Get to know your Sports Shop team a little better....
MEET THE TEAM
In this newsletter, I am delighted to introduce PGA Golf Professional Sam Rebane and Racquets Retail Specialist & Tennis Coach Freddie Powell to the Sports Shop team. You can know to know them and the rest of the team a little better below.
Our Golf Clinics have proved popular and we have released a schedule for April and May which can be booked below. We have increased our offering to 17 hours per week for golfers with and without handicaps!
Don't forget, you can book golf lessons online up to 90 days in advance with all of our professionals through our online booking system.
Sam Rebane
PGA Professional
I'm delighted to welcome Sam to the team, he is a fully qualified PGA Golf Professional and joins from Guildford Golf Club. Sam is a keen golfer who has built up a successful client base over the past 6 years and teaches all ability of golfer.
Sam adopts a coaching philosophy that helps people understand where their faults come from through clear and simple instruction whilst having fun. Sam is a Trackman Level 2 certified coach and brings a wealth of experience to the team.
Sam is in the Sports Shop Thursday - Monday and starts on Monday 17th April.
sam.rebane@roehamptonclub.co.uk
Where did you grow up and how did you get into golf?
I was born in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales and then moved to Cambridge in 1999, I have since been in Guildford for the last 10 years.
My father was into his golf and I got into the sport through him and have never looked back.
What has made you want to make the move to Roehampton Club?
Along with a step up in my professional career, it’s a great opportunity to work in a club with a big, enthusiastic membership and a hard-working team.
What is your favourite golf course?
Its Sunnigdale Old for me, beautiful old school course. Then Royal Porthcawl a close second.
Have you had any holes in one?
Just the 1 at Merrist Wood golf club, 8th hole there, struck a pure 7 iron and saw it the whole way!
What are your favourite golf brands?
Taylormade, Callaway and Titleist for golf clubs, Under Armour and FJ for clothing.
Who are your favourite pro’s to watch?
I’m still a Tiger Woods fan, even though he doesn’t play a lot these days, his sheer desire to win in incredible to watch. Rory Mcilroy is a close second, great driver of the golf ball!
What is your coaching style?
The main keys for me are making sure we are having fun and being clear to the golfer when instructing. I look up a lot to David Leadbetter and Peter Cowan for coaching. Gary Edwin is also good to watch.
What are you looking forward to the most at Roehampton Club?
As mentioned before, it’s a great opportunity to work with such a big membership and play on a testing golf course.
What are your favourite things to do outside of golf?
I’m a big sports person when coming from Wales so I follow a lot of different sports, but I also like to follow different docuseries on the different streaming channels (Netflix, Amazon Prime etc.)
Freddie Powell
Racquets Retail Specialist and Tennis Coach
I'm delighted to welcome Freddie to the team, he is a fantastic tennis player and level two tennis coach and will be offering lessons to the members. Freddie is currently ranked top 5 in Europe for Pickelball so we are fortunate to have 2 of the top 5 players in Europe at Roehampton Club with Louis Laville and Freddie!
Freddie is our racquets specialist and will be on hand to help you find the best racquet most suited for your game. He will be offering free demo sessions for members to try out the latest rackets from Babolat, Head, Technifibre and Wilson.
Freddie will also be offering a hitting service where members can practice what they are working on in lessons, this is available to book through the racquets online diary system.
Freddie is also a keen golfer and will be taking advantage of working with the golf professionals for a few tips!
Freddie is in the Sports Shop Wednesday - Sunday
freddie.powell@roehamptonclub.co.uk
Where did you grow up and how did you get into Tennis and Pickelball?
I grew up in Poole on the south coast of England and started playing tennis aged 8. I got to top 20 in the country u18 and then went to American university on a tennis scholarship. In my last year I was introduced to pickleball and when I came back have been focusing on growing the game over here!
Where and what did you study at University?
I went to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and studied Psychology with a minor in Biology. I also stayed on for a 5th year to do an MBA.
What is your greatest achievement to date?
Winning the pickleball national championships men’s doubles last year was one of my proudest moments. Also winning the conference championship 3 out of 5 years in america is up there too!
What is your favourite Tennis brand and why?
My favourite tennis brand has always traditionally been HEAD as I have always used their racquets and was sponsored by them in junior tennis.
Who is your favourite Tennis player?
Roger Federer - an easy choice!
What has made you want to make the move to Roehampton Club?
I am excited to join a prestigious club like Roehampton and use my racquets experience to help members improve their all round racquets experience - whether that is with tennis, padel or pickleball!
What are you looking forward to the most at Roehampton Club?
I am looking forward to getting to know all of the members at roehampton club and bringing my enthusiasm on to the court!
What specific racquets experience are you bringing to Roehampton Club?
Having spent 5 years at American university playing, I have been exposed to both high level coaching and playing. I also worked at the local country club as a tennis pro and understand how to tailor equipment/setup to specific needs. I will be based in the Roehampton Pro Shop so feel free to come and ask any questions you may have!
What are your favourite things to do outside of working?
Outside of working you can find me on the pickleball court or the golf course - always something active and sport related!
THE REST OF THE TEAM
RICKY PHARO
PGA Head Professional
RIcky joined Roehampton Club in July 2020 after seven years as a professional at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club. Ricky has been a PGA professional for over eleven years and had a successful amateur career representing Shropshire and Herefordshire County team from a junior through to Men’s First Team turning professional off a scratch handicap. Ricky currently hold the course record at Hawkstone Park golf club with a 10 under par 62 beating Sandy Lyle and Tony Jacklin’s previous record by three shots.
Ricky advocates a holistic coaching approach and delivers simple but effective golf coaching to meet the needs of every individual golfer. Ricky have experience of working with all abilities from European Tour Professionals to complete beginners and work with the various golf teams across the club. Ricky is a Trackman Level 2 certified coach and outside of work enjoys exercising, playing golf and following Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Ricky works in the Sports Shop Monday - Thursday and Saturday
ricky.pharo@roehamptonclub.co.uk
WILL HANCOCK
PGA Professional
Will has been a PGA professional for over ten years and joined Roehampton Club in 2015. Previous roles include Professional at Shaw Hill Golf and Country club and Assistant at Morecambe Golf Club. He represented Lancashire at all levels and made appearances for England at u18s level achieving a handicap of +4. Throughout his playing time as a professional he has won eleven tournaments and still plays to a great standard - watch out for him in the Captain Pro matches!.
Will's passion lies in coaching and he likes to make coaching simple, so clients understand how their golf swing works. He helps his players reach their full potential by giving them targets and goals to achieve.
Will has recently moved to Fleet and has 2 children Isla and Ivy aged 4 and 1 who certainly keep him busy when he is not working!
Will works in the Sports Shop Wednesday - Sunday
will.hancock@roehamptonclub.co.uk
WESLEY BYATT
PGA Professional
Wesley joined the team at Roehampton in 2018 and played to a high level until the age of 30 when he realised his real passion was in coaching the game. Wesley soon became one of the lead coaches for The Hampshire Girls and has headed up some of the most successful programs in Hampshire for juniors, he is responsible for bringing this style of coaching to Roehampton!
Wesley has been a coach for over 20 years learning from some of the best coaches in the world and is the only coach at Roehampton Club who has been through the Plane Truth program headed up by Hall of Fame Golf Professional Jim Hardy. His philosophy is diverse as he coaches the individual and offers each player the necessary tools to succeed at whatever level they strive to achieve. Wesley is experienced in using technology which allows him to assess and not guess. His soul aim as a coach is to bring the best out of people and elevate their game to outstanding levels. He does this through creating visions, technical improvements and the five pillars of success which not only helps the player to develop their skills, it also allows them to become a better golfer.
In his spare time Wesley likes to keep fit, plays a host of sports and dreams about being as good at surfing as he is at golf! Wesley has recently brought a house in Cornwall and has a renovation project over the next few months.
Wesley works in the Sports Shop Thursday-Saturday
wzabyatt@hotmail.com
BEN LODRICK-OSBORNE
PGA Assistant Professional
Ben joined the team in the Sports Shop in February 2023 from Reigate Hill Golf Club in and is in the final year of his PGA Qualifications.
Ben teaches golfers of all abilities and has a clear and simple coaching style. Ben believes in providing information that is easily understood by others as golf can be confusing at the best of times! Ben provides coaching sessions that can be simple or more indepth with Trackman depending on the players needs, ability and goals. This is to ensure each player can recieve the best possible lesson for them to reach their full potential.
Ben is a Chelsea fan and enjoys playing and practicing his golf when he is not working.
Ben works in the Sports Shop Saturday-Wednesday
ben.lodrickosborne@roehamptonclub.co.uk
OSCAR ISAAC
PGA Assistant Professional
Oscar joined the team in the Sports Shop in November 2021 and turned Professional in April 2022. Oscar is in the first year of his PGA Training Programme and will be studying his PGA qualifications while working at Roehampton Club.
Oscar turned professional off a handicap of 1 and is a member of Coombe Hill Golf Club. Oscar represented Surrey as a junior golfer and still enjoys playing regularly.
Oscar teaches golfers of all abilities and is working closely with Wesley to develop the Junior Academy Programme. Oscar is a keen runner and cyclist, he also competes in Speed Golf and won his first event in 2022 playing 18 holes in just 41 minutes scoring 4 over par!
Oscar works in the Sports Shop Saturday - Wednesday
oscar.isaac@roehamptonclub.co.uk
JOE PARSONS
Sport Shop Retail Manager
Joe is our retail expert who works with great care, attention and understanding to provide members a great service. Joe joined Roehampton Club in 2020 following 5 years at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club and his knowledge golf industry is exceptional whilst he is also a qualified custom fitter. Joe has also developed great knowledge in rackets and is often busy restringing. Joe is a talented golfer with a handicap of 2 and is a member at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club. Joe is a big Chelsea Fan and often goes to as many matches as he can home and away.
Joe works in the Sports Shop Thursday-Monday
joe.parsons@roehamptonclub.co.uk
