John Serhan: The Player's Coach
IN: News | by Anthony Powter | 10 Oct 2008
Whether it be giving instruction to Asian Tour players or helping local club members at St Michael’s Golf Club in eastern Sydney, John Serhan is regarded as a player’s coach.
In 2007 Serhan rose to the coaching elite and scored a double honour, coaching the 2007 PGA rookie of the year, Neven Basic, and the NSW PGA Player of the Year, Anthony Summers, both are currently on the Asian Tour.
Since then Serhan has established himself as being one of Australia’s most sought after coaches and has forged a reputation with a number of emerging professionals on the Australasian Tour, He’s regarded as being thorough, genuine and, most importantly, understanding.
As a player, Serhan holds his own having won the NSW Pro-Am Order of Merit, as well as securing numerous top-10 finishes over the past ten years on the secondary Australasian tours. Coaching, however, is now Serhan’s primary focus, much to the relief of a number of emerging professionals on tour.
Just ask the likes of Darren Beck, who is also playing the Asian Tour. Last season Beck lead two Von Nida Tour events, the NSW Open and the Queensland PGA, into the final day. Beck’s game continues to go from strength to strength under Serhan’s stewardship. Local PGA members Robert Curtis and Glen Kelly, have also placed their trust in Serhan.
The attraction is a relatively simple equation. One of mutual trust, respect and a burning desire to achieve the very best that a player can get from their swing.
“I purposely develop a close relationship with my players,” says Serhan, who finished his PGA Traineeship at the famed NSW Golf Club, the home of next year’s Australian Open.
“As a coach you have to build an intense level of trust because these guys are out there trying to make a living and you don’t want to do things that disrupt that.”
Another element that Serhan views as essential towards a successful player/coach partnership is his capacity to get inside a player’s head.
“I like to understand what motivates them, what their practice habits are both on and off the course, as well as their financial backing and try and understand any outside pressures these guys are under.”
“All players have outside forces that at times can effect their performance on the course.”
Serhan is quick to point out that most of the aspiring professionals he sees are good enough to play the main tour, yet simply need an event to get them there.
“It’s a player’s ability to withstand adversity and move on from those moments that makes the difference,” says Serhan.
“The world’s best maintain their focus and commitment after a disappointment. That is what’s going to define whether a player is going to make it or not. To make it onto a main tour you just have to be strong enough internally to weather that storm.”
Serhan believes that the better coaches are those who have earned the respect of the player and can pull a player aside and speak frankly to them about an upset. From there the coach can move forward with a development cycle to get that player feeling comfortable again on the course.
The use of technology to monitor a player’s swing and recent advances with ball flight launch monitors in the modern day tour environment, is according to Serhan, inescapable and another invaluable element of the modern day coach.
“Use of a player’s data from the range has become an invaluable tool for us and without it, you’ll be left behind,” he says.
“The golf swing is in effect a signature. It reflects the player’s personality, as well as their physical structure.”
“Player data enables me to build stock shots with my players, which they then can play under pressure to keep the ball in play. You then work up their short game. That’s the essence of a touring professional’s makeup. Club players and top amateurs can also learn from this strategy.”
Also included on Serhan’s books are a number of emerging amateurs with aspirations of making it into the professional ranks.
“The ones that have the discipline to come through and remain committed will have a chance,” he says.
“After that it’s still the case of raw talent to succeed, but if a young player comes to me and has some natural ability to square the club with the ball as well as the desire and commitment so as not to get distracted they are going to have a far better chance, than someone with simply natural ability.”
The high attrition rate with aspiring Australian professionals has resulted in a “survival of the fittest” amongst our current touring players. Our professionals continue to box well above their weight and perform on the international stage.
This success, according to Serhan, is in part to Australia’s structured coaching and mentoring system which sets up our players to progress onto the world tours.
“Australian coaches work together and our peer group is one that’s underpinned with a solid willingness to assist each other regarding current coaching trends and the like.”
“We are all willing to share information,” says Serhan.
“You don’t seem to get that in other countries, especially in the US where the impression is they are more guarded with their material.”
Serhan’s commitment towards the betterment of the game and his players is reflective of why Australia continues to produce world-class golfers, often in the face of tight economic adversity and continued reduced funding from both the government and corporate sector.
Serhan’s ilk do it for the love of it and talking with him you appreciate that he gets immense satisfaction from his job.
Originally a Science and Mathematics high school teacher after obtaining a degree in Science at Newcastle University in the mid-80’s, Sherhan has carried the love of teaching over to the golf course.
His job to him is his life and whilst there were earlier experiences with playing the then Australasian “Challenge Tour”, Serhan would not change where he’s currently stationed in life.
The fact that he’s able to give a player a start and then work with them to get prepared, both physically and mentally, to play to their fullest, is to him the best reward you can have as a coach.
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