High-intensity training can unlock potent speed in your golf swing – and the desert dunes of Big Red make the perfect playground

By Claudine Foong-Riggs
Speed is the essential raw material required in any powerful golf swing. When you can control it through balance, stability and good mechanics, that’s when you unlock explosive power. But without speed, a golfer will always have limitations. So how do we increase our dynamic power? We do it through high-intensity training, and a trip to the desert dunes on the Dubai-Hatta road provides the perfect environment in which to train. The soft sand and dramatic contours of the dunes make the following exercises especially challenging, but your focus should be on quality, not quantity. High-Intensity Interval Training and dynamic control for a golfer is beneficial for improving conditioning, strength, power and anabolic response to build muscle and reduce fat.  Each of the following exercises should be performed for no more than 20-30 seconds with a rest period of 30-60 seconds. Remember to always do a full warm-up before getting started.

Spiderman Crawl (main image)
This is a great exercise to do in the desert. Begin in a strong push-up position and bring your right knee to right elbow, left hand out in front and keep your body low to the ground. Alternate your hands and legs to continue to crawl forwards.
3 sets of 8

Speed Parachute Training
Once you have mastered the sprint technique, the parachute can be an excellent tool, which provides resistance in the drive phase of sprinting. You can do this exercise without a parachute.
Perform 3-5 sets of 30m sprints

Hill Sprints
Hill Sprints require an athlete to use a lot more leg power to drive hard into the ground. Sprint UP the hill and run back down, focusing on looking forward. Experiment with different hill lengths – short, medium and long.
Perform 3-5 sets

Bound with Med-Ball Pass 
Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart. Hold a light medicine ball (or basketball) at your chest. Hip hinge and push off the ground as hard as you can, jumping forwards. Push away with your arms and release the ball. Land softly and sprint to the ball and repeat.
3 sets of 5

‘180’ Jumps 
Your lower body is the driving force for this movement. The sequence is: lower body, core, then arms. Load and drive off the ground to rotate and face the opposite direction. Land softly, stabilising your body and immediately load and jump back in the other direction.
3 sets of 10

Claudine Foong is the Brand Ambassador of PXG Middle East. Instagram: @claudinefoong

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The post Golf Fitness Special: Speed drills in the desert appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Justin Parsons was with pals at Emirates Golf Club watching the 2008 FA Cup final when his cellphone rang. The call was prefixed +1, instantly recognisable as the dialling code for the U.S., and was about to make the Northern Irishman as giddy as Nwankwo Kanu had been moments earlier when the Portsmouth striker tucked away a near-post chance. The Nigerian’s 37th-minute goal would ultimately sink Cardiff City hearts, not that the football registered much after halftime for Parsons, his mind suddenly awash with possibility.

RELATED: Parsons lured to Georgia club that boasts David Love III and Zach Johnson among its membership

JP with Claude and Butch Harmon

Claude Harmon III, the middle of Butch and Christy Harmon’s three children, had just made the overture of a lifetime. Would JP be interested in joining him to open a new Butch Harmon School of Golf in Dubai Sports City, attached to the new Els Club? CH3, as he’s affectionately known in the trade, didn’t need to ask twice.

Parsons would start in late September as part of the pre-opening team. With much to do before Butch came out for the official opening on Jan. 14 the following year (Adam Scott also lent his celebrity to the occasion), Parsons figured a holiday was a sage move to recharge his batteries. After resigning from his position as Director of Instruction (DOI) at The Montgomerie, he got ready to kick back. Or so he thought.

“I’m thinking I’m going to have a nice three weeks to chill out in Dubai but in keeping with the Harmon work ethic, Claude rang and asked if I could come in for a morning to go over a few things. I got in here [the BHSG Academy] at about 9 o’clock, ended up working the whole day thinking about projects and different stuff, and at the end of the day, I thought right, that’ll be me. But Claude says ‘Great, see you tomorrow’.”

Parsons, now 41, has been chained to the BHSG Dubai production line for the nine years since and very happily so. He remembers giving the first public lessons on Valentines Day in 2009 but before then appeared in the launch edition of Golf Digest Middle East alongside Claude. Parsons’ contribution to the Nov. 2008 issue was no more than a fleeting mention as Claude rightly had the honour in a series of instruction articles with the magazine. It proved one of the few times he’s played second fiddle to any teaching professional in the UAE ever since.

Today Parsons is DOI once more, this time leading a team of five PGA professional. He’s Dubai’s undisputed coach to the stars, and not merely to golfing names like PGA Tour-bound Peter Uihlein and Dubai amateur sensation Rayhan Thomas. Even Parsons has to pinch himself occasionally as he works fundamentals with Hollywood A-lister Will Smith and cricket god Sachin Tendulkar or chews the fat with Rory McIlroy as his young countryman goes through his annual New Years tune-up regime at The Els.

Actor Will Smith (left) and cricket god Sachin Tendulkar (right) often seek Parsons’ help.

The link to the Harmon dynasty was made by Wayne Johnson who had worked with Butch in Las Vegas, the Bahamas and Portugal before landing the top Troon teaching job at The Montgomerie where he created a position for Parsons in 2005.

Fast-forward three fun years to the BHSG and working for Claude quickly proved an eye-opener. Lee Westwood, then the world No.1, was regularly on the range tinkering with the young Harmon, as were the likes of Darren Clarke, Søren Hansen and Mikko Ilonen.

“I’d worked with one or two tour players myself but nothing of the calibre that was starting to come through here with Claude,” Parsons recalls. “It gave me a great chance to see how they [the Harmons] kept the message simple and worked on ways to help players without confusing them.”

And what gems have Butch imparted over the years?

“He would always encourage us to see the problem quicker, try to uncover what Butch would refer to as cancer the swing. The one thing that isn’t going to completely confuse somebody but something you can deliver that is going to fix two or three other things.”

The world’s most respected coach also challenges his instructors to keep their eye on the man, not the ball, so to speak.

“I was out with Butch and I remember Webb Simpson had been out to see him, and Webb is a lovely gentleman, religious family, very well spoken and would never swear. So Butch sounds like an old southern gentleman, no swear words. But when Butch is teaching one of the boys like Dustin Johnson he’s a little bit more of a sports jock. The language can get kind of… colourful.

“It is having the ability to appeal to different people and to be a bit of a comedian. I think that helps an awful lot too.”

Nowadays there’s ample banter, given and taken, with Thomas who was a member of an early junior intake at the Dubai school and remains a treasured project today.

Peter Uihlein and partner Chelsea Gates

Parsons was something of a junior prodigy himself, getting down to scratch quickly and finishing runner-up at the Irish Boys’ Championship within two years of taking to golf as a 13-year-old.

He went to Alabama on a scholarship but it was short-lived, as were dreams of becoming a touring pro after “moderate to limited success” on the then MasterCard (now EuroPro) Tour.

By the age of 25, a lingering lower back problem had become chronic to the point where an orthopaedic surgeon suggested corrective surgery after he’d literally crawled into his apartment after a range session. Parsons is thankful he opted against the op now and while his playing dreams were dashed, the door to a teaching career had long been ajar.

“If you talked to the boys I use to play with back in Ireland, they’d say ‘he’s far too technical’ because I was always trying things. I’ve always had a real love for the swing.”

While still uber-inquisitive, Parsons is also proud that the early BHSG team were able to quickly find a balance between the data being spat out of modern teaching tools and remembering they were “in the business of human beings”. “Do you need to see a video or to get images in your head? Do you need to get a drill?  Do you want to talk about the physics of how Trackman is telling you the ball is flying? I think Butch is one of the masters of, you know, if he meets Mr X, he’ll understand within 15 minutes what makes Mr X tick.”

Parsons applied that human first theory when Uilhien came knocking in Aug. 2016 looking for a swing and fortune reboot.

“I wanted to find the best way for Peter Uihlein to swing the golf club, not what I wanted from the perfect swing. He’s a really good player already and just happens to be in a bit of a pickle based on injuries and some poor form.” Having recovered from wrist surgery, Parsons went to work on creating a power fade swing to replace the draw Uihlein had gone to most of his career. After winning the Web.com Tour Finals opener in Ohio last month, it’s fair to say the only pickle Uilhein now finds himself now is trying to figure out how to juggle a PGA and European Tour schedule next season.

Parsons has savoured working with Uihlein at three of the year’s four majors and the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The grown-up kid from Killinchy, a town roughly 20 miles north of Royal Country Down, still has plenty of pinch yourself moments – “don’t lose your mind because you are meeting Tom Watson” – which make the job, well, awesome. But it is a job, bottom line, and like his players, Parsons has set KPIs.

An early BHSG junior intake (from left to right): Eric Hartzuiker, Rayhan Thomas, Matthew Laven, Jai Bhalla, Aryan Chordia and Arkesh Bhatia

“I would love to think in 9 years time I have helped a player to achieve a major championship victory. I’d like to think that I’ve helped another lad like Rayhan or young lady to come up and become a very good player.

“To me, those are the things that say back to me ‘I know what I’m doing’. That’s no disrespect to the fact I get pleasure from helping you strike a seven iron better or whatever, but I think professionally what really thrills you the most is to see someone you have nurtured come up and either re-perform or perform higher than they have before.

“That’s what Butchy always says to us, your biggest job when you have got a good player is, ‘Don’t screw it up’.”

So far, so good.

This story first appeared in Golf Digest Middle East’s 100th edition in October 2017.

The post The rise and rise of Justin Parsons appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
It’s a stat any touring professional would be proud to own – 54 under par in a scarcely believable 11 tournament run since February. Yet the record doesn’t belong to a busy European or PGA Tour star, rather a kid barely 14-years-old.

Josh Hill hasn’t so much crept up as the hottest amateur prospect in Middle East golf since Rayhan Thomas as he’s scorched a hole through that once distant glass ceiling.

The Jumeirah Golf Estates member has made winning such a habit recently it’s hard to keep up. Just know that he’d rattled off eight wins in the three months to late April. Six of those came in Open Men’s events as he ran away with the Emirates Golf Federation Order of Merit title while creating course records of 65 and 68 at Trump Dubai and the Track respectively.  The two other wins? Repeat U-16 and overall titles at the Faldo Series Middle East Championship at Al Ain, an event open to golfers up to the age of 21.

Related: Hill goes unbeaten as EGF amateurs seal historic Dubai Trophy treble

Winning with such on-going regularity is unrealistic but those in the know agree Hill is the real deal, albeit with an PG14 rating/caveat; not all teen phenoms go on to be
tour stars. The giddy ride thus far is still a hugely encouraging pointer to the future but before we get there it’s fun to push rewind and discover his equally impressive start in the game.

Hill’s father Russell, who played squash to an elite level back in England, hadn’t considered playing golf himself until his son started to show promise after progressing through the UAE’s traditional development programmes and Par 3 events.

“I remember a friend going out and playing a round with him when I think Josh was eight. He shot a 99 and I thought, geez, he could be good,” Russell recalls of his Dubai-born and raised son.

“I’m not sure he ever shot over a hundred to be honest and it was just evident he was going to good so I joined the Creek and started playing myself because it’s all buggy based and I didn’t want to stick him with men on their day off, getting stuck with a seven or eight year old.

“I’ve recently given up because he doesn’t really need me driving buggies any more [laughs].”

By the age of 10, Russell was curious as to how good Josh really was so entered him in the U.S. Kids European Championship at Craigielaw in Scotland.

“That was a funny experience because he’d never played in anything other than shorts and T-shirt and suddenly he was in rain gear and Under Armour [thermals]. We set the challenge of top 50 percent of the field and I remember him first day, it was a cold, windy links course and I think he was in eighth place and I though geez, okay. Over the next few days he rose up to fifth and I though he’s never played in these conditions and he can deal with some of the best in Europe in his age group.”

Later in 2014, Hill won the Wee Wonders British Grand Final (U10) and a year after that the U.S. Kids World Championships in Malaysia as well as medalling in the next two European Championships. When he dipped under par on an 18-holer for the first time a week before his 10th birthday, Russell and wife Jo needed convincing no more – Josh really was the business.

He got down to scratch just before his 13th birthday last year and is now off a +5.1 handicap. Having ticked off his goals of winning the EGF junior and senior men’s OOM titles in successive years, he’s now looking to the next level. In fact, he’ll step up two age-groups to contest the English U-18 Carris Trophy (Fulford G.C.) and English Amateur Championship (Sherwood Forest & Coxmoor) this summer before returning to the UAE to put himself under the microscope of MENA Tour competition. It’s a similar trail to that blazed by Thomas and a chance to amass the World Amateur Golf Ranking points that have helped the Indian world amateur No. 13 earn invites to the biggest junior events around the globe.

Hill’s coach Joe Marshall certainly believes his young charge, already 6ft 1in and looking down on his father, has the goods to compete at the loftiest age-group events. A growth spurt, coupled with input from Marshall’s fitness colleague Allister Parlane, has seen Hill’s club-head increase from 103mph to 112mph since they began working last September.

Hill followed up his sizzling 65 at Trump Dubai with another course record, a 68 at The Track, Meydan Golf. Not bad for a 14-year-old.

“He’s always had a good short game, he’s fantastic with a wedge, so the main goal was to tie up his long game” said Marshall. “But to be honest, if I look back on what we did, we just set goals, whether they be technical, physical or skill based. Josh likes outcome goals, he wasn’t afraid to say he wanted to win this and win that whereas a lot of players don’t like to disclose that. He’s pretty much hit every goal and it’s just snowballed from there.

“Josh is very receptive to information, he’s a young chap who is not afraid of information. He’s a joy to deal with.”

If Russell Hill is impressed with one aspect of his son’s game, outside of that scary good short game, it’s his level-headedness under the blowtorch, not something many youngsters learn so early, if ever. “He’s very calm, almost too calm, “ Russell says. “He’s a bit scary how calm he can be.”

Justin Parsons, Marshall’s boss at the Butch Harmon School of Golf at The Els Club in Dubai, sees it too.

“He is a keen strategist despite his tender years and is also very competitive,” Parsons wrote after Hill Jnr led a JGE 1-2-3 at the Faldo Middle East Championship in March, winning by six shots from pals Arjun Gupta and Toby Bishop. “Joe has done a great job simplifying his swing which already allows him a consistent, straight ball flight and Josh works diligently and rounds his skills with a good balance of short game and play.  The dominant player in the set, his scores at The Faldo Series [69-65-62 to finish -14] underline his serious potential.”

Photo: Rodney Oliva
Hill flanks Sir Nick Faldo during a Faldo Series event at Al Ain.

Marshall looks forward to seeing how Hill Jnr performs in the UK now his success in the UAE has raised flags offshore. While he obviously wishes no ill luck on the youngster, he knows dips in form are inevitable – this is golf after all – and reckons the odd failure will only make him hungrier.

Closer to home, the friendly rivalry with Gupta and Bishop has been pivotal too.

“Josh is very lucky to have Arjun [Gupta] and Toby Bishop pushing him,” said Hill Snr. “Unlike Ray [Thomas], there was a bit of a void, he did and is doing amazingly well [considering the relative lack of local competition during his early teens]. But this group with Max Cashmore, Arjun, Toby – they’d all do really well in Europe you know. So when you’ve got not just the Men’s Opens but the age group pushing you as well, it really helps. They’re decent players and decent kids as well. It’s a very healthy situation. We’re very grateful for that.”

So too is Hill Snr thankful for the often unrated junior pathways available in the UAE. The amazing journey continues.

“There’s always points for improvement, you just hope they keep on going.”

Dad’s not the only one.

The post Meet Josh Hill, Dubai golf’s new whiz kid appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Dubai-resident Mathiam Keyser will look to extend his golden purple patch to an incredible four successive wins when he opens the defence of his PGM MNRB Championship title on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Wednesday.

The 30-year-old South African soared to the summit of the MENA Tour courtesy of back-to-back wins at the Dubai Creek Open and The Golf Citizen Classic (Els Dubai) last month before winging his way to Malaysia to resume his bid for a return to the full Asian Tour. Keyser must finish in the top five of the ADT to achieve that goal and made the perfect start when he captured his second ADT title, the PGM Labuan Championship, last Saturday.

He’s now up to 11th on the ADT order-of-merit and while the $45,000 MNRB Championship will be played on a new course, Damai Golf and Country Club in Sarawak, he obviously takes good vibes from last year, not to mention the last three weeks, into the tournament.

“I am playing good at the moment and so I feel very confident coming into this week,” Keyser told the Asian Development Tour.

“The past three weeks have been amazing with three wins in-a-row. No matter what happens this week, I will have a good time out there.”

What an amazing 3 weeks. The hat trick is complete @mydubai @adt_golf @asiantour @europeantour @the_els_club_dubai @themenatour @bhsgdubai … pic.twitter.com/P4PLiMb1QW

— MG Keyser (@KeyserMG) October 2, 2017

The big-hitting Keyser, who trains out of the Butch Harmon School of Golf at The Els Club, Dubai, played the 2014 Asian Tour season after graduating via Q-School. However, he failed to keep his card and is now focused on the ADT even though topping the MENA Tour would have earned three 2018 European Tour starts and an invite to the PGA Tour’s Dean and Deluca Invitational.

He carded rounds of 73-68-71-70  at Labuan International Golf Club for a six-under-par 282 aggregate and a two shot victory over Thailand’s Sorachut Hansapiban last week.

He's on fire! ???

That's 3 wins in a row now for @KeyserMG as he takes the PGM Labuan Championship on the @ADT_golf by 2 shots. ??? pic.twitter.com/YUoeJ8HpWO

— Fenix XCell (@Fenix_XCell) September 30, 2017

“I came into the week with lots of confidence as I had won two back-to-back events on the Mena Tour in Dubai before coming over. This win has shown me that all the other aspects of my game is good,” Keyser said afterwards. “I’m enjoying my winning run and my golf and that’s what keeping me happy.”

For the record, Keyser has a mountain to climb to equal the longest streak of consecutive wins even if he does beat the odds and triumph again last week. In 1945, the legendary Byron Nelson won an astonishing 11 PGA Tour tournaments on the trot as part of 18 overall in a happy year that coincided with the end of WWII. His 11-straight wins were recorded at the Miami International Four-Ball, Charlotte Open, Greater Greensboro Open, Durham Open, Atlanta Open, Montreal Open, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Victory National Open, PGA Championship, Tam O’Shanter Open and Canadian Open.

In 2006-07, Tiger Woods won seven straight titles including the Open Championship and PGA.

The post Riding MENA Tour form, red-hot MG Keyser eyes fourth successive pro title in Malaysia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Over the last few years, caddy’s have become a much more noticeable part of a players inner circle.

With that has brought more pay and even celebrity, a seismic change from the “turn up and shut up” bagmen of old. Peter Uihlein’s return to form, which lead to his victory in last week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Ohio, has been notable and his caddy of nine months, Ben Hayes, must take some of the credit.

Related: Uihlein credits Dubai coach for career-changing Web.com Tour victory

In my role as coach, I have to interact with the caddy as together we form the support team for a golfer. Having worked with many, I can quickly ascertain their professionalism, dedication and most importantly their impact on the performance of the player with whom they work.

Ben is a tough, no nonsense Australian, the type who and calls a spade a spade. He does not tolerate or allow for weakness, is detailed and honest, always willing to share his thoughts whether they are praise or criticism. It’s been one of his great strengths, especially in working for a high profile player given Peter’s background (former U.S. Amateur champion and son of Wally Uihlein, longtime CEO of Acushnet, the parent company of Titleist).

His honesty and lack of fear has benefitted Peter greatly. This has allowed Peter to see a balance in his ‘on course’ self which has been evident as he has mentioned being able to ‘control his emotions’ better this season than before. 

At the highest level, the traditional caddy duties – the ability to read yardage books, create strategies, club adequately, green read, not to mention travel and be punctual – are expected.

Related: My week working with Peter Uihlein at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth

It is the coming together of personalities and how they interact that is more unique to the success or lack thereof, of any player-caddy partnership. The Aussie mentality has created a shift for Peter and Ben avoiding the softly-softly approach has instilled some steel into his talented employer.

As I reflect on the win at The Web.com Finals last week, I feel that Peter has met the right looper at the right time for him. As he plots his way on the PGA Tour, look for the ‘angry little Australian’ as Peter and I affectionately call Ben, to be by his side.

Justin Parsons is the Director of Instruction at the Butch Harmon School of Golf at The Els Club, Dubai. Among his pupils is celebrated Dubai-based Indian amateur No.1 Rayhan Thomas.

The post Justin Parsons: How an ‘angry little Australian’ helped Uihlein secure his PGA Tour card appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tim Rosaforte

I think…
Peter Uihlein’s recent performances are something to pay continued attention to. It wasn’t long ago that Uihlein was trying to find his way, sharing a house in Florida and traveling the European Tour with Brooks Koepka, the 2017 U.S. Open champion. But it’s not that he needed some type of inspiration from Koepka’s Erin Hills win. Uihlein, who turns 28 in August, was already starting to play with the confidence he showed while winning the U.S. Amateur in 2010 and the Sir Henry Cotton Award for European Tour Rookie of the Year in 2013. Healed from wrist surgery in early 2016, Uihlein recorded his fourth top-10 of the year with a second-place finish in the HNA Open de France, moving into the top 100 in the World Ranking for the first time since 2014. Uihlein did this with birdies on four of his last eight holes at Le Golf National outside Paris to finish one stroke back of Europe’s hottest golfer, Tommy Fleetwood. “Just glad I made him earn the victory on the back,” Uihlein texted. One of the bonuses, besides the confidence boost, is that it earned Uihlein a spot in the field at Royal Birkdale with the event being part of the Open Qualifying Series. “The thing I liked this morning is he looked so relaxed and comfortable in that position, never out of sync,” said swing consultant Butch Harmon, who has handed Uihlein off to Justin Parsons for day-to-day maintenance at his school of golf in Dubai. “In the past he’s gotten real nervous in those situations and hasn’t delivered. Today he looked so comfortable with a chance to win. I think we’re finally seeing the maturity of Peter Uihlein. He didn’t lose. Fleetwood just won.”

Image Ryan Young

I saw…
Brandt Snedeker be part of another trophy presentation this weekend, although one far different from the eight on the PGA Tour in which he’s been on the receiving end of the hardware. Sunday at Nashville Golf & Athletic Club, Snedeker was presented Lanto Griffin a guitar for winning the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation. It was actually Snedeker’s two victories on the Web.com Tour that inspired the Nashville native and Vanderbilt grad into hosting his hometown event. Unable to get through the second stage of qualifying school, the Web.com opened the door to Snedeker’s PGA Tour career, which includes a FedEx Cup victory in 2012. “It was so far kind of off my radar when I was these guys age, doing something like this,” said Snedeker of being connected with a pro tournament. “But now that it’s happened, I realize how important those two years I spent out here was and how it trained me to be a better golfer, be a better player and be a better person.” In doing so, Snedeker did more than just put his name on a Web.com event. He established a precedent that other PGA Tour pros should follow by remembering where they came from. The relationship was put together in May, through a connection with tournament director Patrick Nichols, who knew Snedeker when he was playing the Web.com from 2004-’06. “These guys need opportunities,” Snedeker said. “I’m excited to help get them a little bump in their career to help them get where they want to be.”

Oak Hill’s famed 18th during the 2013 U.S. PGA Championship. Image David Cannon/Getty Images

The post Uihlein another Koepka pal to keep an eye on, Snedeker turns the tables and back to the future at Oak Hill appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

I’ve learned how to best help players from the famed Harmon family and this has been a thrill as you’d expect. Butch Harmon’s commentary has drawn plaudits due to its clarity, realism and honesty. “If it barks like a dog, smells like a dog, it’s probably a dog,” he would say. I will try to bring you the same dose of honesty and I hope we can also have some fun along the way.

The recent alterations to The Rules of Golf as well as some threats and positioning by The R&A and USGA on other topics seems as good a place as any to start.

I’m happy to report the armchair rules official, the type of person whose “thrilling” dinner conversation is likely to see you nod off before you’ve finished your entree, hit the headlines for possibly the last time in April.

One such busy-body spotted Lexi Thompson improperly re-mark her ball during the ANA Inspiration and pounced. You have to question why s/he found not only the time, but the inclination, to email the LPGA to report the (hardly) horrific crime. Indeed, could it have been a fan, friend or family member of one of Thompson’s nearest rivals?

But setting aside the desire to deride the emailer further, the infraction and resultant email ultimately cost Thompson the first ladies major of the year and once again made golf look unable to police itself. That’s a crime because golfers are, generally, the game’s most noble policemen and women.

In swooped The R&A and the USGA, removing the ability of television viewers to interfere in the game anymore. It was a good call and not before time.

Not long after followed a further statement set to ban green-mapping technology in tournament play. I suspect this will be remembered as the beginning of a move towards a faster game with less outside help.

These decision makers are not professional golfers, nor even professional sports people which is a column for another day. In just about every other multi-million/billion dollar sport, they are and should be.

Ultimately the rulers of our game want us to stand to the side of the ball, club in hand, eyeball the target, hit the ball, find the ball and then hit it again without undue delay. They don’t want us to use lasers, tazers, yardages, GPS trackers, green-maps. Nor do they want us to be lined up or have clubs dangling from our chins (plumb bobbing).

But let’s be honest – golf is too slow at every level and needs to be sped up.

Golf at tour level is particularly snail paced. Like waiting in a waiting room slow. Some will argue the rulers of the game are old-fashioned but I think they might have a vision which makes the game faster and more fun. We talk about the game being athletic, a sport, but maybe we need to play it more like a sport.

On reflection, it is sad that I spend time ‘slowing down’ the really good young players that come through the golf school. I prepare them for the waiting room wait because if they play naturally and quickly, by the time they make the bigger stage they will stall, start thinking too much and fall out of their natural rhythm given the slow pace of tour play.

I hope in time that I will be forced to speed them up again. Finally, slowly, we seem to be heading in the right direction which is a positive step ahead for our great game.

Justin Parsons is the Director of Instruction at the Butch Harmon School of Golf at The Els Club, Dubai. Among his pupils is celebrated Dubai-based Indian amateur No.1 Rayhan Thomas.

The post Butch Harmon School of Golf coach pens exclusive column for GolfDigestME.com appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Forget the high draw – this is the go-to shot you’ll see most at the majors

[divider] [/divider]

The twin revolutions in equipment and athleticism that have transformed golf over the past two decades have also had a dramatic impact on the way the top modern day tour professionals flight the ball. When I was growing up, many of the top players would employ a fairly pronounced draw as their stock shot. In the 1980s and 90s, draws flew significantly farther than fades and playing with plenty of shot shape was standard with the old tour wound balata balls.

As a result, most of the best players of that era had a lot of hand action in their swings through impact with the ‘reverse C’ finish position a common sight among the game’s finest. But today, what you see now is a lot of players hitting what we would refer to as a tour pro fade. This is a really powerful, very straight shot that might contain just a little bit of fade spin that makes the ball fall to the right. The way players hit this shot is of course quite complex, but in the video below I have identified two key components in the swing that are vital in producing a tour pro fade, and illustrated a couple of drills that you can try in order to gain a better feel for this very reliable, powerful shot.

The post Video: How to hit a tour pro fade appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

High-intensity training can unlock potent speed in your golf swing – and the desert dunes of Big Red make the perfect playground

By Claudine Foong-Riggs
Speed is the essential raw material required in any powerful golf swing. When you can control it through balance, stability and good mechanics, that’s when you unlock explosive power. But without speed, a golfer will always have limitations. So how do we increase our dynamic power? We do it through high-intensity training, and a trip to the desert dunes on the Dubai-Hatta road provides the perfect environment in which to train. The soft sand and dramatic contours of the dunes make the following exercises especially challenging, but your focus should be on quality, not quantity. High-Intensity Interval Training and dynamic control for a golfer is beneficial for improving conditioning, strength, power and anabolic response to build muscle and reduce fat.  Each of the following exercises should be performed for no more than 20-30 seconds with a rest period of 30-60 seconds. Remember to always do a full warm-up before getting started.

Spiderman Crawl (main image above)
This is a great exercise to do in the desert. Begin in a strong push up position and bring your right knee to right elbow, left hand out in front and keep your body low to the ground. Alternate your hands and legs to continue to crawl forwards.
3 SETS OF 8

Speed Parachute Training
Once you have mastered the sprint technique, the parachute can be an excellent tool, which provides resistance in the drive phase of sprinting. You can do this exercise without a parachute.
PERFORM 3-5 SETS OF 30m SPRINTS

Hill Sprints
Hill Sprints require an athlete to use a lot more leg power to drive hard into the ground. Sprint UP the hill and run back down, focusing on looking forward. Experiment with different hill lengths – short, medium and long.
PERFORM 3-5 SETS

Bound with Med-Ball Pass 
Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart. Hold a light medicine ball (or basketball) at your chest. Hip hinge and push off the ground as hard as you can, jumping forwards. Push away with your arms and release the ball. Land softly and sprint to the ball and repeat.
3 SETS OF 5

‘180’ Jumps 
Your lower body is the driving force for this movement. The sequence is lower body, core, then arms. Load and drive off the ground to rotate and face the opposite direction. Land softly, stabilising your body and immediately load and jump back in the other direction.
3 SETS OF 10

Claudine Foong is a Brand Ambassador for PXG Middle East.

The post Golf Fitness Special: Speed drills in the desert appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Playing in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters back in December was a massive learning curve for me, but after coming through that tough week, I’m more determined than ever to keep working hard and doing what I need to do to get my game to a level where I can compete with the girls on tour. I’ve been working hard on my full swing lately, but it’s the short game that has always been a strength of mine, and I’d like to share my favourite tips with you guys here. So check out this video, and I hope these tips help your short game!

Related: Paige Spiranac and her crazy professional debut

The post Video: Paige Spiranac’s <br />Top 3 short game tips appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.