PGA Members’ European Coaching Workshop goes Dutch!

18/10/2023

The PGA’s first Members’ European Coaching Workshop proved a swinging success, with 20 Members from all over Europe attending an action-packed, one-day event held at The Dutch Golf Club in The Netherlands on October 16.

Members gathered at the high-class venue, which is located 20 miles west of Rotterdam, to gain valuable insights from two of the game’s most respected elite level amateur and international tour coaches, Matthew Tipper and PGA Advanced Fellow Professional Phil Allen.

Following breakfast and a brief introduction to the day and the role of the PGA given by PGA International Manager Wayne Johnson, the workshop kicked off with a presentation by DP World Tour and Asian Tour short game specialist coach Tipper, whose globe-trotting career as an instructor has taken him to destinations as diverse as Dubai, Portugal, USA, Malaysia, China and Poland.

It was while working in Warsaw in 2010 that he struck up a partnership with Adrian Meronk that has seen him take the then 16-year-old amateur to being a three-time DP World Tour winner who is currently ranked inside the world’s top 50.

During a hugely enlightening 45-minute talk, Matt discussed the main elements of the Short Game Solution programme, how he sets out his coaching sessions and detailed some of the work that has taken Meronk to the very top of the pro game. With the sun coming out and the short game area beckoning, Matt took the delegates outside and put some willing candidates through some of drills that he uses to help clients tackle a variety of tricky shots around the green, including downhill and side-hill lies and the techniques required to hit high, floaty shots the check up quickly, as well as lower trajectories that roll out.

Members were then split into groups to put the drills into practice, with coaches asked to coach each other, highlighting faults and potential fixes.

Members also enjoyed a two-hour coaching session with renowned Tour coach Allen, who is based at The Dutch for six months of the year, where he coaches members as well as elite amateurs and tour professionals. He spends the other six months in Dubai and travelling around the world working with his stable of tour pros, including six-time DP World Tour winner Joost Luiten.

Out on The Dutch’s short game practice area Phil wasted no time in putting delegates in the kind of pressurised situations that he uses as part of his coaching, setting up a range of short game challenges, including chips over bunkers, short-sided bunker shots, 30-yard bunker shots and chips from tangly rough to downhill pins.

With the greens running at 11 on the stimp, mastering spin and distance control was essential, and with players split into small groups and required to mark each other’s scorecard for how close they got to the intended target, the competition soon ramped up a notch or two.

Phil moved swiftly between groups, offering nuggets of advice, getting hands on with body positioning and swing plane tips, and he was also on hand to answer questions on all manner of subjects, including making the transition from coaching elite amateurs to tour professionals, and how he handles clients who want instant results but aren’t prepared to put in the work.

Delegates were also able to get up to the speed on the latest developments in launch monitor technology from Foresight Sports, and learn about the latest trends in performance wedges from Titleist’s representative in Germany, PGA Member Bryan Harris.

Delegates also enjoyed a tour of The Dutch’s impressive performance academy, which includes a state-of-the art putter fitting and coaching studio, and a golf-specific fitness suite and physio treatment centre.

The day also provided a unique opportunity for PGA Members across Europe to connect, network and learn from their peers, with plenty of time give during the day for coaches to discuss their various roles, share tips, and even coach each other, while breaks for lunch and a farewell gathering in the clubhouse bar also enabled PGA Members to renew friendships and make valuable new contacts.

The Dutch Golf Club was founded and set up by four PGA Members from Scotland in 2011, including current managing director Phil Helsby, and the venue’s tour-standard practice facilities, which include a 400-yard double-ended driving range, two practice putting greens and a large chipping and bunker play area, provided the perfect setting for PGA Members to put into practice what they learned on the day, as well as experience first-hand the types of drills and processes that Tipper and Allen employ with their clients.

Speaking about his key takeaways from the day, Mike Yarnold, Head Professional at The Royal Hague Golf Club, said: “This seminar gave me the chance to catch up with old colleagues and friends under a very pleasant and professional learning environment. Both Matthew and Phil are at the very top of their games and provided a perfect combination of skills development for us as coaches and players.”

Chris Fisher, who coaches at an academy in Austria, commented: “I picked up so many great tips from both Matthew and Phil and I can’t wait to integrate what I’ve learned into my own coaching programmes and lessons. It was also great to meet the other pros, as networking is an important part of growing in this profession.”

Commenting on the success of the first PGA Members’ European Coaching Workshop, PGA International Manager Wayne Johnson added: “It was wonderful to see and meet up with so many of our PGA Members from all over Europe at the incredible Dutch Golf Club.

“The coaching presentations from PGA Professionals Matthew Tipper, Phil Allen, Bryan Harris and our partners from Foresight Sports Europe were innovative and very informative, giving delegates some excellent insights into elite player development, as well as some great information into the very latest short game teaching techniques.”