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Alasdair Barr

Thursday, 15 May 2008
Neil Tappin
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Turned pro: 1967

Years coaching: 35 years

Most notable coaching achievements: Coached Luke Donald in my capacity as EGU Coach until he went to College in the USA. Brian Davies and Antony Wall were both in my EGU Regional Squad and are now on the European Tour

Coaching philosophy: I coach individual players and keep it simple. I am not a method teacher.

Fault fixer:

Best tip to stop the yips and three putting: To eradicate the ‘heebie geebies’ on the greens a three drill routine should help to ease the problem.
1.    To encourage a free swing of the putterhead eliminate the two problems – the ball and the hole. Hit a few putts on the green without using the hole and do this with the eyes closed. This will encourage a smoother stroke and return the “feel” sensation as there is nothing visual. Hold the putter as lightly as possible to remove tension from the forearms.
2.    Introduce the hole and make the stroke looking at the hole. This focuses the brain on “what you want” and not “how am I going to do it.”
3.    Now return to the normal set up visualising the ball falling into the hole as in exercise 2, and do not concentrate on the mechanics of the stroke.

Best course management tip: Poor club selection on the course causes as many bad shots as a faulty swing due to indecision. For example if the player is undecided whether to hit a 5 or 6 iron, pose the question “Where is all the trouble around the green?" If I choose the wrong iron is it better to err long or short – is it easier to get down in two from over the green or short of it?
Once this has been taken into account commit fully to the stroke.

Tips for buying clubs: Consult a PGA Professional with a full club fitting service. This will give you expert advice and allow you to “Try before you buy.” Once the specifications of the clubs have been sorted out they can be included in the model of club you like the look of best. Once you have the new clubs visit with the Professional again to check that they are absolutely correct and any minor adjustment can be made.

Who to follow on Tour: Finding a player of similar build is important as swings are likely to be similar. However, it is difficult to single out one player. For example it would be good to copy Tiger’s posture which is excellent, Goosen’s Rhythm, Mickelson’s short Game Skills and the variety of sots he has. Faldo’s determination and dedication and Robert Karlson’s Temperament. Try to copy the good players best attributes.