Dr Paul Hurrion - Official Site of Putting Coach » 2008

Congratulations to Graeme McDowell who capped an extraordinary final round at the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea with a thrilling sudden-death play-off victory on the third extra hole over Jeev Milkha Singh at the Pinx Golf Club. Graeme McDowell has been working with Paul Hurrion on his putting mechanics, the key issue being keeping it simple.

After both players had finished with final rounds of four under par 68 for a total of 24 under par 264 totals, they went back to the 18th tee three times before McDowell produced one of the shots of his career, a sublime seven iron from 179 yards to within a foot of the cup to set up a title clinching birdie.

Graeme who had an average of 29.25 Putts Per Round produced a 24 under par score after regualtion play. Paul McGinley also produced a solid four round display finishing in third place 17 under par. It is great to see Paul starting to play well, his confidence and form starting to gather momentum in time for the heart of the season. Other Quintic notables in Korea were Philip Archer -12 T9 and Padraig Harrington -10 T14.

Congratulation once again Graeme. All the best at Doral next week!

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Grant turns from winger to swinger…

March 11th, 2008 | Putting Biomechanics

By Brian Keogh 11th March : The Irish Sun

Stephen Grant has completed an amazing journey from soccer star to the professional golf ranks by joining Graeme McDowell’s management stable. The ex-Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne winger, 30, won his first professional event on the Minor League mini tour in Florida last week. Now he hopes to continue his fairytale rise from weekend hacker to top pro by bidding for glory on the European Challenge Tour this summer. Delighted with his win in the Inverrary Open, Grant said: “It’s not the Masters but a win is a win and you still have to shoot a number.

“It was blowing hard but I shot 69 and won $900. I played soccer for 10 years and enjoyed it and this is a new challenge and I am really up for it. I’m hoping to get six or seven Challenge Tour invites and try and play on the Europro Tour as well. I just want to see how good I really am.”

Grant only took up the game in 2001 when he was reaching the end of a colourful soccer career with a host of League of Ireland clubs as well as Sunderland, Stockport County and Burnley. He got his handicap down to plus three at the end of last year and decided to take the plunge into the pro ranks after Horizon Sports Management spotted his potential. Financially independent thanks to successful business interests, Grant felt the time was right to try his hand at golf. A native of Birr in Offaly, Grant hung up his boots in 2004 after scoring 21 goals for Shamrock Rovers in 111 appearances. Pal Michael Horan taught him the game and he soon caught the eye in amateur events, blasting a course record 64 at last year’s West of Ireland Championship.

Now he’s set his sights on making it on the Challenge Tour and even trying for his PGA Tour card in the US. Based in Orlando, he is a member of exclusive Mirasol Country Club, where he regularly practices with French Ryder Cup star Thomas Levet.

He explained: “My first pro tournament was on the Gateway Tour in January and I finished 20th even though I started double bogey, bogey, bogey.

“In my next event I got disqualified before the final round because I had changed the grip on my putter after a weather delay in the first round, when I had four holes to complete the next day. That was a bit of a learning curve and I genuinely didn’t know the rule. But it’s all experience.”

Two weeks ago, he made it through pre-qualifying for the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic but failed in final qualifying where 90 players were battling for just four spots in the field.

Horizon have already sent him to seeing biomechanics expert Dr Paul Hurrion, who also works with top players such as Padraig Harrington. But he’s also working with McDowell’s mind coach Dr Karl Morris and looked to Galway based yoga instructor David Cunningham for help with his fitness. Horizon have been great and sent me to all the right people. I’ve had some problems with arthritis in my lower back after my football career.

“So the guys at Horizon set me up with a yoga instructor and this has made an unbelievable difference. I just want to find out how good I can be at this game. It’s been a great adventure so far, so let’s see how it works out.”

All the best for the future Stephen!

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Starting the ball rolling…

March 1st, 2008 | GEL Golf, Putting Biomechanics, Quintic Video Software

The following article is a feature that appeared in the March 2008 Edition of SGB Golf (The European trade Magazine). The interview and article was written by Duncan Lennard, Editor of the magazine, during the 2008 PGA Orlando Trade Show.

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Dr Paul Hurrion (pictured) of GEL Golf discusses his research into the science of putting – research that has led the likes of Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Henrik Stenson to his door. He also outlines how a mix of science and biomechanics has helped him fashion his first signature range of putters.

We are in the middle of a pulsating 2008 PGA Orlando Trade Show, however Dr Paul Hurrion’s mind is miles away, focused on a tranquil early-morning practice green,
soaked with dew. “We’ve all seen it,” he says. “You strike the putt across the green and it takes a while before the ball starts making a solid line in the dew. Before that the ball is airborne, hopping and skipping across the ground. At this point it can easily be deflected.
“We’re in the business of getting that solid line to start a lot closer to the ball’s address position.”

Hurrion’s new range of four GEL putters, constructed with the help of his Quintic computer system (www.quinticballroll.com) – essentially a launch monitor for putts – is designed to do just that. The most obvious design trait of his new range is the face grooves (GEL stands for Groove Equipment Limited), which are oriented upwards at an optimal yet undisclosed angle to impart forward spin on the ball. And while a putter with grooves might still sound as odd as a face-balanced wedge, to Hurrion it’s simple common sense.
“It’s exactly the same as grooves in a wedge,” he insists. “You wouldn’t dream of using a wedge without grooves. It’s just that with a wedge the grooves are to impart backspin. They’re at 90 degrees to the face, with much of the spin created through angle of attack. Our putter grooves are effectively smoothed upwards, reversed to created forward spin.”
Hurrion discounts the theory that forward spin can be created by angle of attack.

“One of the things the Quintic system showed us was just how briefly the ball is on the face during a putt. We are talking less than a millsecond; there is no compression of the ball at all. That’s very little time for the angle of attack to have much of an effect; plus those who try to putt low-to-high are always in danger of missing the putter’s sweetspot vertically; the sweetspot doesn’t just run from heel-to-toe, but up and down the face.”

To download the full article please click on the following link:

Page 1 : SGBGolf_Mar08_p30.pdf
Page 2 : SGBGolf_Mar08_p31.pdf

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Paul McGinley : High Speed Video 1000fps Driver SV

Paul McGinley : High Speed Video 1000fps 6 Iron FV

McDowell’s wins inaugural Ballantine’s title…

Grant turns from winger to swinger…

Starting the ball rolling…

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