Like I’ve said in previous blogs, I really enjoy getting some off-season time to develop my game and spend some quality time with Laura, Jess and Olivia who is now nearly 3 months old!
I’ve really kept myself busy, and there are lots of exciting things to be announced soon, but what I can tell you now is that my game is really coming together nicely!
I’ve taken my preparation to a new level this winter and with the help of the fantastic team I have around me, I can’t wait to see what the season has in store!
So after chatting with Mark (coach), something new we decided to look into was the biomechanics of my golf swing. Am I using the right muscles and in the correct order … can I maximise the distance I hit the ball and can I push my body?
We went to visit John Watson at Styal GC for the initial test at the end of December and the results were fascinating! I’ve since been back and it was great to see such positive results, and the buzz I got from knowing the hard work in the gym and technical work with Mark has paid off, was worth every penny!
So working with Mark again has been great, he really knows his stuff – a coach who continues to push his own boundaries by learning more and more about this game and never talks the bulls”*t you see day-in-day-out from coaches on social media around the world!
After the biomechanics screening we knew I could improve those numbers with technical work! But to speed the process up and to maximise the results, I had to do something else …
And that was being more specific with my fitness, not just general fitness, I had to take it to another level. That’s where Rachael from Dynamic Golf stepped in.
After a TPi specific golf screening we knew which areas needed to improve! My upper and lower body disassociation was key, and then building a more stable core!
The training has gone great, I’ve really enjoyed having such a focus and can’t wait for my next test with Rachael to see some more progression.
I can’t thank enough Pure Fitness in Lindley, Huddersfield, for their support too, allowing me to use their first class facility to put the training hours in this winter!
So that’s what I’ve been up to development wise, spending a day a week with Mark and Rachael, putting myself through 5 gym sessions a week at Pure Fitness and putting the technique to the test with the drills at Woodsome Hall, making the most of the indoor facilities!
WHAT’S COMING UP…
So the development has gone well but now it’s time to get back to scoring and playing golf. As I mentioned last month, myself and the family are heading to Spain for some warm weather practice.
To get on good surfaces and have warm weather so early in the year is going to give me a huge advantage over many of the guys I will be playing against this year!
I can’t thank David Pitts (DPPublicity) enough for this opportunity!
It will be great to blog about the month’s training on my return…
At the end of the trip I’m going to put my game to the test and see how it stands up on the Gecko Pro Tour at La Canada Golf Club, hopefully it won’t flag up too many areas of weakness, but if it does I then have a pro-am in Spain the following week to iron those out before the Challenge Tour season starts in Madeira mid March.
And before I jet off, I’ve just had time to sneak in to my favourite workshop – Tour X in Warrington – to see Nick and Nicola Hibbs to have a quick MOT on my clubs and have them re-gripped!
Look forward to blogging again soon.
Happy golfing.