The first lesson starts with a small inter-view to find out what a player’s handicap is and any physical ailments which might impair a golf swing.
Based at the newly opened Pestana Vila Sol Academy, Neil Connolly immediately makes you feel right at home and ten minutes into the lesson, he had already discovered what appeared to be a major flaw in my swing.
At 1.92 metres, I have had numerous golfing partners point out that my clubs appear to be too short. I have quietly been trawling the web and golf shops across the Algarve in search of longer clubs until I made the decision to seek out custom-made clubs. But according to Neil, it was not my clubs which were too short, but my stance which, despite feeling comfortable, looked dreadful from the footage viewed later and gave the appearance that I was reaching down. But a simple adjustment as to how I hold my chin changed all that.
Video footage of before and after revealed marked change, and the several dozen balls I hit off the tee afterwards saw me hit the vast majority exactly where I intended. Also, while I previously felt that my eyes were on the ball and that my head was still, footage suggested otherwise. Visits to the driving range since have been most satisfying as the balls I have hit seem to be going further and higher without using too much physical power to achieve this. I feel that I look a lot better from address to follow-through, which was also simply corrected by Neil during my first lesson. The whole experience proved much better value than investing in a new set of clubs.
The Golf Integrated system developed by Neil Connolly, who played on the European Tour last year and also featured in PGA tournaments such as the Volvo PGA championships, has seen a growing number of golfers witness instant improvements to their game, not only amateurs and juniors, but players with low handicaps and even PGA professionals.
Golf Integrated boasts that it combines cutting edge technology with industry leading experts to deliver what they believe to be the most effective golf development programmes.
Every visitor at Pestana Golf Integrated Academy is given an online locker, which records every session and is a permanent record which can be shared and applied by other coaches in the future. I have access to mine and can monitor any successes or failures as the years go by through this online record.
Neil’s eagerness to coach comes from seeing how quickly players, at any level, improve by simply applying the basics.
He explains: “I wanted to turn Professional when I was sixteen, my parents gave me a choice of being fully supported with an education behind me or to live in the shed! My scholarship to University of Tennessee was a great compromise.”
As a result, Neil managed to graduate. Not only is he dedicated to improving players young and old, he enjoys guiding young players who want to follow a similar education path to the Professional ranks.
With a strong academic background and an impressive golf CV, Neil Connolly and The Portugal News have reached an agreement whereby he will be writing a regular column providing golfing tips and talking about latest trends.