Nick's tip of the week  

The golf season is now here. Are you ready for the months ahead? I have come up with a breakdown of what could make your golfing ambitions a reality this season.

1) Check your equipment: Do you need new grips? Are your shafts adequate for your swing speed? Are you playing with the right loft in your driver to maximize distance? Do you have the right set makeup to benefit your game (wedges, hybrids, fairway woods, etc.)? These are questions that you'll want to answer before going to work on your game.

2) Practice first with short swings then full swings: Start with putting to establish rhythm and tempo. Chipping and pitching also require a lot of feel and tempo and therefore are another great place to start practicing. Think of these shots as a miniature full swing, which will allow you to make a smoother transition to a correct full swing. Once you move to the full swing, make sure your grip, posture and setup are correct. I like to think of these three areas as the engine that starts the golf swing. Without the grip, posture and setup being correct, it becomes almost impossible to swing the club correctly and to get consistent results.

3) Set realistic expectations for the course: Remember that those first few rounds of the year will be a little rusty; therefore, do not get frustrated on the golf course when your scores are not where you would like them to be. While on the course, I suggest you take notes on what you think you need to practice so that when you return to the range you can work on the things that will improve your game most. Remember also to set aside some practice time for all aspects of your game. I like my students to spend about 25 percent of their time on the range and 75 percent of their time practicing short game (putting, chipping, pitching and bunker shots).

4) Get some help: I would strongly suggest that everyone at least consider taking some lessons or attending a golf school or clinic to be certain that you are starting the year off with the correct fundamentals. This also will allow you to have more focused practice sessions given that you will know what you need to work on, and that will benefit your overall game.

I hope these tips will get your golf season started with success and most importantly some fun.

 

Danny the champion of the world

Unless you've just returned from a trekking adventure in the Andes, you'll know by now that we have a new Masters champion - and a British one… at long last. A massive congratulations to Danny Willett on an incredible victory, thanks for ending 20 years of hurt. 

When Nick Faldo chased down Greg Norman in 1996, sports fans, not just golf fans, sympathised with the Australian, who faltered on Sunday to gift Faldo victory. The manner of Jordan Spieth's Sunday meltdown wasn't quite the same, but a few poor swings did the damage. The consolation for the American is that he already has a Green Jacket, although he probably won't see it this way right now. 

Willett showed immense nerve to capitalise following Spieth's Amen Corner disaster, this should not be forgotten. If Spieth has the best putting stroke in the world, Willett can't be far behind, and his composure under the severest of pressure was beyond impressive. 

There are so many fantastic stories surrounding his first Major win, one of those being that he's just become a father. For all of us, it's tremendous to have a British Masters champion once again. 

Roll on the next one.