Coach of the Month: James Erskine

Name:
James Erskine

Age:
35

Coaching at:
Dumfries & County Golf Club

TrackMan User since:
2013

When and why did you start playing golf?
I started playing on our local putting green in Portpatrick from 5 years old as it was a few steps from my front door. Although you wouldn’t think I spent thousands of hours on a putting green watching me putt nowadays!

What was your HCP when you turned Pro?
1, I wasn’t very good at that point in time.

Which is your favorite golf course?
Turnberry Ailsa is my favorite but I love Old Head in Kinsale it is spectacular.

Do you have a favorite coach you follow and why?
Lynn Marriot & Pia Nilsson have been massively influential in my coaching style, I think the methods they have developed allow players to really take ownership for their individual game. As a coach/player they have assisted me to transfer range play into course skills & ultimately performance.

Dean Robertson has been a close friend & mentor of mine for 15 years and his influences and experiences have assisted me greatly. Mike Hebron & Karl Morris have also been massively influential.

One the of the most influential coaches I’ve worked with was my old rugby coach Dougie Drysdale from Newton Stewart his ability to get the most out of his players was incredible and passion to get the most of his players was better than anything I’ve ever experienced. He really got the best out of each team member by understanding them as individuals which I feel is ingrained in my coaching style.

I try to follow as many coaches in a variety of sports as possible there is so much great information being shared in all walks of sport it helps massively.

Ultimately the best coach has to be yourself via experience & trial and errors. You’re either helping or hurting a player. You need to be mindful of this!

Who is your favorite player and why?
Tiger Woods no one in my lifetime has changed the game the way he has, his ability to engage with the shot & execute the shot under pressure is unrivaled. I loved growing up watching Greg Norman and Seve. The shot-making skills these players had in the tank was simply phenomenal.

What is your best golf related achievement?
Coaching – I get so much satisfaction seeing all level of players develop into golfers regardless of the standard they reach. A few of my former juniors have played at International level and are now in collegiate of professional golf around the world which is very rewarding.

Assisting Liam Johnston to gain his European Tour Card has to be up there. His journey over the last 5/6 years has been remarkable it’s great to see a player reaching this level and hopefully continues to improve. We have a great relationship and the journey has been full of up’s & downs. TrackMan has played a massive role in this journey especially when out on Tour his TM4 to help measure ball flight every week which is always changing due to conditions such as weather or altitude. Also allowing him to track his DNA & measure practice is something that will assist him on the European Tour in 2019.

Playing wise, I’ve won a few mini events but winning at Turnberry in 2013 paid for my wedding so that was good & took some pressure off golfing during marriage! Beating my Assistants is still main playing priority!

As a golf coach, what is the most common mistake among players you see?
I think that their ability to understand cause and effect of their own game is generally poor if each player could spend 15 minutes a week working on their fundamentals and putting a little practice in every player would get better.

Utilizing TrackMan to understand impact factors and how to improve them could make a massive difference and very quickly. Distance control awareness is a key for most players, so many clients believe they hit the ball much further than they actually can if players learned the average distance and how much their ball curved they would become better players instantly.

What are your greatest professional strengths?
I try my best to assist every player as much as possible, building relationships are key with my players. I genuinely care about them improving and will do anything possible to assist this process. I am passionate about learning and improving as a coach/player and love experimenting on TrackMan which allows me to assist all my pupils it is amazing what you learn by experimenting.

What’s in your bag?
Titeist TS3 9.5
Titleist TS3 15 degree
TMB 2 iron
Titleist Ap2 3-9
46,52 & 58 SM7 Vokeys
Scotty Cameron Putter
& plenty of balls!

How often do you play golf yourself?
Once a week if possible still highly competitive with my clients and members

What has changed since you started working with a TrackMan?
I think the learning experience and lesson environment is much simpler & fun which heightens the players understanding & experience. The screencast feature allows the player to build a portfolio of their game and is a great feature for both player and coach to utilize.

TrackMan software both outdoor & indoor allows the coach and player to offer a wider variety of content during lessons especially here in Scotland where the weather is not its best during the offseason. The ability to track players “DNA” is where I find TrackMan very useful. I like to build up players TrackMan data when they are playing well and find it a useful starting point when form dips in rebuilding that player’s game.

Which is your favorite TrackMan feature, and why?
The performance studio, & simulator software is incredible being able to accurately measure performance and develop skills allowing pupil & coach to transfer these skills from practice to play is way easier with TrackMan.

How and where can golfers get in touch with you?
www.dumfriesgolfshop.com
Facebook
Twitter

Do you have any suggestions, how TrackMan can do better or differently?
I think the advancement over the last few years in first class, improving putting to include Impact location would be great.

Disclaimer: The answers in this interview have not been modified or changed, nor do they necessarily represent the views of TrackMan A/S.