Dr Paul Hurrion - Official Site of Putting Coach

Rory shoots course record 62 to become youngest winner on the PGA Tour since Tiger!

May 3rd, 2010 | PGA European Tour Golfers, PGA Tour, Putting Biomechanics, Rory McIlory

What a final round, Rory McIlroy’s 10-under-par final round to win the Quail Hollow Championship on Sunday has drawn superlative-filled praise from the world of golf. The youthful star of European golf, made his mark in the United States last night when he won the Quail Hollow championship in record-breaking fashion, shooting a course-record 62, 10 under par, to become the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods.

Rory who will celebrate his 21st birthday on Tuesday, covered the first 17 holes of his final round in nine under par but saved his best until the last as he rolled a 45-foot putt into the centre of the hole for another birdie. There was a look of wonder on his face as the ball dropped and he was not alone in his astonishment. He finished his round with a run of six threes – two pars, three birdies and one eagle, at the par-five 15th – and his 15-under-par total beat the field by four shots.

“Ridiculous,” Rory said afterwards when asked to sum up his round. “I just got in the zone. I saw my shots and just hit them and I saw the line of my putts and they just went in.”

Quail Hollow has a reputation of being one of toughest courses on the PGA Tour – Phil Mickelson criticised its “ridiculous” greens the other day – and the Quail Hollow Championship traditionally attracts the best field outside the major championships. Yet McIlroy made a mockery of the course’s reputation and left the best players in the world looking ordinary.

Woods, the world No1, did not even make the cut and Mickelson, the Masters champion, shot a final-round 68 to finish in second place. On another day that would have been good enough to win, as the left-hander conceded afterwards.

“I was out on the course after five or six holes, thinking that 68 was the number [to win the tournament],” he said. ” I have got to congratulate Rory. To shoot 30 on the back nine to win this tournament, on this course; he is some kind of player.”

He really is and Mickelson was not alone in lauding the Ulsterman. It was noticeable that, when McIlroy stepped off the final green, a welter of players, including Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington, were waiting to shake his hand.

Yesterday’s victory was McIlroy’s second as a professional golfer – his first came at the Dubai Desert Classic 15 months ago – and his first on the PGA Tour, of which he became a member at the start of the this year.

Congratulations Rory from all at Quintic, all the hard work and hours doing your practice drills are starting to pay dividends… You have structure and a rountine to follow each week, plus your feel and tempo are improving each day as a result!!!

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All in the Set-up…

April 22nd, 2010 | Tuition

These images were shot in Abu Dhabi in the wonderful sunshine that greeted the European Tour in February, when most of you were at home looking out on the snow and wondering when you might actually get to set foot on the golf course. During those early-season events I tend to spend most of my time emphasising to layers the importance of adhering to proven fundamentals in terms of the set up and posture that governs good stroke. After any sort of layoff it’s easy to slip back into old habits so you really do have to work on re-establishing the ground rules for the putting stroke – and that means going over the details of your grip, posture, ball position and balance.

Across this page and overleaf you’ll find a number of tips and ‘reminders’ that will help you to cover the key points. If you haven’t done so already, go and see your local pro or contact your regional GEL fitting centre and get yourself a putter that is precisely fitted to your specs. I’m not saying that will guarantee you success, but it will certainly help you to enjoy a consistently better set up and posture, which will be reflected in the quality of your putting…

Golf International - All in the Set-up : May 2010 : To download the full four page instructional article from Golf International : ‘The Putting Doctor’ - Please click the following link : May 2010 : http://paulhurrion.com/tution/

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GEL establishes itself as number one putter in India

March 31st, 2010 | GEL Golf

GEL Golf has firmly established itself as the number one putter on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) as more and more Tour players are taking advantage of the unique technology that GEL uses to produce GEL Groove Putters.

Already the number one putter on the Omega China Tour and a dominant force on the Asian Tour, GEL putters recently consolidated the top slot in India over arch rivals Odyssey at the PGTI Players Championship in Panchkula in March. The likes of Mukesh Kumar and R Murthy, currently second and fifth in the 2010 PGTI Order of Merit, and established player Ali Sher are all players that have recognised the benefits that horizontal groove putters offer in terms of producing less skid off the ball of the putter face, thereby creating a truer roll.

“With so many professionals now using GEL Putters on Tour, it proves that we have developed a good quality product that quite simply helps hole putts more often,” comments Alec Pettigrew, managing director of GEL Golf.

“Whilst we are 100% confident that groove and insert technology creates instant forward roll on the golf ball, thus reducing the unwelcome effects of skidding and giving a straighter, truer roll, the pros are now discovering this for themselves and relying on GEL Putters to improve their performance on tour. There is no greater endorsement for our product than this,” One of golf’s most innovative technology manufacturers, GEL Golf uses horizontal precision-cut, aluminium inserts for a more responsive feel and enhanced sweet spot. Following feedback from Tour pros, GEL has made their putters larger, heavier and more balanced heads, encouraging an even smoother and more rhythmical putting stroke.

Since the launch of GEL Putters in 2007, GEL Golf has already celebrated a total of six Tour victories around the world. Bryan Saltus of the US was the inaugural winner when he secured the 2007 Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open on the Asian Tour with a GEL Sapphire putter. In May 2008, Taiwanese Hsu Mong-nan won the Omega China Tour’s Shanghai Championship with a GEL Jade putter and in September that year American Tom Stankowski captured the Canadian Tour Championship in Ontario using a GEL Emerald putter.

GEL once again broke new ground in 2009 when it secured its first European Tour win when American Anthony Kang clinched the Malaysian Open title in February at in Kuala Lumpur with a GEL Rego.

Four months later, China’s Chen Jian secured GEL’s fifth victory using a GEL Ruby putter in the Luxehills Golf Championship on the Omega China Tour.

GEL did not have to wait long for its next title. Becky Brewerton of Wales recorded a stunning six-shot victory in July at the Ladies Open de Espana to hand GEL Golf its sixth Tour win and its first on the Ladies European Tour.

The original GEL Putter range launched in January 2007 at the PGA Golf Show in Orlando whilst the latest range, the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range, was designed in conjunction with Dr Paul Hurrion, a leading sports bio-mechanist and a renown putting coach to a host of top European and Ryder Cup stars.

Anthony Kang clinched the Malaysian Open title in February 09 at in Kuala Lumpur with a GEL Rego

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World Class Line Up Of Speakers Assembled For Coaching Professionals

March 1st, 2010 | Putting Biomechanics, Tuition

01/03/10
Asian Golf Business : Singapore

Asia’s first-ever conference dedicated to the golf teaching and playing professional is well on its way to setting a new milestone for the Asian golf industry.

The PGA Conference of Asia, scheduled to be staged at the Bangkok International Convention Centre at the plush Centara Grand Hotel in Centralworld, Bangkok, will feature about 20 world class speakers over the two day event on April 30 to May 1.

Presented under the theme “Quality Coaching - Asia’s Road to Golf Glory!” the revolutionary conference is being organised and produced by the Asia Pacific Golf Development Conferences Pte Ltd, (APGDC) the same organisation that owns and produces the highly acclaimed annual Asia Pacific Golf Summit.

“An event of this nature has been needed in Asia for a long time and we thought that given our stake-holdership in the game of golf in Asia, we would take the lead to organise and stage an event especially designed to cater to the needs of the teaching golf professional,” explained Mike Sebastian, managing director of APGDC.

“The primary thrust of the conference is to help elevate the status of the teaching professional in Asia because this individual has a huge role to play to grow the game of golf along the right path as golf expands rapidly in Asia,” Sebastian pointed out. “If Asia is to develop the game of golf well, then it makes a lot of sense for all of us to take the necessary steps to help golf coaches in the region to hone up on their teaching skills so that we can all play golf well regardless of the level of our game,” he added.

The keynote address at the two-day conference will be delivered by the Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour, Kyi Hla Han. “I view this conference as a development along the right path - if we are to stay sharp, especially in the professional game, we need to invest in our golf coaches - there is no short cut to success. Quality coaches mean quality players regardless of whether we are to develop amateurs, club players, juniors or professionals - we need good golf coaches,” Kyi Hla emphasized.

Among some of the top coaches confirmed for the conference are:

1. Tim Mahoney, Director of Golf Education, Troon Golf, USA who is ranked amongst the top golf coaches in America.
2. Brian Moog - the man who coached South Korean giant-killer Y.E. Yang to demolish Tiger Woods and win Asia’s first ever Major.
3. Dr. Paul Hurrion, ranked as one of the world’s top putting gurus and putting coach to Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy.
4. Dr. Mac Powell, Dean of the Golf Academy of the National University, San Diego.
5. Blaik Shew, former CEO of Hank Haney’s International Junior Golf Academy.

Other top flight international experts include:

* John Haime
* Shawn Clements
* Mark Bates
* Ed Lebeau
* Colin Field
* Bobby Shaeffer
* Steven Giuliano
* Jason Bierholm
* Tony Meechai
* Bill McKinney
* Kiran Kanwar

One of the many highlights of the conference will be the Asia-Pacific launch of the Swing Catalyst, a computer enabled teaching aid that is going to take the teaching of golf to a whole new level.

Bangkok-based teaching coach, Tony Meechai, who is involved in the organisation of the conference said, “This is an awesome show - never before have we had the luxury of being addressed by so many world class experts in golf coaching. This is really a once in a life time opportunity and I sincerely hope that all teaching professionals in Asia will make an effort to attend this conference.”

It is hoped that the PGA Conference of Asia will become an annual event headquartered in Bangkok. “It makes a lot of sense to locate an event like this in Bangkok because it has everything required to stage a successful event,” said Georgina Wong, executive director of APGDC.

Registration is now open at www.pgaasiaconference.com and interested delegates can register to attend on-line.

The PGA Conference of Asia is being held under the auspices of the Thailand Conventions and Exhibitions Bureau (TCEB), sanctioned by the Sports Authority of Thailand and hosted by the PGA of Thailand.

http://www.asiangolfbusiness.com/news2.php?reg_id=472

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Oliver Wilson’s Balancing Act - ProStance at the WGC

February 24th, 2010 | PGA European Tour Golfers, ProStance

Oliver Wilson working on ProStance (WGC - Tuson, AZ, USA : Feb 2010)
www.pro-stance.com

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The Lipstike Drill

February 8th, 2010 | Tuition

Do you consistently strike the ball from the same part of the putter face? And is that the centre or ‘sweet spot’ of your putter? Actually, do you know where you strike the ball on the putter face? Does matter? Asian Golf Monthly putting guru Paul Hurrion says ‘yes!’

Inconsistency in the strike area may seem a small hiccup, but it can afflict any golfer, even Major Champions. It can either defeat your aim of being a better putter – or be overcome quickly if you use my simple answer. Firstly – yes! It matters. Every time you miss the ‘sweet spot’, the impact twists the putter slightly. This means miss-hits producing misdirected putts and poor strikes leading to short putts. To be a good putter, you have to create a good repeating stroke that enables consistency of strike. Striking the ball out of the ‘sweet spot’ every time not only gives you the best roll, but also the best feel. Importantly, the consistency builds your confidence … plus there is a hidden bonus.

And now my simple answer: The Lipstick Drill. I guarantee it can help you to improve distance control, direction and confidence overnight. And the hidden bonus? Focusing on striking the ball in the centre of the putter will help prevent your eyes following the ball too soon and add another stability factor to your putting style.

The Lipstick Drill

The purpose of this drill is to check if you are striking the ball on the centre of the clubface. Smear lipstick on the face of the putter. Then hit a putt. The mark in the lipstick will show you where the ball is being struck. Is the strike where you thought it was? Is it in the centre? Repeat the drill 10 times and look for the ‘consistency’ of the pattern that you have created. More three-putts are caused by pace control than poor alignment, so in order to control the pace of the golf ball, it is vital that the ball must come consistently out of the sweet spot of the putter face. Importantly, this drill does not interfere with the putter face or deaden the feel of the hands. If your putts are inconsistent in terms of strike (heel and toe), try switching to a putter with a higher Moment of Inertia (MOI). This will help give you greater stability or forgiveness with off-centre hits and cut misdirection and distance control errors.

Working with GEL Golf, I have designed the Paul Hurrion Signature Range of putters to help golfers enjoy the key benefits Tour players look for on the greens. The groove and multi-layer aluminium insert technology enables weight to be positioned around the perimeter of the putter head, creating a high MOI for the precise reason that not even Tour players strike the ball out of the centre every time. Based on the bio-mechanical principles I have studied, I know that consistent strike and putters with a high MOI help you to create stability and consistency at the point of impact in the area of the game that matters most – your putting.

Asian Golf Monthly - Lipstick Drill - March 2010 - p62 : Please find below the tenth in a series of 12 instructional articles for Asian Golf Monthly : ‘Lipstick Drill’ - Asian Golf Monthly - March 2010 : http://paulhurrion.com/tution/

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ProStance - Orlando 2010 PGA Merchandise Show

February 3rd, 2010 | ProStance

ProStance, the revolutionary training aid, has just returned to the UK after exhibiting at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show, Orlando, Florida, USA. The inflatable balance aid, the must-have tool for any golfer wanting to improve their game, was on show for the second time at the Orange County Convention Center.

With over 250 Tour professionals already trusting this unique product, including three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, Oliver Wilson, Rory McIlory, Paul McGinley, Henrick Stenson, Bradley Dredge, Philip Archer, Richard Finch, Anna Nordqvist, Becky Brewerton, Beatriz Recari… (the list goes on and on). The simple balance aid is steadily confirming it’s position as one of the most-advanced, game improvement tools on the market today.

Beatriz Recari shows off the ProStance tour bag she will carry on the LPGA Tour
this season, with caddie Andreas Thorp

With results at the elite end of the game that include improving driving distance, more consistancy, greater accuracy and the potential to reduce putts by up to three strokes, ProStance ensures weight is concentrated through the centre of gravity of the golfer’s body. The result: improved balance leading to powerful more consistent ball striking and smoother more consistent putting strokes

The PGA 2010 show was very successful for ProStance with plans to expand its distribution and sales both on-line and in the USA and more countries worldwide, including Japan, Korea, Ireland & South America. The biomechanical research and teaching ethos behind ProStance is set to branch out into teaching academies and high-tech laboratories, starting with Academies in the USA & Europe later this year.

For more information, please visit www.pro-stance.com

Team ProStance - 2010 PGA Merchandise Show - Orlando, Florida USA

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Don’t Strangle the Putter

January 19th, 2010 | Tuition

In my latest article for Asian Golf Monthly, here is a drill I use for enable players to discover the correct grip pressure required when putting.

The main focus when playing on fast greens is to ensure you do all you can to take the ‘hit’ out of the stroke. The key to putting on fast greens is pace control. Pace control is the result of energy transfer from the body into the club. It is important to remember to ‘swing through the ball’. The key is to let the ball get in the way of the putter. Don’t hit at it!

The only connection you have with the putter is via the grip … and how much grip pressure you exert onto the handle can significantly alter the energy transferred from the body into the club head. Constant ‘grip pressure’ for me is the key ingredient into consistent distance control with your putting stroke. The image here was taken at Quintic indoor putting laboratory, which serves as an excellent practice facility for pace control.

Avoid muscular ‘Gridlock’

If you can see the whites of the knuckles when you take your grip, you’re already in trouble. Too much pressure in the hands reduces the feel in the forearms and shoulders; you end up with a muscular ‘gridlock’. Here’s a simple, yet very effective, drill I use to ensure you always have the correct grip pressure during your stroke.

Hold the club out in front of you horizontally using you normal grip (pictured); Slowly relax the grip pressure in both hands until the toe of the club starts to drop slightly (no more than one centimetre), as I am doing in the picture; At the moment the putter-head begins to fall, you have found your ideal grip pressure;

Once you have that sensation, take your putting posture. My guess is that your grip pressure is now lighter on the club than it is when you are getting ready to make a putt. It should be. This lighter, more sensitive pressure will ensure that both hands work together as one unit during the stroke;

In the majority of cases (for right-handers), the right hand is the dominant hand with the putting stroke. That can lead to trouble and inconsistency. For a balanced and repeating stroke, they must work together.

Conclusion

To establish the correct grip pressure, hold your putter out at arm’s length and simply relax your hands until the putter-head begins to fall. At that moment you have found your ideal grip pressure. A light, sensitive grip will allow your hands to work together in balance. Squeeze the life out of your grip and you effectively squeeze the feel and rhythm out of your stroke.

Asian Golf Monthly - Don’t Strangle the Putter - Feburary 10 : Please find below the ninth in a series of 12 instructional articles for Asian Golf Monthly : ‘Don’t Strangle the Putter’ - Asian Golf Monthly - February 2010 : http://paulhurrion.com/tution/

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Tech in Bio-Mech

December 2nd, 2009 | GEL Golf, Padraig Harrington, Quintic Ball Roll, Quintic Video Software, Rory McIlory

Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy may be the stars but Dr. Paul Hurrion has helped both from behind the scenes. By Roger Valberg

Malaysian Golf Digest : November 2009

f you have never heard of Dr. Paul Hurrion, it is no surprise. He is rarely in Asia and even then his work is strictly in the background of the many professionals he helps at his Quintic Labs. If the old maxim of ‘drive for show and putt for dough’ has any truth in it, then this is the man you’d want in your corner. But calling him merely a putting guru is like saying Bill Gates is merely a rich man. There is so much more going on in that head that has shored up Padraig Harrington’s putting so much so that he won three majors and helped Rory McIlroy take his maiden win this year.

It takes a certain kind of human being to not only be able to be an authority on putting, a dark art if there ever was one, but to also establish a company that rolls out putters based on his research. Dr. Hurrion has also ventured into the realms of training aides to help the average golfer. To top it all off, he also advises and assists other athletes in sports other than golf. The base of his work centres around bio-mechanics.

“Sports biomechanics uses the scientific methods of mechanics to study the effects of various forces on the sports performer. Therefore, in short it tells you why something has happened. It is part of the overall picture of sports performance,” explained Dr. Hurrion.

“Biomechanics focuses on the forces that act on the human neuro-musculoskeletal system, velocities, accelerations, torque, momentum, and inertia. It also considers aspects of the behavior of sports implements, footwear and surfaces where these affect athletic performance or injury prevention,” he added.

The subject though is wide and it can be divided up into two sections: Performance Improvement & Injury Prevention. His Quintic Labs work on research for questions that an athlete may ask. “What is the best run-up for a high jumper? How should the knee angle be modified for the delivery stride of a fast bowler in cricket? What is the velocity of the swimmer after the tumble turn?

To download the full article, please click : Malaysian-Golf-Digest-November-2009

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ProStance - 9mins Video Infomercial…

November 26th, 2009 | Full Swing Biomechanics, ProStance, Putting Biomechanics, Tuition

95% of golfers don’t know where their weight is truly positioned…

ProStance has been proved to improve the balance and consistency of even the world’s top golfers, creating a more consistent golf swing thereby delivering more power and accuracy to your game. Good balance is essential to powerful and consistent golf shots, putts, chips, and full swings… It is simple to use, yet the results are instant unquestionable. ProStance - ‘the base for every successfull golf swing’ has created a infomercial video to explain the features and benefits of the product. Please click on the video below to view the video. For more information, please visit www.pro-stance.com

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www.pro-stance.com

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