Location: Old Fold Manor
James has been coaching golf for 10 years and specialising in putting for more than six. In the past three years James has worked with more than 3000 golfers, including more than 200 professionals. If he was to single out a success it would be seeing Jamie Rutherford win the EuroPro Tour order of merit this year after working together for the past three years. His philosophy is simple – 'We do whatever it takes to make each individual better on the greens.’
A typical lesson:
It almost doesn’t exist, due to each session being catered to the individual. However, the general structure of a new client may be similar. I would start with an analysis of their current putting game. This would involve using video analysis, Capto and Quintic data, hitting putts from varying distances and break directions, asking appropriate questions the whole time. My goal in the opening 15-20 minutes of a session, is to understand the areas within which the client can find the biggest and fastest gains. I’m not just looking at their technique, I’m looking at their process and routines, asking them about their approach, and more.
Analysis of performance:
Keeping putting stats is extremely important to be able to notice tendencies and trends. My favourite stats app being Spider Putt. This allows me to notice these trends for specific putts, by both distance and slope amount. I have also composed a document of performance games for students to do during sessions or in their own time. This allows for in depth assessment over time in specific areas.
Most common problem:
Probably speed control. This usually starts with a lack of understanding of what they should be trying to achieve. More often than not, if they can fully understand what their goal is with acceleration in the stroke, they have a far greater chance of achieving it. I also have a bunch of great drills to help them improve their technique and enhance their skills.
