To all Members, Past Members of the Golf & Country Club de Bossey and local golfers,

Many thanks for the FIRST THIRTY YEARS ...!.....it's amazing how time has just flown by.

A particular BIG THANK YOU to all the committees, golf managers, shareholders and friends that have always supported and encouraged me to progress during my wonderful Bossey experience.

Back in the eighties when Cobley & Reid both had hair and could shoot under 70 the young apprentice dreamed of playing tournaments , quickly to realise it was tough to play individual professional tournaments when the teaching season was so short. 
Into the nineties and it was time for some "proshopping" which was a great experience thanks to many loyal customers at the Club but as "direct internet purchasing" and new local golf stores arrived it was time to move on.
I realised my talent lied in motivating others and find equal satisfaction from training golfers as I do playing myself. The low season at Bossey has always given me time to attend many conferences in order to perfect my teaching and coaching methods. Bossey is a constantly improving Golf Club and the Pros are encouraged to strive to high standards.

Evolution

I’ve been involved in golf instruction for over 33 years. Over that time an enormous amount has changed in the the game : player performance, the materials available to golfers, as well as different aspects of coaching. Various swing techniques based on the ‘greats’ come and go, but the importance of both the mental and physical side of the sport have become acutely apparent over the past 15 years – since the arrival of the Tiger era !

The basics

My basic philosophy about teaching the golf swing has not changed. I don’t seek to impose a particular method on my pupils but prefer to work with them to strengthen their game, based on their own individual physical characteristics and aspirations. The basics of alignment, stance, posture, ball position remain the same, of course, but how we move on from there depends on teacher and player working out what’s best and what’s realistic. For me, it’s still all about :

OBSERVING – LISTENING – FEELING – IMITATING

( photo : relaxed posture, ready to swing !)

A holistic approach

Whilst the professional golfer may have a stable of coaches on their ‘team’ (swing doctors, psychologists, fitness experts, etc.), that’s just not realistic when it comes to the amateur. Over the past few years, I have attended a series of PGA organized training courses that deal specifically with both the psychological and physical aspects of the game, and I have now integrated these into my ‘holistic’ training methods, which are aimed at individuals as well as groups of players….at whatever level.

Have a fun, smooth swinging, low scoring season,

Coach Cobley