Steven Troup Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

It has never been easier to get into golf — regardless of gender, age or physical ability

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 06:09:30 +0000

By Steven Troup
Golf is often stereotyped as a difficult and complicated game, seen as elitist and exclusive. Although this may have been true in the past, the sport is now growing in popularity, with people of all ages and backgrounds giving golf a try in its various forms both on the golf course and at such venues as entertainment ranges, simulator facilities and putting courses.

Unfortunately, the belief that golf is difficult to learn is still prevalent and a lot of current teaching practices reinforce this by introducing players to the game through adopting ‘positions’ or swing ‘methods’, which things such as: the club must travel a certain way; the clubface or shaft must be held at certain angles; the body must be positioned in a particular way …

While social media has further encouraged this, it has also offered up many benefits to golf by providing more awareness, connectivity, and making it look more fun and cool game.

However, it now provides a dangerous platform for people to copy the various beliefs of respected industry coaches as well as non-golf professional social ‘influencers’ and what they perceive to be right or wrong.

This is a risky path for any would-be golfer and it does not offer the opportunity to be coached to discover their own swing, as they instead go down a route of copying someone else’s swing or methodology.

It’s easy to try and copy but not necessarily easy to get it right and this can have harmful effects to the enjoyment for newcomers as the pursuit of that ‘method’ could hold someone back and, in a lot of cases, be unachievable, either physically or from a time and practice perspective, only further pushing the belief that golf is difficult to learn and even tougher to play.

A look at some of the best golfers in the world showcases how each swing is different and people being introduced to the game must be provided with the tools to help them discover their own movement instead of copy-pasting someone else’s.

At academies such as those at Golf Saudi, newcomers have the opportunity to learn their own swing through movement discovery and are coached along the journey creating movement that works to achieve success for them, whatever that may be.

Although physics at impact exist, there is no one set way to get there — but there is your way!

A good outcome for many to begin with is just making contact with the ball, which is achievable for anyone, regardless of gender, age, experience or physical ability and avoids newcomers being put off because the ball isn’t flying off the tee. This keeps it simple and, more importantly, fun!

When approached in the right way, golf is an incredibly rewarding game to try out, and it can lead to taking up a sport that can be enjoyed for life, which opens up huge social, health and wellbeing benefits.

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VIDEO: How to escape lush lies

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 04:18:44 +0000

Photo by Steve Erana

By Steven Troup
Although the serenity of Al Mouj makes for an enjoyable game around a spectacular layout, Greg Norman’s course can certainly bite back if you hit any errant shots into the greens. Even a small miss when you attack a tight pin can leave you in some very thick grass.

To avoid the potential card wrecking score that could ensue, implement the following to escape the thick stuff with ease. The key is to first understand that long grass will decrease clubhead speed upon contact. In addition, the clubhead will close due to the shaft and hosel getting tangled up in the grass. This will, in turn, lessen any chance of getting clubhead speed into the ball as well as getting the ball to launch up high enough. —with Kent Gray

SET UP FOR STEEPNESS
To avoid getting tangled in a lot of the long grass and get the ball out, you must create a steep angle of approach down into the ball. First, feel that you are adding roughly 60-70% more weight on our front foot and then situate the ball further back in our stance than normal.

Although you will need a high lofted wedge for this shot, you still want to create a lot more loft by opening up the clubface. Like any bunker shot where you elect to open the clubface, focus must be put on rotating the grip in our hands and then holding and NOT twisting the arms and hands to get the club into an open position. This will ensure that we are able to return the club to the ball in the downswing with still plenty of loft.

GO BIG FOR MORE SPEED
As mentioned, the club will lose a lot of speed as you move down into the ball. To combat this, make a good-sized swing. Small hip height swings will rarely give you enough clubhead speed and will result in most attempts being left in the long grass. It may well be a scary feeling being so close to the hole and taking such a big backswing but if you trust the extra loft and that the grass will slow the club down you can swing big and attack the ball with power.

STAY FORWARD AND COMMITTED
When attempting this shot, resist any temptation to lean back away from the target in a false effort to get the ball higher. That is only going to shallow the angle of approach and will result in hitting even more grass than you should. Keep the weight forward and hit down hard. You will feel the club snag up in the grass and that will cause the extra loft you had added at address to reduce somewhat. If you want to keep a bit more control over the position of the clubhead, you can always increase your grip pressure. This is not an ideal thing to do in any regular swing but here it can provide a positive improvement.

FINISH LOW AND SHORT
Expect to have a much lower and shorter follow-through given all the effort you have put into getting the clubhead to travel down steeply into the ball, plus the resistance of the clubhead slowing through the long grass. Use the energy in the swing to get that club down through the grass and into the ball, not on trying to swing through into a big high finish.

Like Tiger Woods had famously said: “I don’t try a shot on the course without practising it and knowing that I can pull it off” so experiment with this shot first. When you are next out on the course and see a similar spot, drop a ball or two down and see how you go. You never know, you might just need it in the future.

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Steven Troup is a PGA teaching professional at Al Mouj Golf. For more information, visit almoujgolf.com

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VIDEO: Try this short-sided bump and run from Al Mouj Golf pro Steven Troup

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 01:00:15 +0000

By Kent Gray
If Steven Troup’s name rings a bell, it might be because you recall the PGA teaching professional teeing it up in Al Mouj Golf’s European Tour debut in February.

It was a dream opportunity for the Scotsman. An opening 77 wasn’t too shabby considering the inevitable nerves and while he missed the weekend following a second round 83, he took much away from the experience against some of golf’s biggest names.

Indeed, Troup hopes to qualify for the second staging of the Oman Open at his home club from Feb. 28-March 3 when Dutchman Joost Luiten will be back to defend his title. Presuming he can get through qualifying – no cinch with the likes of his Al Mouj colleague Josh Thornton also in the running – Troup believes he has the experience to give the cut a decent nudge.

Watch: Josh Thornton’s shot-by-shot guide to conquering Al Mouj Golf’s picturesque par-5 12th hole

Chances are he’ll face shots like this one on Al Mouj Golf’s stunning par-3 11th hole. Here Troup shows you why leaving your most lofted wedge in the bag is often the smart play when you short-side yourself, especially when faced with a steep-ish recovery shot.

Practice this simple bump and run and you’ll enjoy a highly recommended stay and play at Muscat’s best course – ranked No.3 in Golf Digest Middle East’s Top 10 courses ranking – even more. And join us in wishing Troup all the best if he does make back to the European Tour event.

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Southgate, with an ace, and Waring lead in Muscat after 65s

Kent Gray — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 14:49:38 +0000

Matthew Southgate had his second ace inside a month on the opening day in Muscat.

By Kent Gray
With Frenchman Alexander Levy the highest ranked player in the field at No. 62 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), the new NBO Oman Open offers fading stars and lesser lights the chance to shine.

Paul Waring and Matthew Southgate duly obliged Thursday, the Englishmen grabbing a share of the lead in the $1.75 million European Tour event with seven under 65s.

Both went bogey free around the majestic Al Mouj Golf layout but Southgate’s card was illuminated by an ace on island green 5th. The seven iron dunk from 165 yards was the 29-year-old’s second hole-in-one inside a month after he binned a nine iron on the par-3 7th at Emirates Golf Club during last month’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic; it was also the second ace on the historic day in Muscat after German Marcel Siem holed out from 162 yards on the 13th moments earlier. In a bizarre coincidence, the caddies of both players are twin brothers – Gary and Guy Tilson.

Southgate and Waring lead by a shot from Dutchman Daan Huizing who hit the first shot of the championship and just 65 further strokes to cash in on a special invite having played four of the five Challenge Tour events previously held at Al Mouj, including a T-10 at last November’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.

Ryder Cupper Andy Sullivan and fellow Englishman Callum Shinkwin were a shot further back after 67s while Matteo Manassero’s name was a welcome sight among a group of six players on 68.

Waring, the world No. 251, will be relived with his fast start after a challenging beginning to 2018 which has seen the 33-year-old miss three successive cuts en-route to Muscat after opening the wrap-around season with a T-41 effort in Hong Kong before Christmas.

Paul Waring

The 2005 English amateur champion played last season on a medical exemption after wrist and shoulder problems but also enjoyed a career-best campaign, finishing 60th on the Race to Dubai rankings and saw light despite the unwanted weekends off.

“I’d missed three cuts on the spin but I didn’t feel like I’d played badly to miss them. I didn’t feel too far away,” Waring told EuropeanTour.com after a round that included a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th (he started at 10) and birdies on all four par 5s.

“It was definitely a bit of a glide. I played some of the best golf I’ve played for a little while. I actually missed a few chances, which sounds ridiculous. I did hole a nice one on one from 30 or 40 feet which is nice to keep the momentum going. I’m really happy with that.”

Southgate’s early form hasn’t been much better than Waring’s. Ranked 163rd in the latest OWGR, he missed the cut at the SA Open and in Abu Dhabi before T-57 and T-62 finishes in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

It was a good day for this guy ?

Shoots 65
Makes a hole-in-one
Takes the first round lead pic.twitter.com/rIK3woah9R

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 15, 2018

The Southend-on-Sea professional provided one of the stories of 2015, coming through all three stages of Q-School to regain his card after surgery for testicular cancer just months earlier. More recently Southgate has been in the news for cruelly incurring a four stroke penalty at the DAP Championship during last September’s Web.com finals, a freak incident that ultimately cost him a PGA Tour card.

Putting on the 15th at Canterbury Golf Club in Ohio, his ball was struck by a leaf that blew across the green, nudging the ball off line ever so slightly.

Southgate finished the hole, but made a huge error in the process as he should have placed his ball back to its original location and replayed the shot without penalty. Instead, by continuing the hole, he was handed a four-stroke penalty – two for playing from the wrong spot and two more for signing an incorrect card.

Here’s the incident:

Golf is hard … especially when you’re playing for a @PGATOUR card. pic.twitter.com/SoyWo6X01q

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) September 24, 2017

Sullivan, T-6 in Dubai and T-17 in Malaysia, is trending nicely as he looks to September’s Ryder Cup in Paris. The 31-year-old concedes complacency crept in after he slipped to 62nd place in last year’s Race to Dubai standings following back-to-back top 20 finishes in 2015 and 2016.

He achieved just two top-10s in 2017 but is determined to get back to the top after the high of qualifying for the 2016 Ryder Cup in Hazeltine.

“I think it was just a bit of complacency,” he told EuropeanTour.com. “I got to the Ryder Cup pretty early and achieved everything in really quick time and you just don’t realise how hard you have to work to maintain these things. I’d be guilty of that and of not quite performing how I wanted to.

“Since DP World we’ve put the hard work in and it’s nice to see it coming back to where it was so early. I didn’t expect it to happen quite so quickly.

“Once you’ve played one Ryder Cup you don’t want to miss another one, it’s so special. My first one was in America and obviously we got humped but the whole experience is so awesome, being a part of that team, you just don’t want to miss another one.

“One of my goals is to try and force my way into that team. I know it’s going to be difficult and I’ve left myself a lot to do but that’s where I want to be again.”

Levy, for the record, signed for a one-under 71 Thursday, as did Andrew “Beef” Johnston. Shubhankar Sharma, the 21-year-old Indian who leads the 2018 Race to Dubai after wins at the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship in the past two months, finished with a 73 despite a near tap-in eagle on the par-5 12th.

It was a tough day for the local hopes. Al Mouj teaching professional Steven Troup (SCO) is tied for 128th overnight after a 77 while Oman national team amateur Azaan Al Rumhy carded an 80. Bahrain amateur Nasser Yaqoob was on +13 after an 85.

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