Testimonials
"When I started having golf lessons with Mark Wood in 2005 my handicap was 9. I am now down to 6 and playing for the Sussex Senior team. In September 2010 I was one of the four members of the team to win the Inter Counties Championship in Essex competing against nine other counties. In April 2012 with my playing partner we won the Sussex Scratch Foursomes. I've won the club championship at Dale Hill five times, and the club championship at Royal Ashdown Forest in 2012. Mark has helped me with all aspects of my game while giving me encouragement to keep learning and improving all the time. Mark adapts his coaching to the amount of time you have to work on your game, and provides individual plans to maximize your potential. As well as being a top class coach he is always interested, supportive and enthusiastic with club golfers of all levels. I very much appreciate his support. December 2012"
- Rosie Hockey
"A great coach. Teaches you the set up for particular shots you wish to make which makes all the difference to their execution."
- Ron Gibbons
"Hi Mark, Just to let you know that at the moment my golf is OK. Your lessons are invaluable to me when ever I have a problem and from time to time we all get frustrated with our golf shots I know that within five minutes you will see what the problem is and put me on the road to enjoying my golf again. So it's good to know that we have access to a great coach who individually tailors the lesson to suit the client."
- Pat Ralph
"I've always been an ok mid-handicap golfer suffering from an inconsistent ball strike, an occasional snap hook off the tee and a short game that can be awesome one week and diabolical the next. In just two lessons Mark has transformed my swing and over the last couple of weeks (since the second lesson) I have never hit the ball so consistently well. The video analysis is an absolute eye opener and that, coupled with Mark's excellent ability to keep things simple and not fill your head with too much information, has been a massive help to my game. I have broken 80 twice in this period (something I had only ever done once before on a very short pay and play course) and this is all down to the work Mark has done on my swing. My occasional snap hook off the tee has completely disappeared and my ball-striking is giving me fantastic results - last week I hit the first 6 greens in regulation, something I could only dream of doing before. I'm also losing a lot less balls which is helping to keep the big numbers off my scorecard. I am looking forward to the next few lessons to build on the work we have done to date on my swing and also working on bunker play and my short game. I highly recommend Mark as a coach and signing up for a series of lessons has been money well spent."
- Steve Garner
"I have played as a typical 28 handicapper for 15 plus years without any thought as to learning the correct way to do things. A series of one to one lessons with Mark have transformed my whole approach starting with the basics. As a result, my confidence level has improved and the number of really poor shots is consistently reducing. The correct swing line is making all the difference and the handicap is already on the way down. Thanks to Mark, my game is more solid (and more enjoyable!)."
- Derek Smith
"I started playing golf a couple of years back and had taught myself to the point that I was playing off somewhere in the region of 28 handicap. I quickly hit the proverbial 'brick wall' and was struggling to make any further progress and break 100. I booked a series of 6 lessons with Mark (reluctantly, as I like to think I can teach myself anything!) and it had a remarkable impact on my game. I've never struggled with length but consistency was the problem and Mark very quickly identified a few simple areas for me to work on – grip, weight transfer and not backing up through the swing. Mark gave me clear instructions and exercises to take away and work on and gave me the instruction and 'push' that I needed. I am now breaking 90, and once I have the chance to do some more work with Mark on the short game I expect to see similar rapid progress. Mark is an excellent coach and those who think that lessons are not necessary and just fill your mind with too many technical swing thoughts should think again. Take it from a fellow sceptic – lessons with Mark deliver results."
- Oliver Pyle
"I had a putting lesson with Mark and it has transformed my game. I have knocked 2 shots off my handicap and won the monthly medal at my local club. His style is very relaxed but also very informative. He is patient and clear in his advice and his use of technology is undaunting and helps to clarify the errors I've been making. I have a very simple practice drill as well as a new on-course routine to help me putt better and with more confidence. My long putts are getting closer to the hole; my short putts are dropping with far more frequency. I'd thoroughly recommend Mark as an excellent coach."
- Stephen Cameron
"My name is Dom Driver aged 16 and I live in West Malling, Kent. I am a member of the junior section at Knole Park GC in Sevenoaks. During early summer 2009, I went to see Mark Wood, Head Professional at Dale Hill GC; he was recommended to me by my brother who is an assistant pro who is also coached by Mark Wood. My handicap was 12 when I started lessons with Mark and before I already had a number of lessons from different professionals but I wasn't making much progress. When I started I had a number of faults for example my aiming was always off line, my posture was to relaxed, the positioning of my body when addressing the ball and many more but Mark quickly explained a number of key things to work on e.g. focusing on where I am aiming the ball by laying a club down just to simply show the direction and where the ball should be, also by showing me video clips of professional golfers and how their swing differs to mine. What made a big difference to me was how clearly Mark was explaining things in very simple terms; it wasn't too technical; concentrating on just getting a good connection with the ball by teeing the ball up to make it easier just to first to get my confidence up and then concentrated on other areas of my game such as using long irons, woods, chipping and putting. He used video analysis during each lesson and I was able to then see what I was doing wrong. This was a key part of each lesson because I could hit a number of shots on the range while Mark captured them on video then he was able to take me through problems step by step, give me advice on how to change it in the simplest way possible then head out to the range to work on what we had just talked about. My scores quickly started to improve and in a few weeks reduced my handicap to 8. My goal for the year was to make the junior team for the tour of Sweden in August and reduce my handicap to 5 by the end of autumn. After four lessons my game dramatically improved and ended up joint top point scorer on the Sweden tour with several top ten finishes in a number of junior opens in September. Mark has helped me reduce my handicap to 5 and I am now working hard during the winter to be ready for an exciting year ahead. At the moment we are focusing on the finer details of my golf swing and grip which is good because at the start he has given me an overall knowledge but now we are looking at a much more technical wider range of understanding in the golf game not just to how the shot is played but how to think about each shot played. I have recommended one of my friends who also plays at Knole Park Golf Club to Mark and he has already reduced his handicap from 5 to 3 in just a couple of lessons. I would happily recommend anyone other golfer looking to be a talented successful player to Mark because of the hard work he applies to each lesson you have with him and even my friend has said the same. I am looking to have a career in the golfing industry and I will defiantly be looking at Mark to help me in the coming years and I'm sure he can help any other golfers looking to make a name for themselves. November 2009"
- Dom Driver, West Malling
"Having had no experience of golf, what a delight and relief to be taught by Mark in a gentle and yet effective manner enabling me to believe that I can take it further."
- Beanie MacDonald
"Mark has helped me with all aspects of my game ,but especially the short game .My chipping and pitching has improved dramatically and I now have the opportunity to one putt on many holes This is a new world for me and has made a marked (pardon the pun!) difference to my scores . I am so impressed with Marks expertise that I have signed up for his 6 months academy."
- Barney Lewis Chartered Accountant
"My Golf had sunk to a low ebb. My handicap went up by 0.1 every time I played. I decided that as I was approaching retirement that if I was going to make any progress in golf I needed to book some lessons. I was not enjoying my golf until I booked a series of 6 lessons with Mark. I have found it very encouraging to watch my progress on the videos. I now want a lesson every few weeks to fine tune my swing. I am pleased to say , I broke 90 for the first time as a result of my lessons. I have also won the business Ladies knock out competition. Mark has given me a swing which I can take into retirement with confidence. I can strongly recommend his approach. I was embarrassed when I started my lessons but now I look forward to them and look on them as a "health check" for my swing. Book a series of lessons rather than just one as you are never going to get it right at the first attempt!"
- Dr Margaret Rice-Oxley
