If there’s been one ounce of good to come out of this poxy Coronavirus, it’s that we’re all in this together. Acts of solidarity have littered the internet since the world has been social distancing and our very own three-time Major winner, Padraig Harrington has been leading the charge from golf’s perspective.
If you don’t follow @padraig_h on Twitter and you’re a golfer, then that must change today as Harrington lets his followers into the mind of one of the hardest workers in the game and the drills that helped him get to the top of it.
“I’ll be putting something new up every day and trying to make it a bit more expansive as we go along,” said Harrington on TodayFM on Wednesday.
“I’m not teaching for the top end golfer or low handicappers. This is more for the regular person who plays golf to help them along and there’ll actually be quite a bit in it for beginners going forward, real raw stuff.”
I had another go at the bunker lesson. Slightly different angle. Didn’t know which was better. But here it is anyway pic.twitter.com/DY4V8qZyVE
— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) March 17, 2020
Each video is a little over two minutes long, filmed by Padraig’s son Paddy but very much directed by Dad. It’s set in the European Ryder Cup Captain’s enviable back garden that would rival the finest short game practice areas anywhere in the country and yes, the neighbours have been in the firing line amid Padraig’s practice.
“Yes, I have [hit the ball over the fence], but I have very nice neighbours and a little bit of space between me and the houses! But I have,” Harrington admitted, adding:
“If you’ve played golf then you’ve hit a golf ball everywhere – that’s the fact of it. Especially when you’re practicing and you lose a little bit of focus!”
Focus is something that Harrington has in spades and one thing he’s observed from a far when it comes to us regular folk hitting shots is that we’re often told to do it wrong. Harrington intends to debunk an age old myth around swing coaching over the course of the next few weeks.
“If anyone’s out there trying to play golf and they’re trying to keep their head down and trying to stay still when they’re swinging the golf club, they’re doing it wrong,” he said, bluntly. “Those two things couldn’t be further from the truth!”
And as for whether we should even be golfing at a time like this or not, although by no means a medical expert, Harrington sees no reason why not.
“I’m definitely not a doctor but it does seem that a bit of fresh air is a good thing,” he said. “As an activity, it’s certainly not a bad one where you can turn up at the golf club and literally meet nobody.”
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