Breaking 90: Lee Westwood Day

An update on Rob Edwards who is attempting to break 90 for the first time

Rob Edwards

My last update was posted shortly before what must be considered the centre piece of the whole ‘Play Your Best' experience - The Lee Westwood Day.

This once in a lifetime experience began with Lee answering questions regarding his career as one of the most successful golfers the country has ever produced.

It was a fascinating insight into the mind of a top Tour Professional, his roots, the transition from amateur to pro, his rise to the top of the game, how he dealt with poor form and his resurgence back to the top of the world rankings.

Following this we went down to the Ping Fitting Centre range, here Lee went through his practice routines and how he sees certain shots on the course, witnessing his pure ball striking was eye opening. What happened next was a real privilege for me, I had Lee analyse my swing.

Surprisingly he didn't seem too horrified with my full swing, just moving the ball back in my stance slightly and got me to put a slight hinge in my right elbow at address. Next we worked on some ‘chip and runs' and ‘lob shots', both of these techniques are welcome assets to my short game. It was a fantastic day that I shall remember for the remainder of my life.

As for my golfing progress things have been moving along nicely, breaking 90 on two occasions, once in the rearranged June Medal with an 89, then carding an 87 in the August medal, although slightly disappointed with latter, making double bogey 6 on the 18th to miss out on a PB by one shot.

My latest lesson with Golf Monthly Top25 Coach Steve Robinson concentrated on putting, my first real insight into the techniques of this fine art.

I now have a two plane putting stroke, which gives me a much more consistent stroke, we also worked visualisation, which seems to really increase confidence with lag putting, a definite weakness in my game.

Next on the agenda is an AM AM at Market Rasen.

Steve Robinson
Top 50 Coach

Location: Sandburn Hall 


Steve coaches the English Women’s National squad, as well as Yorkshire Union Gents and Boys. He was England Golf Coach of the Year 2016 and 2017, and a UK Coaching High Performance Coach of the Year finalist in 2017. He coaches a number of Tour professionals and can be found teaching at the SR Tykes Golf Academy at Sandburn Hall Golf Club in York. 


Teaching philosophy:

Helping pupils unlock their potential and elevating their performance is helping them learn from experiences, whether that is a successful experience or a negative one.


Greatest success story:

The England women’s team had not won the European Team Championships for 23 years, but in 2016, in Iceland, they ended that run; since then they have won in 2017 and 2021. Coaching teams is different to coaching individuals. I am proud of all the players that help make this happen and very fortunate to have been their coach.


Biggest challenge:

Helping pupils to understand that golf is a stick and ball game played in a field in an ever-changing environment, and working on a perfect swing indoors in a swing studio isn’t the total answer. Learning to play golf and develop the skills required, your swing needs to be adaptable to create different shots from different lies with different ball flights to be effective in variable golfing conditions. The game will never change so long as it is played outdoors.