They say “everything happens for a reason.”

I have been following young Leona Maguire at Tour school this week in her quest to gain membership of the LPGA tour in the States. It was a tough week for the 23-year-old, a former amateur, world number one, missing out by just one shot to advance to the final stages. It got me thinking, about the trials and tribulations of my very own business partner, at the Harrington Golf Academy, Rebecca Codd.

I first became aware of the now 37-year-old, back in 2000, when as an amateur she won the Curragh scratch cup, nothing unusual about that I hear you say, except the scores, a nine under par round of 63 followed by a 65 to win by fifteen shots.

Rebecca’s reputation back then as a pure birdie machine was well deserved as she continued to carve up fields, winning the 2000 Irish ladies stroke play title, opening with an eight under par round to win going away, and the 2001 Lancome Irish Ladies Close championship.

 

So, naturally, it was off to Tour for a life of fame and fortune. What could possibly go wrong?

She played for a couple of years in Japan and Sweden before gaining her European Tour card in 2004 and made steady, if not spectacular progress, making plenty of top tens but never winning. The closest she came, was a tied third in the 2006 Tenerife Ladies Open. She still continued to throw in the odd low round (a nine under par round of 63 being her professional career low at the 2008 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open).

But, she says her proudest moment was playing for Ireland as a professional in the Women’s World Cup. She had never represented Ireland as an amateur, as she had dual citizenship with Australia, and because she was living there at the time, played for the Australian Junior and Senior national teams. Her stand out year in terms of consistency was 2010 and it was from here that she felt she could finally kick on and win a tournament. She had paid her dues and was it was her turn.

I’m waiting for the car crash, I hear you say, replace that car with a truck, a big truck called the yips. The following story will embody what most professionals who don’t make it (which is the majority!) go through every week, the sheer grind of trying to pluck some ray of light, some glimmer of hope, from what is quite frankly, for most, a hopeless cause.

I will let Rebecca describe the ‘aha’ moment herself

“I was playing in a regular tournament in Australia in 2011 and chunked a wedge shot ten yards in front of me, I was so embarrassed, I remember, vividly, to this day, the gallery murmuring as I went to take my next shot which I promptly shanked into said murmuring gallery. The rest is a blur, as it got so bad that season that I literally couldn’t get the ball up off the ground… with any club.”

That red-hot birdie machine, remember?

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To her credit, but also alluding to the madness that is professional tournament golf, she rates keeping her tour card that year as one of the highlights of her professional career. She started to aim at the semi-rough to avoid tight lies and never chipped anything. Ever. Imagine trying to retain your tour card while aiming away from the fairway? Three seasons later of swing coaches and sports psychologists and it was time to start a family and become a normal sane person.

Permit me an aside, I had a meeting with a mentor and his business colleague during the week and I can’t help but smile at the report that these two rottweilers would deliver on the madness of what most professionals golfers experience every week. They would be escorted, post haste, from that glass tower on Spencer Dock and told, “the figures just don’t add up” But this is the quixotic nature of golfers in general, extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.

They say, everything happens for a reason, and those dreaded yips led Rebecca to me.  She approached me with a view to learning how I teach and I was delighted to help. I have a strictly biomechanical view of the golf swing which I then try to convey to the client in images and feelings. My expertise was also in short game strategies so after the plethora of swing coaches she had been through, she felt this was a fresh approach.

She was like a sponge and progressed rapidly to such an extent that I offered her a place teaching alongside me. What happened to the yips I hear you say? Gone, but not forgotten, she was astonished that anyone could fix her but therein lies the secret, I haven’t fixed Rebecca or any other clients with the yips, it is not, in my experience, possible, the scarring is too deep. I just changed the motor pattern. She hasn’t had a yip since but the “how to yip” folder still very much exists in her psyche. But sure it’s easy when you are not under pressure, I hear you say, (and I would agree).

I was to meet Rebecca one day but got delayed, she happened to be playing golf with my brother Padraig Harrington and Dr. Bob Rotella, yes the sports psychologist, and as fate would dictate, she missed the first green with her approach shot and had a tricky chip, off a bare lie. She later admitted palpitations and thoughts of Australia in 2011 but played a beautiful chip and never missed another shot. It’s just a different motor pattern.

A happy ending to her story (so far!) she is now teaching away in her own Harrington Golf Academy facility on the Southside of the city and I have made a firm friend for life.

Everything happens for a reason!

The questions keep on coming in and it’s another good one this week and very much in keeping with the tone of this weeks blog! Chipping issues!

“Hi Tadhg, love the blog, maybe you can help me? I’m normally not too bad at chipping, but lack consistency, mostly I think through poor strikes, I don’t always feel I strike the ball very well”

Good question and a common problem I see on the lesson tee every week.  Obviously set up is key, make sure to have the weight slightly forward at address, ball back in stance, shaft lean just in front of the ball, and maybe grip down for a bit of extra feel but the biggest problem I see from here, is the sternum moving backward (reversing) through the shot. It’s the natural inclination of the golfer to lift the ball in the air.

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PRO TIPS

1. Set up with the sternum over the ball and as an image try and keep it moving forward towards the target as you chip through impact.
2. Use the set and turn drill, get set up as above and

(a) Use whatever wrist hinge and length of swing you think you need for the shot facing you. This is what will determine the height and how far the ball will go and

(b) Do nothing else to help the ball up, turn through the shot with the sternum and end up facing the target, the work has been done in the backswing! Too many golfers I see try to help the ball in the air on the follow through. If you are struggling, go see your local club pro to get the fundamentals right first, and remember, it’s a motor pattern which you need to practice!

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QUOTES OF THE WEEK!

Golf is wonderful– Lara Tennant – on winning a USGA Championship at 51 years of age with her 78-year-old father, George, on the bag!
“It’s been such a blessing to have him here, and it’s amazing to share this experience with my dad,” Tennant said. “That was a joy, but also so helpful, because we hit the ball about the same distance especially with our irons, so he clubbed me perfectly.”

Golf is easy! – Laura Davies – wins again for the 86thtime in her illustrious career following her ten shot win at the U.S Senior Women’s Open back in July. Girls got game!
“The wind made a difference, and it was still cold,” she said of the final round. “It was still tough, but I think two-under today was a pretty good round.”

Golf Is hard– In Gee Chun – on winning her 14thprofessional title last week, but first since winning a Major, at just 20 years of age, at the 2016 Evian Championship.
“It was that moment that I determined to go back to the basics and really work on making myself more healthy emotionally. I stopped looking at the unhelpful comments and feedback. I started to focus on the genuine support people were giving me.”

In Gee had experienced the dark side of the web as internet trolls made her life a misery as she lost form after her Major win.

 

Final word this week goes to Michelle Wie, the teenage phenomenon, who has just undergone hand surgery (a very frightening prospect for a golfer) who said, “I think John Mayer once said, “Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, be strong and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.”
 

Leona Maguire should frame this quote, she will be back, she is too good a golfer not to succeed in the cut-throat and stone cold world of professional golf.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!

Tadhg