Basic instinct

"We study Tiger's story and share it with the kids on the SJGT because it adds a huge amount of credibility if they know this is how Tiger developed," explains McWade.

"Our vision is to have Scotland emerge at the forefront of the world game, whether that's in a decade or not, because these kids are the future," chips in former European Tour winner Robertson.

Now in its second season, the initiative, which is targeting children under 13, is set to expand if a three-year sponsorship, agreed in principle with a Glasgow firm, is secured. There is talk of a national talent identification scheme to discover if the nugget who might otherwise never have been introduced to golf exists in Scotland.

The plans are ambitious and rad-ical, but in some quarters may also be regarded as controversial. McWade's coaching methods differ widely from those of traditional teaching professionals, a fact that does not have all of them singing his praises.

Scotland boasts some world renowned coaches, such as the venerable Bob Torrance and Adam Hunter, who provided the technical expertise when Paul Lawrie won the Open in 1999. Nowhere in their manuals, though, is there mention of the 40 inch hammer and other apparently weird implements which McWade employs in his coaching.

The Glaswegian is the pro at the Bonnyton club on the outskirts of Eaglesham. But more pertinently he is the founder of Instinctive Golf, a concept which turns traditional coaching methods on their face.

"I would have been sceptical in the past too," admits Robertson, "but having worked with Kendal he's a pioneer in communication and learning. I've learned so much from the guy it's frightening.

"The three main components to his teaching are fun, freedom and awareness. Not awareness of where your elbow or knee is, but awareness of how you're applying the club to the ball because the ball is telling us the whole story."

McWade takes up his own tale. "After over 15 years as a pro I realised that I hadn't been introduced to any other sport or motor skill in the same way as I was attempting to teach golf," he says. "I didn't learn to play football by being told to put my knee in a specific position so I could take a free kick."

McWade's point is that learning to play golf should be as uncluttered and as natural as a child learning how to catch a ball, or even how to walk. That, of course, is not how it is taught by the traditionalists, for whom the technical aspects of the swing are fundamental.

"Instinctive Golf came about because that experience didn't develop me as a player, despite going down the logical, technical route," he continues. "The reality was that not only had it not delivered, it in fact destroyed my game. And I wasn't alone. As I shared my experiences with others I began to realise that thousands of golfers had had the same experience, and hundreds of them were golf pros.

"If I was to generalise, we are more about skill development. We would like the kids we are coaching to have all the shot-making skills, then the appropriate mental and physical skills they are going to need to prepare and perform. Our methods are task, rather than technique, led. That means it is more naturally aligned with our instinct to learn than any other coaching method.

"The hammer idea came a long time ago. Every time I hit a poor shot I always questioned my technique. I made a 40 inch hammer and started exploring how I would hit a golf ball with it. It wasn't how I developed my golf swing, but it just felt incredibly correct. That freaked me out and convinced me it was worth exploring more, and also with other tools and training aids.

"There's a lot of confusion about how a golf club works, and what the golfer's role is, but with a hammer and nail it's pretty obvious."

There are 20 children receiving the expertise of McWade, Robertson and the highly respected Orr, but if the sponsorship comes through there will be more. Early talks have been held with the Scottish Golf Union to see if there could be a tie-in. If that happens it's possible to then envisage a clash of coaching cultures, but as Robertson points out, everybody in golf has a shared aim to see Scotland's stock rising again.

"We had eight tournaments last year on the SJGT and there may be more in 2008," says McWade. "We're also planning three two-day training courses and a four-day event in Spain. We went there last year and took on the local elite team and drubbed them.

"We honestly believe that in this group of 20 there are four or five who could go on to become seriously good. Two of them, Ben Kinsley, age 12, and Fraser Davrin (11) have qualified for the world junior championship next month."

As previously mentioned, and at the end of a week when it has been impossible to ignore him, Woods is the role model. His father, Earl, and his first coach introduced the young phenomenon to golf through fun, and different games.

"Tiger is the prime example," confirms Robertson. "I learned a great lesson in 1995 when I found myself on the range at Carnoustie with him when he was still an amateur and playing in the Scottish Open.

"It was so windy that most people were not even practicing, but he was having a competition with me to see who could hit the biggest hook and the biggest slice in the wind. You might think that's mad, but it just shows how creative he was in his practice. His father and first coach made sure everything he did in his early years was to do with fun, games and shot-making skills."

Instinctive Golf has still got a long way to go to convince the sceptics, but already the PGA and the English Golf Union have invited McWade and his partners to make presentations. He coaches other coaches in his methods, as well as having had European Tour players, including Paul McGinley, under his wing.

But one of the great truisms in sport is "catch 'em young", and in the Scottish Junior Golf Tour we may just be witnessing the start of something special.