Golf Monthly Help For Heroes Forum Day Exceeds £150,000 In 12th Staging

(Image credit: Richard Hart)

published 18 October 2021

The annual charitable Golf Monthly Forum day has now raised over £150,000 for Help for Heroes, after £9,000 was raised at Blackmoor earlier this month

The 12th staging of the Golf Monthly Forum Charity Golf Day in aid of Help for Heroes was held at Blackmoor Golf Club in Hampshire.

84 golfers from all parts of the country took part at the beautiful Harry Colt-designed heathland course in Hampshire.

There was lots of praise for the course, also for the recently refurbished and extended clubhouse.

The new balcony overlooking the 18th hole proved a great success and seemed to put some pressure on the golfers as they putted out!

The course was in fantastic condition, and the golfers had mild weather with the predicted fog thankfully staying away.

Blackmoor from the back tees proved a tough test with only four golfers beating their handicap.

APJ0524 came in third with 36 points on countback, second was Lilyhawk (39 points) and the winner with a superb 41 points was Dufferman who took away the GoKart Vickers Trophy.

The best gross score on the day (+4) was won by Sandy (Lady Captain at Princes Golf Club), who beat Lilyhawk on countback.

Sandy was presented with the RickG Memorial Trophy.

For added fun, four holes were used for nearest the pin competitions, including two par 3’s, the 9th and 17th holes, which were won by Lilyhawk and PNWokingham respectively.

Nearest the pin in two on the 2nd was won by Swinger, but the biggest cheer on the day was for the winner of nearest the pin in two on the difficult 18th , Aztecs27 who holed his second shot!

Finally, the RickG Memorial Plaque, awarded to someone who makes a great contribution to the day and on the forum went to not one but two Forumers – brothers Imurg and Philthefragger.

It was given in memory of Rick Garg, who was instrumental in starting the Help for Heroes charity day.

Carved by Ted Granger, the plaque along with several other wooden items, was provided by the Veterans Woodcraft, which helps the recovery of those who have experienced trauma, through the art of crafting wood.

After a delicious two course carvery, John Carpenter, Area Fundraising Manager (South) introduced Michelle (Mish) Apter, one of the Help for Heroes Ambassadors, gave a very moving account of the traumas suffered by her two sons, the impact on her family, and the help they have all received from the charity.

The regular professional auctioneer, Mark Head, had everyone in stitches during the auction and helped to push the monies raised up considerably with his banter and skills.

Fabulous prizes donated by, among others, Blackmoor GC, Stewart Golf, GoKart, Broadstone GC and Farnham GC were all well bid on.

Tom Hiscock from Titleist provided advice and golf balls to forumers on the most suitable balls for their game. Unfortunately, most seemed to be lost in the Blackmoor heather!

After the final count, the event raised a fantastic £9,000 for our injured, wounded and sick military personnel.

This pushed the total raised over the last twelve years to £150,000.

Special thanks go to Richart, Vicky, Gordon and Laura, The Help for Heroes team, and everyone else who helped to organise such an incredible event.

Location: Blacknest Golf and Country Club

Adam turned pro at 21 and learnt plenty about the mechanics of the swing after travelling to the States and through Europe. In 2011 he met Hall of Famer Jim Hardy and Chris O'Connell from Plane Truth Golf which proved to be a revolution in his teaching. Any pre-conceived ideas about the swing went out the window and he has been coaching this system ever since, to the great success of his students.

Teaching philosophy:

“Everything works, it’s about what works for you.” The golfer’s impact and ball flight always determine the technical change that is needed. I have never had an interest in teaching a ‘model’ because in my opinion there is more than one way to get the job done. I base my teaching on the theories of John Jacobs – “The sole purpose of the golf swing is to produce a correct repetitive impact. The method employed is of no significance as long as it is correct and repetitive.” My teaching philosophy involves the + and – system of correcting impact. I see the swing like an equation. Swings are either too steep or too shallow and all golf swings will have elements of both. Once I know the golfer’s impact/ball flight I will give the golfer an opposite element to neutralise their impact.

Biggest challenge:

The ‘de bunking’ poor information that golfers have either watched, read or been misinformed with. Giving the golfer the truth about their swing is vital and sometimes that can be the absolute opposite to what they may think. Gaining the student's trust is always difficult and that’s why my approach always involves a good explanation. The golfer spends a lot more time away from their coach than with them so one of the biggest challenges is keeping players from straying away from the plan. Golfers tend to react to shots when they play and practise, it’s easy to do. Keeping the player focusing on the ‘process’ and not the ‘outcome’ is super important to me if I want my players to develop long term.

Greatest teacher:

Jim Hardy, PGA Tour Hall of Fame instructor. I have known Jim for around 10 years and have spent a significant amount of time watching him teach – I have never seen another coach get results on a lesson tee as quickly as this man. His ability to alter his communication from a tour player to a 30-handicap elderly lady yet get them both to hit it better straightaway is unbelievable. What he doesn’t know about the swing you could write on the back of a postage stamp and his ability to communicate his knowledge is second to none. With this he has such an easy manner that makes you feel comfortable in his presence as soon as you shake his hand.

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