Make Practice Count
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A great article I have read.

Expert performers tend to practise for 1000 hours each year for 10 years to be at the top of their game.

Australian psychologist Andrea Furst works with elite players from across the world including the Ladies European Tour. In this latest article she outlines the value of making practice count with the recommendation of asking your PGA professional to help establish routines and drills to improve your golf.

When it comes to practice conduct, few players that can compete with the discipline Annika Sorenstam (pictured) brought to her practice. Annika provided spectators and competitors with nothing short of professional conduct both on and off the course over the last two decades as a dominating force on the ladies professional tour.

With over 80 tournament wins and 10 majors she contributed hugely to the professionalism of the ladies tour. And while her presence on tour is missed, there are many useful lessons that can be taken from her.

There are numerous techniques and strategies that top golfers such as Annika integrate into their game with one of the more important aspects, their conduct at practice.

If you take a look at the long term athlete development model there is a stage called ‘training to compete’ when athletes typically select one sport to focus on and learn to increase their training effectiveness to maximise their skills and thus potential to achieve success in the sport.

Anders Ericsson has conducted several research studies and promotes that expert performers tend to practise for 1000 hours each year for 10 years to be at the top of their game.

He claims that elite performers engage in what we call ‘deliberate practice’ – an effortful activity designed to improve individual target performance. Additionally, he found that there are certain criteria that must be met for practice to be considered conducive to producing expertise.

One of the dimensions of training to compete involves differentiating ‘technical time’ from ‘practice time’. The aim is to practice the skills required to maximise your competitive game.

The table below provides comparisons and examples of ‘technical time’ and ‘practice time’ for each aspect of the game:

Aspect Skills Technical Time Practice Time
Technical The way you hit the ball – your ‘technique’. Use a mirror to get feedback on your swing plane at home or on the range Playing shots from the third tee box with full pre-shot routine.
Physical Your body’s fitness and recovery – strength, aerobic capacity, power, rest, sleep and diet. Pilates classes strengthen your core or stretching classes to help maintain flexibility. Warm up before every practice session and every round just like a competitive round.
Tactical Shot selection, decision making, organisation and preparing for the course conditions. Test 10 chip shots on the green by trialing different clubs, landing spots and swing speeds. Play one chip shot with full pre-shot routine on the green that forces you to live with the result.
Mental Manage your emotions – think productively, stay diciplined, maintain confidence, communicate effectively, keeping your goals clear. Spend 15 – 30 minutes each day doing diaphragmatic breathing. Use breathing between shots or before you walk into each shot.
Elite performers engage in what we call ‘deliberate practice’ – an effortful activity designed to improve individual target performance.

These are a few examples differentiating between training to learn, improve, and/or maintain skills in each of the four areas versus practising them as you’d like to use them in a competitive round.

Golfers of all levels will have skills that they are better or worse at compared to other players so it is helpful to review your goals so you can then plan your practice schedule to match those goals.

It is beneficial to ask yourself, “How do I want to spend my time working on my golf game?” Here are two potential answers to your question:

“Becoming a master of technical training and be continually saying, ‘I can do it on the range, but when I come out on the course to play…’ or

“Learning how to use my practice to ensure it transfers to competition”?

It’s no surprise to learn that standing on a range hitting ball after ball with the same club is about as far away from competitive golf as you can get. Liken this to hitting a ball on to a wall if you are a tennis player. Yes, there is a role for this technical training and it must be a part of a practice schedule, however it is strongly recommended that it is not the only facet nor does it fill the majority of your practice schedules.

Mental Notes:

Review your current goals for your golf game and your practice schedule.

Develop a list of activities for your practice schedule; make sure you have those that are technical time and that are practise time.

Incorporate both of these types of activities into your practice schedule.

Ask your PGA professional for ideas of how you can make your practice schedule effectively prepare you for the competitive game; find activities that are more ‘game-like’.

Andrea Furst is a sport psychologist with a Masters of Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Queensland.

Hank Haney on Purposeful Practice from MyGolfGamePlan .Com on Vimeo.

What is needed to take the step from being a good amateur to becoming a Tournament Golf Professional? It is not easy and could be one of the most challenging tasks you undertake. Firstly, you need talent and to be competent at what you do; then you need determination and a clear understanding of what you are trying to achieve. There is a pathway that a golfer can progress along and you need to ensure that you keep moving along this path and achieving success at every level. Consistently reaching your goals throughout the years will provide the ultimate result of a place on the European Tour and it is here that the hard work will really begin! The beauty of golf at any level is that you are always trying to get to that next level. Even Tiger Woods is not immune to this process; he achieved the highest level for a number of years and is now having to work hard to get back up there.
One route you can take to get to your destination is through a number of developmental tours. In the UK the main ones are the Europro Tour and The Jamega Tour but there are also a number of smaller more regional tours. From these your aim is to progress on to the Challenge Tour and then finally the European Tour. These events are very competitive and if you do well the top end of the prize fund can be very lucrative. But, entry is expensive and if you have a run of poor tournaments you can quickly find yourself spending a lot of money with very little income which can take a lot of the fun out the process. Events usually cost around £350 for entry and once you add costs such as a week’s accommodation, travel and food you can easily expect to spend upwards of £500. This is an expensive route and if you haven’t played well it is easy to run out of money before achieving the end goal.
An alternative route is through the Professional Golfers Association (PGA). They are the national body for professional golf and the members are mainly club based professionals. They organise a good competitive schedule and the standard is very high. Playing these tournaments is much cheaper as they have lesser entry fees; this in turn reduces the pressure to get a good result each time and allows a player to take their time in developing their game. There are a lot of good players in these events and this encourages you to raise your game. These events are played on a regional and national level and they offer the opportunity to make it into a number of Challenge Tour events.
If you want to become a full time tournament player there comes a point where you will need to progress from PGA events and start working upwards. In order to make this jump you will likely need some financial support. Of course any help is good but you will need at least £25,000 per year for a few years to support yourself and give yourself a good opportunity to play your best. This will cover your entry fees, travel, coaching, equipment, living and other expenses. A player won’t always be looking for one sponsor to provide the whole amount and a player will often offer part sponsorship such as 25 shares for a £1000 each. But, a sponsor should not view this as just giving money away. It is an opportunity to get some value in return by giving a significant amount of support to someone who is chasing their dreams. So what should a sponsor be looking for in return for providing financial support? Firstly, a percentage of a player’s winnings, this can range from 20% to 50% depending on what the player is willing to give. The player should also offer perks such as free coaching for the sponsor and their friends & family, the opportunity to play in a number of pro-am events throughout the year at some fantastic venues around the county, region and even abroad and there are also additional sponsorship opportunities via clothing, car, company golf days etc to promote the sponsor’s business. The sponsor should feel they have received substantial value and had a great time for their investment, even if the player doesn’t succeed as expected. As an added bonus the sponsor will have an extended interest in the world of professional golf and have some excitement on a Monday morning to see how their player has done in a tournament and over a season.
If you know of someone who would be interested in sponsoring a Sports Professional or if you are interested yourself you\they should ask for the Professional’s sponsorship proposal which will provide details of what they are offering. It can be very rewarding to be a sponsor and to work alongside someone as they strive to achieve their dream.
I hope this provides a good idea of what is involved in becoming a successful Golf Professional; it is not an easy task and requires dedication from all involved. It can be an exciting path for everyone, both on and off the course.

SOUTH ESSEX GOLF CENTRE’S MATT IS AN “ELITE COACH”

The Head PGA Coach at South Essex Golf Centre has been selected to write for the most popular golfing magazine in the country, “Today’s Golfer”.

Matt Stables, who has been playing golf since he was 9 years old, and who has been Head Coach at South Essex GC for 1 1/2 years, wrote a feature as an “elite coach” in the October issue of the publication, which has a circulation of over 72,000 readers.

34 year old Stables has been nominated as an “elite coach” for the Today’s Golfer, and as such, writes articles instructing readers how to improve their technique. Elite coaches are required to fulfil certain criteria in order to write for the magazine. They need to have a PGA qualification, a good reputation as a coach and a player, and a commitment to professional development. Stables sails through all the criteria.

This is not the first time that the accomplished coach has been written for the golfing press. In 2007, he wrote articles for “Greenside Magazine”

Stables said: “I am really pleased to have been selected as an Elite Coach by Today’s Golfer. It is thrilling to see my words in print and to know that over 70,000 people may read my article.

“The October issue of the magazine showed players how to improve their posture and how to build your swing. If the article helps golfers to improve their game, I will be delighted.

“I hope to write several more articles for Today’s Golfer in the near future.”

Shaun Bakker, General Manager of South Essex Golf Centre, added: “We always encourage our golf professionals to go one step further, and in writing for Today’s Golfer, Matt is certainly doing that. He is totally dedicated to his job, and takes not only pride, but also great pleasure in coaching golf. I am delighted that people learning golf outside the Brentwood area now have access to his coaching capabilities!”

South Essex Golf Centre has been selected as a “County Training Academy” and is running a County Academy Programme as part of an Essex-wide initiative to train up young golfers to achieve their potential.

Following a number of Talent ID days across the county, around 150 young players were invited to take part in a nine-month coaching programme at several different Essex-based venues. Specially trained PGA golf professionals, selected for their commitment to developing talented young players, run the coaching sessions.

And since October, 40 golfers aged between 11 and 16 years old have been visiting South Essex GC to take part in the newly-created “County Academy Partnership” coaching days.

Head PGA Coach at South Essex Golf Centre, Matt Stables and Paul Sullivan, PGA Coach at North Weald, have been selected to run a County Academy Programme at the club. He is advising the children on how to improve their golf and helping devise timetables for the appropriate training they should undertake. Stables and his team are also advising the youngsters on how to practice, fitness,lifestyle management, psychology and nutrition.

Stables said: “It is a great honour for South Essex Golf Centre to be chosen as a County Training Academy. The fantastic facilities we have here made a real impact on the representatives from Sport England, who were in charge of selecting suitable venues.

“I am the lead coach for the County Academy Programme, along with Paul Sullivan from North Weald. We have two assistant coaches helping as well, so between us, we have an encyclopaedic amount of coaching knowledge.

“The children on the programme are really thirsty for knowledge, and are very keen to improve their game, so the sessions are a great pleasure for everyone to take part in.

“At the end of the nine-month programme we are confident of producing well-rounded youngsters, who are confident both in themselves and in their playing abilities, to feed into the County teams.”

South Essex General Manager, Shaun Bakker, added: “The coaching sessions are going really well so far. The advice that the coaches give is tailored to each child, and as a result, we are already seeing vast improvements in specific areas of the youngsters’ games.

“We hope to see many of the children on the County Academy Programme go forward to represent Essex. One day they may go even further – watch out Lee Westwood!”