Anders is an award winning Pro and owner of the new 100% Toptracer facility Leicester Golf Centre which was recently named by BBC Radio 5 Live as the 3rd best Driving Range in the UK. He is an Advanced Fellow of the PGA, 3 times Coach of the Year runner up, voted the UK’s #1 Instructor in the Best of UK Awards and in 2018 became the first Professional ever to be named in The England Golf Awards Lifetime Achievement Winner. He can be contacted on 0116 2750549 or andersmankert@yahoo.co.uk
“As we come out of winter and having played winter rules for several months I see many of you who have got used to scooping the ball off the turf, which cleaning and placing the ball can create. This leads to a huge increase in the club’s loft, so in effect your 6 iron performs like a 9 iron as in the picture below. It also leads to the low point of the swing being moved to before the impact causing fat and thin shots.
Here is a fantastic way to learn the correct hand position: Place an old shaft of an alignment stick under the grip of a short iron and do a few half swings. If you can successfully swing through without the extension hitting your side then you’ve achieved a correct and very powerful impact. However, if it hits you in the side then you’re still scooping and need to keep working on the feeling until the shaft is leaning more towards the target, and boom your distance will rocket!”
THE LEICESTER GOLF CENTRE
In a familiar location to many, the old Oadby Golf Club, situated next door to Leicester Racecourse. The nine hole venue closed its doors back in 2011 and has been lying idle ever since, until Anders purchased the centre from the racecourse back in the spring, and has been busy ever since, bringing the club back to life and adding a few extra things too.
A huge undertaking though which hasn’t been without some hurdles to climb, but Anders and his team of helpers who include family members have been working day and night to ensure that Leicester Golf Centre will be ready to welcome golfers this autumn.
The centre is now open, complete with a 16 bay floodlit range and adjoining teaching bay, a large short game practice area and a new reception area. The range is the first one in The Midlands with 100% Toptracer bays.
The golf course will have a couple of newly designed holes, but will remain as a full length 9 hole course with tee lengths to suit all golfers.
Anders – “We’re building a pay and play facility here for all golfers in the city to enjoy. Everybody is welcome to come and play the course, and hit balls on the range too, and there will be no dress code either.”
“It’s taken a lot of grass cutting to bring the course back, but everything here is pretty much back to how it was before 2011. The tree growth over the years though will surprise a lot of golfers; it looks like a completely different course now.”
Anders mentioned how indebted he is to a number of local people and organisations who have pitched in to help out.
“We’ve had an amazing reaction, several local greenkeepers came over to help, and gave us their free time. The racecourse have been fantastic too, donating us some greens equipment, we’ve been so humbled by the help we’ve received.”
The driving range is now fully open with the course to follow this spring and a new large sized short game area under construction too. This is just the beginning; much more will be coming to Leicester Golf Centre.
