New Season, New Partners

May 10, 2007 @ 06:45 pm by chris

The off-season may have brought a change in my game but I have also changed some of the partners helping me with my goals.  The biggest change may be my equipment.  For those faithful readers of the Illogicial Golf Blog, you know I have been following Element 21 for sometime.  They have agreed to come on board as an equipment sponsor and I can’t say enough already.  I plan on writing more about this equipment and the results they have posted in independent test.  In the meantime, please see the latest press release on the Going Pro experiment below:

—

From Weekend Duffer to Pro Golfer, With a Little Help From His FriendsAre professional golfers as good as they are due to superior natural ability or because of privileges not normally afforded to the average golfer? What would happen if we took a 30-handicap weekend duffer and provided him with instruction from one of North America’s top golf instructors, access to top courses and training facilities, state-of-the-art golf clubs and equipment? These are the questions we’ll continue to answer throughout the coming seasons, with a reader experience that has proven to be both entertaining and informative, in the Going Pro Golf Blog.

The Going Pro Golf Blog will follow our weekend duffer, Nigel Da Costa, as he trains and plays, documenting his scores and sharing his thoughts on his successes & challenges as he works to become professional golfer.

 

Assisting Nigel through his journey into professional golf are some of the industry’s most sought-after individuals and companies:

  • Jon Roy is one of Canada’s top up and coming golf instructors. John works under Henry Brunton, Canada’s National golf coach and one of Golf Magazines Top 100 Instructors. John will work regularly with Nigel to help reveal his own consistent swing style and help correct any swing flaws that occur throughout the season.
  • Equipment is being provided by one of the top up and coming equipment manufacturers, Element 21, who manufactures their golf equipment with a patented Scandium Alloy, the first new material to be introduced to golf since Titanium.
  • Debbie Horovitch, the first Ontario yoga instructor certified personally by Katherine Roberts, fitness expert to the Golf Channel, to instruct her groundbreaking Yoga For GolfersTM program, will work with Nigel to train his body for peak golf performance the way the pros do. Yoga For GolfersTM is specifically designed to enhance golf athletic ability, enjoyment and performance with increased club head speed, accuracy and mental calm by practising a tailor-made series of stretching, strengthening and breathing exercises.
  • Nigel will train out of the Titleist Fitting Centre at Eagles Nest Golf Club. Nigel will also play out of 2 home courses, Eagles Nest Golf Club and Royal Woodbine Golf Club. In addition, practice sessions will take place at Inner Golf, Toronto’s newest indoor golf facility.
  • Online analysis of Nigel;s game will be conducted by Peter Sanders of Shot By Shot.

 

The Going Pro Golf Blog started in January 2006 and has generated a tremendous following from all over the world. By September of 2006, the blog was already generating over 7,000 readers a month. “An experiment of this type has never been attempted before and unlike TV, the internet allows us to create an international audience and provides the reader direct interaction through questions and comments directly on the blog.

 

“Every golfer has asked themselves how much better they could be if they played more, had better equipment and had professional instruction. The Going Pro experiment will help answer some of these questions”, says Da Costa.

 

Readers can follow Nigel’s progress on his Going Pro Golf Blog:

http://www.golflogic.ca/going-pro-golf/

A Winter of Reflection

May 08, 2007 @ 06:16 pm by chris

A lot of time has passed since my last golf game.  I thought I was going to spend the winter training and devoting my life to golf in an effort to improve.  Instead I did the exact opposite.  I put my clubs away and focused more on fitness and mental preparation.  I thought about golf and reflected on my game, and the game in general, but that was about it. 

2 weeks ago I picked up the clubs for the first time and hit a few balls.  I have no idea what happened but the ball was flying off the club.  Everything seemed to make sense all of a sudden.  I am not sure if I am a slow learner or if I had just been packed full of too much information but all of a sudden it all made sense.
Last season I was thinking about my driver, how to hit long irons, chipping, pitching, putting, etc…I really needed the time off.  After all these months of reflection, I think a lot of it sank in.
I recently played my first two rounds of the year and they were great…I will recap them in the coming days.  Last season I was driving the ball about 220 yards, which made it very hard to hit many greens in regulations.  After two games this year I was averaging drives of 250+!  It really makes the game a lot easier. 
I am not sure what this season holds but I am excited to get started.  I meet Jon for my first lesson this weekend…keep your fingers crossed!