Golf: Pupils develop useful contacts at the beach

Junior golfers practise their swings at Tomahawk beach yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Junior golfers practise their swings at Tomahawk beach yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
It was golf, but not as they know it, for members of the Dunedin Metropolitan development squad yesterday.

The 17 golfers, ranging in age from 12 to 17, spent the morning bare-footed, working on their swings in the Tomahawk Beach sand.

Chisholm Park professional Andrew Whiley said there was a simple philosophy behind taking the squad to an environment that normally spells trouble for golfers.

"Basically, we wanted to get them to learn about making solid contact with the ball," Whiley said.

"The big thing was just understanding what the club does when it makes contact."

Whiley, who runs the squad with St Clair professional Neil Metcalfe and Taieri professional Duncan Bennett, said the young players enjoyed the outing.

"They loved it. But the key thing is they learned very quickly. If we ask them in two years if they remember what we did at the beach, they will.

"At a range or a hard ground, the club tends to bounce a bit. This way they could hit right through the sand. We also had them in bare feet so they really got a feel for weight transfer."

The golfers used rubber replica golf balls.

It was the second session for the development squad, which will meet again next weekend.

 

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