Editor’s corner


Inside this month’s issue


View from the 1st News


Check out the latest industry news Golf people


Find out who has got what job with which company Company news


April 2012 Volume 30 No 3 N 4


Last month the brightest minds in academia went to Arizona to discuss golf. Matt Cooper, our regular columnist, explains the far reaching significance of this event


6 12 14


Find out which golf club is to host TheSocialGolfer.com annual championship and which Tour player has signed an apparel agreement with Swedish golf brand, abacus


Cover story My Way In the locker The look


Check out our stylish selection of Autumn/Winter 2012 clothing


Technology New products Golf statistics The 18th hole Pro Shop Europe April 2012 42


Find out about Golf Swing Systems’ latest offering, the Swingia Balance Plate as well as iTrainerMini, the training aid that provides golfers with instant feedback


44


Do you fancy stocking Bubba Watson’s pink PING G20 drivers? Turn to our new products section where we also give details of Honma Golf’s new models


48 With the Masters now behind us, how is the Price Index faring? 50


Win a Nikon COOLSHOT laser rangefinder and find out how a golfing fan was left ‘tee-d’ off after he thought he had backed Bubba Watson to win the Masters


3 26


We see how the latest iteration of the Freeway franchise has seen PowaKaddy spring out of the blocks in 2012


32


John Woosey, MD of the JRW Group, explains the company’s emphasis on value for money and why Bernard Gallacher is his golfing hero


36


Putters come under the spotlight this month so with clients looking for the purest of rolls and the most accurate alignment, check out our round-up of what’s available on the market


40


Pro-Shop Europe continues to stay true to its three core beliefs; people, products and practice. Our mission is to engage with pros, helping them to improve their coaching and marketing skills and ultimately, increase their revenue


Pro Shop Europe is published by: MA Business & Leisure Ltd, Jesses Farm, Snow Hill, Dinton, Wiltshire SP3 5HN Tel: 01722 716996 Fax: 01722 716926 Editor: Geraldine Faulkner geraldine@markallengroup.co.uk Advertising manager: Geoff Pullin Production director: Richard Hamshere Publishing director: Jon Benson Graphic Designers: Matt Bradford, Scott Godfrey Circulation director: Sally Boettcher Managing director:Mark Allen Printed by: Pensord Press Ltd, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Newport, Gwent, NP12 2YA


The cost of an annual subscription to Pro Shop Europe is £99 in the UK, £143 in Europe. Pro Shop Europe is a registered trademark of © MA Business & Leisure Ltd. All rights reserved.


The paper used within this publication has been sourced from Chain-of-Custody certified manufacturers, operating within international


environmental standards, to ensure sustainable sourcing of the raw materials, sustainable production and to minimise our carbon footprint.


ow that excitement


after the Masters’ thrilling sudden death playoff is subsiding and the euphoria of


Bubba Watson’s win is starting to ebb, coaching pros must be asking themselves the crucial question: “How relevant am I?” Because if a self-taught left-handed 34-year-old from Georgia (sporting a nickname allegedly given to him when he was born by his father for his chubby cheeks and his resemblance to a football player) can become top dog at Augusta, what does that say about the role teaching pros have in golf? I know people who play a perfectly


competent round of golf never having had a golf lesson in their lives. Nor do they rely on gizmos to determine how to play a shot. And although they will never be players at Watson’s level, it might make golfers query the contribution coaches have to play in their acquiring the necessary skills. Instead of encouraging clients to


rely on technology, is it time to place more emphasis on out-dated notions like drills, repetition and hard work?


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