Coaching

Coaching Structure

The mission of the Golf Union of Wales Player Development Programme is to facilitate the development of Wales' most promising young golfers by providing them with the finest coaching, training, competition, and support services possible.

The objective of the programme is to provide players with an holistic approach to the game of golf.

The GUW structure from 2009:

National Mens Squad/National Ladies Squad
 National Boys Squad/National Girls Squad
 Regional Squads/ Academy Squads/ Girls/Ladies Development Squads

The aims of the structure:

  • Tiered system of coaching

  • Continuity in coaching delivery and consistent flow of coaches (appointed by GUW)

  • Academy Squads will consist of players who miss out on the Regional Squads

  • Players will be provided with sound technique before reaching the Regional and National Squads

  • Players will be better prepared in all disciplines including practice regimes, a base understanding of nutrition, fitness, psychology and other recognised good golfing habits.

Coaches

NATIONAL COACHES

Men & Boys Squads:  Neil Matthews

Ladies & Girls Squads:  Jeremy Bennett

REGIONAL COACHES

South:  John Peters

North:  Paul Williams

ACADEMY COACHES

South West: Rhys Harry

South East:  Neil Matthews

North West:  Matt Parsley

North East:  Gareth James

 

Coaches Profiles

Neil Matthews - National Men & Boys and Academy Coach (South East)

Neil is currently the Golf Union of Wales National Coach.  He has represented Great Britain & Ireland and Wales at every level, turning professional in 2000.  Since then Neil switched his focus to coaching where he has worked with golfers of all levels from beginners to tournament professionals.  In 2007 Neil was awarded the Golf Foundation PGA Professional of the Year and Golf Development Wales PGA Professional of the Year both for his work at encouraging and developing golfers at grass roots level.  

Neil prides himself on being at the cutting edge of Golf coaching and is fortunate to have worked with numerous International amateurs, as well as Regional and European Tour Professionals.  Neil spends most of his time at the GUW National Centre of Excellence coaching The Men’s and Boys National golf teams.

Players coached: Phillip Price, Stuart Manley, Sahra Hassan, Rhys Enoch, Joe Vickery, James Frazer, Jason Shufflebotham, Otto Mand, Oliver Mottram


Jeremy Bennett - National Ladies & Girls

Jeremy is currently the National Coach to Wales.  He has produced some remarkable results since accepting the position in 2008.  The Ladies went on to win the Home Internationals in that year and again the following season (only the 2nd & 3rd occasions in 99 years!).  He is the personal coach to Amy Boulden who was 4th in the last World Cup at the age of 16.  He also coaches Sam Birks and European Tour player Tara Davies.

 

Jeremy has coached over 20 European Tour players including 4 Major Champions (Sir Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle and Bernhard Langer).  In 2009 Jeremy was acclaimed `PGA Coach of the Year’ in the South Region of England and has also been accredited with `Advanced Fellow’ status of the PGA.  He lectures at National and Regional PGA conferences and seminars throughout GB&I.  Jeremy was the coach to `Team Faldo’ (2002-2006) members that included Rory McIlroy (World No 2) and girls Yani Tseng (World No 1) and Melissa Reid (European No 2).  In 2008 Jeremy was honoured as one of only a few elite coaches that were chosen to pilot the PGA’s level 4 training scheme, the highest level of accreditation to be awarded throughout Europe.  He was also one of only 20 European professionals selected to participate in a think tank of modern coaching methods by Butch Harmon.

 

He was the coach to the Surrey County first team, who became National champions twice (1st time in 21 years), working with now European Tour winners Paul Casey, Ross Fisher, Ross McGowan and James Morrison.  The later, James Morrison, who was personally coached by Jeremy for seven years, achieved one of the most successful ever starts in European Tour history.

Managing in his first few events to win the Madeira Islands Open and then lose in a playoff for the Spanish Open the following week!

 

Jeremy is proud of an excellent playing career himself. He represented England as an amateur before turning professional and becoming ‘Rookie of the year’ on the European Tour in 1981 and played for 12 years on tour.  For many years he dominated in the South Region, winning on numerous occasions and held over 15 course records.  He topped the order of merit and led the lowest stroke average for 4 years in succession, in his last season recording three 61’s!  He also won the Kent and Surrey Opens as well as both PGA Championships.  

 

Jeremy currently writes for the Golf International Magazine.  He has also written instructional articles for Golf World, Golf Monthly, Golf Illustrated, Lady Golfer and Golf Monthly Asia and Golf Illustrated.  You could say he specialises in every department of the game but is perhaps noted more for total preparation, course management and the mental game, regularly using hypnosis to gain results.

 

Jeremy’s home club is Windlesham Golf Club in Surrey, roughly one and a half hours from Celtic Manor. He coaches the Welsh players individually sometimes there, Celtic Manor or the National Centre at Clays.

 

His style of coaching is both simple and affective and geared towards getting results under pressure.

 

John Peters - Regional Coach (South)

·         Head Professional Southerndown Golf Club

·         Former Director of Coaching Machynys Peninsula 2005/11

·         Regional Coach to Boys & Girls Squads for the South 2002 / 12

·         Lead Coach to Glamorgan Men’s Squad 2006 / 2012

·         Coach to U16’s Glamorgan Boys Squad 2000/12

·         GUW Coach for Wales since 2002

·         Currently coaching a number of the amateur players in the regional squads as well as coaching and mentoring Lydia Hall and Sarah Jones, members of the LET European Tour and Let Access Tour Respectively.

·         Member of European Challenge Tour 1990/92

·         Former Welsh International 1987 / 89

·         Reserve Great Britain & Ireland 1988

 

 Paul Williams - Regional Coach (North)

PGA Golf Professional Class AA (Qualified 1995)

 

Attended accredited courses in:

 

·         NLP

·         Coaching the Tour

·         3D Golf Bio Dynamics

·         Physical preparation for golfers

·         Putting Bio Mechanics

·         Developing putting focus and confidence

·         Long term development of junior golfers

·         Safe guarding and protecting children

·         Impact factors, ball flight laws and awkward lies

·         Trackman

·         Pre-shot golf (Routines)

·         Aim Point

 

Rhys Harry - Academy Coach (South West)

Rhys started his career as Assistant Professional at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club.  Here he completed his PGA training and qualified as a top 10 Trainee of the year.  In 2007 Rhys was appointed as Golf Professional at the Oldest Club in Wales, Tenby. Rhys has since developed the ‘West Coast Academy’ a base for Holistic Coaching and Player Development.  His scheme of ‘Get Pembrokeshire Golfing’ helped him become GDW Welsh PGA Professional of the Year in 2009.

 

Rhys now looks after the GUW South West Academy Squad as well as his other clients.  Currently coach to Becky Harries: Welsh Ladies Champion and Curtis Cup Squad member as well as fellow professionals, county golfers and amateurs of all abilities.

 

·           PGA Level three Coach and AAT Professional

·           TPI Level One Golf Fitness Coach

·           Foremost Performance Centre Professional

 

Matt Parsley - Academy Coach (North West)

PGA ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL

 

Club Professional at Holywell Golf Club for 12 years and GUW coach to the North West Wales Academy Squad since 2009.  Matt was coach to the Union of Flintshire golf clubs Under 18 Squad 2004-2009.  GUW Coaching sessions are carried out at the North West Centre of Excellence at Llangefni Golf & Driving range, Anglesey as well as Holywell Golf Club, Flintshire.  As well as coaching at a national level Matt has also represented the Wales PGA Team as a player.

 

Gareth James - Academy Coach (North East)

Gareth turned professional in 2003 after a successful amateur career with Wales, winning the Welsh boys stroke play title and a bronze medal at the 'European under 21's team championships'.  Became a fully qualified PGA professional in 2006 when he won the title of 'PGA assistant of the year'.  Gareth has worked as an academy for the ‘Golf Union of Wales’ for 3 years and is also a County Coach for Denbighshire.  Currently, Gareth is a full time coach at the ‘Lee Westwood Golf School’ in Cheshire where he looks after 40 budding professional golfers.  He is an authorised instructor of 'the golfing machine' and a 'NLP' practitioner and has attended many CPD courses over the last 10 years in order to gain more knowledge.  On an individual basis, Gareth coaches a number of young promising players including Thomas Williams and David Ramsay who both represented Wales last year at under 16 level as well as India Friswell who represented Wales at girls level in both ‘The Home Internationals’ and ‘European Team Championships’.