Hello golfers,
I guess it had to happen, as pretty as the snow looks I have to admit I hate the stuff. Great if you're skiing, not so good if you work at a golf club. The snow has now disappeared and the forecast for the week is looking much better and so I look forward to seeing you all at the Club soon.
I was very sad to hear the passing of the legendary golf instructor John Jacobs OBE last week. I was fortunate enough to meet him some 20 years ago as he held a clinic at the golf club where I worked, I could have listened to him talk golf for days. As a coach he transformed the fundamentals of how PGA professionals teach the game. I thought I'd share one of my favourite quotes from him:
The sole purpose of the golf swing is to create a correct impact. How that is done is of no consequence as long as the method employed allows you to repeat it
It was an excellent start to the European Tour season for Gary King, who finished in a very credible tie for 14th place. The tournament (the South African Open) was won by Graeme Storm after a playoff with Rory McIIroy, just 84 days after Graeme thought he'd lost his tour card. Last season he missed out on retaining his card by just 100 euros, only to be saved as Patrick Reed announced that he would not be able to fulfil the required number of events to retain his European Tour membership, meaning he automatically earned the right to play this season. What a great story.
We have two great iron ranges from PING being launched worldwide this week and next, and their first offering is available in the Pro Shop at Tyrrells Wood right now.
Firstly is PING's new iSeries iron, the i200, which is released this week. These irons were supposed to be kept top secret, until US Tour Pro Ted Purdy tweeted an image of them earlier this month, they've been doing the rounds on social media ever since. When I saw this iron back in September I had to sign an agreement I wouldn't post any pictures until 2pm on Monday 16th January - I kid you not!
Anyway here they are and they're well worth the wait, it's a great looking iron with outstanding performance to match, alongside a great range of shaft options with little or no upcharge. If you play off 18 or less and are thinking of changing your irons you really must consider the PING i200.
The second set of irons PING is set to release are to be kept under wraps until next Monday, so even though they do look great and I'd love to share them with you, you will have to wait for next week's newsletter to see what I am talking about.
It's your last chance to pick up a bargain in our January Sale:
Carrying your clubs? - We are offering you a 20% discount on all Callaway, PING and Lynx stand bags in store now
The #1 Putter in Golf - Save 50% on all Odyssey putters
Titleist Pro V1 - Two dozen Pro V1s for just £60.
Why isn't my golf improving? - How to change it
There are three main reasons we don't get any better:
- Creating stories and limiting beliefs - we don't believe we are good enough and don't believe in our ability to learn, creating stories or limiting beliefs that hinder us e.g. "I'm not a very good putter"
- Fear of looking bad - when we are afraid of looking bad or silly we resist putting ourselves in situations where we might fail, which means we do not have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes or learn new ideas and techniques.
- Not buying into our own improvement - Not seeing the purpose or value behind learning a new skill and how it can help us improve and not committing to the process.
There are ways we can change this and start to see some improvements in our golf game -
Firstly change what you are telling yourself - you can chip, or hit a draw, it's just something you haven't learned to do yet. Believe in your ability to learn and grow, this growth mindset is supported by science - skills are built not born.
It's normal to fear looking a bit silly - It's normal to feel fear, we need to learn to use it. No matter what you learn you will be bad at first, we are built to learn through challenges and mistakes.
For instance, I currently can't do a full yoga back bend. Every week we are given a couple of easier alternatives but every week I try it, wobble and inevitably fall on my head and look a bit silly. But every week I get a little bit better and eventually I will be able to do it.
Buy into you own learning - understand the 'why' of what you are changing and the purpose of it. Take control of your learning and get support from someone who can help you. Getting better is so much easier when you feel like you have someone to support you.
Make a Change
If you are ready to take control of your learning and start improving, my Winter Improvement Package is perfect for you.
Find out what you need to do to improve with an initial assessment session (1.5 hours approx)
Get all the support you need and keep your improvement on track with 3 x 45 minute individual coaching sessions (to be used once per month through February/March/April)
The Package is available for just £155
For more information or to book, contact Jo - assistant.professional@tyrrellswoodgolfclub.com
Results and upcoming events at Tyrrells
As an updated feature to my weekly newsletter, you will now be able to find all of the recent competition results and what's happening at Tyrrells over the next 10 days on my website. This week's results include The Ladies Non Qualifying Competiton.
Click here to go through to the calendar of fixtures/results on my website.
