CALCULUS - UK online coaching

Strategy
#1

Pretty excited to have signed up with a UK outfit called Calculus Performance for some online coaching. They partner with ShotScope and part of the service includes a review of your ShotScope data to inform the coaching plan.

I had a Zoom call today with one of the founders, Russell Evans. He says he went to Uni with @Adamyounggolf! This has got to be a good thing :slight_smile:

Once golf courses in England re-open I will be on a mission to hit my 2021 goals :boom:

I will report backā€¦

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#2

Go get it. Sounds very interesting. Look forward to hearing all about it.

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#3

So is it more strategy based? Or are they also going to give advice on swing?

Iā€™m curious to hear more as you use itā€¦

I just signed up with a nutritionist in Limerick on @Fit_For_Golf s recommendationā€¦ Itā€™s amazing how much more access we have in the digital age!

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#4

I put this in the strategy category as it is based on review of Shotscope data to hone in on hotspots, opportunities for Strokes Gained, improvements to my course management etc. But it also includes a monthly practice plan and a monthly virtual lesson based on what offers the biggest bang for buck.

I had a Zoom call with the coach. Heā€™s a PGA county coach in England. Got a really good vibe and Iā€™m excited to see where this goes.

Itā€™s a natural extension to my other post. Iā€™ve failed to hit my ambitious goals off my own steam so will throw some money at it and bring in professional coaching before calling it quits. Like @Gisclairj I am not content to just turn up and play for fun. Iā€™m never going to play on the Champions Tour but I need to hit single digit handicap in this lifetime. :muscle:t2::facepunch:t2:

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#5

I love it! You can do it!

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#6

OK - quick update. I now officially have my new coaching engagement. Exciting times - if only the course was open, it would be awesome :rofl:

Shotscope stats reviewed, targets identified, weekly performance Zoom calls in place. New Excel file created to capture stats and monitor performance.

Goals:

  • Consistently break 90
  • Personal best of 2021 - 83 (+13)

Summary of targets;

  • Par 4s - improve average scoring from 5.46 to 5 (wow, who knew it was so bad?!)
  • Driving accuracy - improve from 31 to 40% FIR
  • Approach - improve greens hit from 13 (OMG!!!) to 33%
  • Putting - squeeze out 0-6ā€™ from 82 to 88%

I will report back once UK opens up playing golf again, to increase my personal accountability.

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#7

I think this is a stat that surprises everyoneā€¦ Pros average around 66% greens hitā€¦ it feels like they should hit more.

Seems like you have a good plan moving forward and some good stuff to measure! Improving your driving and GIR will definitely get your par 4 average score down!

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#8

Update after working with my new coach Russ remotely for 10-11 months:

Hcp Index down from 19.6 to 16.1
Won my Club Championships (net)
FIR improved
GIR improved
Short game better than 15Hcp
Putting improved
Mental game improved

On Thursday I met Russ in person for the first time! Arranged a full day golf school. Covered;

  • long game (3hrs on the range)
  • 1.5hrs on putting and
  • 2hrs on course playing 6 holes with Russ as caddy, hitting 2-3 balls and talking about every shot

I can only afford this ā€˜luxuryā€™ once or twice a year but oh my I learned so much!

The biggest takeaways from the day;

  • my grip had weakened leading to fades and slices
  • my stance and posture made me too squat-y leading to imbalance
  • My concept of the swing from previous instructors was to try and rotate my body too hard and too fast. This was causing OUT-IN path and lower back pain
  • Using a concept of focusing on a task to throw my club down the range we improved my swing massively while using less effort. Returned to an IN-OUT path. Straightened out my hybrids. CHS up 6mph. 7i carry up 100yds

Happy days my friends! :sunglasses:

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#9

I am delighted that this is working for you so well! Re: your grip weakening, this is one of the reasons Iā€™m trying to incorporate a ā€˜mental checklistā€™ of body position cues in my pre-shot routine. Just things I can quickly check to maintain a consistent feel, like: weight on feet where it should be, vā€™s are pointing correctly, targetā€™s on line for the shot I want, etcā€¦ Easy to backslide otherwise, I think.

Holy s%&@! You gained a 100 yards over your previous 7I carry?! And I was overjoyed to finally break 155 consistently with itā€¦

Congratulations.

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#10

Significant typo there @Jayjay! 7i carry up 10yds! Itā€™s a very weird autocorrect. Nearly posted 100yds again :laughing:

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#11

Focused practice on specifics

Getting help from a professional eye

Keeping stats to stay accountable

Well done sir!!

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#12

Itā€™s all part of my master plan to get down to 9.9Hcp (or lower) by 2025. Based on the work Iā€™ve done with my new coach this year, and especially the ā€˜high densityā€™ full-day school last week I am optimistic I could break 80 this time next year.

This is so weird. My experience of golf for years has been glass-half-empty. Now I am buzzing with optimism for the future, while fully accepting the reality of any improvement plans being long-term.

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#13

fall in love with the grind and you will be there before you know it

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#14

Thatā€™s awesome to read, John. In addition to what @papageorgio said just upthread, donā€™t let the ā€œthree steps forward, two steps backā€ nature of golf improvement discourage you.

You have a plan, youā€™re putting in the work, and youā€™re seeing progress. What an outstanding feeling.

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