IT was great to see so many British players doing well in The Masters.

A win for Danny Willett, along with other great finishes from Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey, shows how strong British golf really is.

These tournaments are a great platform to show how exciting golf can be.

At Ulverston, our own weekly competitions started in April.

In my articles, I will announce a player of the month, and I’m pleased to say April’s winner is Phil Coward.

From the first four competitions of the season, he has managed two wins and two second-placed finishes.

His handicap of 25 will soon be getting cut right down. Phil has had a few lessons this winter and it’s great to see his hard work paying off.

If you want to improve your game as well, then my tip of the month may help you hit some better shots.

Do you fade or slice the ball? Or do you suffer from the dreaded shank? If so, this set-up fix could help out your shots.

Quite often golfers have a tendency to stand too close to the ball at address. This causes the arms to swing further away from the body and back across the ball, causing a shot that starts left then slices to the right. It can also push the heel of the club to strike the ball at impact, causing a shank.

By standing a bit further away from the ball, you can take the club back and through on a straighter direction which will straighten out your golf shots and improve the strike.

There is a larger gap between the hands and the lower body, which will help keep the swing on the right direction and encourage a more solid strike.

Obviously, it may be difficult to find out whether or not you are standing too close or too far away from the ball, so this drill will help you get it right for each club in the bag.

Firstly, take your stance and set up to the ball. While keeping your left arm and the club in the same position, let your right arm hang loose and vertical to the ground.

If you now swing the arm to the side it should just miss the top of the golf club. If it hits the club, you are too close, so take a small step back. If it’s missing by a good way, you may be too far away from the ball, so take a small step closer.

Give that tip a try in practice and see if it can improve your shots.

Happy golfing everyone.

ALYN COUSINS