Wilson to host Chart Hills clinic

Former Ryder Cup ace Oliver Wilson will be hosting a clinic at Chart Hills on April 7 as part of the Leaderboard Golf Performance Centre launch.

A nine-time runner-up on the European Tour, including the HSBC Champions and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2009, Wilson made a superb Ryder Cup debut at Valhalla in 2008 and has played twice in the Seve Vivendi Trophy.

And the Callaway staffer will be promoting the brand’s opti-fit customisation session at the Kent club and will be supported by fellow European Tour player Benn Barham who’s hosting an Odyssey putting clinic.

Interviewed recently in St Andrews, Golf Foundation ambassador Wilson revealed the differing conditions he faces every week on Tour can mean he sometimes struggles with his driver. 

“My demands are quite complex and as a player on Tour, it’s not all about distance, it’s about accuracy. It’s about minimising the misses,” he says.

“My Callaway drivers have always been fitted really well to eliminate that bad shot. If you place your ball in the middle of every fairway, the game’s easy. So having it fitted correctly is massively important especially as I try to improve my swing and load the shaft slightly differently to suit my action.

“So it’s important to keep checking the driver to make sure I have the right shaft because I don’t want one that stops me improving.”

The 31-year-old also has some sound advice for amateurs: Find out how far you hit each club in your bag. It’s a simple process and well worth the effort, he says.

“In Pro-Ams my amateur partners never seem to hit a shot full out that reaches the pin. They’d be so much better over-clubbing, then even if they miss-hit it, they can still get to the back of the green.

“They wouldn’t believe how many shots they would save on their handicaps if they could discover their average distance for each club in their bag.”

Also at the Chart Hills event, catering for passionate golfers keen to improve their game, will be PGA pros James Cornish and Anthony Froom, Sports psychologist Karl Steptoe and fitness expert Rob Goldup.

For more information, click here or visit www.charthills.co.uk

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Chart Hills was part of the recent Golfmagic Leaderboard Challenge. Click here to read how Alex got on.