<\/p>\n
He represents the fourth generation of golfing pros in his family \u2013 an exceptional case in both Spain and the whole of Europe. Before him, his great-grandfather, grandfather and mother were golf teaching pros in Spain. <\/p>\n
He has been the manager of the Rio Real Golf Academy (Marbella) since 2007 and is one of the few Spanish pros \u2013 just four in total \u2013 to have obtained the TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certificate at all levels (I, II and III), one of the first certificate-holders at a national level. In 2009 he studied 3D Biomechanical Analysis in the United States. All of this places Sergio de C\u00e9spedes at the highest level when it comes to golf coaching. <\/p>\n
We asked him what made the R\u00edo Real academy stand out from others. \u201cI would say,\u201d he replied, \u201cin the quality of the teaching, its planning, the personalisation of classes\u2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what tools do we use for this? Well, the most technologically advanced available: a biomechanical system with optic sensors for swing and putting analysis that few academies have. We also use the innovative Sam PuttLab to study this club \u2013 the latest at an international level. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Our system is based on visual analysis of the ball\u2019s flight and the swing dimensions, examining 50 reference points with the objective of achieving an Efficient Personalised Swing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut these are only working tools, and they don\u2019t help much if the coach is not properly trained. For the past six years I have been fortunate to be part of the National Professionals Committee and to be a national coach for junior teams with the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, so that means I have to be aware of latest developments in coaching and constantly update and refresh my knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
Do you believe that new technologies are a decisive factor in teaching people to play golf?<\/p>\n
As I noted before, this is just another tool that you need to know how to use. It is not essential, but properly used it is very useful. I always give an example: a person goes to the doctor with a pain in their wrist, and it might be a very good and experienced doctor who, with his touch and clinical eye, can make a sound diagnosis and prescribe a cure. However, I think it would always be a better option to do an X-ray, even a scan, to confirm if there is a break or not, to know exactly where the problem is occurring and to prescribe a precise cure. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s what we do at our academy: diagnose the student\u2019s problems using the technology we have available and therefore be clear about what is happening, what solution needs to be applied, what corrections should be made if necessary, etc. Then it\u2019s a matter of how these solutions are applied and by whom. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Did you begin playing at a young age?<\/p>\n
Yes, at 10 years, although in my case I lived in a golfing ambience right from the start because my mother, Bego\u00f1a de C\u00e9spedes, was a golf pro, the only female one in Spain at the time. Her father, my grandfather Ernesto, had been a professional at Puerta de Hierro Club in Madrid, then in Morocco, and he finished his career at the Parador de M\u00e1laga, bringing with him the Conde de N\u00e1jera. My great-grandfather Ernesto had also been a golf professional at the start of the 20th century. So we now represent four generations dedicated to teaching golf in Spain. <\/p>\n
\n
Is this the longest dynasty you are aware of?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve checked in Spain and outside the country, and I haven\u2019t found anyone beating that: three generations at the most.<\/p>\n
\n
What does that mean to you: responsibility, pride\u2026?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an honor to be part of this dynasty and to continue passing on old golfing values, which in some ways are being lost: sacrifice, perseverance, a love of the sport\u2026 I would like my daughters \u2013 who also play \u2013 to be the fifth generation of golf professionals, something which would be unique in the world. But without forcing or pressuring them, of course. The same as was the case with me\u2026 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Our system is based on visual analysis of the ball\u2019s flight and the swing dimensions, examining 50 reference points with the objective of achieving an Efficient Personalised Swing. \u201cBut these are only working tools, and they don\u2019t help much if the coach is not properly trained. For the past six years I have been fortunate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias-generales"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}