The Golf Schools are Back - Why is Golf Struggling - Tim in the Dakotas.

Absolute Golf is relaunching the golf schools with the help of Webeagles marketing team during the month of September. All past clients and contacts will receive the opportunity to receive a package of three free golf instruction videos on how to have a consistent golf swing. These videos will lay on a web page and all you have to do to access them is deposit your email address and they will be yours to peruse. The videos are staggered so you will get one at a time which will give you plenty of time to soak them in. The videos play a dual purpose, firstly giving a little thank you to our regular students who have supported Dave and I over the years in a form that we know they will enjoy (more information) and secondly exposing any of our contacts who may not have had a lesson with us to what we do, giving them a better understanding about what Absolute Golf is all about. Remember, there is no obligation with the videos, all free and our gift to you. Watch out for our introductory videos and get in quick, there yours to enjoy.

Over the past 6 months Dave and I have been playing around with the social media of Facebook and Linkedin and with these facilities come forums for everyone and anyone to share an opinion. Being golf nuts we like to see what people are getting on line and talking about and we are finding out exactly why you are pupils are coming to us with such screwed up concepts and with such negative feelings about your golf. There are threads (on line discussion for those of you who didn't know - I didn't) on all topics from golf course marketing to latest technology to individuals swing problems. We are talking opinions from people from all walks of life some with very little background in any part of the game happy to share their two bobs worth with any one who listens. Sure there are some genuine people out there who are eager to help their fellow golfers but in general it is just people trying to flex their mental muscle when what is needed is a little common sense. Marketing experts with something to sell will get on line and discuss the virtues of products they themselves use and promote, people with a product to sell get on line and lead in to the benefits of their product above others and everyone from golfpro's to anyone who's read a magazine article gets on and complicates what for most people is already a difficult pastime with too much emphasise on things that they have no knowledge of. If you are like us and want to find out what the golfing public thinks about this great game we play, jump on, have a read, even chat back with the poor souls, but don't take any notice of what they say. All it will do is confuse the heck out of you and turn your game to rubbish. I get a headache reading through what most people have to say on there. Keep it simple and use common sense. The best approaches always.

Tim Frazer, the young man i teach who is living his dream playing golf in the USA on the Dakotas tour has had a stellar two weeks with a 12 place finish in the recent Tour event in Casper Wyoming a fifth place finish in a one day event at Oxbow North Dakota and a 10th place finish in the finalised today North Dakota Open. With five sub par rounds in his past 7 rounds and cheques coming in to fatten up the bank account, Tim is realising his goal of becoming all exempt for the 2013 Dakotas Tour and moving into the next level of players which was his target for the season this year. It has been a gruelling schedule playing 16 events in a 13 week period travelling through 6 states during the tour and playing through 100 to 110 degree heat that would make the strongest men wilt, but Tim is getting better, scoring lower and performing at an even higher level. This is no surprise to me as I know what he has done to get there this year and i know all the hard work he has put into his golf, fitness and attitude to play the way he has played over the past three months. Next week is the Dakotas Tour Players Championship being held at Sioux Centre Iowa. It is a three day event and will be the last event before he heads home and makes plans for the upcoming Australian circuit over the summer. Good luck next week mate and play well and I will keep you all posted on how he goes and what his results were.

Dave and I are taking 2 groups to the USA in a little over two weeks with stops in San Francisco, Monterey and Palm Springs. Stay posted to see what we get up to while we are there and what we have planned for next year.

see you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield      

Rory wins at Kiawah Island

It was hard not to enjoy watching the young Irishmen tear around The Ocean course in South Carolina this years very deserving venue for the 2012 US PGA Championship. As all of the majors this year there was a lot to take away from the playing of this event. There were some well taken points during the coverage and some fairly ill-informed comments that really don't help the viewers perception of how the game is played. Rory's tournament winning scores where 67 75 67 66, with one of the commentators announcing that with out the 75 this would have been a great score! Thankfully this was picked up and retorted to the fact that the average score for the day and indeed the course rating was 78, which tends to make the 75 not seem so bad and make the scores in the 60's seem even better. A lot of players these days measure their rounds on what score they had and not take into consideration, the course, the elements, even how they feel on the day. A lot was also made of Rory changing shafts in his driver was the key to the success he had this week although on that final round he only hit 7 from 14 fairways. I wonder how many club golfers will go googling Rory's club specs to find his new shaft specs and purchase the same, when i remember Rory winning last years open driving the ball like a demon with a different shaft in his driver. The fact (that at least did go noticed) was that Rory had 23 putts in the final round (and i believe he one putted the final 6 greens). This was the key to Rory's success this week. He putted like a great player putts and the reality is even if he hadn't of driven the ball on 7 out of 14 fairways in the last round he was putting well enough to clean it up anyway. Tiger was the real anomaly this week. He came out of the gate at 100 MPH and like he has done in every major just couldn't keep it going on the weekend. Failing to break par for the 8 weekend rounds played in the majors. There are two main points to be taken from this, firstly during the first two rounds he was putting as well as anyone in the field, but on Saturday and Sunday that just vanished and secondly for a change it wasn't his ball striking. Our games don't change that much over night. Tiger was driving the ball great (he actually hit more fairways than Rory), hitting precise irons shots, but his putting and his head were just not in the right place. If you don't feel like playing or you're not in the right mood to play it won't happen and it isn't for Tiger at present, although he obviously feels the difference between Regular Tour events and Majors at the moment, as he is the only three time winner this year but hasn't put it together in a major. But in saying all of that, it won't be long and he will be back. All players have mental blocks during their careers and they play their way out of them, they learn what they need to do and then relearn over and over again. Just like a player learns to break 100 - 90 - 80 and 70, win a match play game, win their first competition, the reality is we all go through it and we all succeed. Guys on the mini tours of the world will be watching Tiger and taking great heart that they know what he is going through.

This leads perfectly to a short note on Tim Frazers Dakotas Tour campaign. Over the past two weeks Tim has played some great golf with his low scores putting him right in the mix, but due to these few bad holes he just isn't quite reaching the heights he aspires, but it's all learning. He's learning to get over these hurdles and when he scales these there will be more hurdles (just ask Tiger). Tim's in Wyoming this week playing a new course in a new tournament and he's having a ball. Keep at it mate, you're going great.

Dave and I are within 4 weeks of heading to the USA for our third trip to play Pebble Beach and what a trip it will be. We have two groups of players this year and our tour goes to San Francisco, Monterey and Palm Springs playing Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach as well as Silverrock, the La Quinta Resorts Norman course, Nicklaus Tournament and PGA West. We can't wait. Will keep you posted as we get closer and while we are on tour, you might like it so much you will want to come with us next time.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield

   

USA Trip - Golf Schools - Tim in America.

We are only 5 1/2 weeks from heading over to the USA for our annual Absolute Golf Trip. There have been a few changes in the line up with only Dave and I leading the group. Unfortunately Scott will not be attending due to the closing of Sydney Olympic Park and his commitments to new work place Moore Park Golf Academy, which has left us with two groups of golfers which is a nice small group the way we usually like to travel. All other plans are just as we had organised and we can't wait to get over and play some golf on these great courses. I will keep you posted with any upcoming information.

The 5th green at Pebble Beach

with the 6th and 7th in the background.

Absolute golf is about to embark on a huge relaunch of the golf schools that started our business nearly 6 years ago. In the coming weeks you will recieve an introduction video from us letting you know who we are and what we do and the offer to some free video lessons. A lot of our regulars recieved a survey asking what they thought would be good topics for a set of videos and we have listened to what they said and given you exactly that. There is no hard sell and nothing you have to purchase just an email address and you will recieve all the videos we put out. These videos are a little gift to the people who have come to the schools and an introduction for those who haven't been along in the past. You will get the opportunity to come along to some schools, but it is only that, an opportunity and will not be forced into anything. Let us know whether you like our videos or even what you would like to see, we have a plan to put out six sets of videos which you will be able to access and which will help you with your game. Watch this space as it is going to get interesting.

Jeff and Dave running a Putting School.



It is time for the exploits of Tim Frazer in the Mid west of America playing the dakotas tour. They have reached the halfway mark of the trip and the boys are well intrenched in what they are doing.They have had a busy few weeks playing something like 5 events in 3 1/2 weeks and they are a little weary to show for it. This is a bit of a crunch time for all the boys as they push through the tiredness and towards the end of the tour. Tim has done very well making all but two cuts (last year he made none), Banking four checks (last year he banked none), and coming about mid 40's on the bonus pool (a points tally which helps rate the players (last year he finished around 80th). Tim just played the tournaments that he made his debut as a professional at last year and talking to him during the week he was like a seasoned vetran, confident and comfortable and very pleased he spent so much time working out in  his off season in Australia. Between the busy schedule and the unrelenting humidity of the mid west summer he is relying on energy stores he didn't even knew he had and being all the better for it (mentally and golf wise). They have only four tournaments to go, with the finally being the Tour Championship and it will be back to Australia to battle it out for our summer of golf, with just that little bit more experience tahn before. Well done guys keep at it.

Our on-course days have been very popular, last week and for the next few weeks we are at Lynwood CC which was in fantastic condition with the guys coming along getting a great deal from the days. A lot of times it is just giving the players the keys to get their games back on track when they waiver or teaching them a new skill or a shot they hadn't tried before. Once your game gets to a point where you can hit some shots it's all the little 2% and 5% improvements that make the difference. Come along to an on-course day and play better golf, You will improve.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield       

putting school - On course - Dakotas Tour.

We had an Absolute Golf reunion at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club last Friday catching up (and running a putting school) with Paul Buchanan and Bob Duncan. With 9 pupils in the class the four coaches went through learning styles, green reading, aim and feel giving all involved plenty to work on after they left the session. After the class everybody headed inside for lunch and a debrief from the session and there was plenty to talk about. Bob is out to do some work for a couple of months and Paul is the Head of Education for Henry Griffitts and flitting around the globe keeping very busy. It was great to catch up with both the boys and we look forward to doing it again in the near future.

After the putting class we took some players out on to the course spending 18 holes working on their games. Neville Smith and first time school attendee John Mcdonald where my two victims for the day and boy did we see some improvement. It was great to see both the boys embrace what we gave them to work on and get the benefit almost immediately. John let me in on a secret goal after about 12 holes that he had a club matchplay game at his native Monash Golf Club on Sunday and was hoping that Fridays exploits would help get him over the line and guess what. John and his partner won their match on the 21st hole. Great effort guys and i will wait for my 10% in the mail.

Tim Frazer had another fine performance over the weekend playing in the three day Western Printing Pro Am at Moccason Creek, South Dakota. Tim again made the cut with fine scores of 74 and 72 and rallied home with a final round of 70 to slide into the top 20 and pick up the biggest cheque of his playing career. The boys have a busy few weeks with another tournament starting the day after and then one day off and then two events in the next week. He is having a ball and living the life as well as playing some mighty fine golf. It is a huge learning experience for Tim and his two travelling companions as this game is constantly throwing up a new set of circumstances and new things to work on.

Up to the final week of the USA Trip bookings and only 6 weeks for heading off. Can't wait to get some sun on my back and get away from the cold. Let me know if it sounds good we could fit you in.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield

On Course Golf Days - Leonay Golf Club and Golf in the Dakotas

Absolute Golf is proud to announce that they are the providers of Teaching, Club Fitting and Repair Services to the Leonay Golf Club. After long discussions with management after the club recently took over the golf shop business Absolute Golf will now be providing their range of world class programs, including golf schools and on-course golf days to the members and guests of this Western Sydney Golf Course. Both Jeff and David have had a long time relationship with Leonay GC with Jeff playing for many years as a member of the club and David completing his traineeship there from 1991 - 93. The Absolute Golf team will be working in with new Professional Col Banham to bring a whole new level of service to the club and offering the members an opportunity to be involved at the ground level. This is the fifth club that has shown interest in the programs Absolute Golf Provides and goes to show we must be doing something right. for more information on the programs and services provided go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ .

Jeff and Dave have been busy with our on-course golf days at Twin Creeks, Lynwood, Wallacia and Gordon Golf Clubs and have been working hard with golfers to improve their games. Over the past week, between them they have run 7 on course sessions with all level of golfers getting the benefit of not only the technical instruction provided but also the short game and course management portion of the days.
Over the years golfers have been educated that a perfect golf swing will encourage perfect golf but that just isn't true! Golf instruction has improved 10 fold over the past twenty years and golfers aren't playing better golf, if anything they are getting worse. After learning the correct fundamentals golfers must take what they learn out to the golf course and train with what they have learned adapting it to each condition they come up against. What we find is that the golfers never master a perfect swing so they never leave the range, afraid of what may happen or worse still head out to the course trying to make the "perfect Swing" they were taught not adapting it to the ever changing conditions at hand and getting frustrated when it does not come off . Well why should it? When we have a lesson we hit from a flat stance, perfect lie on a range mat with nothing in our road to obstruct our motion or concerntration. That never happens on the golf course and too make things worse because we are so hell bent on making perfect swings we never learn the portion of the game which is most important which are the management skills which is really the key seperation between someone who hits balls and someone who plays golf and don't be fooled they are different.
One question i am going to leave you with on this topic. Why is it that most teaching and club professionals don't play golf anymore? And if you don't believe me ask your local professional whether he plays anymore. He will answer that he doesn't have the time but that is just an excuse as he has been educated by the same beliefs that is poisoning our game. Get out there play golf.

The latest update on Tim Frazer and the Dakotas tour. Tim played Emerald Hills GC in Arnolds Park, Iowa this week in an 1 round event after a strong finish in the Bakkers Crossing event over last weekend. Tims round of 3 under 68 at Emerald Lakes got him a four way share of 3rd place and banked him a nice littl;e cheque as well as gaining him some order of merit points along the way. This weekend the boys are playing in the South Dakota Open at the Bluffs golf Club in Vermillion, SD. This is a three day event over Friday, Saturday and Sunday where Tim has shot 69 73 after two rounds and we are waiting to see how he fared in the final round. These guys can really play on this tour which is about a third string tour with the leader of the SD Open after two rounds shooting 63 66 (15 under par). It has been a great start for Tim on this years tour already making three cuts banking four cheques and really cementing himself as part of the tour.
Keep at it mate, you are doing us proud.

Jeff and David running a putting class at Barnbougle Dunes

Jeff and David are holding a putting school this Friday with Bob Duncan who is out this week for a two month stint doing some training for Henry Griffitts. If you are interested in attending this school or playing golf with Bob or I after the clinic contact me on jeff@absolutegolf.com.au we would love to have you along.    

Western Australia. Are they the best courses in the country?

Dave and I are just back from WA after taking a group away for golf and tuition the "Absolute" way and boy what a trip. 20 - 22 degrees every day, shirt sleeves up until dusk and this is in the middle of July. Everywhere you turn around there is a great course just lurking over the next hill.
We arrived on Monday at 9.00am and by 9.40 we were on the road with Rod and Shirley in the bus with us and we headed down the freeway to Mandurah to play The Cut. This is an 18 hole facility with ocean views, undulating fairways and some of the wildest rough i have seen for a while. It was a tough course to play for the first time as you really need to know where you are going to play there well but it was a fun golf course as it took a bit of thinking to play, you cant just stand up and blast away if you want to find your ball or have a decent score (which did seem to be the theme for the week). We got the most magnificent day 22 degrees and a slight zephyr to keep us honest. Dave started the day with a birdie but it was all down hill after that but the best player on the day was Jeff Williamson with a fine score who had the most control of his shots all day, but even he couldn't get around without losing a ball. After golf we headed to our accommodation for the first leg of the trip which was the Sebel at Mandurah. Over looking the canals it really was a beautiful place. Dinner this night was at Sunbreakers a nearby restaurant where the speciality of the house was the mussells. It was a great opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and talk about the activities of the day. By the time we got back to our rooms it had been a long day and we were all grate full to hit the sack.

12 hole at The Cut Golf Course.

The second day was another cracker it started with breakfast in the hotel restaurant (where David had his scrambled eggs with 13 eggs - so did the rest of us) and our golfing destination was at The Links at Kennedy Bay. just minutes away. This is a spectacular course and although just a short distance away from the course the day before and still classified as a links, very different from the day before. We started this day with a pitching clinic which went very well, these guys really ate up the tuition and were getting better right in front of us. Then we headed out for our golf. This day i started off with a birdie and like David before me it went to mud. This is a great golf course. Perfect condition, wide well bunkered fairways with elevated greens designed to make you think. Everyone agreed they loved the course and as unbelievable as it was to imagine it was even better than the day before. The post round drinks were spent discussing the round, telling stories and generally relieving what had been a wonderful day. Tonight's dinner was at the guest discretion with everyone heading there own way. Dave and I headed to Murphys Irish Pub for an old fashioned Pub meal and a chance to catch up with Craig Tapp. An old mate of ours from Sydney who now teaches out West and is actually the head pro at The Links at Kennedy Bay. It was great see him and meet his wife Jo and talk about old times and what lies on the horizon.

Day 3 started in the hotel Restaurant again with breakfast and we headed up the road to our golf school destination at Whaleback Golf Club. This is an 18 hole public golf course with a two storey driving range, chipping green, bunker and putting green. It is run by a friend of ours Peter Hopkins who is a golfing legend in West Aus having been a club professional, teacher, player and administrator for years and years and it was very kind of him to have us at his facility allowing us to do what we do. This facility really is as good as anywhere i have been. It was clean, tidy, modern, roomy. I mean it was awesome. Nothing like anything we have in Sydney and a credit to all involved. Dave and i started with a putting clinic in the morning which ran for about two hours and then we had lunch. After lunch we took the group for a one and a half hour session on the chipping green and worked on the short game. After a coffee break we went to the range for a final session working on any golf swing issues we had noticed over the first two days, it was a great day. After the school we were meet by Pat our non golfing participant for a casual dinner overlooking the course and it's facilities recapping the days activities. After golf it was off to the second leg of our trip which was up north at the vines resort up in the WA hills. We were greeted by a magnificent resort which was to be our home for the next two nights. After checking in it was back to the bar to watch the State of Origin with our new friends and anyone else who was interested. The perfect finish to a great day.

Day 4 we had a late start for golf so David and I headed out to tour the facility what a great place. This was the venue for the Johnny Walker Classic for a few years in the late 2000's and it would prove to be a test for all of us. We started the day with bunker clinic at the clubs first class facility and a warm up before our round. The wind had got up a little today but most notable the terrain had changed. The first two days were seaside with saltbush and pot bunkers now we were in the foothills with gum trees, black boys, heaps of bunkers and  lots of water. What a contrast. What a great course, Undulating fairways, strategically placed bunkers and greens like i have never seen before. The big winner today was Rod who drove the ball very impressively and kept his ball out of the bunkers the best of all of us. You can see why this was chosen as a tournament course for those years, but it does amazes me how good these guys score, because we weren't even in the ball park. Dinner again tonight was at the guests discretion and they chose to eat together (which was nice) Dave and I went to catch up with some family which was great fun.

The 3rd hole on the Quarry Course at Joondalup

The last day we travelled to Joondalup which for me was the highlight of the trip. Joondalup is the #1 golf resort in the country and #18 on the Australian rankings and the quarry nine was something i had heard a lot about and was ready to witness. The whole course winds through the quarry with some being filled with water (the lakes nine), some they have mounded up (the dunes) and some they have left natural (the Quarry) and the whole golf course was a great experience. like nothing i have played in Australia before. The big winner today was Shirley who cleaned all the boys up with her straight driving and improved short game. After the round we had a farewell dinner at the members clubhouse at Joondalup and all sat around talking about the great trip we had been through together. These were a great group of people, fantastic accommodations, gorgeous weather and some of the best courses i have ever played and it was all over. Special thanks to all the clubs for making their facilities available to us with a special thanks to Peter Hopkins who really opened up his doors for us. To all the Professionals for allowing David and I to access your facilities it was very much appreciated and all the hotel staff for looking after us so well. Last but not least our travelling companions for being such great sports, trips like these never go without a hitch and you guys were easy to deal with and a pleasure to spend time with and we are very happy you were there with us and to my old mate David whom with out all his help we could definitely not have done this trip in the style that we did. Thanks mate. By the way our side bet was each 9 hole and 18 hole score and over the 8 nines Dave won 1 and I won 6 and we tied 1 and I won all four 18's. It will be all on again in the states in September.

If you would like more information on our US trip coming up in Sept go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ or contact us. Times running out and we only have a few spots left.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield

Going to Perth - Tim going well - Plenty on.

David and I have been busy finalising the Perth trip details this week. We only have a small group going but for the first trip to the Western state we understand it takes a while to build these trips up and we also very much like the one on one nature of a smaller group, so we are pumped and ready to go.
We have golf booked at the Cut, the Links at Kennedy Bay, The Vines and Joondalup which are all exceptional courses and an aspect of the trip I am very much looking forward to, as I have only played one of the four courses myself. We are staying at the Sebel Mandurah and the Novatel at The Vines so our accomodation is of the highet quality and on Wednesday we are travelling to Whaleback Golf Academy for a 1/2 day golf school at the home of our old Friend Peter Hopkins (he's been a friend for a long time - he's not really old). Peter is somewhat of a legend in WA with a very distinguished record as a player, teacher, PGA director and all round Professional Golfer. Dave and I are very much looking forward to catching up with Hoppy and finding out what he has been up to.
Everyone is booked, paid for and excited to go, so bring it on and we will keep you posted.

Tim Frazer has made his way to the states for his 2nd run at the Dakotas Tour, better and more prepared than ever before. The boys arrived on the 12th of June (Yes there is 3 of them this time) and were straight into it with their first event being in the Provo Open. The boys were treated like rock stars as an Australian accent is a pretty rare thing in that part of the world and they graced the pages of the local newspaper, a golf magazine, as well as the Utah Morning show (who would have thought). Tim payed well in his first event back shooting 74 - 72 making his first cut as a Professional and shooting 74 keeping him just outside the money with plenty of room to improve. Great start. The boys had a few more days in Utah before heading to Mineapplis before driving to Sioux Falls in Iowa, venue for their first two events on the Dakotas Tour. It's been an exciting week getting settled in, practicing for their first events, Tim even won his first Professional cheque in the Professional section of the Sioux Falls Open (a whole $63 dollars - you have to start somewhere) the boys are prequalifiing on Friday for the Saturday - Sunday Event this weekend. We will be waiting with baited breath. Good luck mate. 

Plenty of organising going on at the Absolute Golf Headquarters with golf schools, On-course days, specialty corporate schools, even a golf cruise on the table at the moment and as usual our constant obsession with our upcoming USA Trip. Picked up another two for the upcoming trip this week which is moving us closer to our total of 9 guests and we still have plenty of interest in the festivities. It's going to be great. September 15th through to the 26th. For more information go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ . Click on the online schedule or Contact us for more information.

Will keep you posted on next weeks trip with pictures and plenty of stories to tell.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield  

US Open, On-course and The End Of An Era.

Last weeks US Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco was as exciting a golf tournament as I have seen for a very long time. What a challenging golf course with it's sloping fairways, small greens and typical Californian summer weather. Foggy. It was very interesting to watch this event. I don't know if i have seen as many mental errors as i saw last weekend (which is what a tough course does to even the best players). Our old friend Bob Duncan must have been shaking his head the amount of times players were trying to hit draws from fade lies and fades from draw lies and all this does is puts pressure on their long games which in turn puts pressure on their short games and hence the big scores. It is an amazing golf course with holes as short as 160 yards (145 meters) up to the longest hole in US Open history at 670 yards (over 600 meters). The course is in a very good golf area with the Olympic club having 45 holes, and nearby courses being Harding Park, host of US PGA Tour events and the Presidents Cup, The San Francisco Club another US Open Venue as well as other famous courses like Pasa Tiempo and many more. All of these courses are only minutes away from where we stay in San Fran on our annual trip as we have driven past the Olympic Club gates and visited Harding Park on previous visits. Congratulations to Wade Simpson, to post those two weekend scores while everyone else was back pedalling was a phenomenal effort and deserved of an Open Champion.

The new par three 8th at the Olympic Club

The On-course lessons are going gangbusters. Our new venue for On-Course Days Twin Creeks has been a great addition to our repertoire giving us a championship golf course for our guests to learn what they need to do to play better golf. The course has been in terrific condition and the weather has been sensational giving everyone involved a fantastic opportunity to get the most out of their day. David and I are On-Course every Friday and are out to give each golfer what they want from there golf. If you would like to attend an Absolute Golf On-Course Golf Day contact either David or myself, we would love to have you along.

The End of An Era. Sydney Olympic Park Golf Range.

The Golf Range at Sydney Olympic Park is closing after ten years trade. The range was one of the busiest in the country and offered quality programs with a friendly atmosphere and it will be a real shame to see it go. I have been a regular part of the furniture for the past five years offering the club fitting services as the Head Club Fitter as well as coaching to the poor unfortunates who got to come and see me (just kidding) and it will be a shame to lose contact with all the wonderful people we have had contact with over the recent years. There are a few people i would like to thank after five years of working at this fun venue, firstly James Commerford and Chris Chilton for having the foresight to try and run a top class venue and providing activities and services that were not being offered in the Sydney area.
To all the coaches for entrusting me with your students and allowing me to fit them to help with their golf improvement. I am always very honoured that a professional allows their pupils to go freely to work with another professional even it is for a common goal, I hope i always deserved that trust.
My regular pupils, i have meet some terrific new friends working at the range which many of whom i may not get to see again as the distance may be too great. Thank you for you trust and your support and remember to let me know how you are going, good bad or ugly i would love to help.
All the range staff, for your efforts to make the range a happy place to work and for the best coffee in the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct and last but not least Scott Davis who as head professional at the range lead by example and left blood on the tee offering his students the best he could. Mate i look forward to working with you in the future in the Golf School business and doing the Golf Trips and I hope we can keep doing great work together.

Go to http://www.absolute/ golf to check out our US Trip information or any of our upcoming golf school dates. We would love to see you.

See you on the course.

Jeff Mansfield  

Assesment days, On-course days, Tim Frazers Golf Day and Western Aust Trip.

Absolute Golf started their official season with Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club last weekend (the 27th May) with a new format designed to help golfers evaluate what they need to work on to help their golf. We ran two assesment days, Sun 27th May for 23 golfers and Friday 1st June for 18 golfers. The goal for the day was to allow the attendees to get a better understanding of what it was exactly that holds them back and how this information would allow each player to improve their games in the desired areas. Both days were really well responded too with Twin Creeks putting on a terrific day with registration, lunch, range balls before the round. David, Scott Davis and myself watched all players from a distance trying to get an insight into what each player does when he or she is playing and how it will help and each golfer recieved a statistic sheet to fill out while they were on the course. We got plenty of information from the sheets and observations, so much so that processing all the data is taking longer than first thought but we are working through it all to get each player their own individual report. Watch this space to see who the big improvers are.

This week (Fri 8th) we have our first official On-Course day at Twin Creeks with at present 8 golfers booked in to spend the day with Scott Davis, David Reckless and myself. These days have been very popular since we have taken them to the "Absolute Golf" regulars and Twin Creeks proves to be a great venue for us to run these very unique days. We will keep you posted on how they are going. There are more days coming up on Friday the 15th and 22nd of June.

Last Sunday my good friend and star pupil Tim Frazer held a farewell golf day at the place where it first started, Wentworth Falls C.C. It was a typical mountain day, foggy, misty, light rain and cool, but this did not deter the spirit in which the day was taken in. There were about 30 players who played in the specially designed format to maximise the enjoyment of all who attended. Tims range of sponsors provided all matter of gifts from trophies for the winners, runners up and third, nearest to the pins and drive and pitches as well as raffle prizes and auction prizes. After such a miserable day it would have been easy for all involved to dissapear into the night but it is a testiment to the mateship of these strong band of brothers who hung around, eating and drinking, telling stories, collecting trophies and raffle prizes and bidding in auctions all designed to help Tim with his time over in the states playing on the upcoming Dakotas Tour ( he leaves next Tuesday for his first event). Congratulations to all involved in making sure the day ran smoothly and to all who went out on a tough day to support this worthy cause. Special thanks to my playing partners for the day, it was great getting out and having a game with my old mates Brad Farrell who travelled up from Picton and Sam Dzwinek coming up from Bathurst. It was terrific to see that youv'e still got it Sambo. Also well done to our other playing partner Chris Samios who made a rare appearance and still managed to get runner up for the day. I will keep you posted on Tim and his results.

We are down to the pointy end of putting our Western Australian Trip together with just the final few people getting back to us whether they will be making the journey. The courses are great, the accomodation is first class and with David there it will never be dull. This is a very special golf destintion in Australia, with Perth having some of the best courses in the country within a 40 minute drive and a range of styles that would make any travelling golfer envious. We are taking final enquires for the WA Trip over the next week. So if you would like to get away from the East coast winter blues and come and play some great golf with us, contact us today or go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ .

All the best
Jeff Mansfield       

On-Course day and players Championship

Scott Davis joined David and myself at Lynwood Country Club for an On-Course golf day last Friday the 11th of May. The afternoon weather was glorious, the course was in fantastic condition and there was plenty to be learned. The 7 guys attending the session got plenty of their pro's time and i heard good reports come back from how all the players went. Bobby Wray, Warrick Bates and new convert Peter Campbell all got rave revues playing some terrific golf between them. Chris, Greg, Arun, Arron (all newbies to our schools) had their first exposure to on-course tuition and showed some real signs of moving ahead.
The new dates for upcoming On-Course Days are

• Friday 18th May - Lynwood C.C.
• Friday 25th May - Lynwood C.C.
• Friday 8th June - Twin Creeks G &.C.C.
• Friday 15th June - Twin Creeks G.& C.C.   

Other upcoming activities are the sold out Assessment Days being held at Twin Creeks on Sunday the 27th May and Friday 1st June. After the huge response we had to these days we will be running further assessment days to try and help our pupils to see where they need to improve their games. Watch this space.

Watching the Players Championship over the weekend it is evident to me that golfers of all levels are afflicted by the same ailments. I gave a lesson to an old friend during the week who couldn't take the club away and then was so aware of his club head position that he would stop at the top of his swing when it didn't feel "just right". Turning on and seeing recent Tour event winner Kevin NA going through the same thing was quite amazing. Golfers get so aware of there movement patterns that they sometimes have trouble getting started away from the ball. we also see tennis players getting stuck with their serves sometimes and also recently i have noticed AFL players getting stuck after taking a mark. When you have time to think about it that is when it goes all wrong. The problem with Golf is we have too much time to spend on every shot and it becomes almost debilitating. The same tennis players don't have any concerns with hitting a volley or a ground shot because they don't have time to think about it and the same goes with an AFL player who gets the ball and snaps a goal. The goal to golf then is not to think too much, keep moving and keep your mind busy on important things like routine and target. Cricketers, tap the bat before a ball is bowled, tennis players move and shuffle while waiting to receive a serve, Goal keepers move and shuffle while waiting for a penalty goal and we see golfers waggling the club and shuffling their feet. keeps you moving and gets you ready to play.

Good to see nice guys go well. Matt Kuchar, PGA Good Guy had a great win and got over the line to win the prestigious Players Championship with a score of 13 under just in front of Luke Donald and recent tour event winner Ben Curtis and Rickie Fowler. It is an amazing course and puts on a show every year nd it did it again this year.

see you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield

Absolute Golf and the Worlds Largest Golf Society

It's been another big week for Absolute Golf this week culminating with David and I taking a group out to Lynwood Country Club for an 18 hole On-Course Golf Day, Saturday was busy with David teaching at Dural all day and I had the morning at Sydney Olympic Park and the afternoon On-Course at Wallacia with three regulars for 9 holes. These On-Course days have proven to be very popular with all attendees agreeing that the golf course really is the best place to learn how to play golf. The guys (and girls) tend to leave the day with something to work on with their swings, something more on their short games, something more to work on with the influences of the course as well as some course management and game planning advice. It is like 4 lessons in one and they get to do it on a great golf course while enjoying good company. Could it be any better. The best advertisement for the success of the days is how quickly they book out and boy do they book out quick. If you are looking for a Lesson on Golf not just a Swing Lesson (and don't confuse the two because they are different) contact us to or go to the website and check out the dates for our upcoming events. Find one you like and book in today. We will put you on the road to improvement and better golf.  

Lynwood Country Club

Regular venue for absolute golf On-Course golf days

Dave and I had the pleasure spending our first day with our new friends The Nomads Golf Society. The group started in South Africa with the premise of people enjoying good golf, good company and giving back to the comunity. Sydney has two Nomads Golf clubs (North and South) who play some of the best courses in Sydney and do some great work in raising money for the Cancer Council as well as Jack Newton Junior Golf (more than $200K of charitable donations over 7 years) and yesterday the two groups got together at Macquarie Links Golf Club for their annual inter-club challenge. Dave and I ran one of our trademark putting clinics for the boys on green reading which went down a treat and seemed to be enjoyed by everyone involved. We turned a few heads with some of the things we were able to show the guys and got a great response in the questions that were asked as well as the feed back that came back. Mark Dover Souths Club Captain, even credited two monster putts he hold to the understanding of what came out of the clinic.
After the clinic Dave and I got to play with some regular members of the group and take part of the inter-club matches as well as playing in the event of the day. I had the pleasure of partnering new friend Anton from the Norths club to a strong victory over Souths club members Jonty and Anthony. The game was played in great spirit but thankfully Anton played some great golf and ultimately ended up winning the Nomads champion of the day as well as runner up in his division for the overall group. I was even lucky enough to pick up runner up in the A Grade nett even though i limped into the clubhouse over the last few holes. David did nothing to startling with his round but enjoyed the opportunity to have a round of golf and looks forward to playing well next time round.

Macquarie Links International Golf Course

Venue for recent putting schools with The Nomads Golf Society

After the golf we went inside for presentations and a run down of the days activities which included the list of fines that are handed out amongst players (one of the ways they raise money for the charities and great fun) where i was even offered a fine for offering late advice to one of my playing opponents (after we had already won) which he took on board and played some great golf back to the club. Anthony had showed too much promise to offer the advice before we had finished them off and any way it was all for a good cause (and that's my excuse and i am sticking to it).

Thank you to our our new friends at The Nomads. Dave and I look very much forward to being involved with this great group of golfers and we hope to be able to do some good things in the future.

See you on the course.

Jeff Mansfield        

Trips: Western Australia and the U.S.A.

Absolute Golf is holding two golf related trips to interest any avid golfer, Social, Competition or Champion.

Our trips have been attended by 2 handicaps and aspiring pro's all the way to 36 handicap guys who play with their mates on Saturdays or Wednesdays and even social club golfers who just love their golf. Our trips offer something for everyone and everyone comes home glowing from the experience.

Some of the spectacular scenery of The Cut Golf Course 

The first of our trips is to the beautiful Western state playing golf at The Links at Kennedy Bay, The Cut, Joondalup as well as the Vines. All these courses are in the top 50 courses in the country and will be a pleasure to play. We are staying at The Sebel in Mandurah as well as The Vines Novatel Resort.
We will be running 2 x one hour clinics (Tuesday and Thursday) as well as a half day golf school on Wednesday. Both the pro's attending the tour will also play golf each day offering their advice to improve your game on the way around.
If you would like to find out more about our WA Trip go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ . You won't regret it.

Next is or U.S.A. Trip We already have this trip of a lifetime 1/3 booked and we are waiting for you to take your place today. Your guides for this trip are Scott Davis, David Reckless and Jeff Mansfield and we only take 9 playing guests which means you have a pro in your group everyday. This is the 3rd running of our very popular 12 day trip to San Francisco, Monterey and for the first time Palm Springs. Our golf is at PGA Tour regular stops Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay as well as PGA West, The Nicklaus tournament and The Norman Course at The La Quinta Resort as well as the Arnold Palmer designed Silverrock.

PGA West Stadium Course at The La Quinta Resort

Our accommodation while playing golf is at the Inn @ Spanish Bay and the La Quinta Resort and proves to be first class all the way. Extra curricular activities include welcome dinner, a three day tournament in Palm Springs on the courses of the Bob Hope Classic and post tournament dinner, the Piper of Spanish Bay as well as sight seeing, shopping and generally having a great time.
If you would like to see more information on our U.S.A. Trip go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ and contact us to make you booking today.

See you on the course today.
Jeff Mansfield       

Assesment days, On-Course days and a New Golf School Format!!

How do you expect to get better at your golf when you're not quite certain what you need to work on?

This is a common and a real problem! Golfers can't quite work out why their scores don't match their practice and there is lots of reasons and it's different for everyone. Absolute Golf along wih Scott Davis Golf have come up with a solution. We have formulated a program which starts with "assesment days" which will allow us (and you) to measure your game effectively and put on the road to better golf. We have scheduled two days Sunday the 27th of May and Friday 1st June at at our new Golf School venue Twin Creeks golf and Country Club  (which are already booked out). These days include 20 players and the 3 coaches and will include warm up and on-course sessions in which the pro's and the players themselves will keep statistics and records to what each player gets up to during the course of their rounds and the areas that need improvement on each individual level. These days have never been performed before and should be a real insight for the golfers and coaches alike offering an insight and a solution into the needs of each individual player.
After the assesment days, 2 hour golf schools will be made available to the assesment day attendees specifically designed to focus on the parts of the game that the individual players need in particular. These assesment days will be run every three months so golfers can reassess their games and measure their improvement. I don't know of any golf instructors that are offering anything like these days and you the golfer are open to the benefits. Watch this space and track the improvement.

Putting School with David at the helm.

Our On-Course Golf days are being ramped up to the next level and we are adding a new dimension at the same time. Absolute golf have booked over 25 Friday afternoons at Lynwood Country Club and our exciting new addition Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club. Essentially that means we are holding an on-course golf day every Friday for the rest of the year, three players per coach so there is plenty of one on one time. The majority of the days will be at Twin Creeks which is a Graham Marsh Design which has gained a huge amount momentum over it's short time as a golf course and we are very happy to be able to bring this fantastic facility to you.
For more information on our On-Course Golf Days go to http://www.absolutegolf.om.au/ .

Absolute Golf is going back to our roots. The "Science Day" is making a come back!
We have develpoed a two hour golf school touching on topics like, Long Game Influences, Pitching, Chipping, Bunkers, Putting and Course Conditions and Influences. Thats right, six new schools that will fill in all the answers you need. These schools will go for two hours each and we will hold two schools a day, but these days are specifically for you. They will be held at Twin Creeks. The cost per school is $99.00 and if you would like to attend both, then the cost is $199 including lunch. If the idea of one school and 9 holes of golf is your perfect day you can pay $99.00 and we will organise golf for you, at your cost. These sessions have been incredibly popular and will be great as an education or a re-education for those who have attended past Science Days. This is a lesson in golf which golfers always get something from. Keep your eyes open for these 2 hour Science Days, they are coming and they will be something to behold.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield 
   

US Masters Week, Bob's on his way home and we are moving ahead.

Masters week and what a beauty. Bubba came out of the clouds with 4 birdies in a row from 13 to 16 to hunt down Louis Oosthuizen and then hit the remarkable shot out of the deep stuff to make par and win. Another classic Masters finish. I have never really been a huge 'Bubba fan', but i always enjoy watching someone take care of their emotions (and their game) when they are coming down the stretch and that is exactly what he did. For someone who is self proclaimed "excitable" it was a great effort for Watson to stay level minded and not get ahead of him self, even more impressive when he had all the emotion so plainly visible seconds after holing the winning putt. A fantastic effort. Vale Bubba.

Absolute Golf and Bob Duncan in action.

Dave dropped Bob Duncan back to the airport yesterday morning for his flight home to the U.S. It was another successful trip with Bob with over 40 golfers exposed to his GPS training system in different parts of the country. Our trip to Melbourne worked well for Bob with us able to put him in touch with some positive people with positive influence. We are very much looking forward to what we can do over the next few visits and what we can have set up for Bob's next sojourn down under. We also got Bob onto some decent golf courses this visit (even though most of the Sydney ones were water logged). We sent him home this time with three top ten courses ticked off the slate, (New South Wales - Barnbougle Dunes - Barnbougle Lost Farm) which also all rate highly in the World Top 100 list and this was a real treat for us to be able to take him to see some of our very best courses in the country. As usual Bob was fun to deal with (as long as you didn't get in the road of his camera) and he made new friends everywhere he went. It was great as usual to spend some time with you mate. We look forward to catching up real soon.

Bob Duncan and myself on the 6th tee at NSW Golf Club

David, Scott Davis and myself have started advertising the USA Trip to Pebble Beach and Palm Springs from 15th - 26th September 2012. The trip looks bigger and better than ever before, the courses look fantastic, the accommodation first class and the schedule is jam packed. If you would like to find out more about this trip and any other activities we have going this year please go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ and click on the Golf Trips menu. We also have the information for the upcoming Western Australian Trip playing Kennedy Bay, The Cut, Joondalup and The Vines posted. either way get on and take a look, you will like what you see.

The Links at Kennedy Bay.

 One of the courses we will be playing on our WA Trip

 
If you would like to follow David or myself on socail media we are both on Facebook and Linkedin and would love for you to follow our progress and be involved.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield

Barnbougle! What a place.

We got back from our annual trip to Barnbougle on Monday a little weary but a lot better off for the experience. The trip went fantastically with the golf courses being everything we expected plus more, the food being sensational and the group being a great bunch of guys.

The Barnbougle Gang in it's entirety.

On the practice range at Barnbougle Dunes

The trip started on Thursday with everyone flying into Launcestone Airport around Midday and being shuttled by two 20 seater buses to the city for lunch and a top up of ammunition for our four days of golf. Once everyone was in, watered and feed we headed for the hills on our way to Bridport, Tasmania,  the home of Barnbougle Dunes, the Lost Farm and our destination the Bridport Resort. After we arrived and settled in we headed off to the Pipersbrook Winery for our welcome dinner and tour of the facility. This is always a great night and quite an experience. These guys really know how to throw a dinner party. Sparkling wine and Canapes on arrival, (smoked salmon, King Island brie and Tasmanian trout, just to mention a few). Then we did a tour of the wine making facility going from the vats to the wine making lab and through to the barrels and the bottling. Very interesting for even a non wine drinking person like myself. After the tour we were escorted to our table for the evening which was set up down amongst all the wine barrels and was a perfect place for us for the night. We then had the first of our five courses which included local Tasmanian seafood, Quail, beef and lamb not to mention a real treat for the Americans, Pavlova. This was a great evening, Deon and the girls really looked after us well and it was the perfect opportunity for everyone to get to know each other.

All the coaches at the Pipersbrook Winery with our Deon.

The next day we awoke with trepidation, the sky was black and the wind was blowing. We had breakfast at the resort and headed off to the course about 9.30 for our clinic with Scott. The clinic went for about an hour and after a warm up on the range and a practice putt we headed out onto the course for our first round. This is really about the first time we have seen some true Barnbougle weather in three visits and although it was hard work it was also great fun. The wind blew about 45 KM/Per Hour and we only got about 10 minutes of rain for the entire round (although both times we got showers it did have sleet in it.), but all in all we got very lucky and everyone had a great time and David didn't loose his gold star for booking good weather for our trips. The superstars for the day were Hank Schumacher with 39 points and Mick Carroll with 35 points. Dinner that night was at the Bridport Resort and was fantastic as usual. Everyone had plenty of stories to tell, we all went to bed to warm up and get ready for what laid waiting the next day.

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise, clear blue sky and a slight zephyr. A marked improvement on the day before, still cold but much more inviting. The Lost Farm was in great nick. Really well grown in with another year of growth on the course. Paul's short game clinic got every ones attention with each attendee getting in front and centre to have a try. The breeze did get up a little in the afternoon getting up to about 25 KM/ Per Hour, but after the day before this was a doddle and everyone came off the course with huge smiles on their faces. The Lost Farm is an interesting facility as it has 20 holes, with two shorter extra holes for the golfers to play. The scores of the day went to Robyn Woellener with 50 points (that's right fifty). Even though this was over 20 holes this was a hell of a score and David, (Robyn's pro for the day) said it was as good a round as he has seen played for a long time. Hank and Mick had 40 points each with many more trailing nearby. That night dinner was especially tasty as we had played both courses and were enjoying the idea of backing up again in the morning.
The next day was even better. Clear as a bell, no wind, just the thought of getting some sort of revenge on the course that had kicked so many butts on the first day. Bob's GPS clinic was a real eye opener for the guys. The understanding that not everything that went wrong was there faults was a novel concept but they al got a great deal from his points. Today's event was a teams event with the best two scores on each hole counting and boy did i pick the right group. First day winner Hank, Michael Atkinson and Arun teamed up especially well with our team scoring 93 points (this time for 18 holes) this was 21 points over the average of two you should score. The boys combined fantastically scoring over 50 points on the front nine alone, what a day. After the round we sat in the clubhouse at Barnbougle and passed around stories of all the things that had happened and all the things that might have been. Tonight's dinner was at one of the local Hotels renowned for its fine cuisine and it did not fail us. The food and the wine flowed freely and we had a presentation for the first three days winners. Great fun.

Some local visitors in the bush.

The next day was an early start we had to pack the buses before our round so we could head off and get to the airport after the round. Breakfast was at the Lost Farm before our round and everyone was ready for a last run at this monster. The day was quite warm, although a little overcast and the same as the day before there was very little breeze. We had a great day, everyone was getting the handle on the course and the smiles on the faces were showing it. After golf we headed back to the airport to get the golfers on their way back to the real world and pass on their many stories of their trials and tribulations.
Specials notes for the weekend:

• Hank Schumacher breaking his handicap in each round during the trip (which he also did last year) 
• Robyn Woelleners 50 points at the Lost Farm on Saturday. What a score.
• Arun's two iron shots at the back nine par threes at Barnbougle on Sunday. All up the two putts wouldn't have been 8 feet if we added them together.
• Michael Atkinson lipping out on the 16th at Barnbougle on Sunday for a hole in one. It was a great shot.
• Warrick Bates making it around all four days (and playing some terrific golf on the way), it was great having you there mate.
• Stephan showing Scotty around the family inheritance on the first day. The summer house will make a great bachelor pad one day.
• Gabe Petri finding out that Arun was his surrogate son during the course of the weekend. Beautiful theings do happen (you had to be there)

This years trip was a little different from previous years as we took 5 pro's, not just the usual cast of David, Scott Davis and myself with guest coaches Bob Duncan and Paul Buchanan making there way with us this year and proving to be a great addition to our trip. This was the first visit for these guys to the apple isle and it doesn't look like it will be the last. The boys had a great time, loving the format and really fitting in well with the Absolute Golf way of doing things. Scott, Bob and Paul all played an integral part of the trips success and a special thanks goes out to them all for their involvement in the trip, the group sessions they each provided during the week and their level of commitment to ensuring each attendee got the most from the school.
Special thanks to Stephan for his efforts putting together the design and printing for our schedule and a lot of the hand outs for the trip. Thanks Steph.

Some not so local visitors in the bush.

And a special trip to my partner in crime David, who did a fantastic job putting together all the details to a fantastic trip. It would not be half the fun it is if he didn't do such a great job and i congratulate him for his marvellous effort. great job mate.
When all the photos come back (from Stephan and Robyn) i will post them for all to see. there will be some more on the websites and facebook for everyone to see.
Talk soon
Jeff Mansfield

Only 7 more sleeps!!

It's not long to go now. we are inside the one week barrier. I am just about to head down the airport to pick Bob Duncan from Bend, Oregon up and so will start another adventure. It will be a busy month with 5 days in Tasmania, 2 days in Melbourne and 2 days in Sydney (Bob also has a day on the Gold Coast). The schools will be new and fresh, Bob has been working on some new material and has charts and graphs to give even better understanding of his GPS program. So we are looking forward to catching up with him and seeing what is new.

Another happy golf school group.

We still have some spots for our Golfer Positioning System classes at Riverside Oaks on Friday the 30th of March and Sunday the 1st of April and also in Melbourne at Sunshine Golf Club on Monday the 2nd and Tuesday 3rd of April with Absolute Golf Bob Duncan as well as Bryan Ferguson. These are something very special and we are teaching something that i believe nobody anywhere is teaching, these are just for the Absolute Golf faith full and everyone who comes along finds that they learn something new. Why don't you contact us today and reserve your place at one of these Absolute Golf learning experience today.

It's been great to see some nice weather for the past week. We had another on-course day last week at a new venue for Absolute Golf, Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club. This truly is a terrific venue with top class facilities, a well conditioned championship type course that people flock to from all over Sydney to play and we are very happy to be involved with such an in-demand club. Our day on Friday was great we did some chipping, bunkers, course management, course mapping and a little swing work all in one day and the guys really responded to it. It was a lot of fun.

Views from Barnbougle Dunes

Next week i will be writing the blog from Bridport, Tasmania giving you the guff from in the trenches at Barnbougle Dunes and the Lost Farm. Everyone is excited, most have picked up their Barnbougle Tour golf bags and are awaiting the starters gun. It's going to be great.
Talk soon.
Jeff Mansfield

Barnbougle is full, USA Trip out and Bob Duncan golf schools on there way

Our efforts to fill the Barnbougle trip have been successful. We  now have a full book and are ready for a great trip south, all we need to do is leave the Sydney weather at home and we should be all fine. We are in the process of giving each of the attendees their logo'd golf bag for the trip. Everything has been finalised and now we are just waiting for the date to come and Bob Duncan to fly in from the states. We can't wait. 

Speaking of Bob, while we have him out here we are also running some golf schools at Riverside Oaks and in Melbourne. The schools at Riverside are on the 30th of March and the 1st of April and are already starting to fill up fast. Our man on the ground in Melbourne Bryan Ferguson is also starting to get some interest for our schools down south, we will have all the details in upcoming postings on the blog. Bob has never been to Melbourne, so the golf course state should be a real treat for him, but Melbourne has never seen anything like Bobs GPS either and i am sure it will go down a treat. For more information on GPS and what to expect from these very educational schools, click on the video link attached http://youtu.be/37_OXHJ691k
I have finally advertised the USA trip for this year it is on the website with all the information, schedule and cost's. The trip will be even better than the past with 7 organised rounds of golf, every one at a PGA Tour venue that will blow you away. Our accomodation is at some of the finest hotels in the Monterey and Palm Springs areas and we have activities that will give you the break that you wanted. We also have a non golfer package this year so you can bring your significant other along. With activities like tours, outlet shopping,  world class spa's and sight seeing they will have us much fun as us on the course. If you would like any more information or you would like to make a booking please contact me at jeff@jmgs.com.au.

Last Saturday afternoon and evening i went to my old home club Wentworth Falls CC for a junior reunion. Past juniors, directors and junior promotional officers and any one with anything to do with the juniors of the day was included and as the past pro even i got a start. I must say it was one of the best evenings i have had in a long time. To see so many men who have grown up around the game who are now such fine human beings was an absolute pleasure. It is an old saying, but" the juniors of today are the club members of the future", well i can tell you that what you realise is that they are also the busnessmen, husbands, fathers of the future as well, and this great game we play and the structure that a golf club and it's membership gives is a great tool for shaping these young men and women into the people they will one day be. Golfers have always been good eggs, as they are taught rules, ettiqutte, manners, respect, honesty, social skills, just to mention a few, from the club scene. But never have i noticed it so blatantly as the other night. My congratulations to all the boys from the WFCC, i tip my hat to you all.

To ensure your kids get it right as they get to a mature age, get them playing golf and let them join a club. they don't have to be super stars, the life skills alone will be more than worth the effort.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield

What makes a good player?

Its been another week of wet weather but there is signs of it cracking, hopefully giving the golf courses a chance to dry out a little.

Since i last posted i have been on-course with a few regulars, done a fare share of range lessons, taken my girls Encourage Shield for another close loss to Bankstown Golf Club (they have lost 2 - 1 1/2 each week- The reserves match or a drawn match is Worth half a point) and spent more time than i wish to count attending to my new facebook and Linkedin accounts and all the trappings that go with them.

Dave and I have had some interesting discussions on what makes a good player and the things our pupils are striving for and amazingly how far apart these two things are. The player is someone who can hit a few shots but obviously has a good understanding of what their ball is going to do under certain circumstances, Their ability to make educated decisions on the type of shot necessary and act on them is what sets them apart, as well as the ability to miss hit this same shot and not get hung out to dry by the result of this same bad shot. Also a quality short game is an absolute necessity. Most of the people that we teach come with the preconcieved notion that a better swing will allow them to play better, when the skills that make a good player say nothing about having a great swing. If this was the case great players like Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd and so many more would have never made it off the driving range and onto the lederboards of world golf. There are things that good players do that are tendancies of a good swing, like impact the ball but apart from that it was each to his own. For instance Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus would all play heir shots with a fade (their ball would curve from left to right) most of the golfers i teach hate moving the ball left to right as they think a straight shot works better. Raymond Floyd was at times an unhappy hooker of the ball (over curving his shots to the left) but this did not stop him from winning two US Masters and two US Opens. Many players i know feel the need of using a 9.5 or 10.5 gergree driver as this will help them play better and drive further, but woth Lee Westwood using a 12 degree driver, Aaron Baddely using an 11 dergree driver and the news is Tiger is using a driver that has been bent to 11 degrees also, why would something that works for them be something that you believe dosen't work for you. So i have come to the conclusion that "what makes a good player is someone who works with what they have and learns to improve the outcome, not striving to fix the proceedure with no guarantee of improving the finished product." The old saying is that the squares on a scorecard are only 5mm x 5mm for a reason, they are not there for a story just to put your score.  If you want to see some of the greatest players ever to play watch this video and see what their swings have in common with yours. The players on this short video won 767 professional tournaments and 39 majors.   http://youtu.be/u3kh0bjlYX0 .

If you want to get the most out of what you do and become the player that you want to be Absolute Golf have some golf schools coming up that will improve your chances. Go to http://www.absolutegolf.com.au/ to find out about our Barnbougle Dunes Trip, GPS Schools with Bob Duncan, as well as some of our on-course days designed to make you a better player.

Until next time, see you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield 

Golf schools and Pebble Beach.

A new week and there is plenty on. David and I had our first school of the year this week with a small group attending our Sunday session on Myths and Influences at Riverside Oaks. (Fridays class was washed out with the rain). We had the group on the range for two hours before lunch and then headed out on-course for three hours of practical tuition and the guys responded to this session very successfully. Everyone had their individual needs they were looking at fulfilling and according to everyone they all left with those being meet. I haven't seen players improve this quickly since the last time we ran one of these schools. But seriously the boys did very well and at the end of the day everyone went home with a smile on their face. It was great being back out on the course running our days and as usual Dave was in fine fettle and a good time was had by all.

Peter Puerta hitting off on the 1st hole at Riverside Oaks

in the on-course section of our myths and influences school.

Some of the group assessing what needed

to be done to make this shot work.

 I have also been able to watch with great jealousy while the PGA Tour goes round Pebble Beach in the AT&T Pro am in our favourite part of the states "the Monterey Coast". The Tournament is played over three courses, Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and The Monterey Peninsula Country Club. What a great place, the ocean, the scenery and the golf. it doesn't get much better. Pebble and Spyglass are two of the three courses on the Monterey roster of our annual USA trip this year with Spanish Bay being the third and the second half of the trip being in Palm Springs on courses recently played in the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta.

The famous 7th green at Pebble Beach.

Both David and I have ventured into the world of social media in the past 7 days, so if this is more your style and is a way for you to keep up with the tips, blog upcoming events or even the honour roll we are offering you the opportunity to do it in your way. Please find attached a link that will take you to both our Facebook accounts as well as out linkedin account. We hope there is enough there to keep you interested in what we do and we would love any feedback that you may have for us as being golf professionals we do not claim to be experts in all this social media stuff. Enjoy.

I look forward to seeing you on the course (even if it rains).
Jeff Mansfield

What can i learn from watching Golf on TV?

I have happened to have a couple of late starts on Mondays over the past three weeks and have taken the time to sit down and watch the final holes of each of the USPGA Tour events that have been played, with some crazy finishes and some excellent things to be learnt. I don't watch the golf to look at the swings or how far they hit, I get to see players hit great shots every day, you guys that we teach make just as many great swings as most of these guys (you just don't know how to appreciate them or what to do with them when you make them). I watch the golf to see how these guys "cope under the pump". We have been spoiled with great young players who come out in their first event in contention and run away with it or hole a ten footer on the last, this has been become expected but this is not the norm.
Over the past two weeks on the TV we have been witness to two massive unravels over the past nine holes with Kyle Stanley losing a 7 shot lead on the first day culminating with an 8 on the final hole at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California and this week Spencer Levin had a 6 shot lead going into the final round, was run down by the afore mentioned Stanley over the last nine holes to take the "Waste Management Pheonix Open at TPC Scotsdale". These take us back to how people really learn, BY FAILURE..
These days we are so busy trying to be succesful that we don't really take the time to learn from our failures. Last year at the Masters, everyone was horrified that upcoming superstar Rory Mcilroy spun out of control over the back nine holes to lose after hoding a 5 stroke lead. Mcilroy then went to Congressional for the US Open with a new resolve and a determination that we had not seen from the young man in the past which spring boarded him to bigger and better things in that tournament and from then on. 
On the weekend Kyle Stanley after his horrendous lose to Brandt Snedeker the week before, bounced back to shoot a final round 65 (6 under par) he took his good breaks (with his bad) and bounced back for an unlikely tournament victory and huge steps forward for him in his career.
Levin the ultimate third is now left to deal with his recent lose and it will be a matter of time before he is on the winners podium. This guy is a great player and will be a regular winner on the tour, it's only a matter of time, starting with how he gets over his recent learning experience.
There is an old saying "you will learn more from a loss than from any victory" and i believe it. Take time to look at what went on, be aware to do something different the next time, you may not even get what you want then, but at least you are affecting your destiny.

The 8th hole at Barnbougle Dunes, the no1 hole on the course.

We have U.S. golf coaches Bob Duncan and Paul Buchanan (one time coaches of Spencer Levin, Natalie Gulbis and many other fine tour players to their names) are both joining us for our upcoming trip to Barnbougle Dunes in late March. We have 15 spots (only two left) with 5 pros going down to these magnificent courses and a weekend of golf, clinics, food and fun which is looking to be a great trip once again. If you would like to find out more contact us at www.absolutegolf.com.au , we would love to see you there.

See you on the course.
Jeff Mansfield