Hi everyone,  

So Dustin Johnson is now world number one after a fantastic performance at the weekend. DJ (as we, his friends call him) is one of those players you kind of fall for. Obviously he is massively talented and hits it a mile but he has always had a quirky swing that in years gone by caused him quite a few issues as a very big hook could pop up just when he didn't want it. He has also had 'personal problems' which caused him to disappear for six months a few years ago. But now there is a new DJ and it really is warming to see it happen. Firstly, he settled down and now has a family (do not scoff at the importance of this - being truly content really can help in golf. That is why I also have very high hopes for one of our great European nearly men Sergio Garcia this year. Watch him - he will contend!) and secondly, he found a coach who realised he couldn't change his quirks but had to help him play with them.

I am not a fan of many modern golf coaches mainly because they all think technique is the answer to everything. The world's top players at the moment clearly smash this theory - DJ is shut at the top which should mean he hooks it (and used to) but now he hits a fade all day long. Jason Day is pretty perfect if you don't mind someone who launches at the ball with everything on every swing. What I like about him is he uses my theory about less wrist hinge when it is not required, i.e. In short shots. Jordan Spieth has a weak/strong grip and holds the club off through impact and Rory tends to take the club away outside which sometimes makes him loop too much inside on the way down. Of course some of them are pretty perfect but they don't win every week do they? Adam Scott has been quiet of late and my mate Louis Oosthuizen managed to dump a lob wedge into a bunker from 73 yards on Sunday to lose his match in Australia. So much for the perfect swing!

What is clear is that they have all learned to work with their swings, refining them where possible, but most importantly they have learned to hit the ball at their target. This is what Butch Harmon does so well. Faced with DJ's bowed left wrist at the top of his swing he quickly realised it was not something that could be changed easily. Instead he taught him to hit across the ball so that the hook was taken out of the equation. The result - one major, that he will surely add to, and the world number one spot.

Incidentally the tournament that Louis missed out on was won by Brett Rumford from Australia. This is another story of a comeback after he had a bad year last year and actually lost his European Tour card. He is a player that was affected by the putter anchoring ban but clearly he is back now. Well done to him.

For my money Butch Harmon, out of the famous coaches that we all hear about, has the best coaching philosophy. When he coached Tiger Woods they worked for a long time, not on a technical movement but on Tiger allowing his backswing to finish as he has always had a tendency to want to get down to the ball too early. If you watch videos of his swing from around 2000 and compare them to now there is a clear difference in the speed of transition from the top. The point is Butch gets to what is most important and what will make someone more consistent and a winner.

So, don't always think that poor shots are down to a movement in your backswing or some new technical change that will cure everything. It almost certainly won't but learning what will help you to cope with your small idiosyncrasies will be far more productive. That's where I can help you so feel free to come and talk to me, or click here to book a lesson.


 

As I'm sure the great majority of you are aware one of my predecessors, Derek Scott, sadly passed away this week. I got to know Derek only a little, mostly meeting him at the yearly Pro-Am at the club but I obviously got to know Grant a lot better through playing and my heart goes out to the whole family. It is most sad when someone goes perhaps before their time but I have no doubt that the members who knew him for the 30 years he was at the club will remember him very fondly. It is perhaps a thing of the past for someone, along with his wife Yvonne, to dedicate themselves to a club for that amount of time and, of course, Yvonne continues to do so. For those not aware his funeral is on the 10th of March at Thanet Crematorium and then at the club afterwards. More details are in the clubhouse.


 

Meanwhile back in sunny Ramsgate (not such a joke at the moment) the course is drying out rapidly and some of the scoring lately clearly proves that it is playing well. Lee Gillespie, Robert Brooks and Alan Williams all won their respective categories in the Monthly Medal on the 12th but on Sunday we saw an amazing score of 43 points from Mark Buckingham (who recently visited me in my swing studio so I'm particularly pleased he's had a great result). Alan Williams got in again with 40 points and Kingsley 'the hulk' Greenaway came in with another good score of 37 points. Watch the big man - there are some very good scores in him.  The lower handicappers were much tighter with three finishing on 36 points. Countback sorted out the winner who was Sean Reynolds. Well done to everyone including the six 2s winners who all pocketed £7.


 

Many of you will already know Dave Vernon who has coached at Manston Driving Range for many years. As of the 1st of March he is leaving Manston and as a result you may see him around the club as I have given him permission to use the club's teaching facilities. Dave is someone I have got on well with for many years and although he will not be involved in the shop or with my Academy I am sure you will all welcome him if you see him.


 

I've had quite a few of you taking up the FREE grip offer that I have running at the moment. This is your opportunity to have a new Golf Pride grip on your 7 iron (yes it does have to be your 7 iron) so that you can try something different and experience what new grips can do for your clubs. This is completely free of charge! How often does that happen now? If you want to you can then have the rest of your clubs, or just a few, re-gripped at my discounted rates. I guarantee most of you haven't changed grips for years and new ones will actually help your golf.

You will shortly see two new offers in the shop. If ever there was a time to go looking for a new bag this is it. Most of my stock bags are on sale already but I am now offering a £20 trade-in on any old bag on top of the sale price! This is only on stock bags so get in now while the bargains last. In addition we also have a trade-in offer for old batteries against a new lithium battery. For a limited period you can have a £25 trade-in allowance for any old battery against a new lithium. Come in and see me soon.

I'm away for a few days now so I won't see you at the weekend but I hope you all enjoy your golf, hopefully post-Doris!