My coaching perspective reflects my playing experience, where these two questions are always at the forefront; “will it get the ball in the hole quicker” and “will it allow you to play the game for longer?” If the answer to either is ‘yes’ then I am interested. Practical performance instruction is the main driving force for all of my coaching.
A conversation began last year between some of the best coaches in the world, ‘who is doing the best job with regard to coaching?’ which really means who is getting the best performances out of their talent pool.
The answer was “Chinese Diving,” almost unanimously. I was surprised, as you may be but then the depth of my diving knowledge is restricted to Greg Louganis hitting his head in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, getting stitched up and then going on to win the gold, you could throw in Tom Daly there as well, but that’s it.
Apparently, Chinese diving is making a big splash or significant waves (pun intended, sorry). At last year’s World Cup of Diving, they delivered a level of performance that was incredible, they won gold and silver in every single event that they entered. At that competition nobody beat a Chinese diver.
Now the answers to ‘who and where’ had been established, the ‘how have they managed to do this’ question came to the fore. One ever so simple reason really stood out and resonated with my coaching philosophy - they spend an extraordinary amount of time working on the fundamentals. They devote hours and hours to simple basic dives. From this rock solid platform, everything is built. Every dive is recorded from which feedback is given by the ever present coaching staff, thus ensuring no bad habits are developed. Very little time is spent correcting faults, so there is always forward momentum.
So, how does this transfer across to golf? In lots of ways but it’s probably best, for now, to focus on the simplest of simples - the short putt; the most important area of the game and yet the most neglected. Every hole you play generally has one; generated from a putt left short, miss read or fired past the hole. The three to five-foot putt has always left the steeliest of competitors with an elevated pulse and clammy hands.
Why is this?
Is it because the green is more difficult to read from this distance, or is it technically a more difficult action? To both questions, definitely not.
Putting practice is rarely in the amateur golfer’s schedule. Dedicated time spent on the fundamentals of posture, stroke and pace hardly ever happens.
Contrary to popular myth, putting can be taught; it’s not a movement unique to an individual. By watching the Professionals on TV you will see they all have a routine and they all have very similar styles. This is a learned skill to which thousands of diligent hours have been spent.
To master this simple movement, I would advise you to regularly follow these simple steps: Make some time in your diary - an hour’s putting practice a week would be great
Find a good putting green; Find a five foot, straight putt and mark this position (it’s very important you stay in the same spot for the putt to remain straight); Use ten balls; After striking the ball keep your head still, hold your finish and watch the roll of the ball with your eyes – remembering to keep your head still.
Repeat this drill until you have holed 100 consecutively or your body tells you it’s time for a rest!
A more advanced version of this drill, would be to place a tee peg or coin one inch short of the centre of the hole and only count the putt if it hits the peg or coin. This will keep your putting cross hairs really sharp.
In no time at all the simplicity of this drill will have you stepping up to the ball with the confidence of an Olympic Diver on the 10 metre platform.
Neil Connolly can be contacted at the Pestana Golf Integrated Academy, Vila Sol on mobile 912263555 or e-mail: info@golfintegrated.com

Neil Connolly