| Only one Yes! Putter used among the top 35 at the SAA Open, but it was THE one |
| Monday, 17 December 2007 | |
|
Heartfelt congratulations from all at Yes! Golf to 42 year-old South African James Kingston, who reached an emotional career highlight at the SAA Open in Pearl Valley last weekend when he walked away with winner’s trophy. Two particular members of the Yes organization worldwide had a hand in putting the Callie Putter into James’s hands and keeping it ‘rolling them pure.
"James took the Callie at
the Madrid Open last October," recalls Yes! EU Tour rep and Harold
Swash director of instruction Phil Kenyon. "He was using a belly putter
at the time but took a Callie for practice. This led to a conversation
about technical issues, which eventually then turned into a proper lesson.
"For the first round in Madrid,
he stuck to his belly putter. He shot 77. In the 2nd round, however,
he brought out the Callie and new technique and shot a course record
to make the cut. I believe he's used it ever since." Going into the final round, Kingston and Englishman Oliver Wilson were joint leaders of the 15 last-day players.
Wilson produced a bogey-free
67 to overtake Kingston, who led by one overnight, with the seven-time
Sunshine Tour-winner having a challenging day but hanging tough for
a one-under 71 that left him one stroke behind the Englishman. A double-bogey six at the 17th was a telling mistake by Kingston, who admitted he made a "bad mental error". He drove into the bunker when he had been considering using an iron instead of a wood and then went for the green because he felt he had a good lie.
But in almost a perfect replica
of Kingston's encounter with Yes! in Madrid, South African Yes! stalwart
and distribution chief for the Asia-Pacific region Wayne Farrell saw
James at the driving range on the fourth day.
It's not a Putter, it's
an entire Putting Systems. And Yes!... it travels well too. "James was the last one to come off the range after the rain started and we spent some time together just focusing on his putting," explains Farrell. "I think what he got out of it was that the putters and coaching I give exactly matches what my colleague in Europe would have given - or anywhere else in the world, for that matter. "When a Tour pro approaches us on the putting greens, he gets tremendous consistency of service... they're the same precision-engineered putters with the unique C-Groove in the face, along with the same proven putting methodology that Harold Swash still teaches to this day, and is licensed to a growing number of Harold Swash Putting School of Excellence Instructors all over the world. And that consistency is a huge advantage when players are under pressure.
"James couldn't have chosen
a better time to reach his true potential. It's his national competition
but it's also the 2nd oldest golf tournament in the world."
Farrell joined a host of dignitaries
- including mayor of Cape Town Helen Zille and the head of the South
African PGA - who wanted to honour Kingston at the presentation ceremony
later in the evening. |
China, Instructors course 2, November 2008
