Craig McCarthy once dreamt of following his dad into The Dell.
Now he dreams of golf swings and how to get the best out of them.
The 23-year-old son of former Saints right-back Bob McCarthy has become one of England's rare breed of golf biomechanics.
Paul Chek, who wrote the book on Golf Biomechanics, says that the only way to improve a golf game is to improve the actual golfer - the way they stretch, swing and train. "Many golfers spend a fortune on clubs they can't even swing," says Chek from his San Diego base.
The basis of Golf Biomechanics, according to young McCarthy, is that an effective exercise programme and correct training can prevent injuries and ultimately lead to a better golf game.
He recently underwent a course at Eastbourne College and emerged as a certified Golf Biomechanic. Now the young man, who works as a personal trainer at the David Lloyd Centre in Southampton, is building up a lot of golfing clients.
He plans to contact golf clubs in the area, explaining his work and detailing how he can dovetail it in with club professionals and teachers.
McCarthy, who was on TS forms with Saints until an attack of glandular fever sidelined him for two years and ended his footballing ambitions, said: "You adapt a swing around how the person is made physically.
"Quite often a player can pick up back or wrist injuries through having the wrong posture or the wrong swing for his or her body. That's where Golf Bomechanics can help. So far the results I've been getting with clients have been good," says McCarthy who can be contacted on 023 8057 9707.
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