‘In golf, it’s important to acquire skill not scores’

New Delhi:It was under Jonathan Yarwood that New Zealand’s Michael Campbell won the US Open golf in 2005 and rose to world No 11 by winning 15 times worldwide during their long association. But as coach, Yarwood too came away with some lessons. One of them was that “great people do great things at the right time”.
“The difference between Major winners and a Tour player is the unbelievable grit and will to win as their worst fear is failure. It’s the quality not quantity of practice that matters,” says Yarwood, and that’s what he tried to impress upon youngsters during his visit here for the IJGA ((International Junior Golf Academy) -Albatross Junior Tour coaching camp. “Scores are a byproduct of the right processes; if one takes care of that, the outcome takes care of itself.”
Based in Hilton Head, USA, Yarwood, director of golf at IJGA and former coach to PGA Tour winners like Alex Cejka, believes to succeed “varying the way of practice not variable practice” is the key. “Since golf is a “problem-solving game, it is important to acquire skill not scores.”
In the drive to see their children get better, Yarwood had a word of caution for parents. “Love shouldn’t be conditioned by scores, instead parents should help their wards bridge the gap between the range and golf course as that’s investment for the future. It’s important to have a personal blueprint and if some of them can go on to become a professional, that’ll be the icing on the cake.”
Impressed by the turnout at the camp here, especially the number of girls lining up for lessons, Yarwood was happy to note that “an elitist game was filtering down to the middle class. The scene sure is vibrant in India,” he said.