François Lamare, head pro at Riviera Barbossi, shares his form with Riviera Golfer.

A European Challenge Tour player, François Lamare won the Danish Open and through that went on to play on the main tour for a spell. So it comes as a surprise that he advocates club throwing – a disgraceful spectacle all too common these days as bad-tempered golfers multiply – as the best way to start on the path to a great swing.

Have I got the wrong end of the stick? Of course … but by this time François has the wrong end of the club in his hand.

“Swooo-eesh” he goes as he demonstrates one of his fave training techniques. “The correct action of the swing is like throwing a ball. When you throw a ball you move your weight forward to get maximum distance. It’s the same with the golf swing.

“To get this good feeling, take a club by the head with one hand and swooo-eesh it through the swing action. You want the shaft to make that swishing noise as it accelerates.”

Reverse pivot tip

François sees many golfing casualties of the reverse pivot – the body’s weight staying on the right side (for a right-hander) when it should shift on to the left side through ball impact.

“Players see pictures of the swing in a book, watch the pros on TV, and to them it looks like the proper thing to do is to stay ‘behind’ the ball, but you cannot have proper contact with the ball unless your weight shifts through completely on to the left side.

“I get the player with this trouble to clasp the club to his chest and to turn, keeping on a plane, not dipping down behind the ball.”