Dan Whitby-Smith

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to this week's newsletter. There is a short Q&A with questions sent in from members, along with a great quiz on the past decade of golf to keep you occupied. Of course, not forgetting a new challenge for you to test your skills during this isolation period.

Stay safe and enjoy the read.

Q&A

1 - What's the fastest way to improve scores?

I actually believe most amateurs can lower scores without changing technique at all. Course management is a massive part of the game that is often over looked, club selection, strategy and managing risk. Playing lessons are excellent for improving course management, lessons on a driving range are great for improving technique and ball flight but these changes require work and can't happen over night. Course management improvements can!

2. Do you teach using technology?

All lessons include video analysis. Also, TrackMan can be used to analyse performance and to monitor improvements. E.g. a player coming over the top may have a swing path of 15 degrees out-to-in at the start of a lesson. Make some changes during lesson and jump back on TrackMan at the end, if that number has decreased we're making progress. Technology isn't there to confuse you, used correctly it provides the pupil with evidence, reassurance and visually helps understanding. Some players get very invested in to technology, others don't have much interest. Every individual is different and you'd never get sent away from a lesson without 100% clarity.

3. Are lie angles important?

YES... Again I'll try to explain this simply. If your clubs are too upright the ball will go left, if they're too flat the ball will go right. The technical term is 'face plane tilt'. If you grab a club and address as if you were about to play a shot, lower your hands so the toe is massively off the ground, see the angle of the clubface now points up and left? If you do the opposite, of course, the face will point right.

Also, many players believe that if you're tall you need upright golf clubs and if you're short flat. Although often the case, it depends on how your club delivers at impact. Some tall people actually need flat clubs and vice versa. This is why we dynamic fit as oppose to the old fashioned static custom fit.

4. Will you still be playing professional events alongside your duties at Drayton?

I will still be competing, yes. Although I will have to miss events from time to time due to committments at Drayton, I still enjoy competing and it's an avenue of income. It's also great to spend time around older and more experienced pro's, this enables me to continue to learn and hopefully improves the service I offer to you as members.

5. Lowest score? Lowest competition score?

Social, Santana 63 (-9) in 2017. I bogeyed the last!

Competitive, Little Aston Pro-Am 64 (-8) in 2018.

6. Favourite golf course?

I've been fortunate enough to play a lot of great courses all over the world and it's difficult to pick one. If I had to, I'd probably pick Valderrama... It's pretty special!

If anyone is looking at booking golf holidays in the future, pop in and see me. I get preferential rates with a couple of golf travel companies as an ambassador and would always be happy to help.

If anyone has anymore questions feel free to email them in and I'll give an honest response as always!

Golf's greatest rivalries

We want to hear from you

There’s much debate as to golf’s greatest rivalry. From one era to the next, elite players have gone head-to-head and produced some truly memorable moments on the course.

At this current time, there’s a whole host of young talent jostling for position at the top of the rankings: McIlroy, Koepka, Rahm and Thomas to name just a few. However, in terms of a rivalry between two golfers, we don’t seem to have that right now.

So, we want to know what your favourite golfing rivalry has been through the years. Click the link below to head to our website and take part in our poll.

Enter our poll here.

Did you know?

Fact of the week

In 1971, Alan Shepard – the first American astronaut in space – became the first person to hit a golf ball on the moon. Here’s what he said to the USGA after landing back on earth:

“I shanked the first one; it rolled into a crater about 40 yards away. The second one, I kept my head down. I hit it flush and it went at least 200 yards.”

It's quiz time

What can you remember from the last decade?

We hope you enjoyed last week's Silhouette Challenge; some were certainly easier than others.

The end of 2019 also marked the end of a decade, but how much can you remember - on a golfing front - from those 10 years?

Put your memory to the test with this week's quiz as we challenge you to recall some amazing feats in the world of golf. Good luck!

take this week's quiz >

Weekly challenge

Much like the pitch shot that fizzes onto the green and stops dead on the second or third bounce, the flop shot always looks spectacular when you pull it off. It’s the inspiration behind this week’s challenge, so grab your highest lofted wedge and take to the garden for our Flop Shot Challenge.

The set-up

Like the images above, place a garden trug or bucket on top of a table facing away from the house with the aim of landing the ball inside. You can also play this game by putting something tall in front of you – garden fork or washing line – that you need to get the ball up-and-over.

Not confident?

Flop shots aren’t the easiest shot to play, which is why they do look great when executed to perfection. If you’d rather attempt something different, you can modify this challenge by placing your garden trug on the floor and see how many you can chip in – but it can’t bounce first!

send us a message >

Golf at home

Hopefully, you’re finding our Golf at Home drills useful in keeping your golf game ticking over during lockdown – maybe, even improving it?! For this week we’ve gone back to basics and have found an effective way of checking one of golf’s key fundamentals…

Alignment is key

Getting your set-up spot on is easier said than done, but getting it right more often than not will certainly help your golf game on the course.

One part that often changes over time is our alignment, which incorporates far more than just where the clubface is aiming.

How to check

Find some flooring in your house or garden that runs in straight lines. Place a ball down and set up as if you’re hitting a straight shot.

From here, check whether your feet, hips and shoulders are running parallel to each other by using the flooring as a visual cue.

send us a message >

Video of the Week

If you're a watcher of golf on TV then you'll be fully aware of the brilliant Wayne 'Radar' Riley. In this video from PING, we take a look at the best bits of his 'A Round with Radar' series, including cameos from Lee Westwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Miguel Angel Jimenez. Enjoy.

Drayton Park Golf Club
Drayton Manor Drive
Fazeley
Tamworth
B78 3TN

Phone: 01827 251139

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