Shoot Straight & True with
The James Andrews School of Golf

With apologies to Rudyard Kipling, "down in the forest something" … neither stirred nor shaken but unique is taking place at Sedlescombe Golf Club.

A testing golf course set in beautiful woodland a few miles north of Hastings, and close to the historic field where the Battle of Hastings took place in 1066. Now you will find a modern day William in the form of James Andrews and his staff teaching golfers of all ages and ability to shoot straight and true.

Michael Whaley, an Englishman who established the highly successful Hurricane Hotel for windsurfers at Tarifa on the Atlantic coast of Spain, recently purchased the Sedlescombe Golf Club and embarked on an ambitious plan to develop a unique form of golf school.
The golf course offers a good layout set in mature trees and suits the purpose of the golf school very well. Additionally the course provides a home for an active playing and social golf club. One of the resident professionals, Philip Bartholomew together with member, Anthony Wells have qualified against strong opposition for the final of this year’s Lombard Trophy in Portugal.

Having created a mecca for windsurfers in Spain Michael Whaley now seeks to replicate this tactic in the UK but this time with golf. He believes, and having seen the school at first hand I agree with him that there is a gap in the market for short residential golf courses in a relaxing environment with top quality hotel accommodation offered at a reasonable price.

The lodge, with twenty well appointed bedrooms, opened last year and has already proved extremely popular. Michael Whaley’s expertise is evident in the layout of the Lodge with it's pine and antique fixtures and fittings.

James Andrews, the head professional, at thirty years old is a fully qualified PGA professional who learnt his golf under Bobby McClean at the J H Taylor designed course of Highwoods at Bexhill-On-Sea. James

moved to Sedlescombe 6½ years ago and has now teamed with Michael Whaley in creating the James Andrews School of Golf. Apart from the 18-hole golf course there is an 18 bay floodlit driving range, and a 50 metre square purpose built indoor teaching facility with video and computer equipment for swing analysis. Combine these facilities with the hotel, every bedroom being air conditioned and with en-suite bathrooms, as well as offering sauna, gym and massage and you have a first class environment for the golf schools.

The emphasis is on one to one coaching so that at no time will there be more than five students per coach. The all weather floodlit and indoor facilities enable courses to take place all year round and the five resident professionals are all PGA qualified.

Pupils of the golf school are allocated by playing ability to one of the resident professionals who coaches them exclusively throughout the duration of their stay. Courses range from half a day’s coaching to a full day, or two, three or five day schools.

Beginners are not only taught the elements of the swing but also, of considerable importance and often overlooked, the etiquette of the game, some of the simple rules, and even such detail as how to fill in your score card.

Because each pupil is in a class with players of similar ability no time is wasted and the coaching is very much geared to your own swing and aims to improve your playing ability.

No detail is missed and apart from practising such things as your swing, putting, bunker play, how to deal with awkward lies, plus a full swing analysis in the video school, plenty of time is allocated in the residential courses to enable you to put the teaching into practise and play the golf course.

There are three putting greens together with a practise green with two bunkers, giving ample scope for practise out of school hours.

My own day started around 11:30 with a full explanation from James Andrews of the concept behind the golf schools, a tour of the very impressive facilities and the chance to play three holes of golf which gave James considerable material with which to evaluate my swing and it’s inherent faults.

After an excellent snack lunch at the Clubhouse, we spent a couple of hours in the video centre. Apart from revealing the fatal flaws of my own swing, the adage that "the camera never lies", was only too obvious. James had the true professional’s art of being able to explain what I was doing wrong and demonstrate to me how the technique could be improved.

So many players, particularly in the UK, boast of the fact that they have never had a lesson from a professional and wonder why their handicap remains obstinately stuck at 18. My lesson with James showed only too clearly how faults creep into your game and after a while seem so natural that without expert tuition, any practise is only serving to practise a fault. James had the knack of explaining my faults in very simple terms and provided me with simple bullet points to help me on my way.

My abiding thoughts as I drove back to East Kent were the charm and friendliness of Sedlescombe Golf Club allied with the complete professionalism not only in the facilities of the Club but in the art of coaching, very well demonstrated to me by James.
Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced player, I would recommend anyone to try out the facilities at Sedlescombe, treat yourself to the James Andrews School of Golf which range in cost from two half day schools at £100 to a five day school at £250. The hotel cost which includes dinner, bed and breakfast is from £50 per night per person based on two sharing.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating and being fortunate enough to be able to play 18 holes the next day, I can truthfully say that it was the best round of golf I have played for several years.

A rewarding experience and one well worth repeating.

Contact Information:

James Andrews School of Golf
Kent Street
Sedlescombe
East Sussex TN33 0SD
Tel: +44 (0)1424 871700
Email: golf@golfschool.co.uk
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