Hi everyone,

Well it seems the warmer weather may be appearing at last! I played an event on Thursday near Guildford and there were a number of very rouge faces at dinner afterwards. It's time to get the suntan lotion out of hibernation and make sure it's tucked away in your golf bag just in case!

That does of course mean we should see a lot more growth on the course. The greenkeepers have been hard at work this week as they had a few weeks short-handed due to holidays, so I think we'll see the course back to its best within the next few weeks - just in time for the Spring Meeting.

A few more thoughts about the 4th hole:

I think it's quite interesting that the shortest hole on our course actually gives me some of the most interesting things to write. I have already talked about the mental problem that the slope causes us as we all try to hit the ball 'up' the slope. However, there is more to be said here. Clubbing is very difficult at times into this hole. We often see people long or short of the false run-off at the front. Pin-high here is remarkably rare!

There are a couple of reasons: firstly the slope makes it almost a club more than normal but that gives us a problem with trajectory especially downwind - how do we stop it if we land on the green? The simple answer is unless you're long and are hitting a spinny wedge then you'll struggle to (this can be a problem though as the wind often knocks down short irons - Ben Hogan advocated taking the same club as normal when playing down wind and hitting it easy for this reason). However, given that is the case where would you rather be playing your second from? I would back myself 75% of the time to get up and down from around the back and sides past the pin but I wouldn't from short left or right either in or out of the bunkers (the bunker short left of the 4th is particularly difficult as it slopes down towards the green with a very high lip to get over - you need to be really good from sand just to get onto the green!).

Which would you prefer - a chip from 5 yards off the green on the right which runs down to the green or 5 yards off the left from heavier grass and with a steep slope to negotiate? So again I would rather err on the right side as my percentages will be much higher from there.

So, the point here is this - everything is telling us to club up here even on a short hole. I much prefer hitting an easy longer club here rather than trying to belt a shorter club. I definitely don't want to come up short (even though I do sometimes but that is down to execution. We are talking about thinking well - executing well is another matter as we all know!) and wide left is bad too.

Don't be suckered by a left pin then - aim to get up on the right side of the green. You will never be far from the flag and your misses will be better and lead to fewer dropped shots.

We are now, thanks to the light and weather, doing lessons into the evenings. I can completely understand why some of you go elsewhere during the winter months as ranges are far easier due to being lit and far less muddy than poor old Chestfield! However, no excuses now - and I want to talk about why you should be coming to us:

Firstly, a question - is it important that a golf coach is or was a good player? I personally think this is the wrong question. How about this - is it important that a golf coach has demonstrated that he understands the golf swing, and the game, to a high level by learning and honing these skills so he benefits from the experience of learning himself, thus being in a position to pass on this knowledge? Now that makes sense to me and yet it is surprising to me how many golf coaches out there have no history of improving their game past the point where they could turn pro and so earn a living teaching. That, by the way, is a four handicap, and whilst that is a reasonable standard of golf it is not pushing things for someone with good hand-eye coordination.

I have mentioned before that some of the biggest names in coaching - Butch Harmon, Denis Pugh, Mark Roe to name a few - all played tour golf before going onto full-time coaching. It is essential in my view that a coach has gone through that learning experience himself and shown that he has come out of it with enough knowledge of the process as much as the golf swing itself so that he can now use his people skills to teach others.

So, without saying anything about others, why should you come to us?

Firstly, Simon has played at a very high level. Just to give you an example he once won the Kent Open with a three round total of 17 under par around the Hurricane course at West Malling. That should be enough to tell anyone how good he was when he was playing and pushing to play on the main tour. He now has more than 15 years' experience of teaching at all levels.

I came to the game late, turning pro at the age of 30. So I have done it the wrong way round in some ways - still getting better as I get older. I set the course record at Sittingbourne two summers ago at the age of 45 and having the majority of my professional wins in my 40s. Interestingly, Paul Wesselingh who won the Seniors Tour order of merit in 2012 and 2013, has a very similar story to mine, getting better as he got older and only giving up his head professional role to concentrate on the Seniors Tour. Who wouldn't mind a lesson from him now?

So make no mistake, you have a rare opportunity at Chestfield to have lessons from such experienced pros who can show a very high understanding of the game and the success that comes from it. Now we have the weather and light this is the perfect time to book in and start getting to grips with your game. Come and speak to us in the shop or get in touch here.

If you haven't already come and see us about your grips. We have been doing more than ever before which means the message about having good grips is getting across. Without doubt new grips can be a major factor in quickly improving your control of the club and what's more it makes your clubs feel like new!! We have seen a definite rise in the number of you going to mid-size grips. These certainly help a lot of people and with the rise of thicker gripped putters it does highlight the fact that thicker grips are an option. Come in and see for yourself with our grip wall that offers you the chance to try the grips on a club.

Offers still continue in the shop from Motocaddy and FootJoy. I'm still amazed at how much the battery market has changed - another three lithiums went out last week. It is the way forward and the current deal is well worth taking advantage of. No need to wait either - I have 18 hole and 36 hole lithium batteries in stock. Learn more here.