A few words from our Professional Golfer Mike Williams.

Newsletter #2
With the season now well under way, the golf course is in spectacular condition, with lots of people taking full advantage of it, Flixton Golf Club is now in full swing. Why not invite some of your friends to come and play, if you are just visiting this sight and you have not played Flixton this season its well worth a visit. There are many packages available,and we will be pleased to accommodate you.

The club crested clothing has sold extremely well with more orders being placed and with the credit card machine now fully working there has never been an easier way to make your purchases.

The short shots workshop was well attended and it was very encouraging to receive such positive feed back, watch out for the next instalment "Simply Bunkers" coming soon!

Plans are well on the way to try to encourage primary school children to try golf and a new club will start up called "Saturday Sloggers" in July .There will also be a family fun day with the world famous Williams Golf Olympics taking place which will be great fun, details to follow.

Newsletter #1
"Hi, it’s great to be here as your professional. The shop is fully stocked and the repair and coaching services are also up and running.

Thank you to all who have called in passing on their best wishes, it has made me feel extremely welcome.

I have always been interested in the way that people play golf, and over the years i have enjoyed coaching at all levels and abilities. It has made me re-think about how we should play golf. To get a flavour of my coaching style please see the coaching letter number one. (the section in bold writing)

Junior group coaching has begun. It is on Monday nights 4:30 - 5:30 for established golfers. For the newer player there is a coaching session on Saturday morning 10:00-11:00.

The first of my 'short shot' workshops will be started on Monday 26th April at 10:00 - 12:00 it is open to everybody so why not come along and free up your potential to be effective on and around the greens at only £5.00 which includes tea or coffee, biscuits and a fact sheet. It is going to be a sell-out, so book early to avoid disappointment. You can either call me on 0161 748 2116, call in the pros shop, or simply email me on wackingdivots@googlemail.com to book a place.

Club crested clothing by Glenmuir will soon be available from the shop, so treat your self to a new summer wardrobe or at least a shirt, slip over or  sweater. There are great styles, colours and a wide variety of sizes to choose from. 

Mikes coaching thoughts

"With countless golf books, magazines and articles on how to do the perfect golf swing, no shortage of golf clubs that help you achieve that and golf teachers offering computer analysis of your swing, does it actually help us or is it like putting a fire out with petrol?

We are the common denominator and we are unique, don’t you think it is about time that you took control of your golf game and become an explorer rather than a Sherpa?

Golf has been described as a journey with no end destination, if that is the case we must ask ourselves why we have chosen to travel, it could be for a number of reasons. I would love to travel with you, to share the journey, to show you the beauty that lies within you, your untapped potential, your natural abilities that have always been there but never fully appreciated. Come walk with me, put down that rucksack full of ‘does and don’ts’ and golf myths, its time to free yourself and breathe unpolluted golf air.

Over the coming months we will travel and explore together how you could play this wonderful game of golf.

Let’s take our first steps together, ready?

There is no such thing as right and wrong when it comes to golf swings. There are no secrets, no ideal method to follow, but there are the rules of golf and rules of golf club designs which we must conform to, but after that we are free to do what we want. But do we?

As I said we are unique, so surely we should play golf in our own individual way and not fall for the trap, changing what is natural to what is mechanical.

Everybody reverts back to natural movements eventually so it makes sense to use them as building blocks, something that repeats must be good news in developing consistency especially when you consider all the other variables. The biggest one is you and me.

Before true learning can take place clear understanding must be present, so you need to know how the tool (golf club) works. I am assuming you know how a golf course is set out and the objects of the different types of golf played etc. But did you know golf clubs come with two lofts on the face (angle of the face to the ground - more loft ball fly’s higher, less loft ball fly’s lower). The first loft is the one the club is made with, measured as a static loft. The second one and by far the most important is the dynamic loft, simply put: how we apply the club face as we strike the ball.

It is impossible to hit a golf ball straight. Every golf ball hit has spin on it, so it will either move to the left or to the right as it travels up and down.

So let’s explore facts not fiction. The ball is stationary when we hit it, resting on either the ground or a tee peg. We are not going to be tackled and the target is not moving. We can decide when and how to hit it. The ball does not contain any energy of its own (although some people think it has a mind of its own)! So it’s up to us to apply energy in a suitable way in order to move the ball forward.

Nowhere in the job description for the golfer, does it actually say we have to help the ball in the air. The ball is designed to go in the air, the loft is designed to get it there, and it is a perfect arrangement. We need to apply the bottom of the club face to the bottom of the ball. A mixture of all these things will be too much for the ball to resist and it will willingly co-operate resulting in great happiness and pleasure for the golfer.

So here is your first bit of exploring!

Go to a golf range or your practice ground. Use a 6 or a 7 iron. 50 balls are more than enough, warm up, then choose a target and form your ball to target line (BTTL). The task is to hit golf balls as far right and left as you can from the BTTL. You are not allowed to aim the face left or right to start with and you must start from the same position, deciding before you hit the ball, your intention left or right.

You should end up with no golf balls in line with the target. This is how you develop awareness: be aware of the feel of the golf swing and the golf shots it creates. Practice the swing you intend to use to create the shot you intend to hit and see how close they are linked. Have fun and explore, remember there is no such thing as right and wrong, it’s about you doing suitable moves."