Paul Lawrie was proud to host a group of Hertfordshire junior golfers for a clinic at Hanbury Manor ahead of the Paul Lawrie Match Play this week.
Their handicaps ranged from 0.8 to 39, but every one of the players from Dyrham Park CC in Barnet and Porters Park Golf Club in Radlett took away some valuable advice and tips from a player who has been at the top of the sport.
The 1999 Open Champion and two-time Ryder Cup player has his own Foundation which has the aim of getting as many young people playing golf as possible and, maybe one day, seeing one of them winning on Tour over even winning a Major!
He is keen on helping to grow the game and is encouraging the next generation of golfers to enjoy and develop within the sport.
Paul demonstrated how he plays the game, which shots are important to develop as well as the essence of a good golf swing and ball flight.
He also passed on some stories from his victory at Carnoustie in 1999 (before any of the juniors were even born!) and his two Ryder Cup appearances in 1999 at Brookline and the incredible victory for Europe at Medinah in 2012.
“I do a lot of clinics at home as part of our foundation, sometimes with the younger ones it’s difficult to get over what I do because obviously I play, I don’t coach – but these guys were perfect because they were a bit older and some of them were quite a good standard.
“I just went through my whole routine of what I do when I play golf, what I work on with my coach, how I go about stuff and little triggers that I use when I’m playing.
I absolutely love it.
“I like doing clinics like that with a small group, it’s vitally important – I know a lot of people are working hard all around the country to make sure that we get some more kids into the game and clinics like this are a good way of doing that.
“When I was young if I could have had a winner off the Tour come and give me a little chat and some advice, I would have been buzzing!”
Paul finished off by watching the junior players hit balls from the range and passing on his advice with a few tips to help them with their games moving forwards.
“It’s important that we get that message out there and that we all do our bit.
“I’ve worked with coaches, and I am PGA qualified so I can make a difference to someone within five minutes, it doesn’t take an awful lot. It’s difficult too though because you always ask the question ‘have you got a coach or do you work with a coach, what do you work on with them?’ because you don’t want the kid going back to his coach ‘Paul Lawrie said to do this!’ when their coach is doing the opposite!
“It’s great fun, all the kids that I get to speak to and work with – they all love it. You’re going to have times when it’s challenging but that’s also the beauty of the game of golf too, that’s the thing we love about it the most. They’ve got to learn that, but they will have a great time and they will learn a lot of good principles when they play golf, it’s good for you!”
Porters Park Golf Club’s junior organiser Sue Lawrence said: “Our juniors were given a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a clinic given by Paul Lawrie, winner of The Open in 1999.
“They were able to watch and learn from a true professional, they had a fantastic time, all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will be talking about this for months to come. Thank you, Paul!”
Linda Porter from the junior committee at Dyrham Park Golf Club added: “What an amazing opportunity for our juniors to have a personal coaching session from Major Championship winner, Paul Lawrie. They all had a great time. Thank you so much Paul for giving up your valuable time and giving our juniors a brilliant experience.”
The Paul Lawrie Match Play presented by Petsure at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel and Country Club runs from Thursday June 13 to Sunday June 16.
