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The Professionals at Royal Queensland Golf Club are passionate about the game of golf and look forward to helping you to achieve your personal goals in the great game.
We are constantly attending education programs to remain at the forefront of golf instruction and equipment technology.
Royal Queensland Golf Club is a private club. The club allows Visitors to have lessons here and view the range of premium products available in the Pro Shop.
Our lesson packages are flexible and can be custom built to suit your goals and time allocation.
All of our lesson packages are inclusive of unlimited golf balls during the lesson, the use of video analysis, and any written material.
Visitors to Royal Queensland Golf Club are required to comply with the dress regulations of the Club.
Details of the regulations can be found on the Clubs website at www.rqgolf.com.au/visinfo.htm
Chris Rutherford
Head Professional
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We believe that for the golfer to maximise their enjoyment from the game no stone should be left unturned. The following is an overview of the elements that are taken into consideration when we are developing a program.
Where are you now?
To provide us with a detailed report of where you are now we need you to complete several “Player Statistic Forms”. The form is a comprehensive spreadsheet that asks you to record every shot you hit and its result during a round of golf (It is not as daunting as it sounds).
We then analyse each round and determine the areas of your game that need most work. This forms the basis for you to achieve your goals.
Download the "Player Statistics Sheet".
Swing Improvements.
Before significant swing improvements can be achieved it needs to be established if your current swing is a product of your current physical condition and/or your equipment. Some of the influencing physical conditions could be 1) a limited range of flexibility, 2) hyper mobility, 3) if you are overweight, 4) carrying an injury, be it actual or psychosomatic, 5) lack of strength in any area.
Once it has been established that one or more of these have contributed to your current swing, then the correction of those physical problems is the starting point for your program.
We refer our students to a Physiotherapist that has specialised in the golf swing. He will conduct a complete musculoskeletal assessment. We can also work alongside your personal Health Care Professional. If it can be established that the swing is a product of your current physical condition, then a course of exercise, flexibility, and strength and conditioning work will precede any swing changes.
Trying to make swing changes whilst the body is in a condition to hamper or even prevent the necessary changes being made is like putting the cart in front of the horse.
Physical and Mental Preparation.
Golf is an 18 hole game so we need to be ready to play from the 1st tee. Preparing yourself both physically and mentally is critical. Your mental preparation starts long before you get to the golf course. If you have had a difficult meeting at work or an argument at home prior to your round of golf you need to ensure that you are not carrying the baggage from the prior experience with you onto the golf course. It is helpful to have some classical or baroque music (60 beats per minute, average heart rate) in the car to listen to on your way to the golf course.
Ensure you have adequate time to complete all of the tasks in your pre round routine, some of the tasks should include applying sunscreen, drinking water, stretching, hitting some balls on the range, play a few bunker and chip shots and evaluating the speed of the putting green.
All of these need to be completed at a casual and consistent pace so it is critical that you are aware of your exact tee time prior to arriving at the golf course.
When I was playing full time my pre round preparation took exactly 1 hour. That saw me complete all of the tasks required at a pace that maintained my heart rate and adrenalin at the level required.
Nutrition and Hydration.
It has been well documented that there is a direct link between one's physical and mental performance and their intake of food and water. A round of golf can take up to 5 hours in a variety of atmospheric conditions. It is our goal that you maintain a “Flat Line” of both physical and mental levels from the 1st tee to the 18th green.
For example; Hydration is an element of the game of golf that is grossly overlooked. The QAS completed a detailed study on hydration some time ago and concluded that on average a Male requires approx 1200ml of water per hour to maintain their hydration level whilst participating in the activity of playing golf. Women need approx 850ml per hour.
This is based on them being adequately hydrated at the commencement of the game.
As we are all aware a reasonable intake of red wine the night before leaves us in a dehydrated state prior to playing golf so your intake of water prior to the round may need to be increased.
The intake of food during the round is also very important, and not just any food. The type of food and when it is consumed is critical to maintaining your physical and mental stability.
Mental Stability.
The quote “you can learn a lot about someone by playing 18 holes of golf with them” is very true. How we react to the fluctuations of fortune on the golf course is an indication of our inner self and can have an enormous bearing on how we will continue to play the round.
As I have mentioned previously it is important that we maintain a “Flat Line” of emotion throughout the round.
I stress to all of my Students ”We never allow the result of a previous shot to influence the next shot in a negative way”. You will need to have your Instructor assess the way you react and when you react.
Clubs
The next time you are on the putting green preparing for your round have a look around. Do you see everyone the same age, height, weight and length of leg and torso or shoe size? So it would be reasonable to expect that each golfer’s golf club specifications would be as personal as their clothing specifications. To assume that a standard set of clubs will be fine is to assume that every golfer is the same shoe size.
The most significant golf club specification variables that influence a golfer’s ability to hit the ball out of the middle of the club are shaft length and club head lie angle. To hit a driver 12mm off centre (not alot with the size of the modern heads) will result in a loss of distance of 7% from the distance that would have been achieved if everything else was equal and the ball was hit out of the middle. 25mm off centre will result in a 14% loss. That equates to a massive 28 metres over only 200 metres.
To have an iron head with an incorrect lie angle of only 2 degrees will see the ball finish 7 metres from the target left or right and 4 degrees will result in a 14 metre variation from the target.
To again emphasise the importance of correct personal club specifications, to assume that with all of the variety of static postural positions with the addition of the dynamics of individual swings that we could all use standard clubs and achieve our maximum results, is incorrect.
If we compare fitting a set of clubs to being fitted for a suit, how many people do you think would have the same neck, arm length, waist, leg, chest and shoe measurements? The same can be said for golf clubs.
In the 4 years I have been fitting clubs I have ordered only one set of clubs that have had 2 or more standard specifications in the individual iron. That tells me that the chances of a standard set of clubs suiting you are very slim.
To have incorrectly fitted golf clubs can be as damaging to ones body and image as having the wrong sized shoes and clothes.
Balls
There is as much research and development going into golf balls as there is into golf clubs. Matching the ball to your game is as important as matching the clubs. To establish which ball is going to be the best for your game you will need to understand the way you play.
Most club golfers choose a golf ball for distance, yet in most cases 75% of all the shots you will play on a golf course will be from within 100 metres of the green where a distance ball is of no benefit at all. The advantage you might gain from a distance ball will not come close to the advantage you will gain from a spin ball in the short game area. The compression or hardness of the core of the ball is also very important. Slower swing speeds need a softer core and higher swing speeds need a harder core. The next time you are in the Pro Shop to purchase golf balls please ask which one would be best for you. You might be surprised, alot of the time it is not the most expensive that is the best for you.
This holistic approach may not be for everyone. Having a better understanding of the components that form part of the elite golfer may help to answer a few questions for you.
If you would like to discuss any or all of these issues please feel free to contact a Member of our Professional Team to discuss your personal needs.
Please find below links to some interesting and related websites:
Physiotherapist - Optima Sports Medicine - www.optimasportsmed.com
Michael Dalgleish - 3354 8666 - kelvingrove@optimasportsmed.com
Exercise Physiologist - Under Construction - www.under-construction.com.au
David Chettle - 3354 8600 - enquiries@under-construction.com.au
Sports Psychologist - Mental Notes Consulting - www.mentalnotesconsulting.com.au
Andrea Furst - 0412 265 124 - andrea@mentalnotesconsulting.com.au
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We take the responsibility of coaching Australia’s future champions very seriously. Below is a collection of pictures of Chris Rutherford and Chris Gibson working with Women’s Golf Queensland's Junior Development Squad 2005.
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