Martin Rathbone PGA Golf Lessons

European Tour

2008-10-31T22:37:00.001+00:00

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European Tour, Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

Play was abandoned after four hours on the second day of the Volvo Masters due to heavy rain. The decision was taken at 3.30pm after play had been halted at 12.08pm.

Ten players did not even start their second rounds including the leaders Soren Kjeldsen and Sergio Garcia.

Heavy rain made the course unplayable with fairways and greens flooded. It was hoped that play could continue on Saturday with a 8.30am start. Rain was forecast to pass through but it was heavier than expected and stayed a lot longer.

The tour are hoping to complete the second day early and have a 2 tee start in the afternoon for the third round, but the forecast for Saturday is more heavy rain with possible thunder and lightning.

More from the tour later.

Moe Norman's Words

2008-10-30T22:08:00.001+00:00

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Moe Norman was a very different golfer and very rarely traveled outside his native Canada.

I will have more stories on him later but in the meantime here are a few of his words:

Golf is happiness.
It’s intoxication without the hangover,
It’s stimulation without the pills,
Its price is high yet its rewards are richer,
Some say it’s a boy’s pastime yet it builds men,
It cleanses the mind & rejuvenates the body,
It’s these things & many more for those of us who know & love it.
Golf is truly happiness.

Moe Norman

Hybrid Clubs

2008-10-29T22:19:00.002+00:00

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How to use: Hybrid Clubs.

Hybrids are now so popular that almost every golfer has one in their bag but are you getting the most out of them?

I see so many people trying to lift the ball in the air or trying to sweep this club with very little success. Hybrids are designed to perform like iron clubs they have a relatively shallow sole, additional loft and perimeter weighting, all of this combines to get the ball to “pop up” in to the air.

The best way to hit these clubs is with a descending blow like you would with a short/mid iron club, striking the ball first and then the grass. The set up for this shot is very similar to that of a 5/6 iron.

If you are like many others and find yourself making adjustments to hit these clubs take a step back and then hit it like a mid iron, better still when you next practice mix the clubs around and hit alternate shots. One thing to be careful of is the importance of correct club fitting, if you have had your set fully custom fitted make sure the hybrid ties in exactly with the rest of the set, swing weight, shaft flex, club length etc.

If you can do all of these then watch that club work wonders for you.

Take care and enjoy your golf.

Icesave Update

2008-10-28T19:17:00.003+00:00

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Compensation on the way for Icesave customers through accelerated FSCS process (24 October 2008)

Courtesy of http://www.fscs.org.uk/

The more than 200,000 retail depositors with savings in Icesave UK, the topped up retail deposit business of the UK branch of Landsbanki, will get back their savings through an accelerated process, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme announced today.

The Government has guaranteed 100% of all deposits held by retail depositors of Icesave and has said that people will not lose their tax status for their ISAs. FSCS expects to launch the process in ten days time. Our top priorities are to give Icesave customers some certainty and to move to a speedy payout as quickly as possible.

The move comes two weeks after Icesave was declared in default by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSCS has been working closely with the FSA and HM Treasury to achieve the best approach to repaying retail depositors of Icesave. Subject to putting the final arrangements in place, FSCS expects to do this through an accelerated electronic process. This is expected to result in quicker payments and less inconvenience for retail depositors.

FSCS is putting in place a system that means retail depositors of the bank should be able to receive their savings through an electronic payment into their linked accounts. This will happen in stages. FSCS will write to retail depositors of the bank to detail how the process will work. FSCS will then contact customers again with instructions on how to complete a short electronic process to finish the transfer. The process will be phased to manage the flow of payments through the system and for security reasons.

In parallel, the authorities are also continuing to explore whether alternative solutions might provide an even better option for payout.

Loretta Minghella, Chief Executive of the FSCS, said: "We recognise that Icesave's customers have been anxious about their savings. We would like to thank them for their patience.

"We have been working hard to establish a way of compensating retail depositors of Icesave without the need for a paper-based application process. We will be contacting retail depositors to tell them how the transfer process will work and when they can access the system. The automated payment process is expected to be in place in ten days time and the first payments are scheduled to start in the second week of November. We expect to offer compensation to the vast majority of retail depositors in November."

Academy Member’s News

2008-10-27T22:06:00.006+00:00

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Academy member’s news

I know that at this time of year several academy members will be approaching the end of their annual membership and are nervous about the progression of their golf game.

If you have any doubts then please come and talk to us in the pro-shop. I’m confident that all of you are heading in the right direction but may need a few refresher lessons.

Just to help you here, Tiger Woods, still the no.1 golfer in the world, averages around 10% of shots from the middle of the golf club? If that is the case why do we think we should hit more than that?

One big difference between Professional golfers and amateurs is course management, we accept that we will hit poor shots but just concentrate on the next shot. There are no pictures on a scorecard just a number.

Plan you way around the course, e.g. don’t just hit woods off every tee when you have shots to play with, leave yourself the distance for your favourite club and then try to 1 putt.There is so much advice we can give you but not enough room on this blog so if you need help please pop in to the pro-shop.

Most of you are just low on confidence; you may hit just one poor shot and then every positive thought goes out of the window.

Take care and happy golfing.

"X" Factor

2008-10-27T21:04:00.006+00:00

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"X" Factor Week 25/10/2008

Ok some people will call me sad and some will want to discuss this show with me but I just Luv It!

I watched this weeks live performance twice and as per usual disagree with the result.

For me the worst performance was JLS and they should have definitely been in the bottom two but as this show is about TV ratings, there is no way the last group can go just yet.

Personally I think JLS should have been in the bottom two battling it out with Daniel, they were by far the weakest two performances and then it’s down to the judges. We know Louis would not have voted for Daniel then don’t we.

I’m not sure if we should see the actual votes but how do we know that the TV Company don’t just pick any two for the “Sing Off”?

Anyway what is your view?

European Tour News

2008-10-26T21:44:00.002+00:00

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The world rankings up to and including October 19th 2008 are:

1 Tiger Woods
2 Phil Mickelson
3 Vijay Singh
4 Padraig Harrington
5 Sergio Garcia
6 Robert Karlsson
7 Camilo Villegas
8 Anthony Kim
9 Ernie Els
10 Henrik Stenson
11 Jim Furyk
12 Lee Westwood
13 Steve Stricker
14 Stewart Cink
15 Justin Rose
16 K.J. Choi
17 Adam Scott
18 Geoff Ogilvy
19 Kenny Perry
20 Miguel A Jimenez

European Tour News

2008-10-26T19:23:00.004+00:00

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Sergio Garcia won his first event for 3 years by taking victory in the CASTELLÓ MASTERS. 28 year old Garcia finished with a 4-under par 67 on the course where he played as a boy and his father is still the club Professional.

Immediately after his 3 shot victory Garcia dedicated his win to the still gravely ill Seve Ballesteros. ``I couldn't help but think about Seve,'' Garcia said. ``I'm sending all my love to him and his family and hope he recovers soon. I hope this victory helps him to get a little better.''

This win moves Garcia up to no.3 in the world rankings.

Final Standings:
Sergio Garcia -20
Peter Hedblom -17
Alexander Noren -15

More Seve News

2008-10-24T20:50:00.012+01:00

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Seve’s latest surgery a success - 24/10/2008

Seve Ballesteros underwent a third operation for a cancerous brain tumor.

Doctors removed the rest of the tumor and reduced brain swelling. The 51-year-old Spaniard was in stable condition in the intensive care unit at Madrid’s La Paz Hospital.

“The operation went better than expected and Seve will now be under close observation for 48 hours in the intensive care unit,” the hospital said.

Ballesteros was admitted to the hospital Oct. 6 after briefly losing consciousness at Madrid’s international airport. Eight days later, a sizable part of the tumor was taken out.

This operation was described as one “of great complexity.” Doctors wanted to relieve pressure on the brain caused by swelling and bleeding and remove remaining parts of the malignant tumor located in a very deep part of the brain.

Ballesteros won the British Open three times and the Masters twice. He captured a record 50 tournaments on the European tour before retiring last year because of a long history of back pain. He has since concentrated on golf course design.

European Tour News

2008-10-24T18:46:00.006+01:00

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This week the European tour visits

CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar

Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, Spain

After 2 rounds the leaders are:

Tied 1,Richard FINCH, Sergio GARCIA and Soren KJELDSEN on -11

They are followed by 5 players on – 9

More news over the next 2 days.

Seve update

2008-10-23T22:41:00.007+01:00

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Sadly Seve Ballesteros brain tumor is cancerous and he will undergo another operation.

La Paz Hospital said that the surgery is "of great complexity." The procedure is designed to relieve pressure on his brain caused by swelling and bleeding that have recently developed. The 51-year-old was in a stable, but serious condition.

Based on an analysis of cells already removed, the tumor is classified as an oligoastrocytoma, a type that affects "cells that cover and protect the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord," reported the hospital.

Ballesteros was admitted to the hospital on Oct. 6th and 10 days later a sizable part of the tumor was taken out. Part of his skull was removed - a procedure known as decompressive craniotomy - to allow room for a swelling brain to expand. Doctors said it was not uncommon after such complex operations.

I personally would like to wish Seve all the best in his battle. He won so many battles on the golf course and he will need all he’s strength to win this one.

Good luck Seve, our prayers are with you.

Tiger Woods

2008-10-22T23:11:00.008+01:00

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Tiger’s very confident he will play the Masters

Tiger Woods said that he is “very confident” he’ll return from knee surgery in time to compete in next year’s Masters, which begins April 9^th 2009.

“I have six months off from the surgery,” Woods said, explaining his timetable for returning to competitive golf. “That takes me to January, then four months [before the Masters]. Ten months, that’s a long time.”

Woods added that the typical recovery of football players from similar ACL surgery is six to nine months.

“If they can do that in football, I hope I can do it in golf,” Woods said.

His left knee, which now shows just a tiny scar from his June surgery, is pain-free, Woods said, although he still cannot rotate the knee, which makes swinging a golf club impossible. He said he still needs to let the ligament heal and won’t swing a club until next year. Exactly when depends on when his surgeons let him. Right now, his rehabilitation consists primarily of weights, cardio exercises and swimming. The entire recovery time will be two years, Woods said, but after six months the ligament is 85 percent healed.

“I’d like to be back soon, but I don’t know when soon is,” Woods said.

Tiger said he didn’t watch much golf this season but he did tune in for the Ryder Cup.

“I felt great for the guys, especially for Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, the guys who’ve been on the team the longest,” Woods said. “Jim sent me a nice text that said, ‘I wish you could be here to experience this.

Taken from an interview on, ESPN.

Icesave

2008-10-22T18:15:00.002+01:00

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Despite the promise of news this week there is nothing new on the “Icesave” website.

For those of you that, like me, have money frozen in this bank we can do nothing but wait. I know the government has promised all money is safe but it is just sitting there not earning anything and we can’t even withdraw it.

Come on world – sort this out.

Academy News

2008-10-20T00:10:00.003+01:00

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The Coombe Wood Golf Academy is going extremely well at the moment and a few members have now graduated into full membership.

If you have any friends that may be interested in starting golf then please get in touch with us.

Martin

Grip Pressure

2008-10-08T20:03:00.005+01:00

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GRIP PRESSURE
The hands must work together as a single unit when striking a ball with power. Once a good grip has been achieved the next stage, often overlooked, is grip pressure.
Gripping the club too tight can cause thin, weak shots that slice. A lighter grip enhances wrist hinge which is a vital power source in the swing. This light pressure also increases the amount of clubface release which will improve your chance of a square clubface at impact.

At address, feel relaxed and tension-free in your hands and forearms. If you had a scale of 1 – 10 for pressure, try to feel you are around 4/5. Sam Snead said, "Hold the club as if you had a little baby bird in your hand." You can also imagine you are shaking the hand of a young child.
Correct grip pressure, combined with the proper placement of the hands on the club, will give you your greatest chance to produce longer, straighter shots.
Happy Golfing
Martin

Seve in Hospital

2008-10-06T19:39:00.003+01:00

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Seve Ballesteros, a five-time major winner, was admitted to hospital in Madrid after fainting earlier today. The charismatic Spaniard was in a stable condition and undergoing tests after suffering dizziness and briefly fainting, La Paz hospital said in a press release.

51 year old Ballesteros retired from golf in 2007 after suffering several back and knee problems towards the end of his career. During his heyday he won 87 titles worldwide including 50 European titles. His career wins come with 5 Major titles, 3 British Opens and 2 Masters.

Seve also had a fantastic Ryder cup record of winning 20 out of his 37 matches many of which were with fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabel. His inspiration to golf is famous throughout Europe no more so than when he captained the team to Victory in 1997 at the Valderrama golf course.

Let’s all hope he makes a full and quick recovery.

Before your Golf Lesson

2008-10-03T19:51:00.007+01:00

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Whenever I give a golf lesson one of the first question’s I ask you is …… have you warmed up?

The answers I get vary but include things like “well I walked from the car to the practice ground” or “I’ve been doing housework all morning” which is not really the ideal start. I then have to spend time that you have paid good money for watching you warm up and getting the blood flowing, not only to get your game going but also as to prevent injury.

So before your next lesson warm up! Stretching is a good way to start, stretch the muscles in your legs, back, arms and shoulders. Once this is done swing two irons together slowly and as best as you can, then go to one club and feel how light it is now. This will further enhance your warm up routine.

If you are just practicing on your own warm up and then start with a short iron, work your way up through the bag to longer shots and then back down again. Starting with the shorter club will enable you to ease yourself into hitting shots.

Always aim at a target and keep checking your posture. Use clubs laid on the ground in line with your feet to ensure that you are pointing in the right direction.

Around 60% of your score will come from chipping and putting so therefore spend at least 60% of your practice time working on these areas.

Good habits doing this will lead to improving your golf and better scores. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask me.

Happy Golfing. Martin.

My Image

2008-09-16T21:02:00.002+01:00

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You may have noticed the image I am using for my postings.

Well I just thought it was appropriate as I am the "Golf Coaching Wizard"

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Have Fun

Martin