Indian coaches must for results

Over the years, it has become trendy to have foreign coaches. This summer, there was first the visit by Australian coach, Kel Lywellen, f...

Over the years, it has become trendy to have foreign coaches. This summer, there was first the visit by Australian coach, Kel Lywellen, followed by Italian Donato De Ponziano. Both held camps for amateurs and juniors, with a few pros thrown in, too.

The lessons may initially have left them a bit out of sync, but last weeks winners, in different events at different levels, seem to have benefitted from the visiting coaches. Veteran of 28 years of golf, Rohtas Singh, whose last came four years ago gave credit to Kel, while Gurbaaz Mann, who trained with Donato, went on to shoot a course record five under par on the first day of the Northern India Junior and Sub-Junior Golf Championship played in Chandigarh and eventually win the event.

Sandy Lehal, leader going in to the final round of the Second Samarvir Sahi Amateur Tournament played in Chandigarh, was also a part of Donato8217;s camp. Doubtless the coaching helped. But the question is who will they turn to when this good run ends, as it usually does.

Asmore and more parents bring their children to golf, fuelled by quot;Tigermaniaquot; and partially influenced by American Universities that offer golf scholarships, all they seek is a good coach. A good coach is one who can teach with precision using all his experience. A coach can either give you a swing and technique that can last a lifetime, or determine whether you8217;ll spend most of your time on the course, groping around for enlightenment.

Dr. Bob Rotella points out the importance of a coach in his book, Golf is a Game of Confidence. He says that good communication about swing change is quot;like wading across an unknown river in broad daylight, as opposed to wading across in pitch darkness. In the daylight, the wader can see the bank on the other side. Even if the water starts rising, he strides ahead. If it rises over his head, he8217;s prepared to swim for a while because he can see that bank and knows roughly how long it will take to get there. The wader, who starts out in darkness is likely to panic if thewater gets high, because he doesn8217;t know where he8217;s going. He8217;ll turn back, or worse, thrash around and drown.quot;

Shona Manco can be reached at shonamancoexpress2.indexp.co.in