Many many congratulations to Darren Clarke on winning the Open at Royal St.Georges.  Could not have been a more deserved or popular winner, personally I loved every minute of it!

We were lucky enough to visit the course on Friday and got burnt to a crisp, but that's another story!!  Managed to hit the range for a while, seeing pretty much everyone we wanted see, very impressive indeed.  Don't ask me if I saw Tom Watson's hole in one, having been on the 6th green for ages, I decided to walk down 7 about 2 minutes before Watson aced it, great timing ha!!!  Apart from Darren, I like a lot of poeple were suitably impressed with Rickie Fowler, one of the great Open rounds on Saturday in the very worst of the weather.  Can't believe this kid has not won an event yet?  I have a feeling when he does the flood gates will open and he won't stop winning.

Dr.Bob Rotella was seen talking to Darren just minutes before he went out for his last round, have a listen to the interview on the BBC, very interesting listening indeed.  Dr Rotella explains a little bit about what he terms as "unconscious putting".

Listen here for a brief interview by the BBC with Dr Bob Rotella, golf psychologist

It certainly did the trick, as Darren looked very relaxed and calm, both on and off the course.  He certainly delt with the ups and downs that come your way on a course like that, patience is always a vital factor in any round of golf.

Also congrats to Iain Carter and the team on Radio 5 Live,  fabulous coverage of the event as always, well worth a listen next time they cover an event!

So onto the USPGA and who would back against another victory for the Irish?

Not long now until the Open kicks off at Sandwich, Kent and I for one can't wait!!

In general I don't often get to the Open, due to being a completely bonkers time of year for us at the academy.  But as  St.Georges is so close, I can't resist popping down to the South Coast for a quick fix on Friday.  So if anyone is down that day, ping me a text or email and we can hook up?

Ok, so lets cut to the chase and throw a few thoughts into the ring on who's picking up the Claret Jug this week!

As you know I'm normally the worst tipster in the world, so as I say here are 3 or 4 that you can cross off your list, which narrows the field for you.  MJ's top four would be Westwood, Rory, Watney and Kuchar.

Rory Mania - Interesting to see Rory has not played since the fantastic result in the US Open, opinion seems divided as to merit of this?  My take is he has a simply fabulous team around him and based on the transformation from Augusta to the US Open, I can only think they have sat down and planned these last few weeks to pin point precision.  Rumour has it he's been down at Sandwich loads and likes the set-up of the course, mind you when you hit 320 arrow straight off every tee, most courses look fine!  Maybe an apperance at the Scottish this past week would have taken some of the media attention off him for the Open, but I think any time he steps on a course now he will be the centre of attention.  Plus with what happend in Scotland this past few days, he was better off keeping his head down at Sandwich and playing loads of practice rounds.  I bet Westwood and co would have done the same if they had known what was heading there way in terms of weather and disruption? Obvious exception of Luke Donald, congrats on chalking up another victory.

Mr Consistent - I would suggest that Westwood would be one of the most popular winners in years, but can he finish the job this time and find the magic putting touch?  With a string of top 10 finishes to his name over the past dozen or so majors, surely an each way bet would make sense?  He's topped the stats at the last two Opens for fairways and greens in reg, so with some luck on the greens he could very well go one step further.

Possible Contenders - Nick Watney on the back of two wins this year and tied 7th at last years Open, must be in with a shout.  Now 10th in the world, he will be full of confidence and ready to add a major to his ever impressive CV.  Jason Day has only played in four majors, but don't let that put you off, as he's finished 2nd twice and in the top 10 on one other occasion. Now 7 in the world and somewhat of a Major Specialist, he does not look like the kind of lad that will take a step back. Matt Kuchar finished well in Scotland, so again full of confidence and has been one of the most consistent of the American players during the past 12 months or so.  I certainly think he has the game to adapt to the potential high winds etc and no question he has the head to deal with the added pressure.

Let's hope we get some fine, but testing weather for the week ahead and I'm sure we are all in for another thrilling Major and another British winner, fingers crossed!

I don’t think I’m over hyping it by saying that was the most enjoyable golf event I’ve watched in years, if not my life!

To watch a guy of just 22 dominate the world’s best players from the first tee shot to the last putt was amazing.  I’m not sure about everyone talking up Rory’s chances of overtaking Jack’s 18 major haul, but winning at that age gives him a fighting chance I guess!

Rory – What a truly fantastic achievement for such a young man, to win my 8 shots on such a tough track and with the worlds best golfers chasing you is remarkable.  Then you put in context the amazing transformation in just 7 weeks since the disappointment of losing the Masters in such horrific circumstances, it makes for even more of a n amazing story!

Rest of the field – Gutted for Westy, so close in a major again, will his time ever come?  Still maintains the steady tee to green game that’s got him to No1 in the world, but the putter simply has to get hot during one major, surely?  Talking about putting you have to feel for Sergio, he was knocking the flag out time and time again and no matter what grip he uses, currently the claw, he just can’t buy a putt!  I guess Luke was always going to run out of steam at some point, he’s been on fire for so long now, it was inevitable the wheels would come off at some point.  Let’s face it 14 out of 15 events in the top 10 is not a bad run!!!

Bring on the Open now, will be going down to see the worlds best on the Thursday and maybe the Friday, as it’s just down the road from where I live in Kent.  Rory has been installed at 6/1 favourite and you have to say who would back against him in this kind of form?  Still think Westy will be in the mix, so maybe a little each way on the king of fairways and greens.

I was fortunate enough to recently attend a fantastic seminar recently "An Audience with John Jacobs".  I have always been a massive Jacobs fan, he is a total legend in the golf coaching industry and it was a pleasure to spend the day in his company again.  It was the last of his appearances in such events, as John is now 85 years young.  I am so grateful for another chance to listen to the great man and in total I've been fortunate to meet him 5 or 6 times now.

Even at 85 he shows as much passion and enthuiasm for coaching as anyone I've met in the industry, truly remarkable.  He has basicaly taught anyone and everyone in the game over the past 50 years, from Jack Nicklaus to Seve.  He was the Spanish National coach/advisor for some 35 years and at some time or another was in charge of national teams from France, Italy, Sweden, England and many more to mention.

He always had a the amazing talent of making the game seem so simple, something I believe is being lost with some of the so called "methods" currently being promoted.  Also the unique ability to teach golfers from total beginners to the best golfers in the world and make it all seem so effortless in the process.

If anyone ever sees any of his many books for sale or even a DVD, then I would thoroughly recommend you to invest and learn from one of the golfing greats, you will not regret it!

MJ with John Jacobs

What a truly remarkable Masters we have just witnessed, it had something for everyone from the opening round on Thursday to the closing shot on Sunday and for me showed why it's still the major everyone loves to watch.

Mixed emotion to be honest, on one hand congrtats to Charl Schwartzel for a superb last round, the opening 3 holes kind of set the tone for his day and finished the job with four birdies on the bounce. On the other you have to feel for Rory, in total control for 3 days, then the glorious game of golf bit back and just about everything that could go wrong did so!!  From the moment he missed that putt on the first, you could see something had changed and the belief was fading.  By the time he went house hunting in the cabins on the 10th tee, Rory was in bits and it was all about damage limitation.  For any young aspiring professionals out there, take note from Rory on how to do deal with the ups and downs of this wonderful game.  He conducted himself in such a professional manner and at no point lost the plot, showing what a true gentlemen and champion he is, credit to you Rory.

The Aussies nearly bagged their first green jacket, mostly thanks to the very impressive Jason Day and the ever talented Adam Scott.  We have always been told you need to play this course many many times before having a chance of winning, tell that to Day who played like he was a life long member!  At 23 he looks the real deal and was full of confidence coming down the stretch,he just had this look that nothing was going to stop him and only 4 birdies to finish from Charl prevented him from bagging the ultimate prize.   Such small margins as to why a 23 year old rookie played like a veteran campaigner and a 21 year old with all the talent in the world and massive self-belief (normally) imploded?

Another major goes past for the impressive Lee Westwood, who once again hit enough fairways and greens to be joining Phil in the Butler Cabin!  But as we all know there is more to the game than hitting the ball like god and I just hope he can plug away with Pete Cowan and get his putting hot enough to win a much deserved major, fingers crossed Lee!

The last word has to be with Ken Brown, he deserved an Oscar for his acting whilst doing his on-course reports.  Shall we say he certainly seemed to be putting plenty of enthuiasm into his work, but seriously needs to work on the pitch he hit to 13th, shocking!!!

Captain Monty - will be interesting to see if Monty can install that obvious passion he has for the Ryder Cup into his team for the matches at Celtic Manor? Not exactly known as a people person or man manager, but the Ryder Cup has always bought the best out of Monty.  If only he could have got into the same frame of mind when playing majors, he would have won a hat full! Get the pairings right Monty and Europe have got every chance in getting the Ryder Cup back, do a Faldo and we could be in trouble!

Team USA - Have to be honest a couple of months ago I did not rate their chances one bit, but looking a little closer, they really do have some quality players and cannot be underestimated!!

All dependant on Team Spirit, can Corey Pavin do what Azinger did so well last time out?  Installing a team bonding/belief that we have not seen in the American side for many years did the trick in the USA two years ago.

I really think Tiger could be the main man on Team USA this time round.  Having never seemed that bothered in previous years, I think he actually needs the Ryder Cup this time, as another stepping stone to re-building his reputation.  It will go some way in repairing his image in the USA if he's seen to be doing a shift for the team, so watch out Europe, the Tiger could take some beating!

I'm also looking forward to seeing what Rickie Fowler has to offer, young, exciting and full of confidence; he could be a major player in the team.  Not sure the team will follow his lead in the fashion stakes, can't see Tiger wearing all orange, can you?  Could have the same kind of impact as young Anthony Kim did last time out; remember what he did to Sergio?  Not sure Sergio ever got over that drubbing; hope to see him back fighting for his place next time round!

Team Europe - Solid team from top to bottom, good balance of experience and new blood and some obvious partnerships that will take some beating  I guess the initial talking point is Casey not being picked; I agree and think Harrington is a lucky boy to be included.  Not a great Ryder Cup record and way out of form, against Casey who loves matchplay, has a good Ryder Cup record and is bang on form!!  But in my opinion the guy who should be going is Justin Rose.  Again right on form, two wins in the USA (should have been three!) and most importantly a deadly partnership with Poulter last time out, so a guaranteed pairing blown!!  But I still believe with the depth in quality we have, get the pairings half right and we should have enough to see off the USA.

As you know I'm not one for sitting on the fence, so my prediction would be Europe to win by 3 points!!  Rory to finish top points scorer, full of talent, loves match play, attacks everything, not the guy you want to be drawn against on Sunday or the four balls for that matter.

I'll be down in Wales for the Friday through Sunday, can't wait as the best golf event in the world to watch live in my humble opinion, bring on the USA!!

As coaches, we teach people of different shapes and sizes and different physical attributes, the question I always like to ask myself when I teach someone new is, what is the best way that this person can swing the club with what they have?

You see, over the past decades of golf there have been different swing styles to help players improve their game, and all of these swing styles have brought a lot of positives to the game. There are lots of coaches believe in a particular swing method and apply it to their pupils, ie, Two Plane Swing, One Plane Swing, Two Pivot Motion and most recently Stack and Tilt(single pivot motion),and stuck to these methods rigorously without any compromise. Some with successful results, others not so successful! So with this in mind, why were some people more successful than others in adopting a swing style? The answer in my opinion is their body style suited that particular method that was applied to them, and was able to carry out the physical demands that this style was putting upon their bodies!

So, as modern day coachs stand we need to be flexible, so it is up to us not to dismiss any of these particular styles, (as Stack & Tilt has been much maligned) and to see which one is right for them? We can sometimes tell from a set up of the player on what swing style they need to adopt, although some people will be forced into a particular swing style, due to injury and fatigue (ie knee & hip replacements), but by asking the right questions and putting them through a few little tests to see what they can do physically, we can get a better insight in how we can move fellow golfers forward to progress their games to the next level!

If anyone is going through a swing change and finding it a struggle to adopt it. Let us know, it's not that the swing method is wrong, it just maybe wrong for you!

Please feel free to comment!

Written by Mark Janes

Apart from the Ryder Cup The Open has to be my 2nd favourite golf event to watch, sorry to say I can't make it to St.Andrews this year, way too much going on at the academy!  So like  a lot of keen golfers I'll be cheering on the British/European players to victory on TV, in the what should be a very closely contested 150th Anniversary Open Championship.

A huge amount of the talk going into the championship has been about the changes to the "Road Hole", so it will be fascinating to see how the worlds best golfers deal with the extra 40 yards that will make this hole even more of a testing challenge.  Opinion seems divided between those who believe it was tough enough as it was and those who are relishing the challenge of having to hit driver to give themselves a chance of hitting the right club into what is an incredibly demanding green.  I guess if you hit the ball miles and take a mix of 3's and 4's over the championship, then just like Simon Kkan with the new greens at Wentworth, you won't be complaining too much about the changes!

As for me helping you choose a winner, well don't put your house on it (i certainly won't be) but here goes for some sound advice from the Team at MJGA!

Mark's Top Tips - I'm going English, as unlike the football we are dominating golf currently and a Major has to be the next step!

Westwood to win - Poulter each way and for a long shot a sneaky couple of quid on Jimenez  for a Spanish treble!! Football, Wimbledon and Golf!

Ian's Top Tips -Mcilroy to win and Harrington each way!

Oli's Top Tips -  Rose to win and Poulter each way!

Will also be interesting to see how the crowds react to Tiger, from what I have heard he got quite a frosty reception on the first tee of the practice round. But hey, make a couple of birdies and I'm sure the crowds will start to get behind him, maybe not quite like the galleries in the USA, but the crowds at The Open have a wealth of golfing knowledge and respect good golf!

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For me it's still 'The Grande Dame' of Algarve courses - The Old Course at Vilamoura. Granted I'm yet to play in the States, and I havn't played the Old Course in the last 5 years (not making much of a case at the moment). However, those of you lucky enough to have played, will know the class and sheer quality of the place. It's not the most spectacular course in the world, or even the Algarve, but you know you're somewhere special as soon as you drive up to the club house.  Friendly staff, who didnt even mind my dad in his cricket spikes (they put soft spikes in for free) or the fact that his divot went further than his ball on the first tee - the starter simply smiled and said ''I'm sure it will get better'' (it didnt) and the picturesqueÂcourse has always been in immaculate condition when I've played.

Favourite Hole - 4th S.I. 15. Short par 3 over a pond and tree. Not a tough hole as the hazards are more psychological than anything else. However, it looks good and I hit the flag in my first round there.

Toughest hole -  8th S.I. 1. Only 420 yards, until you realise you're abroad and its 420 metres (460 yards). All slightly uphill. A tight drive made even tighter if you drove like I did on that day. The treeline leads you towards a bunker on the left with not much hope of reaching the green if you find it.

If you're in the Algarve it's a must play!

If you know of anywhere better we would love to hear about it.

Oli - MJGA

In my humble opinion Tiger really needs to get back to basics and start playing golf again.  Rumour has it he won't return until 2012, I guess Phil, Rory, Sergio and the guys must be loving that news!!  I just think if he's ever going to move on from this, he has to get back to winning events, then a few months from now people will be talking about what a great golfer he is and less of the other issues in his life.  I appreciate he will never be seen in the same light again, but proving what he's the best player ever to play the game will go some way in keeping him sane.

What do you folks think, play or retire?  What's the better option for Tiger and indeed golf?