Surrounding Yourself With People..

You may leave your better half once a week for a quick knock. You may even slip out mid week, to meet up with them after work. You probably text them all week arranging your next meet. Your bond with golfers, can be one of the strongest in your social circle.

Ever since I started my golf journey aged 15, I have surrounded myself with some of the best people I know. Are they the best golfers on the planet? No, but they all have qualities I admire.

Nick Hall

Myself and Nick may not have been fashion icons, but at least we were both incredibly bad together. He will never match me shot for shot during a round, nor will Nick ever try to. Nicks Influence on my golf is with his support. Nick has travelled around the country in support of events. Nick caddied for me at the last minute in my Trilby Tour Qualifier at Tudor Park. Nick Travelled to The Forest Of Arden whilst in plaster, just to walk round with me and Jake during the final. Nick has also been involved in Both Golf On Camera Cups, at The Belfry & Littlestone. Support like this towards everything you do is underrated, a lot of people take it for granted.

Allan Gallard

Allan was one of the first people to invite me as a 15 year old 18 handicapper, to play golf in a group. 15 years on, we still (when possible) meet up weekly for a game. Gallard has never been the greatest Ball striker. Even by his own admission, Gallard's short game can be like a scene out of a horror film at times. So how did Gallard playing off 11, influence my game? Allan's grit and determination has never been questioned by myself. I just remember as a junior, seeing Gallard hitting strange golf shots, duffing chips and missing short putts. When we would get back in the bar, I would of had 35 points and played nicely. Gallard would sign his card for 34 points. Its wasn't until I looked back through the round, I would see that during the back 9, Gallard would have found a run of pars, possibly even the odd birdie. Gallard was the master of turning 28 points into mid - low 30's.

Jake Denney

Jake has been someone that supports from a far, but drops everything when support is needed. I have known Jake for the good part of 12 years. One of the more technically efficient golfers in my group, he can on his day, take me on shot for shot through most of the round. Jake, like Nick, has supported my Trilby Tour adventures. Ever since the Trilby final in 2016, Jake has been hooked on being my Tournament caddy. Out of my group, Jake is the one player that understands my golf the most.

During the Trilby Final in 2016 we faced a standoff, we stood on the 4th hole blocked out by trees. We spoke about pitching out, aswell as various other options. Against Jakes, Nicks and the spectators views, I took on a shot through the canopy towards the middle of the green. To be honest, it was a 1 in 20 shot and not advisable. At the time I could see and feel the shot, knowing I could pull the shot off. As soon as I told Jake I was taking the shot on, all he said to me was "OK, what club do you want?". I pulled the shot off and made par. I know Jake didn't want me to take the shot on. As we had discussed all other options, Jake also understood that questioning me was the worst thing to do in this situation. Jake's influence on my game is the understanding and trust we have. We still have work to do as a player and caddy partnership, but we have good foundations.

I would love to go on and talk about my entire group of friends, but you would need days to read it. I can probably name 20 individuals that have influenced my golf in a positive way. Throughout my Blog Posts, you will see how the golfers I surround myself with influence my game. My biggest influence on my golf has always been my dad, But that is a whole blog post on its own.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read about my influences. I would love to hear about the people that influence your golf.

GOC