John's favourites page

With the experience of over 40 years in coaching and club fitting in Cambridge and Suffolk I still find it very rewarding to help golfers on the pathway to improved golf. In my eyes a coach goes through the same emotions as the pupil during a lesson. Frustration when the game is proving difficult and joy when that break through is made.

The technology used for golf coaching and club fitting today is not just for the better player but for everyone. I have made improvements with my own technique using launch monitors and high speed cameras in recent times, improvements that I have found difficult to achieve over my career. At the Links Golf Lab, Newmarket I want to help golfers reach their potential and gain even more enjoyment from the game of golf.

Coaching approach

I like to establish a clear understanding with my all my pupils at the outset on what their own personal objectives are and what progress would look like for them in their game.  Once this is established I will work with my pupil and put in place a simple and clear plan, using all the tools we have in the Lab for improvement.

Areas of specialisation

From my list of coaches that I admire, see below, you will notice I have a passion for the short game. Anywhere from 100 yards in to the flag is an area of the game that requires a great deal of improvisation. To say that the short game swing a just a shortened version of the full swing is quite wrong. The fascination of controlling ball flight, choosing various different lofted clubs when playing different shots to a target for me shows that  the short game is very much a game within a game. 

My Heros

My favourite coaches and players are

Seve Ballesteros – Seve burst onto the world stage at the 1976 British Open. I was just starting out on my professional career at that time and back then Seve inspired a lot of youngsters like me. He played the game wearing his heart on his sleeve and as a spectator he gave you the feeling that you were somehow involved in his success when he won.

Tom Watson- The consummate professional, Tom’s longevity in the game is something to be admired. The pinnacle of his career for me was when he so nearly won the 2009 Open championship at Turnberry at the age of 59, only losing in a play off with Stuart Cink.

Coaches I admire

David Leadbetter -  http://davidleadbetter.com/ 

I have attended several seminars given by David Leadbetter and his ability to communicate his simple golf methodology to the golfer is outstanding. I have learnt so much about the golf swing through David’s principles and try to pass on these simple philosophies to my pupils.

Gary Smith-  http://garysmithgolf.com/

Gary Smith challenges the standard approach to the short game that has been taught over the years with his revolutionary “Linear” teaching methods. If you are having issues with your short game then Gary’s unique style could help you.

Stan Utley -  https://stanutley.com/ 

Stan Utley another short game specialist, is one of the most well known and sought after short game instructors in golf. He is a PGA tour winner and currently ranks 14th according to Golf Digest’s “America’s 50 Greatest. His book ‘The Art of the Short Game’ is recognised as a classic amongst golf coaching manuals.