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David Ledingham

Chestfield Golf Club PGA Golf Professional

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Hi everyone, 

Last Sunday I watched an incredible display by Alex Noren who after 11 holes of the last round in South Africa was 9 under par. He has managed in just five months to rise from 109 in the world to now, quite incredibly, the top ten. Now that is, on its own, a truly incredible rise up the rankings but I want to point out something about how he does it:

Many of you will, I'm sure, be aware of how some coaches promote, certainly amongst better players, the idea that it is better to move the ball both ways in the air. Indeed when I went to a top coach myself many years ago he was of the opinion that it is much harder to hit the ball straight than to fade or draw the ball, so you should always try to shape the ball according to the shot.

I could never quite understand this and I'm afraid it doesn't quite stand up to scrutiny. Most of us are doing our utmost to just try to hit one shot that we can depend on, and I am including the vast majority of professionals that I play with, so the idea of moving it both ways at will, and under control, seemed a million miles away for me and indeed for most.

Alex Noren hits one shot and only one shot. There are also certain similarities between him and Dustin Johnson who has also had an amazing time since going to Butch Harmon for help. Harmon has changed him from someone who worried about a big hook to someone who hits a controlled fade almost exclusively. Both players have strong set-ups (Johnson also has a famously closed club at the top of his backswing) which should mean they draw the ball according to common thoughts but they have both succeeded doing the opposite.

There are a number of others who I could also mention, most notably Colin Montgomery (fade) and Zach Johnson (draw). The fact is it is only the very best ball strikers who can confidently move the ball around all the time and guess what? They don't win all the time! As an interesting footnote to that, Ben Hogan, perhaps one of the greatest ball strikers of all time, actually said that he thought it was unfair that putting was part of the game and I'm pretty certain Louis Oosthuizen would agree with him!! The point to that is that golf is about getting the ball in the hole in the fewest amount of shots. Knowing where it's going is a huge benefit, especially if you can then putt!

So here's the lesson - do not underestimate the benefit of knowing that when you hit a golf ball the same thing happens every time. If you hit a big slice that is NOT a disaster! Yes it would be better if it wasn't a big slice as you would then gain distance and be able to stop the ball quicker but if you can predict what will happen then you can play golf. So stop feeling under pressure to hit it dead straight. Play with what you have, and firstly understand what you have. Next time you are practising hit some balls where you just swing through to a balanced finish and don't try to manipulate the clubhead. Find your 'natural' swing and see what happens to the ball.

To me the best coaches help you to be consistent and to make the best of what you have. Be careful of getting into complicated swing changes - most of us neither have the time or inclination to hit enough balls to successfully change what we do naturally. It's far better and easier to make small changes to our setups and to then stick to one swing-thought. There are far more shots to be saved by thinking well and having a great short game.


Shop sale RED

It's coming towards that time when I exit Chestfield and as a result you will now see a big sale on most items in the shop, including for the first time all crested gear. There are some amazing bargains to be had so pop in and see what you can pick up - everything must go as they say!

 
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David Ledingham, Chestfield Golf Club, Chestfield Road
Chestfield, Whitstable, CT5 3LU

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