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Best of luck Ross for the Malaysian Open John Garnett and Jan Boultbee in Spain

Garnett John

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Hi Ross, My son is sixteen and hoping to go to the States on a golf scholarship in 2012. What was your handicap when you went and would you say it was a good move for you too study in the US also how was the experiance for you? Many Thanks Paul.

Paul Omelia

Hi Paul, Thank you very much for your email. Coming to the US was the toughest and best decision I could have made when I was 18. My golf benefited massively, playing and practicing regularly with guys of a similar standard. Also the experiences and friends I made in the 4 years I spent in Tennessee I will remember forever. There are a lot of universities in the US with golf programmes so I would recommend researching the universities and coaches closely. I was fortunate enough to have some neighbours who knew a lot about the american universities and I purchased a book called the Ping American golf guide which had all the details of each school and contact details for the coaches. I played off scratch when I left for the University of Tennessee in 2001 but these days I'd suggest a handicap of +2 would be required to find a good scholarship at a reputable university. My recommendation would be to look at schools in large conferences with a top 25 national ranking (www.golfweek.com) and emailing the coaches with some videos of swings, putting strokes, chipping and a recent c.v. of results and a detailed schedule. It is also very important to take the american exams (SAT's or ACT's) as soon as possible as a good score can make a big difference. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to get in touch again. Cheers Ross

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Hi Ross, I am your old American Government Professor at UT, Doc French. How do you compare the courses in Europe vs. America? I am especally interested in how you found the greens at Pebble Beach.

Dr. Ed French

Hi Doc French, good to hear from you. Pebble Beach is certainly a tough example of an American course - the greens there are very good in the morning and then not great in the afternoon. From about 1pm onwards the poanna grass grows very quickly which can really slow things up. The courses in Europe are generally a lot softer than those in the US, I've mostly been playing big events in America where they make them a bit firmer. On the whole the European courses are slightly less manicured and are more rugged. Also in the US events there seems to be far more cameras and spectators. Kind regards, Ross.

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WHICH COURSE WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BEST COURSE IN ENGLAND THAT YOU HAVE PLAYED

Paul Gibson

Hi Paul, that's quite a difficult question actually! Anyway, here goes! I think I've got three favourites and they are Royal North Devon (complete with electric fences to keep the sheep off the greens), Walton Heath and Burnham & Berrow. All the best, Ross.

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Hi Ross, Having watched your amazing putting recently (especially the 3rd round of the Madrid where you were waving the stick at the holes like a magician with a wand) I have invested in an original Bobby Grace Fat Lady. Its getting cut down to 33.5 by my Pro. My Question is - How have you managed to maintain the Swingweight? Have you used leadtape? Where have you placed it? Many thanks, Dan

Dan Moral

Hi Dan, great choice of putter! I have added four strips of lead tape – two to the heel and and two to the toe and the current swingweight is A9 which is fairly light. Hope it works well. Cheers, Ross

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