Another early flight for me and my school, but hay ho, we were all looking forward to the sunshine of Spain, and the fab golf course of Valle Del Este!!

Our first day was a great one. To start off I split the group into two groups to ensure everyone would get more tuition time. Group A went first and I talked about the importance of having the right set up and alignment. Practice makes permanent not perfect and the only way to make perfect is to practice properly. That means giving every shot a target so when you get on the golf course it’s not strange to be target oriented! I then filmed everyone and talked to them about what they needed to work on as individuals. Group A then went off for a bit of putting and lunch and I repeated the session with group B. It’s great when you see an improvement in how they go about their practice… giving it a purpose!

A bit of lunch then we hit the golf course, it was in such great condition, such a pleasure to play! I talked to them about how important it was that they take the lessons from the practice ground to the course which meant working on their alignment and having a clear target in mind. The question they should ask themselves is always where do I want to play my next shot from??

Day 2 started with group A playing 9 holes while I did chipping and pitching with group B. We worked on making good contact, then distance control, One of the drills we did was to place 4 tees in the ground to make a box about a foot square about 9 feet from the edge of the green and to try and land the ball in the square. This is designed to improve distance control and is first completed using a 7 iron and then with a pitching wedge. This is such a great drill, and one they all liked!! We then did longer pitching, using the pitching wedge and the sand iron again working on distance control, as all the shorter shots in golf which need a short swing are by far the most difficult to control, so this was a great session on contact and control. We then went off down onto the range and had an hour of power! I talked to them about driving, and the importance of deciding where to tee up and also talked about the advantage of having a pre- shot routine, and how important it is to have one and stick to it no matter what… do what all the top players do… Group B then had a bit of lunch and then hit the course, while Group A came to me, and we went to work on the same things I did with Group B.

The night before the day off it was time to have a bit of fun over at Venues Bar where some of my group had a dance and a sing on the karaoke... what a laugh... Stewart Lesley you are a legend!!! (you had to be there, so funny!!!)

Day 3 was the day off... it was great for some who took time to rest, some did a bit of practice with the popular thing being the Par 18 game, some played 18 holes, and others had some R&R by the pool. I took time before dinner to show them their videos…a shock for some, but so important to understand what is happening with their swing.

Day 4 started with bunkers, Group A hit the course for 9 holes while I had Group B in the bunker. I love this session as it’s great to see some people who have not a lesson in the sand before and show them how easy bunkers can be. We cover what club to choose, what club face angle to use when the ball is in a good, bad or buried lie…a great session, we then did more long game working on their technique, remembering to always have a target in mind. Group A then came to me for bunkers and pitching while B group went on the course. After we had finished in the bunkers and long game Group A then went out on the course for the other 9 holes….I feel this works well, as it gives me good time with both groups on the practice ground and does not get them too tired before and after the tuition, so another nice day!!

Day 5 is putting day, so very important. I talked to the groups about set up and alignment and gave them lots of drills to help them get better distance control with the long putts. For shorter ones, putting into a box outlined with tee’s and remembering that on the course we don’t hit the same putt twice, so only practice with 1 ball to different targets. They created a target box and then putted from 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 foot away from each of the 4 sides of the box. Some thought it was easy but it’s a great drill for touch and control and can be made harder or esier by adjusting the size of the box.  We then did more work on the long game, striving for good balance and making sure every shot had a purpose and a target!! After a bit of lunch we hit the course, working on some simple stats, like how many putts and how many fairways did we hit!! A great day!

As we came all too soon to the last day we had a round up of what we had covered and how to prepare for a competition, making sure they had enough food and water on board before they hit the course….these are things people forget. We played a singles stableford, a secret pairs competition and a putting competition too… the winners were Jan, Fiona, Viv and Debbie L ...

What a great week with fab people all going home with plenty to work on, and plenty to think about... their little note books full of things for them to remember... thank you all for making my job easy and I look forward to hearing all your results over the coming season… thanks guys you were great!!

And here are some super photos from the school: