The Mole’s sibling (let’s call him Chad for the sake of the human side to the story) booked a lesson with Cape Town-based PGA teaching pro, Jurgen Heintz (from TaylorMade Golf Solutions). Arriving with enough time before your lesson to make sure you are properly warmed up is a must! Half-an-hour should be more than enough time.

Chad, who is a three-handicap golfer, duly hit a few shots and was asked a whole lot of questions about how he played the game. He now had the choice: did he want to completely rebuild his swing (which could basically be like starting all over again, or like a right-hander becoming a lefty...) or work with what he had and make adjustments to improve his current swing. He obviously chose the harder option, and now a complete swing rebuild is under way.

They then headed into the “lab” where Jurgen promptly dissected Chad’s swing, showing him what had been causing the many undesirable shots and what was lacking technically. They then picked a golfer to model the new swing on (a mixture of Ernie Els and Geoff Ogilvy in Chad’s case), and got straight to work back out on the range.

The root of most of the problems (for now) was a poor set up. It’s weird, but the Mole can tell if a golfer is decent or not, before he’s hit a shot. Why? Because good golf stems from a good set up!

Another thing you need to remember about lessons is that most results will not be instant. Chad was advised to stand more upright and, all of a sudden, good ball-striking became a thing of a past. But after a few hours of practice, it was back and more consistent than before!

The Mole is going to bring you a video drill soon, so keep your eye on the site. And don’t forget about that good set up!

Should you wish to see Jurgen as well:
Cell: 082 321 1438
Location: Vodacom Golf Village (Kenilworth)