How old are you and what's your occupation?
34, a financial controller for a Real Estate Investment Manager in London

When did you start playing golf and what's your handicap?
I started playing golf properly on a course around 1999. However in my teens I used to hit an old 5 wood that was cut down. Current playing handicap is 9 (8.8) although I have been as low as 5.

How often do you play?
Currently about 6 times a month on average, generally alternate weekends hence the handicap creeping up to 9. I am lucky that I also get to play a few corporate golf events during the year as well.

Tell me about a great shot you've made.
It was at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, the famous West Course. It was the second hole, a short par 3 but tricky to get the distance. It was my company golf day and these are massive events with hundreds of thousands of pounds spent each year. Every year our golf day involved having a professional golfer acting as a chairman for the day meeting the guests and they stand resident on the 2nd tee and you get to play to beat the pro on that hole.

On this particular day, my group was last to reach the 2nd hole (having started on 3rd) so our pro golfer was in the groove and probably took advantage of the hospitality alcohol readily available as well. Anyway, the pro hit a nice shot to around 20 feet, pin high and it looked close from the tee. I stood up first in our group ready to take up the challenge. I hit a lovely 8 iron, up hill and straight as an arrow and tracking the pin. It finished around 10 feet away and I received my signed five pound note from the pro and walked up to the green with my chest out very proud.

This is my best shot because I had the biggest audience watching it. Crucial notes: The pro was Sam Torrance, Ryder Cup veteran! Second, after drinking too much later that night, I spent the five pounds from my wallet without thinking, damn it! Last, I missed the putt comfortably! Haha.

What is your best golf memory?
It is simple, Seve Ballesteros. He acted as chairman and pro golfer on another of these company annual golf days at Wentworth. Anyway, his back was not the best so he didn’t take part in the 2nd hole Par 3 challenge but he put on a bunker clinic at the end of the day. Well, I had a brilliant view as he started hitting these bunker shots (whilst miced up so we could hear him speak) to various pins on the practice green. It all looked great, then he stood on a few balls in the bunker and hit the plugged lie bunker shots which were equally impressive. The clincher for me, and I never tire of telling this story is that he stood in the bunker, addressed the ball, moved around a bit until he was in position and then flopped out this ball, a little lower than the others but it was tracking the hole some 30 feet away, maybe finishing 4 feet from the hole. Impressive I thought until he showed everyone the club. He hit a 3 iron! He was almost on his knees by the time he started his swing! Amazing!

What is your "home" course?
Waldringfield Golf Club in Ipswich, Suffolk. It's a nice friendly club, not amazing by any means however I have a good social group of around 12 golfers and we play together when we can.

What ball do you play?
I chop and change terribly. Currently using Titleist Pro V1x

Clubs?
Titleist AP2 irons, 909 D3 driver (custom), Vokey wedge and Scotty Kombi putter.

Favorite pro?
I have two. Seve, a true magician and legend, not to mention a thoroughly nice man. Then on to the newer breed, I would say I am an Ian Poulter fan. I love his will to better himself, he didn’t have the traditional start in golf that many of the newer breed had however hard work gets you along way!

Favorite course you've played?
I have been spoiled over the years, playing the best courses in England, Spain & Portugal. However my favourite is Walton Heath in Surrey. It has been host to the Ryder Cup and they play a US Open qualifier there each year. I had the fortune to play the course the day after the US Open qualifier and the course was set up the same. It was brilliant!

Dream course you've yet to play?
I saw this footage about Bethpage Black course (2009 US Open) and I just wanted to get over there and play it. I would get my tent there and queue all night as I believe that is what it takes.

Best round ever- and what course?
I have been lucky to have a few really great rounds in my time. However my best round is a 3 under par 70 at Elstree Golf and Country Club. However it is also like an albatross around my neck. Here’s why! I entered an event with some buddies as a laugh really as it was a 3 club only competition. I had a driver, 5 iron and 9 iron but had practised for about 2 weeks putting with my driver. I also entered the previous year with the same clubs but was rubbish and hit too many bunkers! That was about 7 years ago and I haven’t got near to 3 under even with 14 clubs ever since. A part of me wishes that round never happened as I have taken some punishment from mates ever since!

Give me an example of a time your SkyCaddie saved you a stroke?
Too many, I seriously think my SkyCaddie saves me 1-2 shots a round. I have always been the type who loves gadgets and was intrigued to see what the fuss was about. I will tell you another thing, I think that you are better than the laster range finders (Bushnell, etc) as well.

I was playing a competition at my home club against a 2 handicapper from a local club. It was a close match and all square after he won the 13th. We stood on the 14th, his honour and I watched him with his range finder looking into the distance. Now, I know that knowledge is power here, but this hole is a blind dog leg left, has trouble left and accuracy is rewarded more than distance. A straight shot with driver will run out of fairway into bushes; a draw is the shot however it is a blind shot taking part of the dog leg out.

Imagine my joy when I saw him pull the driver out of the bag! He promptly hit it cutting off the corner of the dog leg and that was the last we saw of it, never to be found! Cue silent sniggering inside as I pulled out my usual 4 iron, 8 iron combination to a tight 3 tiered green and that was that! My point about the range finder is that he obviously couldn't see an area to hit the ball to. The beauty of the SkyCaddie is that I had all the information there to make the right decision, distance to bunkers etc.

What is one aspect of your golf game you would like to improve on in the next year?
Well, I need to tighten up my game from 70 yards in. I have one shot and it works to a degree, however I need more variation. My shot is more for windy golf, the lower punch shot but sometimes you need the high launched lob wedge but my accuracy is off; my distance is not consistent so that is what I will work on.

Tell me a story.
I have two older brothers who play golf, as does my Dad who is in his mid 60s. We are probably the most competitive people when it comes to sport, things get silly and it really can be a war out there on the course with plenty of good natured banter! Anyway, my oldest brother Paul has a particularly short fuse, is comfortably the poorest golfer in the family and many a time I have had to hide behind a bush so I could stifle a laugh at his expense as I know if he caught me, I would be toast!

Anyway, on this day when the 4 of us were out on the course, well it just wasn’t Paul’s day and he was worse than normal. What made it worse was that the rest of us were playing really well and that tormented him terribly. On the 10th hole, he hit his best drive of the day, right in the middle of the fairway. No reload, no pick up, no ruling, just a ball hit in the fairway! Progress! Anyway, he walked up to the fairway as if he was Usain Bolt ready to take advantage and hit the green setting up a birdie chance. However, fate and lack of skill dealt him another hand and he thinned it through the green and out of bounds at the back. Cue 3 family members desperately trying to find bushes to hide behind and laugh, even the birds flew away in fear! We composed ourselves long enough to play up to the green, putt out and then, I saw out of the corner of my eye, my brother’s trolley airborne and arching towards the out of bounds area at the back of the green. is bag had fallen off the trolley for about the 4th time and it was just too much for him. With all the power of a p*ssed off 18 stone man, he hurled it fully 40 yards and muttered something about a squeaky wheel. Off we went to the next hole slightly concerned about his state of mind. He literally carried his bag by the handle for the remaining 8 holes which was so funny to watch!

Anyway, a few days past and all forgotten, we decide to play again as a family four ball. We were about to head to the first tee when my brother Paul remembers he has no trolley now so enters the proshop to hire a pull trolley for the round. It took me until the 8th hole before I finally found the courage to tell my brother that he had just succeeded in hiring his own trolley! One of the green keepers had fished it out of the bushes and fixed the wheel and the Golf Club added it to their selection of hire trolleys. The trolley was never returned to the golf club!

Classic!

Thanks!


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