Master one swing... and stick with it

The English star on how his swing is based on solid fundamentals and consistency.

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"I've been playing golf since I was a toddler. My parents got me into golf straight away, and I was in the back garden playing when I was just 13 months old. My first time on a golf course was aged three on the short course at Wycombe Heights - my dad made up three little clubs for me to go out and play with. I played my first tournament when I was five, so I've been playing competitive golf ever since.

"People often ask me what has been the secret of my success and I believe it's because I haven't changed anything for the sake of changing. I've gone on consistency and it's worked. The most important thing for me is that it's a swing I can repeat easily because we haven't changed it in more than 10 years.

"Keeping things simple and not having too many things to worry about works for me and also helps me under pressure. I believe in myself and I know what works. My father is my coach and there are certain points in the swing we look at. If they're in the right place, we'll normally have a good week."

Hatton has been coached by his father, Jeff a single-figure-golfer since he was a junior. "I took over about 15 years ago. We tried a few coaches before that but they were basically saying the same things I was saying, so I had no hesitation in taking over," says Hatton senior. "We worked predominantly on  Tyrrell's set-up. I like the way Jack Nicklaus went about it. He says the three most important things in golf are set-up, set-up and set-up. I like that philosophy." For a mid-iron shot, Tyrrell's feet are shoulder-width apart and the ball is in the middle of his stance. The shaft is inclined forward, which is perfect for a mid-iron. If he were using a fairway wood or hybrid, the shaft would be close to vertical. It would be inclined slightly away with driver. While I like the balance at address to be 50/50 from front to back, Tyrrell prefers it to be 60/40 towards his toes. But his balance is excellent.