Exclusive: New chapter for Imrie

New path: After a successful career as a player, Kathryn Imrie is now forging a blossoming career as a coach

Former LPGA star-turned-golf coach discusses an important duty next week

Having won on the LPGA Tour and played in the Solheim Cup, Scotland’s Kathryn Imrie is now forging a successful career as a golf coach at Stanford University, the old alma mater of Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie, amongst others.

The Dundonian is loving life in California and, in this exclusive blog for bunkered.co.uk, she reveals why she is particularly excited about next week’s PGA Tour event where she will caddie for one of the world’s most instantly-recognisable and influential figures…

“Golf has been good to me over the years – very good, in fact. I often revisit wonderful golfing memories, like winning on the LPGA tour and playing for Europe in the Solheim Cup. But next week at the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, I will be creating more memories by caddying for the former US Secretary Of State , Condoleezza Rice.

I first met Condi – who says in her own words that ‘anyone who watches my golf swing can call me Condi’ – during my first year as the Assistant Women’s Golf Coach here at Stanford University. Since then, we have worked fairly regularly on her swing and, next week, in the company of Davis Love III, her golf skills will be tested over Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula Golf Club and Spyglass Hill.

Last weekend, we went down to practice at Monterey, which is about 100 miles south of campus and home to the AT&T golf courses. I was super impressed with Pebble Beach and, as we were playing the famous last hole, I thought to myself, ‘ow this is almost as nice as Scotland!’

Many people ask what I am working on with Condi and the first thing I have to confirm is that this is a joint effort with her other coach, Eric Eshleman, with whom she works when in her home town of Birmingham, Alabama. Together our goal has been to create a better swing path and get the clubface more square at impact.

My first objective with Condi, pictured, was to improve her posture. Like so many amateurs who take up the game later on in life, it feels much more ‘normal’ to set up open to the target and swing from out-to-in. But, this only leads to weak, predominantly right shots and very frustrated golfers!

Now that Condi sets up to the ball taller and squarer to her target, this allows her to attack the ball from the correct in-to-out path, which results in nice draws and much more satisfaction! Now, the biggest challenge is to repeat this with consistency.

In an effort to repeat consistent golf swings, we have worked very hard on a pre-shot routine which lets Condi focus on the things she can control and not let her mind wonder to negative ‘outcome thoughts’. This is very hard to do at any level but I would suggest if you are to improve your golf to focus on your ‘process thoughts’ versus your ‘outcome thoughts’.

For example, when Condi tees it up at the first hole next week, she will be dealing with nerves, TV cameras, interested spectators, fairway bunkers, out of bounds and the fear of a poor shot to name a few ‘outcome thoughts’. However, if she can focus on her pre-shot routine and to finish in good balance, that are ‘process thoughts’, the chances are she will make good contact.

It’s now six days before showtime and I am about to meet Condi for our penultimate practice session. Today, we are concentrating on the short game, with 20 minutes at the end dedicated to the pre-shot routine and long game. After that, I will caddy for her for a few holes on the Stanford golf course and then she will play the rest on her own to gain confidence without being watched all the time – this is so important in golf.

On the eve of the AT&T, I am anxious to see how Condi performs, honored to be on her bag and excited to write another chapter in my memoirs of golf. One last thing: I did promise Condi that I would not mention the Ryder Cup to Davis Love. Well, at least not on every hole! Talk about a memorable golf week…”

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered