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How would you describe your style of
coaching? Has it changed much?
I’ve been teaching for more than 40
years. I wanted to be a player, so I
learned a lot about the swing and
what made it work and tick. I’ve done
a lot of studies on biomechanics and
how the body works and how the
mind receives information. I am a
very intuitive teacher and I’ve always
relied a lot on instinct.Was it a case of trial and error when
you were first started coaching?
People like Mark McNulty and Nick
Price were guinea pigs back in the
day and a lot of my learning was done
on the job. I was a book worm and
studied a lot and researched a lot on
Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. One of
my hobbies is collecting instruction
books dating back to the 19th century.
It’s always been an interest and a
passion of mine. It’s been a constant
case of searching and discovery
through trial and error and feedback
from different players and talking to
teachers. And coming up with a
philosophy, rather than a method. A
philosophy is more open ended and
you can apply it to different people;
whereas a method is very strict and
everybody has to do it that way.What is your teaching philosophy?
A lot of my philosophy is based
around science. People have wrongly
described me as a very mechanical
teacher. A lot of that was probably
because of the work I did with Nick
Faldo, but he was far from being a
mechanical robot. He was very much
a feel player. I understand mechanics
and how the swing works, but I try to
teach through feel and use a lot of
technology to help – like Trackman,
Foresight and 3D analysis. They are
great tools and videos have changed
teaching a lot. I was one of the first to
embrace it actually. It’s nice to knowwhat the numbers are to refer back to
it, but you’ve got to be able to
interpret the data correctly.Do you think golfers are guilty of
making the golf swing too technical?
I think most teachers are probably
guilty making the swing too
complicated for the average golfer.
Most of the instruction videos you see
on YouTube are mostly geared
towards the really good player or
athlete. But how many golfers swing
like Dustin Johnson? I would imagine
not many. The resources available are
helping to produce more technical
golfers, but the game still boils down
to the feelings you have to hit the
shots when you are under-pressure or
need to get creative. Most pros
actually keep things very simple.What do you think constitutes the
best form of practice?
I’ve always believed a lot of good work
can be done indoors. For instance, if
you are trying to train your body to
move in a certain way, there are
dozens of exercises you can do to
foster the desired movement at home
or at work. The key, however, is to
make sure you are doing the right
things. Don’t just rely on information
from friends or YouTube. The chances
are you are probably misinterpreting
things anyway, and it’s unlikely it willBIG INTERVIEW
Voice of experience
Leadbetter has 40 years
of coaching behind him.NICK PRICE
The Zimbabwean was still relatively unknown
when he first teamed up w h L db- A first PGA Tour
victory followed soon after,
but he had to wait until 1991
for his next victory in the
States. Thereafter, the
floodgates opened and so
too did the Majors. He won
three from 1992-1994.
NICK FALDO
Second only to Butch and Tiger as the most
famous player-coach relationship in the
modern era. Faldo underwent a
complete swing rebuild under
Leadbetter in 1985, and went
on to win six Majors and top
the world rankings for 97
weeks. Things ended in 1998,
when the Englishman fired
Leadbetter via fax.ERNIE ELS
Described by Leadbetter as the “most naturally
talented athlete” he’s ever coached, Els started
working with Leadbetter 27 years
ago. The duo have enjoyed an
on-off relationship ever since,
winning three Majors together
before Els started working
with the Butch Harmon in- The pair then
reunited in 2016.
‘At least 50 per cent of your
practice should be spent
from 100 yards and in’
WHO LEADBETTER HAS COACHED...