Later this year we will see the Solheim and Ryder Cups being played within a few weeks of one another. At Finca Cortesin in Spain Emily Pedersen will likely make her third appearance, alongside her compatriot Nanna Koerstz Madsen. In the men’s game Thorbjorn Olesen, twice a winner in the past nine months, is making a concerted move to making Luke Donald’s side in Italy. Then we have the Hojgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai, who are already being talked about as possibles for Rome. They turn 22 in a couple of weeks.
The rise of Danish golf has been one of the talking points in the game for some time and, for a country with something like 150,000 registered golfers, they are now a phenomenal force. We spoke to Pedersen to see what the country and the federation excels at and what lessons could be learnt from them.
What does Danish golf do so well?
I think one of the things is that all the coaches work together across the board and they always go on training camps together. They’re so good at getting help from outside and listening to other coaches and they are very open-minded. Thomas Bjorn has been having a few meetings with the federation so they’re trying to use his experience but, as a whole, the Danish Golf Union are so good at trying to constantly learn and develop and that’s helping the players a lot.
When did you get involved with the Danish Golf Union?
I was on the national team at 12. When you have reached the level of a national team you will always have at least one practice camp every year where the junior boys and girls, men’s and women’s teams, and the pro ladies and men will get to practise together which is great. We will also have individual camps with the pros and amateurs but I think it’s quite unique to be able to see what everyone else is doing and it’s a great motivator. So you will have a 14-year-old watching the Hojgaard twins and how they’re practising and it’s the same with the girls and women and spending time with us.
How is the transition handled from the amateur to the professional game?
They keep us in the team when we turn pro. Ten years ago they created this pro team so, for your first couple of years as a professional when you might be in the hunt to get to the Olympics, you will still get a lot of support from federation. A lot of us are using them as coaches so that’s great to keep the momentum and it gives you a bit of a safety net when you turn pro which is brilliant. It’s already a big thing to…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly RSS Feed…