The 'Beast from the East' doesn't stop our winter training

With many schools closed and golf clubs under inches of snow, it's great to see the students carrying out their structured golf practice in a controlled environment -  making the most of the Schools fantastic indoor facilities.

Each of the School locations have a wide range of indoor areas which include: 

• A putting green -  ideal for working on your stroke in the warmth of inside. 
• A range of mirrors and putting aids  - to enhance the students practice.  
• A dedicated Swing Room - giving students the benefit of hitting balls without having to worry about ball flight for a while, which is a massive advantage as an improved efficient technique may have some undesired shots to start with. Not seeing these flights and focusing on the technique has huge long term benefits which outlast the short term graft.
• Knowing that golf requires more and more emphasis on the physical improvements in mobility as well as speed and strength, our classrooms are designed to be easily adapted on golf days to provide space to assist the students fitness conditioning – all part of the programme.

And there's still time to enjoy the snow!

  

SCHOLARSHIP TO THE USA

Congratulations to Liam Debattista who has recently been offered a golf scholarship to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

Since arriving at the school in 2016 with a handicap of 7 (now 2.6), Liam, through working with several of the coaches, has developed himself both in his golf and as a committed, hardworking, reliable person.

Liam has many achievements to his name not least being elected as School Captain, an exemplary role which is being fulfilled with vigour.  Liam has been Junior Captain for the past 2 years at his home club Castle Royle, he won the Junior Club Championship and was awarded Golfer of the Year at Lambourne Golf Club.

Liam said ‘this is life changing – for me, my family and everyone who has supported me.  I am so excited, very nervous, but can’t wait to take the next step’. 

American universities offer a fantastic opportunity for young golfers looking to further their golf career alongside continuation of their education, and the school now has a regular flow of ex-students spread out across the continental United States.  In fact, Liam will join former student Max Smith who is established at the same college in Kansas!

We wish Liam all the best when he leaves us in June; for his future in the States and in his ongoing career – we know he will make a success in all he does.

Lee Westwood Golf School student James Mack turns Professional

LWGS student James Mack, having just returned from the school’s annual warm weather winter training in Spain has just taken the decision to turn professional.

James has had a fantastic couple of years at the Essex school, improving his handicap from 9 to -1, as well as winning the Lee Westwood Golf Tour finals, the individual order of merit at the Intercollegiate Tour final, 2^nd place at the British Schools & Colleges finals, alongside a number of top 10 county competition placings.  He is also the current course record holder on the Gainsborough course at his home club Stoke by Nayland.

James said ‘I’m ready to turn professional, I’ve been working really hard with the help of the coaches and now want to take the next step to playing golf professionally.  I’m really excited to see what the future holds.  My parents have been a huge support to me, encouraging me all the way.  I would also like to thank the school for everything they have done for me and for this year’s opportunity of continuing as a Golf Performance Programme student and being able to develop my game even further’.

Doug Mathews, Programme Manager at LWGS said ‘I honestly believe, with the continued hard work and dedication that James shows, he will become a great player.  He has the drive and determination and is an inspiration to others.  We wish him lots of luck’.

In terms of events James is hoping to compete in the Europro Events, the Jamega Tour and TP Tour this year – watch this space!

Students in Spain

Last week our students headed to the Iberostar Royal Andalus to utilise the fantastic golf facilities and receive quality golf coaching in the sunshine.  


After a long travelling day on Monday, Tuesday was a day for the students to get used to the warmer weather, the facilities and the courses. On Wednesday and Thursday we held the 36-hole individual event for the Essex and Cheshire students.  The 1^st round was played on the Seve Ballesteros designed Mar course at the Iberostar Royal Andalus Golf Resort with Tom Matthews (Cheshire) leading the way with a one stroke lead over Louis Martin (Essex), with Harry Shaw (Cheshire) one shot further back.


The 2^nd round was played on the Pinos course, which is a tight tree lined course, and the blustery conditions on the day made for a tough scoring day.  As the day went on it became clear that the tournament winner would come from the final group; Tom Matthews or Louis Martin.  Tom missed a couple of short putts on holds 15 and 16 which meant they were all square with two holes to go.  However, a fantastic birdie, par finish from Tom secured a two shot victory from Louis.  Tom Vyce (Cheshire) shot the low round of the day to climb into third place.  In the nett competition, Ethan Davey (Essex) won by an impressive 4 shot margin with Guy Van Leerzem (Essex), Harry Shaw (Cheshire) and Louis Martin (Essex) all tied in 2^nd place.


On Friday we played the inaugural game between LWGS and the WANG Academy from Norway.  The WANG academy operates in a similar fashion to the Lee Westwood Golf School, in that it is for talented young Norwegian athletes aged 16 – 19 who complete education whilst training in their chosen sport.  It was always destined to be a tough match and it was a challenging day for the LWGS team as the WANG academy possessed many of the best young talented golfers from Norway, including a number of international players, and many with plus handicap figures.  There were a number of close matches, but ultimately the WANG Academy players were too strong for us on the day.  However, there was no doubt that our players enjoyed the experience and we were very proud of how they all conducted themselves and showed pride in their school.  It was great to see the young golfers from different backgrounds interacting with each other throughout the day.  Certainly, our students gained some real benefit from sharing stories about their experiences and learning how the Norwegians scheduled their training days.  The day was such a success we are already planning a repeat match next year.


Sunday came around all too quickly where we played the annual game between the Cheshire and Essex Schools.  It is always a keenly contested match due to the bragging rights on offer.  There were 19 single matches, meaning a minimum of 10 points were needed to gain victory.  It rained a little in the morning during the warm-up but by the time the first group were ready to tee off the clouds had gone and the sun had returned once again – perfect timing!  The match was extremely tight and it was impossible to tell who was going to win until the very end.  The Cheshire School came out on top with the narrowest of victories (10-9), to take the trophy off Essex who won it the previous year.  It was fantastic to see the match played with such good sportsmanship, the students showed some real competitive spirit and represented their schools with distinction.

Well done to all our students and many thanks to all the coaches who work tirelessly for the entire trip to ensure the students get the best possible experience.

Students to play match against Norway

 

While many UK golfers will be huddled around the fireplace, the Lee Westwood Golf School students will be competing against the WANG Academy of Norway. The event will be held on the 12 January during their winter training trip to the Iberostar Royal Andalus Golf Resort, in sunny Spain.

The Wang Academy operates in a similar fashion to the Lee Westwood Golf School, in that it is for talented young norwegian athletes aged from 16 to 19 years old, who complete education while training in their chosen sport. There are five schools in Norway (Oslo, Hamar, Stavanger, Tønsberg and Fredrikstad).

It will be a tough match against the WANG Academy, who work closely with the Norwegian Golf Federation, with the handicap range of players being +3.5 to 5, and includes up to 15 Norwegian international representatives. Programme Manager Gavin Hamlyn said 'it is a fantastic opportunity for out students to train and compete abroad. We are all looking forward to highly competitive matches, and the unique prospect of playing against a school from a foreign country".

During the trip there will also be the annual match played between the Lee Westwood Golf School - Cheshire and Essex teams. This match is normally played with much intensity due to the desire to bring back the inter-school bragging rights to the UK. The Essex School currently hold the title but it's all to play for again in just over a months time.

THE MASTERS - DREAM COME TRUE

Our students have been offered a fabulous opportunity to attend The Masters in April next year. A once in a lifetime experience, a trip to the holy grail of golf is on every golfer’s bucket list!

Open to students and parents, there are 2 different options to attend either the Tuesday practice round or the Sunday final round, plus 3 rounds of golf, bed & breakfast accommodation at the 4* Downtown Hyatt Hotel, premium car hire, and Virgin flights from London. 

A staff member will also attend - don't think it will be difficult to find a volunteer!

Ethan Snutch heads to the Junior European Open

Good luck to Ethan Snutch who joins a 156 strong field of finalists for the Junior European Open now in its 25th year. The Junior European Open, in association with Sky Sports, first staged in 1993, is the most accessible and keenly contested junior golf tournament in Europe. The Tournament has an enviable pedigree. In 1993 Luke Donald finished 3rd in the finals at Wentworth, closely followed by US Open Champion Justin Rose in 1994, also finishing 3rd.

42 regional events took place throughout the year across the UK and Europe with Ethan taking top spot at Lingfield Golf Club winning him the trip to the week-long Champions Finals in Andalucia, Spain.

Fingers crossed Ethan.