Hello Leon, let's first come to the most important of all golf questions. What is your handicap?
A: Hi Finn, of course the questions had to come. *grins* My handicap is currently -0.6.
We've been told that you haven't been playing golf that long, is that true?
A: Yes, that's correct. I have to think about it for a moment... I should have gotten my license to play in August 2015. I've been playing golf for 6 1/2 years now, missing one season entirely due to an injury.
How did you become such a good golfer so quickly?
A: Of course none of this works without training, of course. But since I didn't have time to play golf all day, I had to make the training as effective as possible. Since I took almost no coaching lessons and tried to teach myself most of the things, I came up with a few very individual methods - including painting a golf glove with a marker.
How did you come up with the idea of painting your own gloves?
A: As I mentioned, I took very few coaching lessons, so I tried to teach myself how to play golf through YouTube videos. I can still clearly remember a video from Meandmygolf that was about the golf grip. Since I used to play a lot of tennis, the golf grip felt strange right from the start and every time I made a mistake. That's why I took a golf glove and put lines on it with a marker that I wasn't allowed to see in my address position. Sounds strange, but with this method I was able to eliminate this huge source of errors and finally work on other things. This meant I could train more effectively.
What was the next step in founding Grab Perfect GmbH?
A: I would actually have to go into a lot of detail for that, namely how I met Finn and Luca, the other founders of Grab Perfect, and so on. In short, as I often do, I talked to Finn about our golf game. At some point we came across my training methods from before and I told him about my glove. When I thought he was starting to laugh, he just said: "That's it! There must be a lot of people like you did a few years ago." He couldn't remember how he started, but he was sure that we have to and, above all, will make something big out of this! Luca was relatively at the beginning of his golf career at the time and I went to the golf course with him from time to time. Luca was very ambitious and could also get annoyed with his game *laughs *. Losing wasn't his thing either and when I noticed similar mistakes in his grip that I had made back then, I gave him the glove. I told him that he could put the glove on once and He should turn his left hand so that he can no longer see a line. Only then can he hit the ball. His flight curves immediately improved significantly and Luca was thrilled. So I told him about the idea. He also knew Finn from before and was immediately hooked. So this is how the trio came about. That was it.
Your favorite golf saying.
A: A classic. Of course: grip it and rip it! Probably because both Finn and I have never been a fan of safe and thoughtful golf. If you could reach a par 4, no matter how narrow and probably stupid, with the driver, we had the drivers in our hands while other players hit an iron off the tee. That was probably one of the reasons why I had to tee off with driver four times when I was in the lead at the club championships because I really wanted to have the chance of an eagle instead of playing the 18th hole with a relaxed par. That was just our philosophy.
Your funniest moment on a golf course.
A: Phew, tough question, there were actually quite a few. But it was probably a league game day in Wiesbaden when my team captain was talking to me before his first tee shot on tee 1 in the rain and his teammate hit a divot during a test swing that landed right in his wet face. *laughs*
Tell me, what is the most beautiful course you have ever played?
A: There are two places in my head. Both are in Andalusia. One is Finca Cortesin and the other is Reserva de Sotogrande. Both places were incredibly well maintained and the service was phenomenal. In Germany it is probably the Falkenstein Golf Club. That was also a real experience.
Your lowest score in an official round (tournament)?
A: If I'm not mistaken, it was a 69 (4 under par) in the last round of the club championships in Braunfels, which meant I won. That was a total of 8 birdies, but unfortunately also two double bogeys. *laughs*
If you would like, you can also tell us your golfing goal for the next 12 months.
A: Depending on my time, I would primarily like to train a lot more so that I can take part in the Pro Golf Tour Qualifying School this year or next, just to see what you need to bring with you. to venture onto the professional tour. I'm someone who doesn't want to look back on my life later and say, "Oh, if only I had tried."
Of course, at the top of the list is defending the club championship title against my opponents here in Braunfels.
What should absolutely not be missing from a perfect round of golf?
A: The Grab Perfect 8-in-1 pitch fork is a must on my round of golf. Of course to repair the pitch marks on the green but it also includes a bottle opener. And part of my perfect round of golf is having a cool cold drink with me. Then the round of golf feels like a vacation!
Do you have any tips for us golfers out there?
A: Tips? Well, I would say have fun golfing. I was never one to spend several hours at the driving range. Go to the square, take a cool drink with you and play with your friends. When gambling on the course, one shot is given much more meaning than any other swing on the driving range. And if you win one or two thalers or a drink by winning with the last putt against your fellow players, I think you have spent a valuable and great time on the course. And that's what it's all about in my opinion: spending a good time doing what I consider to be the most beautiful hobby in the world.
