Training Aids

BENEFITS OF TRAINING AIDS

If you are developing your golf swing you need to focus on ‘doing’ rather than ‘thinking about doing’. This allows you to experience a skill instead of over-loading your conscious mind thinking about how you should perform the skill.

What you need is a training aid that can help you to practice and feel the skill through ‘doing’. Training aids can guide you into the required movement, without having to think too much. They will give you instant feedback, which is internal. Not everyone can have their golf coach with them all the time to give them external feedback.

The Impact Bag

At a  small cost the Impact Bag is a great aid that will help you gain power and can add about 15 yards to your shots. It helps you to feel your wrist and body position at impact.



The Swing Kite

 The Swing Kite can increase distance and control in your golf swing. The air resistance in the fan makes the player swing it with a smooth, sweeping motion. This strengthens the important golf muscles in your hands, forearms and torso.



KNOWLEDGE OF EQUIPMENT

Many golfers know next to nothing about how to select golf clubs that are designed to maximise the strengths and minimize the weaknesses in their golf swing. They only know what they read in magazines and what they can pick up from the golf channels. It's not all the truth it's just good marketing!


The golfing public spend around 3 billion pounds a year on equipment hoping and expecting to find the 'right gear' to play the game and enjoy it more. Yet, if you don't understand how club length, loft angle, lie angle, flex and weight are not matched properly to your swing you are wasting your money. The public only pick clubs up for name and price, what a shame, nothing is a bargain unless it suits you!


Learning and grooving the proper swing fundamentals is vital to start with and the key to improvement for any golfer.  So why do members of the golfing public buy their equipment first before establishing a good swing? Often a costly mistake!


I often hear people say "custom fit golf clubs are only good for good golfers". This is so far from the truth. Professionals are skilled enough to play well with almost any club. Less accomplished  players on the other hand are not, which  means they almost always need advice from a fully qualified professional to set them up with properly fitted clubs. This goes hand in hand with the lessons and advice from your swing coach, as he or she is the best person to advise you properly.


Look at the professionals, almost none of them are are completely self taught, they have spent many hours of dedicated practice under the guidance of professional coaches to learn good swing techniques. Even Tiger Woods! At the same time all tour professionals cannot possibly play their best  with standard made, off the shelf golf clubs. Every club they use is fitted to their individual needs.


I have many years experience of custom fit technology and have worked with many different companies such as Ping, Srixon/Cleveland, PGA Collection, Benross and MD Golf. I am currently a club fitter for Tom Wishon Technology. This company is one of the best I have ever come across as Tom has a much more detailed fitting programme. The Wishon website is great and well worth a look. You can access it at  http://wishongolf.com/


So bear in mind, buying golf clubs that you know nothing about is not a "quick fix" for a good game, never has been and never will be. Every player is different and there are as many swings as there are people. Therefore, when buying new clubs custom fitting, with a good professional, is vital to maximise your strengths and WILL benefit your game. 

YOUR PERFECT SWING

Your body can only swing your way. There is no perfect swing, but there is a perfect swing for you.

All styles are based on what the golfer can physically do. there are many different body builds, flexibility levels, timing patterns and swing styles.
Most golfers play with compensations but we don't teach compensations, only solid fundamentals that fit each persons individual swing style.
Many professionals who were great players at one time can completely lose it because they are trying to be even better by trying a swing that doesn't fit them, this is called a mismatch.
Putting a swing together is a matter of knowing how to get your body to pivot and work with the hands and arms for the best impact position. Your upper body must be synchronised to work with your lower body as all bodies will move at different rates of speed.

ARE YOU CLEAR WHAT YOU ARE PRACTICING

I believe regular players should have a game development plan. It is important that you know what you are trying to achieve and how to get there. Lots of golfers are looking for the dreaded quick fix approach and they try different swings daily on the range, this will only lead to inconsistency, with little improvement and lots of frustration!

You have to work a long time with your coach to build on good solid fundamentals to succeed and improve, not swapping and changing. Once the strengths and weaknesses are recognised then you can draw up an action plan and you will be heading in the right direction. Golfers learn in different ways and at different speeds, continuity practice is important for steady progress as it is all to easy to fall back into those old habits!

Start you training early, don't wait for the day before you play, you will not have enough time to get used to the new swing changes. Once you can do this it will build up confidence and self belief.

WORK SMART AND THE RESULTS WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES


Happy golfing

TESTIMONIAL

"By chance, I met Carla at the local driving range in my first few weeks of playing the wonderful game of golf. She quickly showed her style of communication and coaching skills by having a very relaxed chat about my current level of play, issues I  had and what I would like to achieve.
When I arrived for my first lesson I was very nervous because of being watched by a stranger. Within 5 minutes Carla had calmed me down and I felt totally relaxed. When we got into the coaching of this lesson Carla used a range of techniques, gadgets and gizmos which all helped me achieve the core fundamentals of my golf swing.
I have currently been playing golf for 6 years and have gone from shooting scores anywhere from 85 to 95 to recently shooting between 75 to 80 regularly. My game is so much more stable in general than it used to be which means I am more consistent on the golf course especially under pressure in competitions.
The most important ability Carla has given me is I can now coach myself around the course from all her experience and I am aware of my swing mechanics, as well as knowing I have been given the correct 'tools' to hit the ball exactly where I want it to go most of the time.
From time to time when things slip a little with my swing, I need a little recap or a tweak here and there I will contact Carla for a lesson and she has put me back on track within 10 minutes!
I can thoroughly recommend  Carla as a PGA Teaching Professional, I have been coached by her for 6 years and I am still improving she also has expertise in clubfitting which goes hand in glove with the golf swing.The coach who you have lessons with is the person who should be fitting your clubs as they know all your swing characteristics. I couldn't have done it without her!"
PHIL 10 HANDICAP

CARLA'S COWBOYS/GIRLS GOLF SOCIETY - FAREWELL TO JOHN BISS

One of the founding members of our Society, and Secretary, was John Biss. Sadly, John died very suddenly in October this year. Just after his death I wrote a few words as a tribute to him, to be used at his funeral and in the annual Society Newsletter. See below: 

Memories of John

Big Bad Biss was his Cowboy name but he was far from bad. John was a proud member of Carla’s Cowboys Golf Society. In fact it was his idea to start the Society back in 2000.

When Margo sent John for golf lessons to Carla in 1997 he soon got hooked on the game. Carla ran a Gents morning every Wednesday with tuition and 9 holes of golf afterwards.  We had quite a regular gathering, always lots of fun.

John suggested forming a golf society and we were all for it. John became our very faithful and loyal secretary. From that day onwards John organised a game every Wednesday without fail. He was a superb man and an excellent organiser. He loved his golf with his dear friends in his society.

His mission statement was “if you are serious about golf, don’t join the society”. That’s how it was every Wednesday for 14 years, pure fun with a little good golf in between. The 19^th hole was always John’s favourite when he would tell his stories and tales of his travels over a large glass of red wine, tucking into his steak pie.

John was the core of our society. We will truly miss him, not just on the course but off as well. He was a dear, dear friend, a great sport and a great golfing buddy. 

Fit for Golf at Fifty

As a professional golfer, I am of course biased when I say that golf is a marvelous sport for all ages and abilities, it is also a game that offers many benefits.

Nowadays, people expect to lead a healthy, active lifestyle in their retirement years. This is reflected in the increasing number of older people enjoying membership of gyms, leisure centres and participating in a wide variety of sports. People approaching retirement often decide to take up a new activity and many choose golf. After cycling, swimming and football, golf is the 4th most popular sport in the UK, with over 4 million adults taking part.

So what are the benefits? For senior players, golf is great for physical health and fitness. Like any form of regular exercise it improves circulation, breathing and can help to reduce high blood pressure. It also promotes flexibility, balance and stability as the golf swing requires movement of all muscle groups and joints.

As well as the obvious fitness benefits of the game, walking in the fresh air in the beautiful setting of a golf course helps us to switch off from everyday worries or tensions. It promotes general feelings of well-being and is a great stress reliever - as long as you don't hit too many bad shots!

Golf is also a very social game and is a great way to meet new friends and companions, especially for older single or widowed people. The famous comedian Jack Benny once quipped "Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner and you can keep the golf clubs and the fresh air!"

For the last twelve years I have run a golf society for, mainly, retired men and women. Over this time I have seen many long lasting friendships established. Members really look forward to their weekly game at different courses. There is much fun and laughter to be had every time we play, especially at the 19th hole over a drink and a bite to eat. For some people the golf can almost become secondary to the social benefits of joining a society or club.

So how do you start to play? Your local driving range really is a good place to learn the basics of the game. Do start with lessons from a PGA professional who will safely instruct you in the correct techniques of the swing and give advice on suitable equipment for your needs. Well meaning friends and spouses issuing their own theories about the swing and how it should be executed have put many a beginner off the game!

Good Professional coaching is all about communication and building confidence. It's all about adapting a way for people of all ages, shapes and sizes, with different levels of physical ability, to be able to play comfortably and enjoy the game. What does the player need? Just a willingness to learn and a sense of humour! I have coached many retired men and women from novices to experts, from 50 to 90 years old. Who said that golf, like measles, should be caught young?

I can promise you that it's never too late to start the game, learn new skills, meet new challenges, keep active and enjoy the benefits.