27 March, 2008
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Lee McLaughlan & Matthew Millard
The Cast
Top Coach
Gary Alliss, head professional at The Belfry, PGA Cup captain and PGA Master Professional
Hacker 1
Lee McLaughlan (Macca) - PGA.info writer
Hacker 2
Matthew Millard (Milly) - PGA.info writer
The Challenge
Too many golfers ignore the benefits of lessons. Over the coming winter months Lee and Matt will receive regular expert tuition from Gary to improve both the quality and enjoyment of their respective games and also demonstrate that investing in lessons can be as valuable as money spent on new equipment.
The Bet
£10 - Macca and Milly will put all their winter coaching to the test with a one off winner takes all strokeplay challenge at the PGA National in April.
Act Five - The Coach's View
The battle for the office tenner is nearing fruition as the Macca v Milly challenge enters its final weeks. After an enforced weather-hit break the two competitors are gearing up for the test on the back of the insight of PGA Master professional Gary Alliss. As the showdown draws ever closer The Belfry's head professional reviews how his two pupils have advanced over the winter.
Taking two rookies and tailoring a course of lessons isn't easy but Alliss explains how he has structured the lessons in an attempt to cover the most rudimentary of elements ahead of the contest. "When we started, both Matt and Lee were fairly raw recruits with some very good stuff but one or two bad habits.
"Both swings were inconsistent which meant there wasn't a pattern to the ball flight so it wasn't as if I was curing a slice or a hook. My approach was to identify the good bits to build on because there were enough even though the swings were fairly inconsistent.
"Tackling the inconsistency of the swing was my first priority so even if they were still pretty rubbish the key was to get them hitting the same sort of shot, in order for us to start to make it better. The focus was to build on the fundamentals which meant treating them very much as beginners.
"In Matt's case his posture wasn't very good. Lee's posture was better but he had issues with his grip - initially it wasn't a problem but a little way on it now is. I needed to look at the blueprint and see what was a match and what was a mismatch in the shot-making process.
"At the beginning I looked at the set up and posture. Matt was very level shouldered, while with Lee it was getting the balance right. Once we'd got that, as with all my pupils I want the swing to be entirely theirs and to fit their body. If it's a case that drills and routines aren't working then it's back into my bag of tools and bank of knowledge to look at it another way.
"But I wouldn't like anyone to think that that would be the be all and end all. For most golfers it's difficult to play and practise. To also say they've got to go to the gym or something like that isn't going to happen - so we have to try and make them better regardless."
Alliss employed a structured element to his lessons, working on the set up, driver and fairway woods, bunker play, chipping and pitching and dealing with slopes - before the prospect of a playing lesson to view the impact of his work, which he insists is the only way to measure success."
The playing lesson side is a massive thing. I think it's important that our PGA pros have played at a certain level and even if they're not elite players there won't be one that hasn't earned a shilling or two playing golf at sometime. They know the pressures and taking out a pupil is them saying you're buying my time and experience.
"It might be as an assessment when a pupil first comes - and I don't think we do enough of that. A playing lesson - even if just three holes like a par three, a par four and a par five gives the pro a chance to plan.
"But a few lessons in I like to take players on the golf course and see whether it's really working because you end up with a great practice ground player but not really any better on the course. That's when course strategy comes into its own. Where to tee up top get the best angle of the fairway? Where do you want to avoid and that's where golf becomes like chess in thinking about the next shot but not getting too far ahead of yourself.
"It could be a case of driving the ball nicely on the range but faced with a fairway totally rubbish, therefore is that psychological or technique. Are we better driving more holes to get better. It's a mix and it's not just about standing on the range and anyone who keeps their pupil on the range for month after month after month have they really done their best.
"I love being on the range but why not spend an hour or two on those lovely green acres and get to know your pupil."
So, having worked on a schedule and with time running out, how does Alliss view his pupils now, in light of his teaching.
"The good bit for me, even though we were interrupted by some bad weather which was always likely to happen in the winter, is that both have embraced the changes. Most of them are well on their way but not quite yet, which is good in terms of the amount of time they've had to practice, the sessions we've done and the fact it's winter golf.
"Also they seem to have understood the instruction, and that's really important for me. Yes there are still a few mistakes but we're now ready to hit the course and review it again."