Hello golfers,

By the time you read this Oscar George will be a week old. He and Leah are both doing very well and we are getting used to a lack of sleep - and I must say, my nappy changing skills have improved day by day. Treating nappy changing like Formula One pit stops makes the process much more fun for both of us and setting record times is our nightly challenge. I hope to be able to bring him up to the club and meet a lot of you very soon.




Summer Sale

This Saturday I am holding a Summer Sale in the shop. There will be great savings on a wide range of products from all of the top brands - but for one day only. Here is a taste of what you could snap up:

Wedges down to £55
Bags with savings of £60
Shirts from £15
Shoes from £35

And much, much more. It is for one day only, between 8am and 4pm so be quick as to not miss out.




We are holding a TaylorMade Club Fitting Day on Thursday, 28 July between 1pm and 5pm. This is a great opportunity to book a FREE place to try and be fitted for maybe a new driver or a set of irons. There will be special offers available to anyone purchasing on the day. Please contact the pro shop to book a fitting time.




This week sees the Open Championship being played at Royal Troon, where Zach Johnson defends the Claret Jug that he won at St Andrews last year. This year I am finding it really hard to pick a winner as so many players are playing well and are more than capable of finding glory this week. The Troon layout will be a stern test of golf with players having to show all the skills expected to win an Open Championship.

Avoiding some of the treacherous bunkers will be a key to success but one of the deciding factors could be something beyond any player's control. Often at The Open there is "the right side of the draw". This is down to the tee times that the players are drawn at the start of the week and how the weather behaves throughout the day. Often a player who has an early tee time in the first round and a late tee time in the second round can get the better weather and vice-versa. Players on the right side of the draw without doubt have a distinct advantage so they will all be praying that the weather gods are on their side.


My tips for the Claret Jug

Following my tip of Dustin Johnson winning the US Open and Danny Willett winning the Masters, I'm aiming for leg three of my own prediction grand slam. As I mentioned above, it really is hard to call as many of the top players are showing form. But will an outsider get inspired and cause a shock? Here are my top tips for Troon this week:

• Rory Mcllroy (10-1) - Due to win another Major and loves the challenge of links golf. Still the one player in the field capable of blowing everyone else away
• Branden Grace (30-1) - Has the game to win a Major and is a great putter and driver of the ball. Has performed well on links before
• Andy Sullivan (75-1) - Very generous odds for a player who has been so consistent the past 18 months. Not afraid to win and go toe-to-toe with the bigger names and plays with the enthusiasm of a junior
• Tyrell Hatton (125-1) - Very good each-way bet. Shown he can contend in The Open before and has shown some good form recently including last week at the Scottish Open

Rick is senior champion

Our congratulations go to Rick Pillow who played great golf in securing the coveted "Beer Pitcher" at the Devon Seniors Championship. On a testing East Devon course, he held his nerve and carded a brilliant 75 in the first round, followed by a steady 38 in the second round for a 113 total. Rick beat Glenn Page (East Devon) by just one shot overall (114).

Jon Gynne, Devon's Seniors Team Manager, applauded Rick's score and included him in his 8-man Team to represent Devon in the upcoming SW Counties Seniors Championship.




Festival Week

Next week sees the re-launch week for the new course layout. We have golf events on every day and it promises to be a fantastic week and a great opportunity for the course and club to be shown off to visitors. The Friday is a unique day as we are holding Night Golf. For those of you who have not played it before, it's brilliant fun and really not to be missed. Alongside this we have casino tables, live music and food available so it promises to be fantastic day. To sign-up for the evening please ask at reception.




Bradley Rowe - Young Jack Jeffery was the star performer in the Bradley Rowe order of merit event on Saturday as his stunning nett 64 took top spot. Runner-up was Martin Naden with nett 65, one ahead of Steve Brown in third.

Ladies Monthly Stableford - Lyne Beevers won Division One in the Ladies Monthly Stableford with 38 points. Daryl Southwell was runner-up with 37. Division Two was won by June Thomsitt with 40 points, beating Alison Crooks on countback. Rita Bourne took Division Three's honours with 39 points, with Sharon Thorpe runner-up with 36 (inspired by her new shoes).

Ladies Invitation to Men - On Sunday the ladies held an Invitation to Men event. A good field took to the course and there was an excellent atmosphere both on and off the course. The winning score was posted by John Hayman and Jane Wayman who signed for 44 points. Runners-up were Sheelagh Vale and Colin Wayman with 43 points.