time. Using this data, TPI discovered how a properly functioning body allows a player to swing a golf club in the most efficient way possible.

Additionally, TPI has analysed how physical limitations in a player’s body can adversely affect the golf swing and potentially lead to injury. Five unique fields of study are offered for TPI Certification: Golf, Medical, Fitness, Power and Junior Development. The THSG plan to explore the junior and golf pathway, comprising each of 3 levels.

Some Interesting Facts About TPI Experts:

• 12 of the last 16 Major championships were won by players advised by a TPI certified expert.
• 22 of the top 35 players in the world are advised by a TPI certified expert.
• 58 of the 87 PGA Tour events were won by players advised by a TPI expert.

The 16 stage screening takes around 10minutes and involves the pupil being taken through some light exercises that can be carried out in golf clothes. To celebrate myself and Oli’s new certification we are offering FREE SCREENING for the whole of June and July.

To book your FREE Appointment email Tim tim@timhallschoolofgolf.com

Kate Bibby Flys THSG Flag at European Championship

It’s yet again been a great week for THSG pupils around the country. Kate Bibby has been with us for the past two weeks working hard on her game.

It’s always hard to adapt your game from one golf course to the next and going from the Els Club in Dubai to Gullane in Scotland is as diverse as it gets.

Its always hard to adapt your game from one golf course to the next and going from the Els club in Dubai to Gullane in Scotland is as diverse as it gets. Kate Bibby didn’t think so as she competed in the US Kids European Championships last week. After a long two days in testing conditions she finished 3rd in her age group playing some fantastic golf.

Kate’s 3rd place finish helped her qualify for the Van Horn cup which was held after the main competition and involved the top players from each age range. She also qualified for the junior world championships held in August at the world renowned Pinehurst resort.

She has been working hard over the last few months back home in Dubai keeping in regular contact with myself and Oli. Both her and brother Josh plan to stay with us now until the end of August working hard on there games leading up to the world Championships.

Club Championship Win for Edwards

The champagne was flowing in the Edwards household on Sunday as THSG Pupil Joss Edwards won the Club Championships at his home club, Cotswold Hills. Joss has been a pupil with us for over 3 years now and has always had a great attitude to work hard, with bags of determination.

It all paid off last weekend with a fantastic performance in the Cotswold Hills club championship.

Joss is also a member at ROWGC and is currently taking regular lessons with myself and Oli. His -1 par total was good enough to win by 5 shots over the nearest competitor.

Joss has been on a very similar training program to Niall which has paid divends over the past few months. We prepared Joss, a lot like Niall taking him through technical work in the off season allowing him to peak when it matters. This latest performance has certainly proved this with some great results. Joss has now reduced his handicap from 5 to 2 in a matter of months.

Juniors Leading the way in Improvement

Stories from the juniors this week include Jordan Hughes’ unbelievable score in the mens open and news about our latest Junior Performance Day!

A great story emerged on Sunday with Jordan Hughes shooting a life time best nett 63 to win the mens open by 4 shots. Jordan handicap now stands at 16 having started the competition of 21.

He put his great performance on Sunday all down to a regular practice routine and lessons with the THSG. Jordan has already had a fantastic year with some great scores, he is one of the 7 ROWGC members that now represents the club our Gloucestershire county level including Timmy Fycun, Cam Haines, Harry Griffiths, Matty Dobbs, Sophie Price and Abbie Bishop.

Our development juniors have been enjoying there time at the club with the latest THSG performance day going down very well. 14 of our keen young golfers attended the day and learnt about the following subjects:

• Pre round preparation
• Pre Shot Routine
• Scoring different formats of the game
• On course management

Our junior performance days are specially designed to help our juniors get course ready. They gain valuable experience from these days, which are key to there development.  

Rob Qualifies for British Par3 Championships

Our very own Rob Aldred qualifies in a playoff for the British Par3 Championships. Played at the par 3 course at Nailcote Hall, Rob entered this prestigious tournament up against European tour professionals with his chances very slim in qualifying.

After a strong start with early birdies, Rob soon found himself challenging for the lead. After some great golf on the back 9 Rob managed to hold it together to finish a tie for third.

This meant he was in a sudden death playoff with the likes of Raymond Russell who has enjoyed many years on the European tour. After a sweetly struck wedge into 5 foot on the first he calmly holed the putt to be the first to qualify out of the four man playoff.

Rob will now look forward to playing in the championship held on 26th–29th, for ticket information please see one of the team. Your support will be very welcome!!

Well done Rob

Niall Books Place On American Scholarship

We have had some fantastic news this week regarding Niall’s golfing future. He has managed to secure a full golf scholarship in America.

When Niall joined us in 2012 he played off a handicap of 6 with a bunch of personality and a desire for the game that I have seen in no other golfer. You could tell he had all the right attributes to succeed, including determination, desire and a passion for hard work… a pretty good mix for a budding golfer!!

Well, those attributes have all been rewarded with a full golfing scholarship to Kirkwood Community college in Iowa, America. Niall got the phone call a couple of weeks ago from the head of golf at Kirkwood, Darin Pint. I had the pleasure in talking with ‘Coach Pint’ before the big decision who couldn’t wait to get Niall over to the college and start working with him.

Niall fully deserves all the plaudits he has been getting over the last few months, all his hard work and hours on the practice range has allowed him to reduce his handicap from 4 to 0.5 in just a matter of months. He certainly has been the first on the driving range in the mornings and the last to go at night, this hard work he openly says is the secret to his lower scores!! Kirkwood college are getting not just a special player in Niall but a true gent who will be a real credit to the college!!

We will certainly miss him here at the THSG as I am sure all the members will at the club. We would like to send him off in true THSG style and run a golf tournament with all proceeds going towards Niall’s future. More information will be posted soon about this special day for Niall, if your interested in supporting the day please keep Sunday 21st August free in your diary.   

I even managed to hunt down some very much younger photos of Niall in his prime winning trophies and thinking he was a super hero!!! Sorry Ni…..

Stonage Strikes, Has Handicap Tumbles!

Junior academy member Chris Stonage has been working hard on his game over the past few months, this weekend he was rewarded with a great performance.

Chris Stonage didn’t have too much to cheer about last week with his beloved football club Liverpool lost in the final of the UEFA cup after a dismal display in Basle.

This may have spurred him on to play some great golf because on Sunday he pulled off a great performance in the junior academy competition. His 24 points topped the table with a fine performance from tee to green.

His handicap has now tumbled down to 42 and is definitely on the radar for more cuts!!

The academy competitions are held every Sunday at 2pm and all juniors at ROWGC are welcome to play.

Junior Night Great Success

The junior forum organised a special competition for the whole juniors at the club last Friday. As ever we had great fun with some great golf being played. The night was designed to help our younger juniors get used to course play, scoring, course management and playing with experienced golfers.

The night was designed to help our younger juniors get used to course play, scoring, course management and playing with experienced golfers. We played a Florida scramble over 9 holes with some awesome scores by all teams.

It was a family affair at the top of the leader board with Niall, Leo and Jason Powell scoring the lowest of the night. This included an eagle on the 6th hole with Niall drive, Jason 2nd shot and Leo knocking the putt in!!

It was great to pack out the clubhouse after with all the competitors enjoying sandwiches and chips laid on by the forum.

Improve your Short Game

The THSG Short Game Weekend is coming up in June for anyone looking to learn the secrets of the most important part of the game.

This is one of the most popular weekends in the teaching calendar and one that can’t be missed if you’re serious about improving. The 2016 short game weekend has been scheduled for Friday 17th June – Sunday 19th June.

Clinics will be run by the THSG in groups of 8 people max. You will be taught all the secrets of short game from pitching to bunker play.

All Clinics are £7 per person an are for 60 minutes. There will time for a 10 minute question and answer at the end of every session so please come armed, we are here to help.

Short Game Timetable:

Friday

• 10–11am Pitch Perfection
• 12noon–1pm Chipping – What Shot When?
• 1–2pm Short Game – Practice Properly
• 2–3pm Using Bounce – Bunker Play
• 3–4pm Putting Masterclass with the LPH
• 4–5pm Putting Masterclass with the LPH

Saturday

• 10–11am Problem Shots
• 12noon–1pm Chipping – The Basics
• 1–2pm Chipping – One Hop & Stop
• 2–3pm Perfect Your Bunker Play
• 3–4pm On Course with the THSG

Sunday

• 10–11am Green Reading with the LPH
• 12noon–1pm Green Reading with the LPH
• 1–2pm The Basics of Bunker Play
• 2–3pm Putting Masterclass with the LPH
• 3–4pm Putting Masterclass with the LPH
• 4–5pm On Course with the THSG

Please book your slot on whichever clinic you decide you need most help on.

Get Into Golf On Course Sessions

Calling all Get into Golfers, we have just announced extra special on course sessions for the Summer, which is open to all levels of golfers.

The get into golf course sessions will be an excellent way to gain valuable experience out where it matters, pick up on various hints and tips, development your course management and generally learn so much more about the game.

Session Details

• Price: £8 per session
• Duration: 60mins
• Time: 6pm – 7pm
• Coaches: Tim Hall and Oli Leett

Session Dates

• Friday 10th June
• Thursday 23rd June
• Monday 4th July
• Friday 22nd July
• Thursday 11th August
• Friday 26th August
• Friday 2nd Sept
• Monday 12th Sept
• Thursday 29th Sept

Pre-booking is necessary, please email tim@timhallschoolofgolf.com

Pupils enjoy 1st ever EGU Championships

THSG & LPH pupils Pat Watkins, Jan Armstrong and Amanda Marshall all played this week in the EGU Senior Ladies Amateur Championships at the club. A strong field of 112 ladies from all around the country just managed to get their rounds in on Day 1 with the weather doing its best to disrupt play.

Pat, Jan and Amanda have been working hard on their games in the lead up too this tournament seeing myself and Oli for both long and short games. They all did fantastic coping with the extra pressure of playing around their home course.  

Day 2 was a different story with torrential downpours putting pay to the day, which resulted in the strokeplay competition getting cut to just one round. The top 16 competitors qualified for flight 1 which was a matchplay event played over 72 holes on Thursday and Friday. The flight 2 competitors who comprised of the players that finished 7 – 64th place played in a strokeplay event of which Pat and Jan qualified for. Full results will follow in next weeks enewsletter

Congratulations to Pat, Jan and Amanda for representing the club so well, we are all very proud of your performances under testing conditions.

THSG pupils finding form for fun!!

It’s been a great start to the year for so many THSG pupils who have already enjoyed low scores and handicap reductions. Many of our pupils are halfway through there development plans now and are already showing great changes in their techniques.

Team THSG and the LPH strongly believe it’s a team effort when it comes to performance improvement. When a pupil comes to improve at the THSG they will receive a complete overview of there game in the form of a 6 hole assessment. Only then can we devise the right plan for future improvement.

Using technology such as K-Vest 3D analysis, GASP lab video analysis and SAM Putt Lab data we can pinpoint the breakdowns in technique quicker and work on areas more thoroughly with live feedback. This technology is widely used on tour with some of the very best players in the world.

Just check out these before and after screenshots taken from various pupils that have used the technology to help reinforce swing changes that are key to their development and future low scores.  

THSG Junior Performance Day invite

Yes it’s happening again…! The THSG have team up with the LPH to bring you another Junior performance day. We would like to extend the invite to ALL juniors of the club, to Join us on Monday 30th May 2016. Please book your place in the pro shop.

Calling All Junior Golfers, 

We have one of our Performance days coming up very soon on Monday 30th May. Our last day was a great success with Ady Watts covering fitness/nutrition and our very own Oli Leett doing short game. These days are a fantastic way to learn about the game and further your knowledge with like-minded juniors. 

Performance Driven Improvement Day – Monday 30th May

This day will solely focus on getting you ‘Match Ready’ for the golf course.

Our learning outcomes for the day will be as follows: 

• Pre round focus
• Pre Shot Process
• Measurable Practice
• On Course Performance Management 

Itinerary of the day 

• 9am – Registration
   
• 9.30am – Pre Round Focus 

Team THSG will take you through the preparation needed in the days and minutes leading up to competition. 

• 10.30am – Pre Shot Process 

The group will be split into two teams and be taken through pre shot process in long game and in putting. 

• 11.30am – Drinks Break
   
• 11.45am – Measurable Practice 

In your groups you will learn about what makes a great practice session, again you will be taken through long game and putting. 

• 12.45pm – Lunch (provided) 
   
• 1.45pm – 9 Hole THSG Scramble 

This is your chance to play with the pro’s in a fun Texas scramble format. 

• 4.30pm – De-brief of day cost of the day 

This day will be part funded by the THSG & members of ROWGC, there is a small cost of £15 per child to be paid upon booking. Myself and Oli will be running the day so if you have any questions please ask us or one of the team. 

Booking

Please book your space in the pro shop, pre-payment is appreciated. 

Happy Golfing
#TeamTHSG