The Shire London’s Lee Cox is World #1 Long Drive Coach

BARNET, NORTH LONDON, UK: Londoner Lee Cox, head PGA Professional at The Shire London, is already one of the UK’s most-recognised golf teachers thanks to his work in Today’s Golfer magazine – but in October 2016 his credentials as the world’s #1 long driving coach were also confirmed when his friend and star pupil, Joe Miller, smashed his way to his second World Long Drive Championship.

Few golfers who have ever lived have possessed the physique and technique of the extraordinary Joe Miller, and even less can come anywhere close to Miller’s legendary 9-second ‘hang time’, but the 46 year-old Cox specialises in giving all levels of golfer special lessons on how to hit the ball further at his Academy at The Shire London, near Barnet.

“Give me any golfer, and I can help them add twenty yards by training them in club delivery, swing mechanics and biomechanics” said Cox. “Joe Miller combines massive precision with an explosive power which is beyond the reach of most golfers, but there are common factors which every golfer can learn from.”

Since Miller was in his late teens, the duo have been a formidable team in distance-hitting events. The pair originally met as family friends, and Cox quickly saw something special in the young Miller, who was already a prodigious hitter. Joe Miller’s European Championship win in 2005 announced him to the world, and in 2010 he became RE/MAX World Long Drive champion for the first time.

October 2016’s World Long Drive Championship victory in Oklahoma – which Miller nailed with a 423-yarder in the Final – saw Cox’s star pupil become first European golfer in history to win two World Long Drive titles.

“On October 12th Joe gave arguably the greatest final-day performance in World Long Drive history” said Cox. “To see him over there against all the Americans, winning under extreme pressure against a partisan crowd, was just the greatest moment. Joe is much more than a pupil, he is a close friend, and to see him dominate on that final day was one of the best feelings in my life.”

When competing in long drive events Miller, a plus-3 handicapper and former member both of The Shire London and its predecessor Bridgedown Golf Club, plays with a 3-degree Callaway XR driver fitted with a Fujikura Joe Miller Prototype 3X shaft. In competition he typically generates over 150mph clubhead speed, approximately 20% higher than the fastest speeds on the 2016 US PGA Tour. His winning drive in the 2016 World Long Drive Championship had a ‘hang time’ of around nine seconds – two seconds more than the longest hitters on Tour.

Tony Menai-Davis, who opened The Shire London in 2007 after persuading European golf icon Severiano Ballesteros to design him a spectacular championship golf course, had this to say about his illustrious coach: “Lee is a wonderful teacher, and golfers come from miles around to have lessons with him. All of us at The Shire London offer our warmest congratulations both to him, and of course to Joe, for this magnificent achievement.”

“There is literally nobody better in the UK to come to, if you want to hit the ball further” said Ceri Menai-Davis, director at The Shire London. “Lee has spent 15 years researching every aspect of big-hitting, and has coached not only superstars like Joe Miller, but also many elite-level golfers and countless higher-handicappers on how to “flush it” with a driver.

“Spend half an hour with Lee and you will quickly realise that his expertise on the subject is unique, and exceptional. We are proud to have Lee Cox here at The Shire London, and we invite golfers from across the UK to come and learn from him.”

However, Cox always reminds golfers that it is not all about big-hitting. “You have to hit the fairway, first and foremost” he emphasised, “and then you need to get it into the hole. Long hitting is seductive, but finesse will always get your handicap down faster!”

Contact Lee Cox at The Shire London on +44 (0)20 8441 7649.

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The Shire London is a 27-hole facility near Barnet, north London, featuring the only Severiano Ballesteros-designed golf course in the UK. In 2016 golfers on Golfshake.com voted The Shire London the highest-rated golf club in London, ranking it #1 among all clubs inside the M25. Among golf clubs with 50 online reviews or more, The Shire London is also rated #1 in Hertfordshire, #8 in England and #15 in the entire United Kingdom as of summer 2016.

Its 18-hole Ballesteros Masters Course measures 7,028 yards, with six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s. Its 9-hole Academy Course features a mix of par 3s and 4s, and is the ideal introduction to golf for all ages and abilities. The Shire Academy is one of the leading teaching centres in the south of England, with exceptional facilities both covered and outdoors. With a stylish open-plan clubhouse featuring a patio with stunning sunset views across the golf course, first-class conference and banqueting rooms and a highly-rated restaurant, The Shire London is also a well-equipped and popular venue for golf societies, corporate golf days, weddings, meetings and large social functions. It is situated two minutes from M25 Junction 23 (A1(M) South Mimms intersection), with easy access to the motorway network.

Sister facility the West London Golf Centre is a popular new public golf facility located near Northolt in West London. One of London’s best-equipped golf centres, WLGC features a challenging 9-hole, 3,037 Yard Par 36 golf course; a floodlit 26-bay range; a Dinosaur Adventure Golf attraction; a Putting & Short Game Zone; a 4,500sq ft american golf superstore offering custom-fitting; a golf school; and a fully-licensed Coffee House bar and restaurant. Another 18 holes will soon be available on the nearby West London Links, a brand-new championship-length golf course.

The Shire London, West London Golf Centre and West London Links are created, owned and operated by The Bridgedown Group. The Group has also announced plans to create The Dye London club near Edgware in north London, bringing world-famous golf architects Dye Designs to the UK for the first time. The Bridgedown Group is a family-run business involving Tony and Anne Menai-Davis and their sons Ceri and Cae.