Learn To Play: Lessons from Dalmahoy’s Head Golf Pro

When self-confessed hacker Rosie Morton decided she needed to brush up on her swing, she turned to Dalmahoy’s head golf pro, Scott Dixon. 

‘What other sports have you played?’ asked Scott Dixon, Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club’s head golf pro, as we headed for the driving range.

‘Rowing,’ I replied, unsure what a borderline masochistic watersport had to do with what I considered to be a more genteel pastime.

‘And how did you learn to row in a straight line?’ he smiled.

‘Fall in once, then every bone in your body tells you not to repeat what you just did.’

‘Right!’

Scott’s message was this – in any sport, be it tennis, hockey, cricket, golf or rowing, you know instinctively how to play it. Our bodies naturally adjust, correct and fine tune each movement. That’s the theory at least. Scott was confident that by using my intuition (and with a little guidance) my aim would improve by the end of our first session.

I was less sure…

What Scott didn’t know is that I’d nearly given an unsuspecting passer-by an unwanted haircut the last time I grasped a golf club by slicing a ball 45-degrees in the wrong direction. Was I just out of practice? Would Scott spot some strange movement that I could correct? Or perhaps my antique clubs were to blame for my substandard results? (I can live in hope…) Suffice it to say, I knew Scott had his work cut out.

All that said, I was here to listen and learn. After all, I was standing in the country club’s 12-bay floodlit driving range with an undisputed golf guru. Scott’s modesty didn’t fool this hack – I knew that he had more than 40 years’ experience under his belt, 30 of which had been as a pro. Having started out as a youngster, Scott fell for the sport and began working his way up the golfing ranks before coaching an array of golfers – from complete beginners to elite players. I was in very safe hands.

West Course 16th Green at Dalmahoy.

He started me off with a driver. I lined myself up, awaiting his cue to whack the ball as hard as I could. But instead, he walked ten yards out in front of the bay and placed down a hula hoop. ‘Try and hit the ball into the hoop,’ he said. I’m sure my expression was one to behold. Bemused, I readjusted my stance and tried a low, slow swing. The swing was not a thing of beauty and the ball didn’t quite land in the hoop, but it wasn’t far off. To my surprise, it took just a few attempts before it landed neatly in the middle of the ring. Scott then proceeded to move the hoop further and further away, and each time my aim gradually improved.

‘But it’ll take you five days to get round 18 holes like that!’ I hear you cry. Perhaps. But Scott had already proved his point. I can aim. The old grey matter, combined with an instinctive readjustment of my body and swing, had successfully directed the ball to its cosy hula hoop home. ‘You’ve got to earn the right to smash it 150 yards,’ said Scott with a smile.

Scott had plenty more teaching tricks up his sleeve, some of which included miniature driver heads and boxing mitts. As unconventional as these methods may sound, each tip that he had for me was simple and incredibly effective. His teaching style centred around developing your own unique technique, but most of all, having fun while doing it.

Golf can, at times, seem intimidating, particularly when you’re a beginner. The rules, the etiquette, the dress code, the formalities – they can all be quite off-putting for those looking to start their golfing journey. Even for more practised golfers, reigniting a passion for the sport after decades of knocking around fairways can seem impossible. But by throwing the rulebook out the window, standing in that driving bay felt just as enjoyable as it had done when I held a club for the first time.

As we rounded up our last session, I assumed my new stance – which, for me, was further back from the tee than I was used to. Scott asked me to hit left, right and straight on to the 50 yard mark. I might not be taking on Tiger Woods any time soon, but I was pretty happy with my progress. My lessons with Scott were not only informative, but hugely enjoyable. And while the competitive person within me might not like being told to refrain from smashing the golf ball down the driving range, I knew Scott was right…

‘I’ve never looked back,’ he said, explaining that he rejigged his own golf swing about 20 years ago. And to prove it, the right-handed golf pro hit a left-handed shot with one of my clubs. I watched as it hurtled well past the 150 yard mark… The proof really was in the pudding.

Dalmahoy are hoping to entice more women, men and children into golf with their new ‘Learn To Play’ package.

To book an introductory 90-minute lesson with Scott (from £40pp), or sign up to the full ‘Learn To Play’ package, visit the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club website. (Learn To Play: six one-hour lessons; £500 for 1 person; £350 for 2-4 people; £300 for 5-8 people).

Read more on Scottish Field’s Outdoors pages. 

Dalmahoy East Course, 9th Fairway.