Coach of the Month: Richard Spence

Name:
Richard Spence

Age:
34

Coaching at:
The Leadbetter Indoor Golf Academy Bangkok Thailand

TrackMan User since:
I have been a TrackMan user for almost 5 years (since 2013).

When and why did you start playing golf?
My dad introduced me to golf when I was 9 years old, the only thing I wanted to do was to make the swoosh sound with the club, however, I was not able to overpower the club as I was quite small at that time. I really had to experiment with different movements to get it done and after I figured it out I was hooked, playing as much as I could and learning more about the swing along the way.

What was your HCP when you turned Pro?
My Handicap was only 3 as a amateur and I turned Pro at the age of 19. At the same time, I really started getting into my teaching and studying some of the great instructors and swings around at the time. Understanding more about the golf swing and swing patterns was like someone turning a light on for me, I started to change my swing and rebuilt it to what I have today.

Which is your favorite golf course?
For me it has to be St Andrews , I grew up on a links course so that style of play will always be my favourite.

Do you have a favorite coach you follow and why?
I am sure like many instructors it is hard to have one favourite. I like many coaches for different reasons, obviously David Leadbetter as he is regarded as one of the greats in golf tuition. I think Butch Harmon is fantastic as he gets the most out of his players with only slight adjustments and without the need to rebuild their swings. I am a big fan of Sean Foley, I would say that he is a great person to look at as the modern day professional, comes across extremely knowledgable, looks professional and always seems to be seeking to learn more. From the social media side, I follow a lot of Shaun Webb I think his work with AMG is very interesting and I always seem to learn a lot from there.

Who is your favorite player and why?
Like the coaches I find it difficult to have just one favourite player, I grew up watching Tiger dominate and it was great to watch him change the game to what we have today, then players like Alex Noran and Padraig Harrington for the work ethic they show. I also love watching Robert Rock and Thorbjorn Olesen for having such fantastic swings.

What is your best golf related achievement?
As a amateur I loved representing my county of Lincolnshire for their under 18 team, putting on team colours and travelling around playing matches were a great experience. As a Teaching Professional becoming Head of instruction for the David Leadbetter indoor golf academy in Bangkok Thailand was a big achievement for me, I have always seen David Leadbetter and his academies around the world as some of the best and most prestigious places for coaches to be linked to and it is great to be part of the Leadbetter team.

As a golf coach, what is the most common mistake among players you see?
I would have to say the most common mistakes I see among players are not having a plan and not understanding swing pattern or concepts.. like Ben Hogan said “the average golfers problem is not so much the lack of ability as it is the lack of knowledge about what he should be doing”.

What are your greatest professional strengths?
I think a big strength of mine is the ability to read my students’ personality then mold the information I am going to give in a way that they can easily digest. Saying something that works for someone that loves hitting ball after ball quickly and never practices is likely to be different to someone who loves to do lots of half swings or is willing to do drills for hours on end. I think it was Denis Pugh that said something along the lines of I don’t need to know much more about the swing but I need to know more about how to talk to different people. I thought that was a great insight in to what a great coach thinks like.

What’s in your bag?
Driver: Taylormade M1
Fairway:Taylormade Aerobuner TP 16.5
Hybrid: A grind hybrid iron
Irons: Akira prototype (4-9)
Wedges:Titleist Vokey (46,52,56,60)
Putter: Scotty cameron button back newport

How often do you play golf yourself?
I try to get out on the course twice per week.

What has changed since you started working with a TrackMan?
For me the speed of improving the student has got faster, from having a data point to show is a certain move is having the correct effect to tracking the students progression with data, test centre and combine tests.

Which is your favourite TrackMan feature, and why?
My favourite feature has to be combine tests, I find its a great way to plot students progress and really helps to identify parts of the game to work on to make my students score better. Plus it is good fun :-)

How and where can golfers get in touch with you?
www.lga-bangkok.com
www.richardspencegolf.com
Instagram: richardspencegolf
Email: richardspencegolf@gmail.com

Do you have any suggestions, how TrackMan can do better or differently?
Before the update I would of said simulator courses but you have covered that nicely. The only other thing that would be helpful is something along the lines of a junior combine test.

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