EP 8: Laurie Canter - Making Cuts on the European Tour

“Resilience is the one thing that golf beats into you, and if you’re not careful it will beat it out of you.” – Laurie Canter

Laurie Canter didn’t pick up a golf club until he was 14 years old. Prior to that, he was a talented junior tennis player, competing at a high enough level for Avon County that his team came across Andy Murray in under-14s. He quickly developed a passion for golf which usurped his interest in tennis, though, a decision which proved wise.

As an amateur, Laurie boasted a handicap of +5, and won both the South African Amateur Championships and the Spanish Amateur Championships. These successes helped him to become the fifth ranked amateur golfer in the world, and the best amateur golfer in the United Kingdom. In 2010 he played in the Open Championship at the home of golf, St. Andrews. He struggled, failing to make the cut, but overcame the disappointment to turn pro the following year.

This year, he returned to the Open Championship for the first time since 2010, putting in an impressive showing at Royal Birkdale to finish in a tie for 37th place, just a shot behind Jason Day and Bubba Watson, and ahead of names including world number 1 Dustin Johnson, and Ernie Els.

In this episode, Laurie talks to Chris about his development into a professional golfer in recent years. He discusses life on tour in detail, many of his practice techniques and on-course routines, and what separates the best players on tour from the rest of the pack.

Ep. 5: Laurie Canter Show Notes

• Laurie talks about his obsession with golf. [3:10]
• How Laurie practices off the course. [7:30]
• Improving his bunker play. [10:30]
• The most important shots in golf. [12:30]
• Laurie takes us through his journey of life on tour. [14:30]
• Making cuts. [18:30]
• Pre-shot routines and strategies. [23:00]Laurie’s most memorable moments on tour. [25:10]
• Being a rookie on tour. [30:40]
• Bouncing back from disappointing results. [34:40]
• Laurie talks about what separates the best players from the rest. [36:40]
• Who Laurie travels with. [39:10]
• Laurie’s favorite books. [42:30]
• The best £100 you can spend on golf. [43:50]
• Laurie’s biggest mentor. [46:20]
• Laurie Canter’s action challenge. [49:20]

1. Go to the range with 50 balls
2. Split the balls into 2 groups of 25
3. Use 25 balls for technical drills, honing an aspect of your swing
4. Use the other 25 balls for practicing pre-shot routines, changing the target regularly to replicate a round of golf

Gear/Resources Mentioned

• Golfstat Lab
• Every Shot Counts
• I Am Pilgrim
• The Pressure Principle
• Putting tutor
• DST Club
• If poem

People Mentioned

• Cameron McCormick
• Mark Broadie
• Matt Perry
• Terry Hayes
• Dave Alred
• Bertie Cordle
• Gordon Brand Jr,
• Rudyard Kipling

Connect and Follow Laurie Canter

• European Tour 
• Twitter
• Instagram