11/08/2026
Irish Challenge Prep Day HotelPlanner Tour
Liam Nolan
Fun day today walking around Killeen Castle getting ready for what is really great event.
A few learnings from today that may help some players.
1) the volume of shots tee to green hit compared to practice rounds in amateur / junior events is far less. The players pay much more attention to each otherโs shots and donโt have to get every shot โperfectโ
2) Prepare for the exam with approach shots. Lots of players hitting approach shots not to the flag but to a certain section of a green that they know will have a pin.
3) at this level there is a deep short game toolbox. This week presents a huge array of shots with some thick rough (see picture) as well as some more burnt areas
4) the putting green is much busier compared to events at a lower level, with each player having a set routine to practice,getting their speed, line and read where they need it to be come Thursday.
Good luck lads!
28/07/2026
IRISH U16 2026 Holywood Golf Club
A nice practice day done at Holywood Golf Club for the Irish U14/16 Championship.
Here are some preparation keys that I wanted to make sure I introduced to the kids.
1. Mapping the wind direction during practice round compared to what itโs likely to be on tournament days.
2. Figure likely pin locations and work out the best miss to each pin position
3. You donโt need to hit too many balls, watch other playersโ shots and it will answer a lot of questions
4. I like to add a brief (3-6 holes) element of competitive in practice round to keep engagement up
5. Are there places on the course that you cannot feel the wind but that it influences the ball flight a lot
5. Is there a general theme to what success will look like on this course? This week I felt the key skill was going to be finding fairways to make the assessment of approach shot playing yardage much easier.
6. From the rough, how far is the ball releasing and how can this be used to help map your approach shots more accurately. This week, on a firm course, it is very easy to go long out of the rough.
Nice to instil some good practice day habits that can be used on any course ๐๐ผ
โณ๏ธ
28/07/2026