New Post #44 Feature Friday

Hi Friends

As promised today we have an interview with an Elite Amateur and Major Championship golfer. This weeks guest is Richard Warburton, Camberley Heath member, +3 golfer, multiple club champion and a gentleman to boot.

I first met Richard on a foggy, chilly morning at Mitcham golf club. This was back in early March of this year. I was making my debut for the Surrey County A team and being the new boy was a little anxious on who I would be partnered with. I needn’t have worried, I was to partner Richard. We won our game that day 7&6.

I shall leave you to ponder which one of us had the most bearing on that result !

Fast forward to the end of July and I’m having a scan through the Senior Open qualifying scores, just seeing if I recognise any players. Low and behold I see a score of -5 by a Richard Warburton at Camberley Heath, Knowing Richard is a member at Camberley I put 2 and 2 together (maths has always been a strong point) and quickly messaged him to check it was in fact him.

Richard duly confirmed and the rest as they say is history……………………..

I am very pleased that Richard kindly agreed to an interview. We can learn a little more about Richard, his golfing history, take in how he goes about his golf and of course the low down on the whole experience of playing in a major championship.

Q. Could you give me a little overview of your golfing background?

I got hooked on the game when I watched the 1986 Masters with my father aged 12. I remember vividly how inspiring Jack Nicklaus was over the back nine at Augusta and decided to start playing shortly after. My father and I started off at the 9 hole Farnham Park course and in 1987 (aged 13) I joined Camberley Heath Golf Club with some school friends. I instantly got hooked and started to play and practice most days. Each school holiday my mum would drop me off at the club first thing and I’d still be on the putting green in the dark when she came to pick me up!

My handicap came down pretty quickly and I won my first club competition in 1989. Tour player Richard Boxall was also a member at Camberley Heath and I often caddied for him and other visiting Tour players such as Wayne Riley, Sam Torrance, Roger Chapman and Frank Nobilo. We were a motivated and competitive group of juniors at the club in the early 1990s and won the Surrey Junior league beating some great golfers including Anthony Wall and Paul Casey. Many went on to become professional players and some made it on Tour, the experience I gained playing alongside them was invaluable. When I went to Plymouth University I played for their scratch team. We had a really strong team and got to the quarter finals in the British Universities competition in my first year. The following year we got to the semi-finals but our exams clashed with the match dates. The university wouldn’t budge and neither would our opposing team, so we had to withdraw which was a massive disappointment at the time.

During the mid to late 1990s my standard raised and I won a number of scratch competitions. My game mainly relied on great putting and chipping at that time as I wasn’t particularly strong tee to green. During the early 2000s my golf took a back seat as I needed to focus on my young family and career. I restarted playing regularly in the summer of 2017 and starting playing tournaments and working really hard on my game. It was always a goal of mine to get to scratch, I finally achieved this in March 2022 and reached +3 for the first time this summer which was beyond my wildest expectations!

Q. To start with could you talk us through the whole Senior Open experience? 

I entered the Senior Open qualifying for the first time last year in 2024. My qualifying round was at Panmure GC in Scotland. I had a great round going until I hit the 18th hole and had 2 unplayable lies, I ended up shooting 72 and just missed out on a spot. I wanted to give it another shot this year and found out one of the qualifying courses was my home club Camberley Heath.

There were only 4 spots available out of 138 starters so I knew I needed my best round to have a chance of getting through. I shot a 66 (-5) on the Monday including a couple of 6 foot puts towards the end to finish 2nd and having had a nail biting wait to the end of the day I realised I had qualified for the Senior Open at Sunningdale.

The buzz at Camberley Heath was incredible, everyone was so invested that I’d made it through as it was a top class, mostly professional field. Only 4 amateurs made it though to Sunningdale and only 2 of them including myself were from England. It felt like a David & Goliath experience!

It got even more surreal that evening when I booked my practice round that Wednesday with Rich Beem, Jeff Maggert and Ken Duke! I’d never played with a major winner or PGA Tour winners before so I was very interested to see their games & excited to play Sunningdale Old Course (a course I’d never played before) alongside such seasoned professionals who’ve played the course multiple times.

The day started with a bang warming up on the range between Jimenez and Olazabal, something I never thought I’d experience. I played really well in the practice round which gave me enormous confidence for the week. I used to watch Jeff Maggert as a youngster with my father so playing with him was a real treat. The round 1 tee time on the Thursday was 6.40am, it was tricky getting up early enough to run through my routine at that time but it worked out well as the spectators were mostly from Camberley Heath so I had a huge amount of support during my round.

I played well and managed to finish the day on +5. The round 2 tee time was 11.20am which was better for my routine but it was a very hot day which meant having to focus on hydrating as well as navigating the level of spectators. I played well and finished on +11 which I was pleased with given the international professional level I was playing at.

My partner Kate caddied for me and we had several chats during the week about keeping calm and breathing through the nerves, it was a rollercoaster experience for us both and one we’ll never forget including having lunch in the players lounge with Bernhard Langer & Corey Pavin nearby!

Q. Have you won any Club championships? I

I won back to back club championships at Camberley Heath Golf Club in 1995 & 1996. The win in 1996 was particularly satisfying as I had great competition from David Ryles, a future England and Challenge Tour player. It was very close over the last few holes but I managed to win on the 18th green. I also won the Club championship at Puttenham Golf Club in 2017 shortly after I restarted playing golf again. The second round was very challenging as I’d only just joined the club and all the support was with my playing partners! The experience of coping with pressure on that day is something I still use in tournaments today.

Q. Biggest amateur competition entered and any notable results? 

My most enjoyable tournament before the Senior Open was Final Qualifying for the 2023 Open at West Lancashire which a large number of amateurs try to qualify for. I made it though regional qualifying at North Hants GC in July 2023 at the age of 49, I was one of the oldest in the competition which was a fantastic achievement. I needed to play the last 3 holes in one under to qualify and I was delighted to be teeing it up against players such as Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Matt Wallace. I didn’t play my best golf at West Lancashire, it just wasn’t my day, but the experience of playing in front of a large number of spectators helped massively when dealing with the pressure in the Senior Open.

I have played various British Amateur and English Amateur Championships and had a number of good finishes but no wins so far. I am hoping to change that when I reach 55, the age I need to be to qualify for the Senior Amateur Championship. I’m turning 52 this year so have a few years to wait for that.

Q. You’ve played for Surrey county teams, be great if you could tell us a little about that experience? 

I love playing for Surrey. My team mates have always been really supportive and the other teams are very enjoyable to play with and really push my game. I’m extremely competitive and enjoy the challenge of playing elite golfers and these games are always done with great integrity despite both sides desperate to win which is important to me. As an older player I now also love the challenge of foursomes and that wasn’t always the case when I was younger!

To represent Surrey and to be able to play other fantastic courses competitively is something I really enjoy and I hope to play for the Surrey Senior Team in a few years time when I turn 55. My ultimate goal has always been to play for the England Seniors team so the experience with Surrey golf has been invaluable.

Q. Hardest part of playing golf? 

Fitting it in around my work as a successful commercial photographer. I mostly play 3 times a week which includes rounds at Camberley Heath GC alongside any tournament golf, I also practice 3 times a week at my local driving range.

Q. Favourite current and all-time golfer? 

My all time favourite golfer without doubt has to be Ben Hogan. I love his swing, his attitude and his approach to the game. I used to struggle with a hook when I was younger so learning his approach to the golf swing has made a massive difference to my ball striking. His 1953 Open Champion win on his first attempt was truly incredible. I was also lucky enough to watch Seve Ballesteros many times at tournaments in the UK and he was so inspiring for me, his short game was obviously phenomenal but as a kid new to the game seeing him hit the odd wayward drive & his magic recovery was also encouraging! In terms of current players, I admire Ludvig Aberg. I followed his progress as an amateur and thought his swing was so simple and repetitive. I made sure to see him at his first visit to Wentworth for the 2023 PGA and was very impressed with his straight ball flight and mental attitude.

Q. Favourite tournament to watch?

We watch the Masters and The Open television coverage each year. My partner and I went to the 150th Open at St Andrews and it was a fantastic event to be at from start to finish, plus the weather was brilliant which was an unexpected bonus. As a youngster and living in Surrey I would always spectate at the World Matchplay and PGA at Wentworth and the various tournaments at Sunningdale including the foursomes.

Q. Best golfing holiday destination? 

I played with my father at a number of French courses over the years, my favourites were Moliets, Seignosse & Hossegor golf clubs.

Q. What are your top 3 tips for other golfers to improve?

1) Never underestimate the importance of a good grip. It’s something I always work on and it’s the first thing I go back to if I’m struggling with my game.

2) It’s very important to practice with purpose at the driving range, I’ve lost count of how many times someone has arrived in the next bay and gone straight into hitting drivers! Working through the bag is absolutely essential to my routine and I’m fully focused on every shot. You are way better off hitting a smaller number of balls with purpose rather than a full bucket of drivers.

3) As I’ve got older I’ve realised the importance of mental approach in golf, of having the same routine and having a positive mindset as my baseline which I use during pressure situations, as I know from personal experience it makes a huge difference. I’m always working on maximising my performance through my mental approach and this is something I am currently working on as a possible option to supplement my commercial photography in the future.

Q. What are you currently working on within your game? 

As I mentioned above I’m always working on maximising my performance through my mental approach.

Changing bunker technique - less movement forward during the shot, wider takeaway and stance, less sand.

My grip - making sure my right hand stays on top and if anything slightly weak. I can then hit the ball as hard as I like and it won’t go left.

Q. Current swing thought/s if any?

I have swing thoughts for each part of my game, driver, irons, wedges, chipping, putting etc. I remind myself each shot of certain key thoughts. For example with my driver I work on keeping my height and staying behind the ball at impact. With chipping I make sure I keep my grip light and have some hip movement on the way back and keep my elbows close to my sides on the way through to promote body rather than just arm movement.

Q. Do you do any work with your Stats? If so what platform do you use and any further comments? 

I don’t use any tracking software but I have always worked out how many fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts per round, how many chip ins, up and downs I have per round. I also record how many rounds I have in the 60s each year and the number of eagles.

Q. Do you have a golf coach/instructor? if so who? Do you follow any swing methods?

I’m self taught, I’ve always preferred working it out for myself. I enjoy practice and trying new things. I have worked on my short game with Gus Mottershead (@gusgolfcoaching), increasing my club head speed with Mark Barlow (golf coach) and more short game work with friend John Cranham.

Q. Favourite training aids? 

If any I came across V plane golf for putting last year and it’s been great. It attaches easily to your putter and basically stops the wrists from being over active. If I feel my right hand is getting too active I’ll spend 10 minutes with it and it gives me the correct feeling.

Q. Do have any good golf anecdotes?

When I first started playing golf my father took me to the World Matchplay at Wentworth. We were following Seve Ballesteros and I was so starstruck that when he tried to walk between the green and the next tee I totally froze and blocked his way through! He put both hands on my shoulders and gently asked me move me out of the way and then walked on. I will never forget is as I never get starstruck! He was and is such a hero for me.

I hope you all enjoyed learning a little more about Richard, his amazing experience at Sunningdale and just maybe are motivated to go out and do some practice,

Right, This week I shall mostly be checking my grip and searching the internet for a V plane putting aid.

More from aroundwithjerry coming soon……………

Keep hitting them straight and long,

Tar tar,