5–12 March

As I hit the road from Almerimar and said goodbye to my group I headed off to Valle del Este in the sun shine. My new group arrived from a cold England looking forward to the challenge.

The first day we started with short game tuition, (as I like to settle them in, and particularly as 4 of the group were new players it’s always good to start with short shots) working on making good contact, and then beginning to control just how far the ball went with different shots.

We then hit the range where we worked on getting a good basic position which included a reminder of the correct grip, the posture, set up and stance, not forgetting the lining up!! It was a bit windy so this was a good time to show them how to hit low shots, again good for the new players too, working on controlling and making half shots.

After a bite of lunch we played the challenging course here in a Texas Scramble format, and I walked the course with each group talking them through a bit of course management.

Day 2, what a lovely day, hot sunshine +23 and bright blue sky! We started off with short pitching, again working on contact then we moved on to a longer pitch shot, the one you get around the green over a bunker. We then moved on to improving the long game. We covered how to make sure the set up was sound then working on a full swing with some drills, plus making sure they all finished with good balance, and watched where the ball finished! After lunch we went out onto the course where I played a 6 hole drop back, so I could play with all the group, again showing them how I saw the shots and where to aim to get round this tricky golf course.  It was important to remind them that you don’t always use your driver off every tee, as being in the correct position to play your next shot is sometimes more important than length.

After the day off where some of the group went shopping to the local market, and others practiced and took some time to rest in the sunshine we went into the bunkers, going over how you would play the ball from different lies. After that we worked on more long game but this time concentrating on using woods, saying how important it is to get the height of the ball on the tee right, and the sweeping action we need for woods.

We then hit the course, and again I played with everyone in the hot sunshine as I feel the on-course tuition is a big part of my schools as it helps translate the lessons from the range into the real game. The challenge of the day was to see how long you could keep the ball you start with, and Maria did all the way round!! Now that is great, and she also played well with 35 points!!

The 4^th day we started with a long game session, going over all the points and working on drills and check points, and trying to have a routine, both on the range and on the course. I think it’s important to work on your routine on the practice ground so you do it with ease on the course... not easy for the good player never mind the new one!

We then moved on to the putting green. We talked about set up and just how important staying still is. Again I gave the group drills to use and take home. As the sun shone we hit the course, to see just how using the routine can help you focus on the game, but remembering to let go of the shot when it’s gone…it’s history ( as the song says) whether it’s good or bad.

As we came to our last day the group had a lesson on how to get ready for a competition, how to go through practice before you play, and then they were off, playing a stableford.  In great weather the group had a nice time, with Geoff coming out on top on the day with a good 32 points, Maria the only one to complete a round with one ball ( very good around this course)  the secret partners were Jenny and Linda with 47 points and Maria was the most consistent player of the week.