Coach Of The Month: Peter Bacon

Name: Peter Bacon
Age: 34
Title: Teaching Professional
Coaching at: The Brussels Droh!me Golf Club and Academy

TrackMan User since:
June 2015

When and why did you start playing golf?
I have been playing since I could walk! My father is a Professional and so golf has always been a part of my life, I am very lucky to have been able to share my passion for the game with him.

What is your HCP?
I was +2 when I turned Pro.

Which is your favorite golf course?
Selecting just one course is always going to be tough but I would have to say Royal Portrush. It is of course one of the best courses in the world; with history, beauty and it is great test of your game but It is also where my father is from and so has great sentimental value as well. It is going to be amazing to be in the town when The Open will be there in 2019!

Do you have a favorite coach you follow and why?
Again, selecting just one is difficult as we can learn from so many but my favourites would have to be the ones that can mix the best of the old and the new school. Ones that can use their eyes, ears and experience but also use the latest technology like TrackMan to extract the most out of their players; Coaches like Sean Foley and Jim McLean spring to mind.

Who is your favorite player and why?
At the moment, I would have to say Bryson DeChambeau and the reason being that he is challenging the norm. He has his ideas and beliefs, and whether we agree with them or not, I find it wonderful that someone is trying to find out new answers to the same old questions. More than that, it’s fun and interesting to see how he and his game develops.

What is your best golf related achievement?
I feel that the most important golfing achievement was winning my club championship for the first time at 17 years old. Even though looking back it doesn’t mean so much anymore, it meant a lot to me then and it was the moment that I started to believe that I could play well and it gave me the confidence I needed to start playing better.

As a golf coach, what is the most common mistake among players you see?
The most common mistake that I see is an inability to practice in a structured way. Meaning that I see a lot of people practicing trying to hit straight shots and fighting their natural shot. I feel that working on TrackMan allows the player to see what their natural shot is and why it is their natural shot, then we work to make this shot more consistent and predictable.

What are your greatest professional strengths?
I believe that my key strength is; my desire to learn and understand more. I have always had an inquisitive mind and needed to know why things happen the way they do and working on TrackMan has helped me answer many of these questions. There are however always new questions to answer and the more we understand ourselves the better the information we can pass on to our players.

What’s in your bag?
Driver: Callaway Alpha 816 DBD, 9° with Project X HZRDUS black 6.5
3+5 woods: Callaway Alpha 816 14° & 19° with Aldila Rogue I/O X-flex
Irons: Callaway Apex Pro 16 with Project X 6.0
Wedges: Callaway MD3 matte black 54°/12° & 60°/8° with Project X 6.0
Putter: Edel ‘The Brick’ 34” with SuperStroke Fatso 5.0
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft

How often do you play golf yourself?
I play as much as I can, and I love to practice. So, most weeks I get to play two rounds of golf a week but during the longer days of the summer I will squeeze in a couple of extra rounds; but without question I will practice every day.

What has changed since you started working with a TrackMan?
The way that I asses my player’s games has changed. Whereas before it was based solely on what both they and I felt was their weakness now I use Test Center a lot to be able to pinpoint the weakest points of their game. Then we can use the same tests to measure their progress and get a true assessment of where their level is in different parts of their game.

Which is your favourite TrackMan feature, and why?
Like I just mentioned, I love the Test Center; it is a wonderful way to test what you have just been working on or to find what the weakness in someone’s game is. I find the consistency ratings on the bottom of the results table one of the most important parts of it.

How and where can golfers get in touch with you?
The best way to get in touch with me is through my email: PB@100andin.com or by phone on (0032) 0472.32.57.19

Do you have any suggestions, how TrackMan can do better or differently?
TrackMan is always adding features and improvements but something that I would like to see is a way to save different numbers, ordered a certain way for working on certain aspects of the game. Meaning that that if I was working on short game with a player all I would have to do is touch a button and only the numbers that I want to see for the short game would come up. Then if we wanted to work on the driver, I touch the button and only the numbers that I want the driver appear. It would make things so much simpler and more streamlined.

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