Padraig piercing his own armour

I’M increasingly surprised by the number of players who are coach and team dependant.

Information overload risks consuming the game and players need to have a look at themselves.

Do they really need a guy analysing the minutiae of their game every minute of every round?

Golf is about sound basics, a knowledge of what you’re trying to achieve and a trust in your ability.

Constant tinkering only creates uncertainty. I know this from personal experience as I was guilty of it myself in the past.

It was perplexing to see Padraig Harrington (above) mess about with his swing so much at last week’s Irish Open at Ballyliffin.

I’m a huge fan and his achievements make him possibly Ireland’s greatest ever sportsperson, but I do fear his obsession with distance is destroying his game.

His drive for perfection is sending him on a downward spiral and I wish he’d accept that the best kept secret in golf is... there is no secret.

How could there be in a game played by humans with erratic variables on almost every shot?