Leela is double champion, again.

October-November_2007 Issue

I hope you have enjoyed and learned from the 100+ pages that I have written so far.

I am now approaching the end of my tenth season at my private members club here in Germany.

There are one or two new additions to the site and I would like to direct you firstly to the competition at the bottom of this page: Click here

If you have any comments you would like to make, be that your own story or your opinion on one of the publications, please fill out the form.

I am proud to report that Leela, who played in her last tournament of the season on Saturday 20th October, managed to win the scratch prize and closes the season with handicap 6.8 which is just 0.3 higher than her season end target of 6.5.

Not bad for a twelve year old girl!

If you would like to read the whole unfolding story about her...

Click here

Of course I could not be more delighted with her progress and am at present researching what it is that we are doing together that has brought about this huge success.

Let's face it I have other students who have been working many years longer and dare I say much harder on their games than this 12 year old, and they are unfortunately stuck at a certain level and are not moving on. I even asked Leela if she could explain why this is the case.

Her simple answer:

"I just do what you say!"

This short reply got me thinking and I asked myself this question:

"Doesn't everyone do what I say as their coach?"

That's it in a nutshell.

For example, I may instruct Leela to use simple bowling skills when she is putting, explaining that there are huge similarities in their mechanics. We will work on this and sure enough when I see her putting on the course she performs this bowling method to the letter.

However, I have spent the same amount of time or more with many adults on the same theme and their version of this on the course is quite disappointing.

"Why then?"

I have now, as promised, written a few pages on this theme and you can access them on the links that appear at the bottom of this page: Go here!

Finally, I am about to complete my tenth and last season at my present club and look forward with excitement to the direction my career takes from here.

I have unfortunately been on the receiving end of a hierarchal disaster where the powers that be do not realise what it is that they have in me and have encouraged all members new and old to take lessons from the native German professional.

I must separate the few loyal members who know the difference and use their own perdonal choice from the vast majority who don't even consider that they actually have one.

Of all the new members who have joined the club over the last four years absolutely none have decided to give me a try. And more than 80% of the established members have never tried me over this ten year period.

I've gotta go... its as simple as that.

I welcome my future with open arms and anticipate a much higher standard of enjoyment in my coaching career. Life can be a little unreliable but I reckon it is all swings and roundabouts.

Leela has outperformad her competition and as a twelve year old is the ninth lowest handicapper of six hundred members at the club.

I would hate to take her to the top of the game and for us to be associated with a club that didn't even appreciate us.

I shouldn't really say us but somehow I feel that there are definately clubs out there who deserve and would appreciate a phenomenen like Leela considerably more.

O.K. that's it until next month.

Please enjoy reading further into the website and I'll send another newsletter in October.