Frequently Asked Questions
I’ll try to answer your questions below – these are the ones that come up the most often – but first, a quick story that I hope will put your mind at ease straight away, please indulge me for a moment …
I was once approached by a guy at the Range where I used to work, he just walked up to me and said “I’ve been thinking about getting some lessons from you but you probably aren’t interested in teaching a hacker are you? I’ve not been playing that long and I’m not that good, I’m sure you’d rather teach good golfers…”
My answer to him back then, will be the same one I would give to you if you asked me the exact same question right now – “Actually, I don’t care how good or how bad you are at golf. If you have a good attitude and you’re willing to put in the time and effort it’s going to take, then I want to coach you. Attitude is way more important than ability to me.”
Some Frequently Asked Questions:
(click the link to get to the answer quicker)
What’s the best way to get to the range?
What do I do when I get there?
How often should I have lessons?
What happens at an Evaluation Session?
What happens at a Coaching Session?
What should I look for in deciding whether I’ve had a good lesson?
What’s the best way to get to the Range?
Most people use the Underground to get to us – nearest Tube Station is North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line, and it’s a 6 minute walk to get to the range.
- Come up the escalators … keep going straight (towards the exit for the buses, WH Smith on your right side and Subway on your left);
- Walk across the pedestrian crossing towards the bike stands;
- Bear slightly right and use the pedestrian crossing on the main road;
- Turn right;
- First left;
- First left;
- Straight ahead for 150-200yds (the Range is on the right);
If you’re staying at the InterContinental Hotel next door, walking is probably your best option – if you drive or get a cab / Uber you have to drive past the O2 and then loop back so you’re on the correct side of the road to take the exit to the Range.
If you’re not in any hurry a walk along the river side is well worth it (just takes longer to get to us) but if that’s not your thing then just click on the directions option in the Maps app on your phone and select “walking”, it’s pretty straight forward.
For Cabs / Ubers / Sat Navs our postcode is SE10 0QE
(if your device supports Plus Codes then ours is F2X2+54 London)
Will I need my own clubs?
If you have your own clubs then it’s best you bring them and use them (if it’s hassle to bring the whole bag then tell me when we do the booking and I’ll tell you which ones to bring).
If you don’t have your own clubs yet then don’t worry – I have clubs you can use in our lessons.
What should I wear?
Probably the question that gets asked the most.
While almost every Golf Club has a dress code requiring you to wear certain attire, the Range does not. Just wear clothing that is comfortable enough for you to swing freely in, and for footwear trainers will be best … t-shirt and jeans is fine, so is sportswear.
What do I do when I get there?
It can be a little intimidating going to any busy place for the first time, don’t worry.
The reception desk is straight in front of you when you walk into the building, go there first (NB : in peak season the queue can be 30+ deep so factor that into your timings), you’ll need to get a basket of balls to use in the lesson (a small basket is usually sufficient unless you want to practice before or after our session, then get a large basket).
Get your balls from the machine and make your way down to bay number 29, the second last one on the ground floor, where I will be waiting for you.
What will this guy be like?
Three things I get told a lot :
One – I’m incredibly patient – all I can say is “isn’t that a prerequisite, I mean what kind of Coach would I be if wasn’t?”
Look, you can only learn as fast as you can learn, and that’s going to be different than the next guy so we go at your speed – sometimes I will push you if I think you can do better in that moment, and sometimes I will have to let you make the mistake so that you can learn from it yourself.
I’m coaching you, not the generic guy in the publications.
Two – I care too much – I’ve met plenty of sports coaches that felt their responsibilities finished when the session did, maybe I should, but I don’t understand that.
You’re engaging my services because you want a result, so that means that we’re both in it. I don’t stop thinking about ways to help / ways to do things better just because you’ve left.
As I see it, my job is to help you to the result you’re after in the shortest timeframe we can, and that you have as little reliance on me as possible when you get there.
Three – I have an accent – this one always makes me chuckle, I don’t have an accent, you do! Ok, so I also think I have a sense of humour! Maybe?
How often should I have lessons?
This is a biggie, and the answer varies from person to person.
Basically, it depends on how much time you put into your training, but never less than 1 per month if you want to see any realistic change.
This is not PlayStation or Xbox – you don’t play for a bit, get to level 3 and then stop for a while and pick up again at level 3. If you want to lose weight / get fit / learn a new skill, then dipping your toe in every 5 or 6 weeks is unrealistic, don’t expect golf to be any different.
I see most of my clients every 2 weeks, some every week.
What happens at an Evaluation Session?
I need to learn as much about you as I can so that I can get a plan of action together and help you towards whatever goal you have / away from whatever pain your golf game is giving you.
It is best to understand your current game before we attempt any changes – it may not be that bad. We may just need to reshuffle your habits a little.
The best way to prepare is to reflect on your experiences and your patterns out on the course and be able to describe them. Situations that make you nervous, particular shots that psych you out, that sort of thing.
- I’ll ask questions and make notes, let you give me your version of events.
- Then I’ll ask you to hit some balls to different targets, so I can see how you approach things and make more notes on that (all the while the Trackman radar and the cameras will be recording so we can get some visuals and some facts about impact, ball flight, accuracy etc).
- Finally, I will explain my philosophy on how the game is played / learned best so you know where I am coming from, put forward my plan for how to help you and explain your options moving forward.
- You choose what route we follow and we book our first Coaching Session.
What happens at a Coaching Session?
I always try to follow this framework, the content varies according to the person in front of me but this is the pattern:
- Meet and greet;
- Any issues since we last met?;
- Show me what you’ve done / how you’ve been training;
- Address any issues / concerns and then review / refocus;
- Work;
- Show you how to train on your own;
- Summarise (if necessary I will record the summary and email it to you);
- Book in your next appointment.
Finally, what should I look for in deciding whether I’ve had a good session?
This may seem a bit too obvious, but did you enjoy yourself? Did you learn something and do you feel empowered to act on it? Are you clear on how to act on it (train)?
It’s really important to me as your coach that you understand why we are doing what we’re doing, as much as what we are doing.
The number of balls you hit is absolutely no indication of a good / bad session.
Some sessions will seem easy, you’ll feel like you got “it” quickly and you have implemented it straight away. That’s great.
Some sessions will feel like a slog, like nothing has gone well and you’ve “lost it”. It goes that way sometimes, just keep the faith – breaking habits and developing new skills can be challenging but we’re in it together. I’ve got your back.
If you still have questions please use the search bar at the top of the page, look for the relevant topic elsewhere on the site, or if that doesn’t solve things then you can contact me and I’ll answer as best I can.