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Perth-based coach Craig Bishop is adamant star pupil Curtis Luck won’t be intimidated by the brutal test awaiting at Winged Foot, instead encouraging Luck to seek out the man who has stiffened one of America’s toughest golf courses for this week’s US Open.
Playing 72 holes of Winged Foot’s West Course under par is considered fanciful by those who have spent the past two days getting to know a layout that has been redesigned by Gil Hanse – the man appointed to redesign Royal Sydney Golf Club’s championship layout.
Yet when Luck was granted a special exemption to make his US Open debut on the back of his Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship victory on the Korn Ferry Tour three weeks ago, Bishop’s only advice was to ask Hanse personally how to best approach Winged Foot.
Like Ogilvy, Luck is a cerebral golfer who under Bishop’s tutelage has embraced the importance of understanding course architecture. His coach believes that Winged Foot’s mix of difficulty and history will bring out the best in the 24-year-old.
“If he’s playing well and it’s tough and hard, it won’t phase him,” Bishop said.
“We know Gil through Mike Clayton so that was the first piece of advice that I gave him.
“It wasn’t much use ringing Geoff Ogilvy because the course isn’t the same. Nick O’Hern played really well there too but I just told Curtis to give Gil a ring and see what he says.
“I think it’s really important for players to understand where the architects want you to come in from.
“With a lot of the modern play they don’t look at architecture that well. There is a way to get into every green and I know those particular architects are very conscious of that.
“They’ll build brutal greens but they’ll also give you good angles to come in from if you’re a smart player, which Curtis is.
“He’s pretty good at working that stuff out so if he can save a shot or two just by knowing that on the fourth hole if the wind’s from the south they might do this, this and this, it just gives you a plan to work from.”
Recently ranked by Golf Digest as the ninth toughest golf course in the United States, Winged Foot’s fearsome reputation is well earned yet Luck has a proven history of making the difficult look relatively easy.
He won the 2016 US Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club – a course once dubbed the ‘Green Monster’ by Ben Hogan – and his recent victory came at the Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course, a course planned by legendary course architect Alister MacKenzie but ultimately built after his death under the guidance of Perry Maxwell and renovated by Jack Nicklaus in 2006.
The greens at Winged Foot are, on average, 25 per cent larger than when Ogilvy triumphed in 2006 and according to Golf Digest architecture editor Ron Whitten “don’t just tilt from back to front, they tumble downhill like a marble staircase.”
But Bishop holds no fears that the prospect of a torture test will have a negative impact on Luck’s mindset.
“He’s won on two of the hardest courses in the US so far,” said Bishop, Luck’s coach since he was just 12 years of age.
“He’s a tough, gritty little player. If it’s just brutal and he’s playing poorly you’re going to have a bad week. You can’t run away from it. But if you’re playing well and can keep your wits about you and play the course properly, he’s pretty good at that.
“When the courses get tough he seems to be a lot more competitive which means the discipline of hitting the ball into the right corners comes into his favour.
“I don’t think he would look at it like a torture test. It could be if you’re playing poorly for anyone but it’s a US Open, they don’t just hand them out, and the same with the US Amateur. They don’t give those away.
“It’s definitely his style of course but you don’t really know how anyone’s going to react in the US Open.
“If he’s playing well, the harder the better.”
PGA of Australia Life Member and much-loved Killara Golf Club PGA Professional David Mercer passed away peacefully on Saturday 12 September 2020 aged 89.
Born in 1931, David was one of eight children, growing up in North Ryde not far from North Ryde Golf Club.
Golf would become a prominent part of David’s life with he and his brothers caddying in the early years before David commenced his PGA apprenticeship in 1951.
David became a Full Member of the PGA in 1953 and was appointed as the Club Professional at Killara Golf Club.
Epitomised as the benchmark standard for Club Professionals, David forged his career as the Club Professional at Killara Golf Club, a position he excelled in for over 43 years.
His success and influence on others resulted in his induction to Life Membership of the Professional Golfers Association of Australia and also Life Membership of Killara Golf Club.
David was also an accomplished player, winning multiple titles including the NSW PGA Foursomes Championship and qualifying for the 1973 British Open whist holding the role of Club Professional at Killara Golf Club.
During his career he mentored countless PGA Professionals, including his son Richard who is a successful golf coach in his own right. Under David’s tutelage, many forged successful careers as Tour Players, Coaches and Club Professionals.
David also served as President of the NSW PGA Section from 1966-69, providing leadership to his professional peers.
David was one of life’s true gentlemen, highlighted by his ability to positively influence all those around him. He will be remembered as a much loved, revered and highly successful member of the Professional Golfers Association of Australia.
He was a member of the PGA for 68 years.
Our thoughts are with his wife Barbara, son Richard, siblings John, Alex and Kevin, granddaughter Rebecca, grandsons Andrew, and Stewart and great grandchildren Hayden, Fletcher and Grace.
Vale, David Mercer.
Image: Killara Golf Club
Brad Stephenson may not even be aware but his PGA DNA stretches back to a 13-year-old caddie at Royal Melbourne Golf Club some 60 years ago.
Such is the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program that lessons learned are lessons shared and the collective wealth of knowledge expands with each intake of new PGA Professionals in the making.
Formerly referred to as the PGA Trainee Program, the PGA Membership Pathway Program is taking applications for those wishing to be part of the 2021 intake until 2 October. It’s an opportunity to join an elite club and play a part in advancing the health of the game of golf in Australia.
Brad Stephenson was a 14-year-old playing in a corporate day when he first met Michael Faraone, the current Head Professional at Mornington Golf Club in Victoria.
Faraone himself had completed his PGA traineeship under Bruce Green and Richard Hatt at Royal Melbourne Golf Club and after striking up a rapport during the corporate day they played together began coaching Stephenson and his younger brother.
A junior at Berwick Montuna Golf Club, Stephenson played golf sparingly as he entered the workforce and travelled the world but at 24 years of age was convinced by Faraone that the path to becoming a PGA Professional was one he should take.
“The PGA Trainee Program was something I never dreamt was possible until Michael convinced me I had what it took to tackle it,” reveals Stephenson, who is now a Full PGA Member and the Assistant Golf Professional under Faraone at Mornington.
“I had spent time studying a Diploma of Fitness and working in the fitness industry where I learned that I loved helping people become better versions of themselves, whilst also having that competitive drive in myself.
“The traineeship required me to dig deep and really commit. My game was nowhere near the level required and my competitive experience was well and truly dated.
“I played the Portsea Amateur a few weeks before in entered the Trainee Program and had scores of 86 and DNF, thinking, How am I going to do this?
“Michael set me up by learning from experience. He was never worried about something going wrong or a repair going bad because there was always a way to fix it and learn from it.
“Before long I was preparing competitions, ordering stock, performing repairs and running Junior Golf programs. It didn’t take long to feel part of a really great club and where I still love to work to this day.”
The lessons passed on by Faraone have in themselves a rich history.
As a Trainee Golf Professional under Green who boasted more than 50 years of experience at Australia’s most acclaimed golf club, Faraone was shown first-hand how the PGA Professional can impact the club environment and elevate the experience of the membership.
“Bruce certainly taught me how to be the Professional of the Club,” Faraone recalls.
“His rapport with the members and his passion for the club and golf is what stuck with me.
“Richard added to that in the running of a pro shop business. He worked hard and smart and was the benchmark for all his staff. He was a fantastic motivator and gets the best from his staff.”
Like Stephenson, Melissa Taylor stayed with Luke Bower at Eastwood Golf Club after completing the Trainee Program, with her golf journey beginning as a junior at Chirnside Park Country Club where Bower was completing his traineeship under Ed Rechters.
“Luke and I have always had a special relationship,” Taylor says. “He has always been more like family to me and I’ve known him for more than half my life.
“I decided in 2014 that my life was missing something and that I wanted to come back to golf and make a career out of it. I started working for my parents on flexible hours so I could practice and play as much golf as possible.
“It was midway through 2015 that a casual position at Eastwood became available and with the intention to be a Trainee Professional and ultimately a PGA Club Professional, in 2016 I took the opportunity.
“Luke had become the Director of Golf at Eastwood approximately two years earlier and he encouraged me to apply for the job.
“It was new territory for us to go from friends to colleagues but I’ve been there ever since and loved every minute of it.
“Luke has always been supportive and a wealth of knowledge. It made me feel comfortable knowing I was working with people I could turn to for help and guidance.
“Luke was always checking in about assignments and always willing to help if I had any questions. He wanted me to learn and showed me as much as he could about anything that he could. Before I even began the Trainee Program I was learning from him.”
This transfer of professional expertise provides a depth to the PGA that bonds all who are Members yet Faraone adds that sometimes it is the teachers who do the learning.
“The relationship between a Head Professional and their Trainee is more than just an employer/employee relationship,” Faraone says.
“The more the Head Professional can develop an enjoyable and team environment the better the Pro Shop and everything involved with the club will operate.
“A Trainee will look up to the Head Professional as a mentor but the Head Professional these days can also learn from the Trainee as they bring what they have learned through the ever-improving PGA Membership Pathway Program.
“Over the years my Trainees have made suggestions I have taken on board that may improve Pro Shop operations from their PGA training and education.
“As a proud PGA Member you want to be part of developing the future generation of members within your business, making for a stronger PGA.”
Not only a stronger PGA, but stronger golf clubs according to Luke Bower.
“When you hire a PGA Trainee, you’re hiring someone who is training for their career,” Bower says.
“The job requires commitment as it is an industry that requires weekend work, public holidays, early starts and late finishes. So to have someone in the shop that sees the golf industry providing long-term employment and is learning to develop their skills specific for the industry, it is exceptionally beneficial to the golf club.”
If you or someone you know is interested in pursuing a career as a PGA Professional, apply now to join the PGA Membership Pathway Program.
After three years of near misses, West Australians Daniel Fox and Rick Kulacz have won the WA PGA Foursomes Championship in 2020.
Firm, fast greens and tight pins tested the skills of PGA Professionals from across the state but it was Fox and Kulacz who bested the bunch.
The title came down to a playoff between Fox and Kulacz and the pairing of Kerrod Gray and Ackzel Donaldson with both teams recording final scores of 2-under 70.
With a maiden win in their sights it took just one playoff hole for Fox and Kulacz to claim the trophy.
“It was great to finally get the win after coming to close for the last three years,” said Fox.
Brett Rumford and Scott Strange narrowly missed out on a playoff berth, finishing in third place at 1-under the card.
Dale Howie and Joseph Ha claimed the WA PGA Trainee Foursomes Championship with a score of 74.
To view the final WA PGA Foursomes Championship leaderboard visit pga.org.au.
Western Australian PGA Professionals Jason Chellew and Braden Becker have won the 2020 United Auto 4BBB Handicap Match Play event.
The tournament came down to the wire in the final match between Becker and Chellew and Michael Long and Andy Mowett at Nedlands Golf Club.
The young pair won the final match 2/1 in one of their first competitive tournaments since lockdown began in Western Australia.
“It’s great to be back out playing competitive golf again in a nice relaxed format like this,” said Chellew.
“We’ve been playing a bit of golf since lockdown but nothing quite like this so it was great to get the competitive juices flowing again.”
Sixteen teams of two PGA Professionals contested the event ahead of an exciting few months ahead for golf in the state.
“It is my pleasure to help support professional golf in Western Australia and give the players the opportunity to do what they love,” said Chris Duckworth of United Auto.
The Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series will return to Western Australia on September 3 at the CITIC Pacific Mining Karratha Pro-Am at Karratha Country Club.
Click here to view the final United Auto 4BBB Handicap Match Play results.
Victorian golf might be bruised, but its spirit remains as strong as ever.
The 2020 Victorian Golf Industry Awards have, sadly, become a victim of the pandemic.
But the great on-course feats of the past year, plus all the achievements behind the scenes still deserve to be recognised.
So it’s with great pleasure that the PGA of Australia Victorian Division, Golf Australia Victoria and Golf Management Victoria provide an overview of golf across the state from the past year.
The presentation recognises a range of amateur, professional and open events, along with PGA trainees graduating to full vocational membership of the PGA and up-and-coming juniors.
We also acknowledge two Victorian Golf Hall of Fame members who sadly passed away earlier this year in Tom Crow and Michael Wolveridge.
We hope you enjoy the memories from the past 12 months.
View the presentation below:
The 2020 Victorian Golf Industry Awards have, sadly, become a victim of the pandemic.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) August 13, 2020
But together with @GolfAust Victoria & @GolfmanagementA Victoria we would like to celebrate the great on-course feats of the past year, plus all the achievements behind the scenes ?️♂️#PGAProud pic.twitter.com/xa4GVryomY
Excel spreadsheet formulas, membership applications and weekly newsletters.
When Heath Streat progressed from a junior member into a PGA Trainee at Southern Golf Club these were not the duties associated with being a PGA Professional.
Three years ago, Heath and Box Hill Golf Club General Manager Russell Donovan reviewed Heath’s current Director of Golf role and expanded it to Director of Golf, Membership and Communication, Streat is proving again that a PGA Professional’s influence knows no bounds.
After an initial closure due to COVID-19, Box Hill has received in excess of 150 membership enquiries in the last three months. With limited capacity on timesheets under previous COVID-19 restrictions and a second closure now in place under stage 4, there are now wait lists for most membership categories.
“The comment that was made in our last match committee meeting was that five years ago we would loved to have had this problem,” explains Streat, who first came to Box Hill from Southern as Director of Golf in 2009.
“In a funny way it reflects well on the club – we’re so popular we’ve had to put you on a waiting list – but we’d much rather have those people who want to join now out on the golf course playing.”
So how did a club in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs with more than a century of history behind it embrace a new way of operating to put it in a position of strength that is the envy of many?
Membership applications are historically sterile, administrative duties.
Fill in a form, somehow find two seconders within the club’s existing membership and pay the joining fee.
Don’t call us, we’ll call you.
When Box Hill Golf Club’s membership coordinator retired in 2017 Heath Streat saw an opportunity to do things a little differently.
Heath and Russell approached the Board of Directors to absorb the membership coordinator duties into his existing role.
Russell was already considering a similar suggestion, the pair agreeing to an incentive-scheme that would reward Heath not only for converting new enquiries into paying members but maintaining the ones that the club already possessed.
“One of the really big KPIs built into our agreement is member retention,” Heath says.
“It’s not simply a matter of me saying that we achieved 120 new members.
“In the year just passed, our attrition rate for sub renewals was 5.8 per cent, which is really low.
“That is because every quarter I run a report.”
Accessing data through Microsoft Excel formulas is a far cry from changing grips or fitting clubs yet it has been crucial in Heath regularly hitting his membership targets.
“I work on 24 rounds of golf a year being the break-even point in terms of value for a lot of people,” he explains.
“Anyone playing less than that pro-rata each time I run the report receives an e-mail saying that we have noticed they haven’t been playing as much and whether they are happy with their time at the golf club. Phone calls are also made.
“The feedback that we get is that they really appreciate the fact that we’ve noticed that they haven’t been there and touch base to make sure that they’re OK.
“Accessing that information means that we know exactly who is under-utilising their membership and we therefore put them in an at-risk category. Otherwise you’re guessing.
“I’ve got data that tells me that they have played only four times in the past three months and we need to touch base.”
By bringing new members directly through the front door of the pro shop, Heath and the rest of the Box Hill Golf Club staff establish mutually beneficial relationships from the opening conversation.
Heath and the pro shop staff speak the language of golf that gives prospective members the information base that they crave when making such a decision and builds a level of trust that they have immediate access to expert advice.
Coaching opportunities, equipment offers and otherwise unknown member benefits are all outlined before they have spent a dollar.
“I had one guy tell me that he joined the club because I gave him a beer,” says Heath.
“I have no doubt it was more than that, that was merely the icing on the cake.
“This club welcomed me in, bought me a beer and made me feel comfortable. That’s what I want from a golf club.
“Perception is everything. Yes we are a private golf club – we have standards, we have everything that goes with that – but we would like you to join us and experience it.
“We have a public bistro that was doing 1,000 meals a week prior to coronavirus. We let them know as a member they can bring the family down and even if the bistro is booked out, they can ask for a table on the members’ side, which they wouldn’t have been aware of.
“We’re not too strict on the parameters around having a potential member play golf.
“If they are of good ability or have a GolfLink number we do try to have that trial round on a comp day where I ask a member to host them for the day. Give them a feel of the culture of the place, what the membership type is like, buy the group a round of drinks after the round.
“That brings them into the clubhouse to get a feel of the place and the culture but also makes them feel welcome.”
There’s a third element to Heath’s role at Box Hill that has taken on extra significance since the COVID-19 pandemic caused serious disruptions to operations at Victorian golf clubs in particular.
Immediately following the initial forced closures of clubs the Box Hill Board of Directors rang each member individually to inform of them of the impacts and then Heath provided weekly updates and pieces of content to keep the membership engaged.
He leaned on friends such as former PGA TOUR players Scott Gardiner and James Nitties to provide video tips as well as renowned mental performance coach Jamie Glazier.
There were regular updates on the construction of the new 16th tee and other course works, all designed to keep members connected to the club even when they couldn’t be there physically.
“Every time I asked someone to do a video for me, it started with ‘Hey Box Hill members’. It was a personalised message to our membership from someone with a certain status within the game,” adds Heath.
“Golf movies to watch, golf books to read, heaps of stuff where it was far more interactive than simply reading a PDF.
“We rebuilt the 16th tee during lockdown and sent through photos to members of that progress over the weeks.
“They saw that while they were still paying their fees but unable to play golf, when they return the greens will be pure because we cored them straight away.
“With all of the work that was being undertaken they could see that they were receiving value from their membership even though they couldn’t access the club.”
And for those still intimidated by data, columns, cells and constant questions from members, Heath has no doubt that no one is better positioned to facilitate new membership enquiries than a PGA Professional.
“The job description has changed,” says Heath.
“I have had a couple of people ask me about what I do. Some have said that it’s not the pro’s job but there are a lot of things that we do now that traditionally was not the head professional’s job. “Russell and I agree, all staff need to be flexible and should aim to constantly improve their knowledge base. Golf shop staff are the face of every golf club; membership satisfaction starts with us!
“We found that when it was an administrative role we would hand out the membership pack and tell people to come and see us if you want to join.
“Now it is documented and followed up.
“I’ve got a spreadsheet of some 300-400 people over the last few years that I’ve had contact with, documenting what date that we had a chat, what we spoke about, what I offered and I go through that list touching base every few months or so.
“A number of the members we have picked up post-lockdown came from that list.
“Member retention and acquisition is the responsibility of everyone who works at Box Hill Golf Club but having the pro shop as a first point of contact allows us to create a first impression that is welcoming and to be able to guide them into the category that best suits their needs.”
In the final of our series revealing the work our PGA Professionals are putting in to prepare the Aussie contingent for this week’s US PGA Championship, Dominic Azzopardi talks through the steps he and Lucas Herbert have taken to elevate Lucas’s game and the data capture that could prove critical at TPC Harding Park.
In order to play the US PGA Championship and the WGC event in Memphis last week Lucas had to fly to the US a month ago to quarantine but the preparation really began three months ago.
For eight weeks we were working every day with a big emphasis on shots inside of 150 yards.
We know his driving is world-class when he’s driving it well, his putting is world-class, his long iron play is pretty good but his approach play was the area where we thought we could make some big gains.
When he arrived in America he based himself at The Beverly Country Club in Chicago and then tried to pre-qualify for the 3M Open but he just missed out. He shot 5-under which was a nice, bogey-free round and a good way to get a competitive round under his belt.
Last week in Memphis he was a bit shut and outside with his driver but it’s hard to do much about that during an event. On Tuesday I was pretty strong on working on that even if we had to overdo the feel a little bit.
Lucas tends to get shut and outside when he makes that sway off the ball before he takes the driver away. He used to do that quite considerably. It’s gotten a lot better over the last couple of years but last week he was making that big lateral movement off the ball before he took the club away.
When he does that he can’t turn and therefore the club doesn’t open going back. We did a little bit of work on that towards the end of last week but I’ll be really strong on getting him to remain really stable over the ball and create the right feels and fundamentals.
I’m happy to do a fair bit of technique work with him on Mondays and Tuesdays but come Wednesday it’s really about seeing the shot and hitting the shot. I don’t want him being too technical.
I was on the phone two or three times last week looking at videos and working through things with him and he did get a little bit better as the week went on. That gave him some confidence that heading into the PGA he was moving in the right direction and getting his driving game back to where we know it should be.
Prior to lockdown I would have said there was no way I could get the results I can get through Skillest and online coaching but I’ve changed my whole perception of that just because of the results I’ve seen the past few months.
They’ve just upgraded my Skillest account so that we can use Zoom to conduct live lessons through the app. They can record swings, I can draw lines, I can do whatever I need while I’m talking to him with the ear pods in.
We used that for the first time last week at the WGC and it was fantastic.
As much as this has enabled us to continue working quite well there’s nothing better than being there. I get a lot out of watching his rounds of golf. It could be one shot during a round that shows up something you will want to work on later and if I’m not there to see it then it makes it hard to identify any potential issues.
In terms of preparing for the golf course we lean a lot on performance analyst Tom Boys.
Two years ago we started inputting stats into a spreadsheet after every round that Lucas played which provided us with all sorts of information.
We’ve collected this data for years and part of Boysy’s role is to analyse the course we’re playing and he ran a report for us a couple of weeks ago on Harding Park. That identifies what areas of Lucas’s game he needs to be really strong with so we can prep the areas we feel we need to prior to getting to that event.
We know a hell of a lot about the golf course. We know you’ve got to drive it really well. Boysy has gone back and looked at any events that have been played at the course, where the pins are placed and where the bad misses to all those pins were.
Are there a lot of shots between 175-225 yards into greens? Are there are a lot of 100-150-yard shots?
We’re very much all over how we need to play the golf course.
We did a lot of work on that 50-150-yard range before Lucas left and that was all because of the data we’d collected the past 18 months.
A lot of the communication from Lucas so far this week has been around the ‘professionalism list’ he circulates on group message to the team.
He’s always No.1 for professionalism and I always seem to be at the bottom because I tend to put a bit more rubbish on everyone else in the group chat.
His mental coach Jamie Glazier is down the bottom with me, Boysy is always fairly high up, his movement coach Simone Tozer is No.2 and David Rollo his manager is No.3.
This is his fun every day. If he’s playing those kinds of silly games I know he’s in a good headspace.
That’s a real barometer for me. If there’s plenty of banter coming the way of me and Jamie that means he’s happy and in a good place.
The less I hear from him about his golf in a week like this the better.
Dominic Azzopardi is a 30-year PGA Professional now based at Peregian Golf Course on the Sunshine Coast. Along with Lucas Herbert, Dominic coaches a number of elite amateurs.
In the third in our series sharing insights from the PGA Professionals guiding the Aussies playing this week’s US PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, Grant Field updates us on the state of Cameron Smith’s game and why his mentality is so well suited to playing well in the majors.
Life in general is all a bit different at the moment but for Cam, a Major week is not all that much different from any other tournament week.
And that’s the way we want it. It shouldn’t vary dependent on the event that he’s playing.
If there is a difference at all it might be that we get to the course perhaps a day earlier than we otherwise would to try and get some more time out on course but that is not the case this week.
Our stance is to try to make it as normal as possible given the circumstances. You do understand that it’s a bigger event – you’re not trying to get away from that fact – but the actual preparation is exactly the same.
I’m sure Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy doesn’t go into a grand final demanding more of his players than he would every other week of the season.
If we do what we know works then we’re more likely to get the outcome that we’re looking for.
No question that being there as a coach is more beneficial than watching on from the other side of the world but this is what we’re faced with at the moment so we’re trying to do our best.
When you’re at the tournament you’re viewing not only what the shot’s doing but his body language, what’s going on with the group and the conditions.
The biggest thing for us as a team right now is communication and we’ve got that happening.
During the early part of lockdown the communication perhaps wasn’t as clear as it could have been but we have established more of a routine now.
I’ll speak to Cam on a Monday night his time as a debrief from the week before and then we’ll do a range session on Tuesday. His caddie Sam Pinfold will have the camera while Cam’s on the range, Cam will have his headphones on and we’ll talk through the swing.
Sam will also send swings while we’re working and just make sure that we’re on top of what we’re trying to be on top of. If there’s anything else that needs to be seen to then we’ll do that and if he needs anything else during the week then obviously I’m here if he needs me.
Getting to the tournament on Monday you’ve got three days of preparation so it’s the same preparation, the same understanding.
You will spend some time looking at how the ball is reacting around the greens and in the bunkers but tee-to-green, most of it is in front of you.
I’d like to be able to say that there’s a magic formula but there’s not.
Cam is really good at not wasting energy. He does his work and he’s done. He’s not hanging around at the golf course or trying to arrange practice rounds with certain guys.
Cam is good at conserving his energy so that he’s still as fresh as he can be at the back-end of the week. That’s hugely important.
It’s not about doing more these weeks; it’s about doing the right amount and not wasting energy because there is a lot of other noise that can eat into your time at a Major.
As coach you can do a little bit of research on the golf course but it’s not the same as being there. The good part is that Sam and Cam know what they’re doing. I’ll have my own thoughts and if I feel like there’s something I can add I’ll always get on the phone but if it’s an uneducated guess I’m not going to throw it out there.
If you’ve got a good caddie that you trust and the caddie has done a lot of research getting all the numbers, if he can tell the player where to hit it then that’s all some players need.
There are others who have people who research more about where most birdies are made from certain holes and past trends but Cam is not one of those players.
It depends on what time he tees off but I’ll try and follow Cam’s rounds as much as I can but I’m also mindful that I need to sleep.
Weeks like this don’t help my sleep patterns, that’s for sure. I do tend to wake up and check my phone during the night to see how the guys are going.
I always go through every round post-round with Shot Tracker. It gives you a little bit of an idea of what the players are doing and then have the conversation about what happened on certain shots.
You might see trends on certain shaped holes and because you’ve got an idea about their patterns and what their tendencies are you can get a head start on trying to find a solution.
As for Cam’s game right now, it’s definitely getting better. As the week went on in Memphis last week he felt better and definitely feels like he’s heading in the right direction.
I spoke to Sam after the second round about a couple of the tee shots and a lot of it was around certain shaped tee shots. We talked a little bit about strategy and it looks like they were better the last two rounds.
He spoke to his sports psychologist Jonah Oliver and we spoke Monday morning and he’s quite happy with where it’s all trending.
That’s how we want him to be feeling when going into a Major championship.
Grant Field is the Director and Head of Coaching at Pelican Waters Golf Club and has been nominated for Queensland Teaching Professional of the Year each of the past three years. In addition to Cameron Smith Field works with European Tour player Maverick Antcliff and is the head coach for both Golf Queensland and the Queensland Academy of Sport.
In the second of our series highlighting the PGA Professionals guiding our Aussie boys at this week’s US PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, Denis McDade reveals what he and Marc Leishman are working on early in the week and the ideal mindset he hopes to take into the opening round.
The start to Marc’s season was as good as he’s ever had but it just hasn’t quite clicked since coming out of lockdown.
Almost without exception when his game drops off a little bit it will be an old pattern or habit that he’s reverted back into that we need to correct. And normally he will recover pretty quickly.
For example, earlier this year we did some work on his set-up and basic pivot and he was off and running.
The amount of communication during the week of a Major will depend very much on where Marc’s game is at.
This will be a little bit more of a coaching week than normal given that we need to tidy a couple of things up but it won’t be a heavy coaching week because of where Marc and I know he needs to be Thursday morning teeing it up.
Because I’m in Stage 4 lockdown here in Melbourne my role early in the week will be identifying what the one or two minor issues might be because he does feel like he’s pretty close to where he needs to be.
We’ll do a live FaceTime session early in the week. Marc will tell me a time that he’s going to be on the range and his caddie, Matty Kelly, will hold the phone. Marc will have his ear pods in, there’ll be some discussion back and forth and we’ll send a little bit of video.
If it works best to do it at 2am here in Melbourne, then I’ll get up at 2am and do it then.
I need to find a way to make some subtle changes without altering the way he plays his best golf which is being external and reactive. That’s the challenge for me.
If there’s a change that needs to be made, how do we implement that without him becoming internal and thinking about his swing all the time?
If he’s on the first tee on Thursday thinking about his backswing or anything like that, that’s not how he’ll play his best golf.
The task initially is to find the little thing that’s dropped off, do a little bit of work on the range and then take it out to the course.
Marc plays his best golf when he reacts to his image of what he wants to do with the shot. The image of the shot almost creates the movement. If he starts delving into trying to create positions, that is quite internal and totally at odds with the way he plays his best golf.
Once the tournament starts I’m there as a resource to bounce ideas off and act as a cheer squad.
There will be a text message exchange each day but it’s not War And Peace. ‘How was your warm-up? How’d you play? How’s it feeling? Any concerns? Anything I can help you with?’
After each round I’ll look at ShotLink data but often the stats don’t give the complete picture of how he’s playing. The shot he’s trying to hit or the shot he’s struggling with. It certainly provides some baseline figures and then we take it from there.
Marc is at stage in his career where he’s quite autonomous and self-reliant and I’m there as a support.
I will do very little this week in terms of strategy given that I haven’t been on-site at TPC Harding Park but he has and he really likes the place.
Marc nuts out golf courses pretty darn well. If I’m at an event occasionally he’ll ask my thoughts but he and Matty Kelly do a great job around all of that.
The good thing going in is that this is a place that he likes so strategy and comfort with the venue won’t be the issue.
This is one that he’s had circled for a while.
Denis McDade is the Director of Coaching at Yarra Bend Golf and in 2017 was voted as the Australian Coach of the Year. In addition to five-time PGA TOUR winner Marc Leishman, McDade coaches tour professionals Matthew Griffin, Marcus Fraser and Ashley Hall.
