LESSONS FROM OUR  PRO

FEBRUARY 2010 NEWS

The cold weather is slowly but surely departing and as a result I have noticed the driving range getting busier every week. I'm sure you're itching to get back into the swing of things now as the season doesn't feel quite so far away. 


If you feel a lesson would be in order to get your game in shape for the start of the season then please get in touch. With the new season fast approaching it is important that you have the correct equipment, and that your clubs are correctly fitted for your body shape and swing. We can provide a comprehensive fitting service on all clubs to ensure you have the best set for your golf game. To book a fitting just ask in the pro shop. We will be holding demo days for many of the leading manufacturers during the year; 
Including the Taylor Made Tour Truck on March 14th 2010.

 I will keep you posted regarding any developments on demo days etc. Tip of the month During this part of the year we are still prone to bad weather and golfing conditions. When playing on a windy day you can make some adjustments to your set up and swing when using an iron to keep the ball under the wind and make it less of a factor. Obviously the idea is to hit the ball low, to help this take an extra club, (maybe more depending on the severity of the wind) play the ball back in the stance and push your weight and hands forwards slightly. To watch a video of me explaining how to play this shot and others please visit our website.

CLICK HERE

 Our new Assistant professional, Duncan Carey, will be running junior golf academies during the coming year. This is something that will be repeated throughout all school holidays. The Junior Academy runs sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Also, if you bring your child to any of these sessions you can get 10% off lessons with me. Please visit the pro shop for more details. I am running the London Marathon this year for the Charity, "Hemihelp", which is a charity that helps children born with Hemiplegia, a disease which paralyses one side of the body.

 If you would like to sponsor me then please do so by visiting the Virgin Money Giving website and donate to Tommy Robinson, or pop into the pro shop to make a donation. Any help would be really appreciated. 

Regards, 
Tommy Robinson 
Head Teaching Professional 
Ravenmeadow Golf Centre

CAN YOU BENIFIT

Tommy Robinson is our head coach at Ravenmeadow and what a wonderful job he is doing. So many players have had a few lessons from him and the game has improved so much. I (David Lamb) for one can say that with his help I have moved from a 17 handicap in January 2009 down to 10.6 in November 2009. 

He has a great style and is very easy to work with. There is no need to feel he will change your style he works with you and works to get to YOUR best potential.

Tommy is working through the winter period to help any golfer with their game as he highlights the importance of working on your game during the off season.

There are loads of offers over the next few months, so check your emails and here for some exclusive deals for members.

Please also visit the following links to see Tommy in action with some basic training videos.

LESSONS ON VIDEO
 
For more details please do not hesitate to contact the club or contact Tommy at the club house, he is usually around.

LATEST TOMMY NEWSLETTER

Welcome to my Newsletter, each month I will send my customers and members some tips to help you improve your golf throughout the seasons, today we start with how to improve your score in the wet weather.
 
With this wet weather upon us it is important to adapt your golf to the conditions.   When playing in cold, wet weather the ball will not fly quite as far and with this in mind it would be a good idea to use a ball designed to maximise distance.  The ball will obviously stop quickly on landing now and so the advantages of using softer, 3 piece balls such as the Titleist pro v1, which create more back spin, feel and control, are nullified.  Balls such as the Titleist NXT Tour and NXT Extreme would be ideal over the next few months; these are also cheaper than the softer ball which is more good news with Christmas coming up! 
 
As I mentioned above, the ball will get very little roll on landing during this wet period.  This is especially damaging when hitting the driver off the tee, where obviously distance is important.  To help maximise distance as much as possible, it would be a good idea to alter you set up position a little to get the ball launching higher and generate a little more carry. You can achieve this by setting the ball position a bit further forward, just inside your left heel and tilt your spine away from the target a little more than normal to create more of an upward strike causing the ball to launch off the club face a bit higher, getting more carry and therefore more distance during the wet weather.
 
90% of your practise at this time of year should be geared towards working on your full swing technique.  Improving your short game is not as important during the winter as it is during the early and main parts of the season when you want to score as well as possible.
Rather than aimlessly hitting driver after driver on the driving range focus on the quality of your practise sessions.  Use drills, short swings, slow swings, and make lots of practise swings in an attempt to really emphasise the changes of movement you're trying to create in your technique.  Be ambitious in these changes, and concentrate on them wholeheartedly. 
 
If you would like to know what is happening in your golf swing then maybe a lesson is what you need.  I will look to provide you with the kind of drills and thoughts to change the movements to make you more consistent and improve your golf for 2010.
 
To book a lesson please visit the Pure Golf Store or call 01905757525.
 
Remember, it is the quality of your practise, not the quantity of balls you hit that is important!
 
Many thanks
 
Tommy Robinson