Technique

Warming-up

Few students take enough time to warm up before a round of golf. Most students arrive
late with respect to their tee off time and consequently neglect warming- up, or only hit a
couple of balls at the driving range.

I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Ramsey McMaster during a Swiss PGA seminar in
October 2008. He is one of the best Australian physiotherapists, working with numerous
golfing Pros on all the professional courses.

He starts with observing the natural posture of each student. One can already see if a
student has one shoulder higher or lower than the other or is holding their shoulders too
forward, which prevents good rotation. Students working in front of a computer all day
affect their posture, much like teenagers who play too many electronic games and or
simply spend too much time on their telephones.

Working with spiky balls and using simple exercises one can help to improve an
individual’s posture and in turn, their swing.

I recommend five warm-up exercises before hitting the ball. As an example, the
SHERIF exercise is demonstrated here, which allows one to work on rotation as well as
the muscles in your back.

The difference will be noticeable, as you will simply think about having good rotation,
and stop concentrating on all the details of your swing. T he result will be an improved
follow through, a very compact swing, and a longer carry of the ball.

Lynn Marriot & Pia Nilsson
N°1 golf school in America

Coaching

Jack Nicklaus said something really important: “Every year I start playing golf as if I had
never played the game before”. Together with his coach Jack Grout, he pays attention
to all the basic principles, grip, posture and alignment during the first lessons of the
season.

Humbly accept this advice!

In October 2007 I had the privilege of participating in a conference concerning the
teaching of golf, in Mälmö, Sweden, where I met Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriot, founders
of the Vision 54 method. In their book “Every Shot Must Have a Purpose”, which I highly
recommend reading, Pia and Lynn explain that there are 5 important elements for a
good golfer. These are:

Physical - Technical - Emotional - Mental - Social

Most students who execute a bad shot immediately put it down to an error in technique.
One can now evaluate oneself on a scale of 1 to 10 with respect to each of these
elements, and consequently discover where your weakest points lie.

John Daly could have won a greater number of tournaments if his physical condition had
been better. In which area do you think you could improve?

Before giving a lesson, I try to make my students aware of all of these parameters, and
not only technique. I look forward to assisting you in all these elements of the game
during your next lesson!!!

Mark Gibbson 2x best teacher in Australia 1999-2002

Putting

As you no doubt already know, putting is the most important part of the game as it
makes up about 40% of your score, but it is also the area which is taken least seriously
by amateurs.

Most golfers leave it to chance to decide whether it will be a good or bad day of putting.
In January 2008 I visited Mark Gibbson, dual winner of the Australian teacher of the year
award, in order to perfect my game and to enjoy a milder winter. Mark worked with
Harold Swash who is also known as “Mr Putting”.

After filming a few of my putts, we noticed that my putter wasn’t flat on the ground but more on the heel. Consequently the ball did not roll correctly, and I had a tendency to hook the ball. After correcting this, I was more solidly placed in front of the ball and my ability to control the direction of the ball was more regular.

I advise that you allow me to verify the basis of your putting during a lesson and
especially to check, with the aid of video, whether the ball is rolling correctly.

Technique

Warming-up

Fitness

Coaching

Putting