How the Gloucestershire Way led to a year of stunning success
THIS has been an exceptional year in every sense: on a worldwide scale with the Covid-19 pandemic, but also within the Gloucestershire Golf Union, as it saw the most successful year to date despite the circumstances.
The golf season saw the British Amateur first and second places, European Amateur third place, and English Amateur first place titles all won by GGU players, namely Joe Long, Joe Harvey, Haider Hussain, and Jack Cope.
Tom Gillespie, the under-14s coach, said: “I remember meeting all the boys nine years ago, and you always hope one guy in that room will get to that point, so to have four of them this year has been phenomenal.”
So how did the Gloucestershire Golf Union build to this point, and what makes the county so extraordinary?
According to Mark Powell and Dave Hares, it’s the commitment.
“This year has been exceptional,” said Powell. “But it is a result of everything we have done and the work we put in over the past 15 years.”
Hares added: “We’re always trying to build a sense of belonging and a team within Gloucestershire. We try to create a challenging but supportive environment, where we’re challenging players to be the best they can be but not at the expense of being able to support them. We have great volunteers, coaches, everyone puts in lots of time to keep things growing.”
The success of 2020 is exactly what Hares, Powell and the rest of the coaching team dreamed of when they started the programme in 2001.
Powell explained: “There was a lot of talent out there not being recognised and developed as well as it could be.”
With the aim of building stronger players within the union, Powell and Hares put together a unique programme that takes a holistic, well-rounded approach to coaching golf. They look at lifestyle, fitness, nutrition, mental training, and golf technique to build players into better individuals, not just better golfers.
Hares said: “It’s the whole person we’re trying to develop, and we’re always looking for how to make the programme better.”
Having played for the county himself since 1980, Hares has always been conscious of the need to look at each player as an individual. “We’re very conscious of being flexible, because I played and tried to achieve the things they have done this year, I can appreciate the different scenarios and paths that a player takes. We don’t have a standard way of doing things, which is a real strength of the programme,” he said.
Powell added: “We continuously review what we’re doing, and look at what others are doing in golf, and in other sports as well, and see what lessons we can apply here.”
One technique the team decided to implement was player statistics, a detailed spreadsheet of how each player performs from the age of 14 onwards to give their coaches a clear understanding of where a player needs work and improvement. Dave puts together the stats sheets in his own time, showing the same commitment he admires his players and the union for having.
As the programme evolved over the years, they recruited a number of coaches, including under 18s coach Tom Motley, under 16s coach James Tuck and under 14s coaches Jamie Casling and Tom Gillespie to help the players prepare for success in the future - whether that be in competitive golf or elsewhere.
Tuck said: “It’s the full package. It’s not just producing a golfer, we want everyone who comes through the programme to be a better individual at the other end. Not everyone will end up a top golfer, we know that, but as long as they come out with a work ethic, understanding behavior, diet and nutrition, and fitness, then we have done our jobs right.”
Motley added: “In the juniors programme, we aim to get the boys to a good benchmark and see where they can progress from there, so seeing players continue to grow is really rewarding. Having seen what Jack, Joe, Joe, and Haider did this year, I know our current juniors will continue to blow us away, no matter where in life they end up.”
Another key to the GGU’s success is what some in the community call the Gloucestershire Way: the involvement of the top players and their willingness to give back to the GGU and its future success.
Powell said: “The top players will always come and help out, give a talk, come for a coaching session. They know where they come from, they know their roots, and still love Gloucestershire. In working with the guys, the juniors realise that they can do it too.”
European Tour Pro and PGA golfer Chris Wood credits his success to the Gloucestershire Way, and comes back every Christmas for a clinic with the juniors to do his part in making sure the Gloucestershire Way continues through up and coming players.
“We’re able to succeed because top players always go above and beyond to be present and answer questions, and to me that was invaluable,” said Wood.
“Now we have myself, Joe Long, Jack Cope, Mitch Waite, among others for the younger players within the county to look to for help, and having been through the entire county system I know how beneficial that can be.”
» To learn more about the Gloucestershire Way and join the GGU community, visit our website at www.gloucestershiregolfunion.co. uk.