Winter's been a b*tch, hasn't it? Honestly though. For everyone but the obsessives, golf has been sidelined in favour of log fire pubs and beef casseroles with crusty bread.
It doesn't have to be that way, though. Winter can be the best thing that ever happened to your game.
The Swing Factory, at The Peak Health Club & Spa at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, is an incredibly high-tech indoor driving range with skilled PGA Professionals as coaches who can guide your game brilliantly.
Their theory is, and it worked on us, that golf swings and shot making techniques are best learnt away from any distractions at the golf course or range. Their method is based on a course of ten half-hour lessons that train you how to find your perfect swing and mastery of key shots.
They not only teach you the perfect swing but also the key to golf; consistency. They train you how to correct problem shots whilst on the course so that your round is not ruined and your confidence stays intact.
It can be daunting. The top right image shows my swing when I arrived. Within 30 minutes of being compared to Ernie Els (harsh -- bottom right) I was hitting the ball with a far more vertical swing (main image). Sure the ball wasn't going straight (we had to completely deconstruct my game) but it was going a full 50 yards further. Distance comes first, then they work on direction.
Their technique has evolved over a period that spans more than 80 years. Its methodology has been used to teach great players and celebrities of our day, including Sean Connery, Michael Bonallack (Britain’s most successful amateur golfer), Juli Inkster (one of the greatest woman golfers of all time) and David Leadbetter (the most influential coach of modern day golf). Sue Lawley (BBC presenter) had a hole in one during her first year as a Swing Factory student. So there you go. Highly recommended.