He also explained that a number of other initiatives were running in parallel with this coaching session, such as the Development Squad (those players who may well be used in the future – some very soon - being run by Graham Hargreaves and Stewart Harris), and the get togethers at Copt Heath, North Warwickshire & The Belfry. All in all, the county’s pre-season initiatives should see circa 60 “Team Warwickshire” players playing, developing and being coached under the guidance of Warwickshire Golf – all of these 60 players should be available for selection for either 1st or 2nd teams this season…... a very nice selection “problem” to have !

The County get-togethers (the next at North Warwickshire and then the main event at the De Vere Belfry) are when all the best golfers in our clubs can attend. Today was all about short game preparations and skills. The 18 players were split into two groups for a morning and afternoon masterclass from Andy Dunbar and David Ingram, David deputising for an indisposed Neil McKewan.

Work centred on putting, full and half wedge play and specialist shots round the greens. There was also a chance to meet up with Rob Smith who is working with Union Players on player physiology and conditioning. Rob gave a 30 minute lecture on the role of physiotherapy and conditioning in the improvement in the golf of the very best and how this has already helped a number of Warwickshire Golfers.

This is the time of the year when entry forms are dropping through the letterboxes of all our best players. For three key championships (in this a Walker Cup year), the handicap ballot starts at around +2. Those events are the British Amateur, the St Andrews Trophy and the Lytham Trophy. At present, Warwickshire have three players who will definitely make it through into the draws in Matt Cryer (+3.6), Rob Steele (+3.1) and David Hayes (+2.4). The figures in brackets are the exact handicaps of players as of the end of 2004.

Chris Evans has an exact handicap of around +1.7. He will probably make it into the fields of the above and will add to those events with all the EGU Championships as well as trips into Europe with the England squads.

Paul Randle at + 0.9 will be unlikely to play in the British, as will 2004 Ladbrook Park Club Champion Andy Colley (+ 1.2) who is newly married and has limited his golf for the last season. That’s not the case (limited playing) for his club compatriot Andy Jones (+ 0.2) who was at Stratford Oaks and who is looking forward to plenty of competitive play around the Midlands.

Talking to Graham Hargreaves, a past Finalist in the British Boys at the start of his golfing career, gives some ideas on the relative values of handicaps over the past 20 years –

‘’I played off 2 when I reached that final. I think that +2 now is the equivalent of Scratch from then. The lowest I got to was Scratch at aged 22.

‘I think some it has to do with technology. Some of it is because the best golfers hardly ever play in Club competitions when the CSS regularly goes down – at the moment they can play in one of the big amateur competitions and expect that it (the CSS) will regularly go up.’

The EGU are also going to press players to ensure that they play with the correct handicap. It is a player’s responsibility to know what their exact handicap is and then to make adjustments immediately after a competition, not to wait for this to be done by their club who might not get official result for a few weeks.

When Graham won through to the British Boys finals at Sunningdale, fairways and approaches were not watered and he was using the small ball, so prodigious driving was as common as it is now.

‘I never got anywhere near the 17th at Wentworth though’, said Graham, a feat that is now within the compass of many of the best amateurs and the regulars on the Tours.

There are a number of very good Juniors in Warwickshire, notably Andy Sullivan with a plus handicap already. Andy could get low enough to make it into the British Amateur if he has enough good rounds before the closing date – that could include the McEvoy at Copt Heath in early April.

Other news from players present at this training day – 2003 Boys Champion Chris Hazeldine has a place at Loughborough University (which would be good for his golf) and a recent Loughborough graduate is no on the PGS staff at the Belfry – Ben Groutage will be a Tournament Controller on the PGA EuroPro Tour this season.