Harmon boost for Ghei’s swing

“I hadn’t been able to practise as much as I would because of the tendonitis,so had begun falling into the same old bad habits as far as the swing is concerned,” says Ghei,speaking to Sportline on Tuesday. “So Claude (Harmon) and I basically worked on some corrective drills for the swing,a sort of refresher course.”

Harmon,on his website,explained the technical details of their session. “Gaurav has a habit of spinning out his hips too early on his downswing. This can cause him to hit low hooks with his irons and high weak blocks to the right with his driver,” he wrote.

Ghei,49th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit after three missed cuts in the seven tournaments he has played this season,agrees he needs to put in some hard work at the driving range,but equally important will be the putting green practice hours.

“Over the last couple of years I was focusing too hard on my swing. Because of that,some of the other areas,like putting,got somewhat neglected,” Ghei says. “A talk with the coach can help you look at your game with a different perspective. So now,the idea is to get better in all aspects of the game,even if the improvement in each area is only 15 per cent.”

Ghei’s best result this season was at the Indonesia Open in late February,where he finished in a tie for 16th place. Being in contention is what Ghei has been missing lately,and that is what will be target for the year. “For me,playing well means being in contention,week in and week out. If I can keep working the way I have planned,we’ll see results soon,” Ghei says.

But the key to consistency also involves fitness,which is a concern for the 41-year-old,who has been troubled by a sore neck in the past. “I think I need to put in some serious work on my fitness as well,which will be important to put in the same level of game week after week.”

Last week’s Ballantine’s Championship had not gone very well for Ghei,despite being one of only two Indians to make the cut. However,an 84 in the third round put paid to his chances. “The weather was horrid that day. We were wearing five layers of clothing and with the strong wind and temperatures below zero,it was just a battle to be on the course,” Ghei says.

He hopes for better weather,and the start of a better year,in the same country two weeks from now,at the Caltex Maekyung Open. “That tournament is in Seoul,where the weather is traditionally warmer,so hopefully the game will be hot too,” Ghei laughs.