Crown Golf Academies Blog

Local golf centre and college get together to offer golf training and performance course to run alongside academic studies – ‘Golf Academy Package’ will start in September

The Crown Golf Academy at Paultons Golf Centre in Ower, near Romsey, has announced that from September 2012, it will be offering a “Golf Academy Package” to complement the established football, basketball, rugby, swimming and fitness academies at Totton College.

The new Golf Academy Package will be run by Chris Farr, Head Coach at Paultons GC, with his colleague Kevin Caplehorn, both of whom are Hampshire and England CAP coaches.

The course is based on the American college system, with a minimum of ten hours’ training and performance time each week designed to fit around students’ academic study. This means that accomplished and keen golfers will be able to continue developing their game while studying for A levels or vocational qualifications.

Students who opt for the Golf Academy Package will receive full membership of Paultons GC, a structured 36-week coaching programme to include all aspects of the sport: technical, psychological, fitness, nutrition, playing, competitions and a competitive order of merit.

Mike Gaston, Principal of Totton College, said: “It is great for the college to form a partnership with such a professional organisation as Paultons Golf Centre. It shows our continued commitment to provide the very best for our students in the local community. I look forward to seeing the results of a very exciting new academy.”

Chris Farr of Paultons GC added: “It will be a fantastic opportunity for students to reach their golfing potential while also realising their academic ambitions. As a former Totton College student myself, I wish it had been an option for me. Both Kevin and I are very much looking forward to this September.”

Trainee golf pro scoops regional honour from Professional Golfers’ Association

Addington Court Golf Centre’s PGA Trainee Golf Professional, Alex MacGregor, has been named “Best Year Two PGA Trainee” for the South Region and received a cheque for £250 from TGI Golf, sponsors of the PGA Trainee Awards at the South Region AGM held on February 29^th, 2012.

MacGregor, 26, has worked at Addington Court GC in Featherbed Lane, Croydon, for nearly three years. He achieved the highest overall marks in his Professional Golf Association (PGA) year two exams and assignments, exceeding the scores of 75 other trainees in the South Region.

The South Region of the PGA extends over a huge area and encompasses Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, the Channel Islands, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex.

MacGregor began playing golf at the age of 11 with his brother. He has had an impressive career thus far, having finished second in the PGA Assistants’ Order of Merit in 2011, with two tournament victories during the year. With a year of training still to go before full PGA
Professional qualification, Alex has ambitions to become a top level golf coach. He particularly enjoys teaching the Junior section at Addington Court, and has the title: Junior Organiser and Coach.

Commenting on the award, MacGregor said: “It was a great surprise to find out I was top of my year in the region. I am really delighted, and it will spur me on to try just as hard over the next year of studying.

“The Addington Court staff has been very supportive which really helps. I love the broad coaching experience I am gaining here – from coaching Discover Golf, our adult group programme, to large groups of children in our Crown Golf Junior Academy and on our schools programme. To me, junior golf is at the heart of the sport. I love coaching children, and consider myself very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with so many children so early in my career.”

Paul Oliver, Director of Golf at Addington Court Golf Centre, and mentor to MacGregor added: “Alex is a great asset to the coaching team at Addington Court. He is a natural coach, and has done very well working in our Crown Golf Academy. Alex is to be commended on a first class result in his studies – we are delighted to have him on board!”

Local club is runner up in “GolfMark Club of the Year” awards for excellence in junior and beginner golf

The club finished second in the England Golf’s annual ‘GolfMark’ awards ceremony, beating over 540 other golf clubs in England that have achieved Golf Mark accreditation.
GolfMark accreditation is awarded to clubs that achieve the highest standards in junior and beginner friendly golf facilities. Addington Court GC first achieved accreditation in June 2010.

The awards ceremony took place at the England Golf
headquarters at Woodhall Spa Golf Club on 21 February, 2012.

Addington Court GC’s representatives at the ceremony were
Paul Oliver, Director of Golf, Simon Shepherd, Head Professional and Alex
MacGregor, Junior Organiser and Coach.

Oliver said: “Our congratulations go to Bawburgh Golf Club, the winners of the GolfMark Club of the Year title.

“We were disappointed to miss out on the top prize, but are delighted to have been recognised for our achievements. Since being awarded accreditation in 2010, our Junior club has grown significantly, along with the number of adults new to the sport,
embarking on the ‘Discover Golf’ coaching programme at the club. We have coached over 1,000 juniors in local schools, and over 500 at the club. Over 200 beginner adult golfers signed up for lessons in 2011, and in January 2012 alone, 189 players signed up for places on the Discover Golf programme. We are tremendously proud of these achievements, and excited by the buzz around the club.

“We have learnt a lot throughout the course of the competition, and have a lot of inspirational ideas to introduce and build on at Addington Court in the coming months.”

Rob Spurrier, Group Academy Manager at Crown Golf, the owner of Addington Court GC, who was also instrumental in the attainment of GolfMark accreditation, added: “The team at Addington Court work incredibly hard and have seen fantastic results. This award is an exceptional achievement. We are very proud of Addington Court’s success in bringing newcomers to golf, and Paul and his team deserve enormous credit.

“The club also won the Golf Foundation President’s Awards’ Bonallack Award in 2011, which is presented to the golf club with the best schools’ programme, so it has been a great twelve months for Addington Court.

England Golf Development Manager, Richard Flint said, “We have been extremely impressed with the quality of clubs nominated for this year’s award. It is clear that everyone who was nominated has shown both dedication and creativity in the work they do in welcoming both juniors and beginners to the game.

“The team at Addington Court Golf Centre are great ambassadors for golf. Very well done!”

Local golf centre aims to attract new golfers; free group sessions from March 1, 2012

Paultons Golf Centre’s Crown Golf Academy is leading the way in attracting new golfers to the sport. From March 2012, free group coaching sessions and equipment will be available to adults at the golf club located in Ower, near Romsey.

The pioneering club has joined with England Golf to fund the free sessions after a successful pilot scheme last year saw several players try out – and continue with – the sport for the first time.

Each golfer will be entitled to three free sessions with the Paultons GC coaching team. Once the sessions are completed, there will be the option to continue learning the game on the Crown Golf Academies’ ‘Discover Golf’ programme, which has been running at the centre since 2010.

Discover Golf has revolutionised how golf is taught. Players can learn golf at their own pace, and choose the particular areas of the game upon which they want to concentrate.

Chris Farr, Head Coach at Paultons GC, said: “We are very excited to be able to offer free coaching sessions to adults in the area. England Golf is part-funding the sessions as part of their ‘Get into Golf’ campaign, and we intend to try to accommodate every person who applies for coaching.

“We have a very experienced coaching team at Paultons, and are keen to introduce as many people as possible to golf. I would urge everyone who is looking to get back into the game, or everyone who wants to try a new sport this year to get in touch. We will provide the equipment for the free sessions, so no outlay at all is necessary.

Richard Flint, Golf Development Manager of England Golf, added: “Crown Golf is leading the way on encouraging new players to the sport. The free tuition at Paultons Golf Centre is a great way for people interested in the idea of golf to try out the sport. We hope that the sessions, and other similar projects across Crown Golf Academies nationally will make a real difference to the number of new golfers in the long term.

For more information, or to book your free coaching sessions, call Chris Farr on 02380 813992 or e-mail him at paultons-academy@crown-golf.co.uk

Duncan Woolger is awarded Plane Truth Level 3 certification

Blue Mountain Golf Centre’s PGA Coach, Duncan Woolger, has earned the top level of certification in teaching amateur and professional golfers how to improve their impact and ball flight, by being awarded Plane Truth Level 3 certification.

The Plane Truth is a system of teaching golfers how to improve their swing which was developed by top ten international golf instructor, Jim Hardy, in the USA. The Plane Truth involves not only traditional golf swing teaching methods, but also a method developed by Hardy, which has seen unparalleled results across the USA – and now Europe.

Having qualified as a PGA golf professional in 1998, Woolger knew that he could improve the majority of golfers’ swings, but was frustrated that he couldn’t ‘fix’ 100 per cent of them. Woolger spent years trying to find the answer, which eventually led him to the Teaching and Coaching Summit in Florida in 2004, where he met Jim Hardy. Hardy seemed to have the answer, and after four years of nagging, Woolger finally persuaded Hardy to teach him how to teach!

Between 2009 and 2010 Woolger gained Levels 1 and 2 Plane Truth certification, and started teaching both professionals and amateurs in Europe the best way to improve their impact and ball flight – with a 100 per cent success rate.

Along with his colleague, George Porter, Woolger is now responsible for training a large number of golf pros, both in Europe and in the UK. At the third annual Teaching and Coaching Summit in Arizona in 2011, of 60 delegates attending, 26 came from Europe and had been introduced to The Plane Truth by Woolger and Porter.

As a result of his hard work, Woolger was awarded Level 3 certification in November 2011. It is an honour that is based on performance rather than testing, and is measured in terms of success as a leader in the field of golf.

Woolger said: “I am tremendously proud to have achieved Level 3 Plane Truth certification. The Plane Truth teaching system is absolutely phenomenal, and we see results immediately in all levels of player. It is a joy to be able guarantee that we can change the way people play very quickly – by the end of a 30 minute session, there will be a marked improvement in an individual’s game.

“I teach all sections of the club membership at Blue Mountain Golf Centre, and it is very rewarding across the board.”

Rob Spurrier, Group Academy Manager at Crown Golf, added: “Duncan has rightly been recognised for the breadth of his teaching abilities, and for his commitment to improving golfing standards. He arrived at the Crown Golf Academy at Blue Mountain Golf Centre in August 2011, and his coaching sessions have been incredibly productive. We are delighted to have such an accomplished PGA Coach on board!”

Top golfing venue holds training day for locally based teachers and golf professionals

A group of 30 golf professionals and teachers from schools in Devon and Cornwall recently attended a training day at St Mellion International Resort in Saltash, Cornwall to teach them all about junior golf.

Organised by the Plymouth “Golf Roots” Steering Committee, the day consisted of five theoretical and practical sessions. Delegate learned all about HSBC Golf Roots – a national project set up in 2003 to provide opportunities for children and young people in areas where golf had not previously been seen as an option.

St Mellion International Resort has been involved with the Plymouth Golf Roots project for a year, and is going to be leading the project in 2012.

Coaches from the Crown Golf Academy at St Mellion gave “live” training sessions to delegates with the help of 30 primary school and 20 secondary school children. Each session lasted two hours and demonstrated two specially developed forms of golf – Tri Golf for primary age children, and Golf Xtreme for older children.

Rob Spurrier, Group Academy Manager at Crown Golf and member of the Plymouth Golf Roots Steering Committee, said: “The day went incredibly well, with the first ever “live” training sessions proving to be a great success.

“Crown Golf Academies is setting the standard across the country in terms of junior training for coaches. We are proud to be able to help teachers, golf professionals and volunteers teach the sport to children from all backgrounds, and plan to run further similar training days in 2012.”

Pioneering local golf club aims to
introduce 2,500 primary age children to golf

The Crown Golf Academy at Hampton Court Palace Golf Club is working with 15 local primary schools to encourage their pupils take-up golf. Over a four month period
(November 2011 till February 2012) nearly 2,500 local school children will be given free ‘Tri-Golf’ lessons by the talented pros from Hampton Court Palace GC.

Tri-Golf is a “mini” version of golf, designed specifically for young children and infant,
primary and junior schools, using youngster-friendly equipment.

Karl Wesson, Director of Golf at the Hampton Court Palace Golf Club Crown Golf Academy, and his three qualified and CRB checked coaches, are currently visiting schools in the borough of Richmond to introduce children to “Tri-Golf”.

Each golf session lasts 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the age of the children involved,
and there is the opportunity for anyone who enjoys the sessions to attend further subsidised Tri-Golf sessions at Hampton Court Palace Golf Club, with all equipment provided free of charge.

Schools that have signed up to the project so far include: St Mary’s C of E Primary, Darell Primary, Barnes Primary, Marshgate Primary, Bishop Perrin C of E Primary, Stanley Primary, Chase Bridge Primary, The Russell Primary and St John the Baptist Junior. And Wesson and his team are in talks to set up visits to at least six further schools by the end of February 2012.

The Richmond School Sports Partnership (SSP) has been instrumental in setting up the visits, and Crown Golf – owners of Hampton Court Palace Golf Club – the Golf Foundation
(a charity committed to the sporting and social development of young people through golf) and the Richmond SSP are jointly funding the cost of the sessions.

Maggie Morrell of the Richmond SSP said: “The team from Hampton Court Palace Golf Club have visited several schools already, and their sessions have gone down really well. The children have a lot of fun, and at the same time are taught about the etiquette
of the game, which involves a certain amount of self-discipline. It is very interesting to watch the children’s responses.

“It is great for the children who are really keen on the sport to have the opportunity to
continue with Karl and his team at their club. We hope to see a rise in the number of junior players in the area as a result of this project.”

Karl Wesson added: “It has been a real privilege to teach so many keen youngsters. They are very quick to pick up the basics of golf, and get a huge amount of pleasure from seeing immediate results. My fellow coaches and I get an equal amount of pleasure from the children’s enjoyment of the sport, so it is a win-win situation.

“We look forward to coaching as many children as we can in the community in the coming weeks.”

Students on the UK’s only
tournament-based golf foundation degree course split their time between St Mellion International Resort in Cornwall and Pestana Golf Resort in Portugal

A second year undergraduate on the Foundation Science Degree in
Tournament Golf, Ben Stow, has qualified for the second stage
of the European Tour School.

Having won or been runner-up in nine tournaments over the last two years, and gained a handicap of +4.2, Stow entered the European Tour Qualifying School, passed stage 1 and is currently into stage 2. If he succeeds in stages 2 and 3, Stow will have qualified for the European Tour itself.

Stow is one of a handful of golfers that are reaping the rewards of the unique two-centre, two-year sports degree course.  Tournament Golf College is administered by the Duchy College, which operates under the umbrella of Plymouth University. It has been running since 2008, and 2011 is its most successful year yet.

Students are based at St Mellion International Resort from mid-September to December each year, before spending January to March at the Pestana Golf Resort in the Algarve, and returning to the UK for the spring and summer months.

Also benefitting from the course is second year student James Yeomans, who won the BMW Dubai Invitational by an astonishing 10 shots, and Joey Armstrong, who has now graduated, and who has been invited to compete on the Challenge tour.

St Mellion has been involved with the Tournament Golf College course from its inception three years ago. With its two challenging Championship courses for students to play on each week, great practice facilities and short game training areas, plus its state of the art
gym facilities, the resort is ideally placed to work with the students.

Darren Gass, Performance Coach at St Mellion has also been involved from the outset, and has recently decided to go full time on the Tournament Golf course, travelling to Portugal with the students, and becoming full time coach on the course.

Gass said: “The Foundation Science Degree in Tournament Golf is unique. It
was built to give talented European players a viable option to learn on home turf, rather than travelling to the US to study. All the academic teaching is based around tournament golf, rather than being a standard education course with a golf bolt-on, which is what you normally find in the UK.

“We have had some phenomenal results already, with Ben Stow being perhaps our most remarkable student so far. I am very proud of what we have achieved in such a short time.

“We are hoping that the course may be extended to a full three-year BA course in the next few years, so that promising golfers can come out with a nationally recognised qualification.”

Rob Spurrier, Group Academy Manager at Crown Golf, said: “St Mellion is delighted to be involved in the pioneering work that the Tournament Golf College is undertaking. With Darren’s help, the students have made meteoric progress in their two years on the course.  Whether the course remains a two-year one, or extends to three in the future, it is clear that the Tournament Golf College is a great success!”

Conference Organiser and Performance Coach, Greg Brodie

Two-day teaching conference to take place at Blue Mountain GC on 16 – 17 January, 2012

Crown Golf has today announced the date and location of the 2012 Surrey County Coaching Conference – an important event that it hosts and sponsors for the county’s many professional golf coaches.

The 2012 Surrey County Coaching Conference the will take place at Blue Mountain Golf Centre, in Wood Lane, Binfield, Berkshire on 16-17 January, 2012. The conference is being run in conjunction with the Surrey County Golf Partnership and is supported by England Golf.

Rob Spurrier, Group Academy Manager at Crown Golf, said: “Crown Golf is delighted to be hosting the 2012 Surrey County Coaching Conference. There are some fantastic speakers and it will be a great event. There are still a few places available, so any coaches interested in attending should contact Caroline Hardy at sgp@surreygolf.org.”

The Surrey County Coaching Conference is being organised by PGA Professional Greg Brodie, Performance Coach at Pine Ridge Golf Club’s Crown Golf Academy.

Eleven guest speakers will present papers on a broad spectrum of subjects and include:

• Matthew Syed, an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, and author of “Bounce”, described as “among the most intelligent and thought-provoking books about sport ever written”
• Mark Bennett, the founder of Performance Development Systems, providing high quality performance coaching and mentoring to national and international coaches, teams and athletes.

Subjects covered include “Postural Breakdowns and their Influence on Swing Biomechanics” (Mark Bull), “Coaching the Elite Player” (Hugh Marr) and “The DNA of an Expert Golf Coach” (David Colclough) to name a few, and is open to all golf coaches, not just those from Surrey.

50 CPD (Continuing Professional Development) points are awarded for attending the conference.