January Training

I've had a great last few days here in Florida. I have been getting some fantastic practice in and I'm really starting to see some great strides in my game. I have been working hard on my plan both technical and mental. The fitness is going well and I'm at my lightest ever weight so I'm very pleased about that.

I went to the PGA show on Saturday to meet a few friends and ultimately check out what is the great golfing exhibition in the world. I had the fantastic opportunity to meet Tiger Woods coach Sean Foley, and i actually picked his brain a little bit and he really seemed to like me and my friends. We spoke about the ball flight laws and his recent addition to Golf Digest about Tiger Woods attack angle with the driver. He told me to look at youtube on the D Plane which basically explains how the club path, face position and attack angle all effect what the ball does. I asked him if a player really needs to know the technicalities of this science and he said that an understanding and relating it to feels is very necessary because you can understand what the club is doing when you hit a certain shot. Sean was an absolute legend who was willing to give me his advice with pleasure so we all know Tiger is in great hands.

On another note the practice i have been doing as has been a lot on the golf course, I'm getting away from hitting too many balls. I realize that my swing changes are taking time and spending hours hitting balls isn't the most productive way to improve my game. I have been getting out on the course playing lots of golf and beating my team mates. College golf is so fun and you really get to play with some of the best amateurs around. I get to practice with my team mate Ben Taylor who i want to take the time to Congratulate on his selection for the Jones Cup. He is representing England in Georgia and i know he will do great. Also his recognition of outstanding play has meant he is in the running for the Palmer cup in June.

Hopefully and this would be absolutely fantastic i can hit the ground running these next few months and even potentially partner him in that that would be a dream come true.

My practice has involved a lot more short game training on the course with ben and also i have spent some time working on my wedges. Nailing down the distances and working on some different shots all with different trajectories.

My first tournament is coming up in the three weeks and i can't wait to get out there and enjoy playing again, oh and winning some trophies, the cabinet isn't full enough for my liking.

On a last note i just want to say that here at Nova we are now living by this philosophy every day.

"It is the journey that brings us happiness, not the final destination" 

Mitch Farrer

2012 - The Year of Commitment

"The difference between a dream and a fantasy is commitment"

I sit here writing the first of many blog entries for 2012. After spending a few weeks at home with my family I'm almost ready to head back to sunny Florida and begin what will be the hardest working year of my life. These past two weeks have given me some time to reflect over last years positive steps iv made and what specifically i need to do to get better. In a years time i want to sit here and reflect on what was a year where i got the most out of my time, i want to look back and be proud of the strides i will have made.

This is essentially my plan for the year that I'm going to outline. Without a doubt this will be the year where i work the hardest i have ever on my fitness specifically. Since coming to the USA i absolutely love working out and pushing my body to its limits. I have a couple of underlying issues which are holding me back when it comes to what i want to achieve in my golf swing. Most notably the flexibility in my hips, calves and hamstrings needs to improve because currently this cause me to early extend which can be seen clearly in this video made by MYTPI. Early extension leads to blocks and hooks which is what i struggled with all of last year. Most of the time swing faults come from physical problems which is definitely part of the reason for my poor body action at times.

I use a fantastic company called Sum it Golf services to analyze my stats. The website www.strokeaverage.com allows me to put in every shot of my rounds of golf, this gives me some phenomenal data. Im outline the key stats below and overall I'm confident because i know I'm improving every year. My statistics from last year are overall very positive, they have shown a rise in performance in a number of key areas:

Ball Striking

As you can see my driving accuracy is one of the biggest areas i need to focus on. Specifically the driver, a lot of my misses are in the semi rough however the more fairways you hit allows your more control into the greens. 

I have a great technical plan to improve my accuracy off the tee, I'm working hard on my set up position mainly posture. After a recent bio mechanics session I'm trying to create more forward bend from my hips and pelvic bone rather than from my shoulders. Also I'm trying to work the plane more around my body on the backswing with the left arm working more around me, The best way to do this is to get the shaft position at address inline with my belt buckle.

Short Game

My short game stats are where are really need to see improvement this year, i worked tirelessly on it last year without much focus and too much experimentation. This year i have a good plan which i won't change.  My bunker play however is very good, its close to world class.

Putting

Putting is one of my greatest strengths i putt great in competition, the only problem i may see is if start to hit more greens the stats will naturally tend to get a fraction worse unless I'm hitting it really close.