Hello golfers,

Well at last summer is here....if only for a few days anyway. It's been really warm at the club and although it is great for us, I do feel sorry for the golf course and in particular the greenstaff who have had their work cut out having to come back some evenings to hand water the greens to give them much needed water. As ever though, John Parr and his team are doing a superb job and continue to give us all faultless playing conditions.




Official opening of the 2016 course

Monday saw the official opening of the 2016 course with a brilliant afternoon in front of Wear Park. The attendance was excellent with a mixture of golf members, sponsors, golf club dignitaries past and present and representatives of the Exeter Chiefs invited along to partake in the celebration.

David Fitzgerald from the BBC hosted the event and did a running commentary as a nearest the pin competition on the 18th hole took place between Henry Slade, Luke Cowan Dickie and Thomas Waldren from the Chiefs, and John Parr, Darren Thorpe and Ben Martin from the golf club.

In front of a big gallery, nerves seemed to play a big part as a few shots found the water in front of the green. However there were also some very good shots and the winning shot was hit to four feet by Ben Martin.

This was followed by an excellent speech by chairman Will Gannon. Will has done a fantastic job in sailing the club through some murky waters the past two years but his dedication and enthusiasm is to be commended and I'm sure you will join me in thanking him for all his hard work. Will then officially cut the ribbon to officially open the course and everyone enjoyed afternoon tea and Prosseco on a glorious afternoon to start festival week.




Best last round of an Open, ever!

It's been a while since we have witnessed a final round head-to-head duel in a Major championship. This changed last Sunday as Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson battled it out in a fight to claim the Claret Jug.

If someone had offered Phil 65 on Sunday morning having been a shot behind, I'm sure he would have taken it and would have thought he would win. However, Henrik had other ideas and his stunning 63 took the spoils and secured his first Major championship. The standard of golf was incredible yet the sportsmanship and respect for each other's efforts was even more impressive. This is what we watch for, that head-to-head battle in Majors.

It hasn't happened often enough in recent years but this was compelling

A massive well done also to Sky Sports whose coverage was at a different level to anything before. Great insight to the players' thoughts and really helped to show their characters. As for my tips, my best effort was Tyrell Hatton finishing in a tie for 5th place.




Studio is on its way

After a little delay due to a redesign, I am delighted to announce that work will commence very shortly on our new swing and custom fitting studio. I am really pleased with the design I have settled on and am sure you will love what you will find when it's finished. It will house our GC2 launch monitor and simulator, have an indoor putting green and have all our custom fitting carts installed. It will be one of the very best studios in the South West and will enhance the already fantastic facilities here at the club. We will be having a grand opening weekend and details of this will be outlined in the next couple of weeks.




Beat your handicap challenge

This Saturday we have a beat your handicap challenge sponsored by Titleist. Buy any amount of Titleist balls from a sleeve to a dozen before your round on President's Day, and if you beat standard scratch then we will double what you purchased for FREE! This is a no brainier so be sure to stock up on your Titleist balls prior to play on Saturday.


Grab a bargain bag

I currently have a selection of cart and carry golf bags on sale with some fantastic savings to be had. If you have been thinking of treating yourself then this is the ideal chance with bags from all the top manufacturers on sale at superb prices saving you pounds on your purchase. Next time you're at the club come and take a look at our selection and grab a great deal.
 

Old vs New

This week saw our golf manager Ben and member Ray Banfield test some old wooden and bladed clubs against modern technology. Besides the obvious difference in looks, it was clear in testing on the GC2 that with a modern iron against an old blade, the good shots saw the new iron go approximately 25 yards further than the old with a better ball flight. As well as the increased distance on good shots, we saw a huge drop off with miss hits using the old iron.

In the driver test a really good shot with the old carried 249 yards against a 280 carry with new. However, a miss hit with old went about 215 yards against a 255 with new. You could certainly play a golf course with old based on good shots but miss hits would make life a lot tougher. The test was done with modern balls, and in consistent conditions.

Thank you to Ray for bringing in is collection of clubs to be able to carry out the test.




Good luck

This Sunday our Palariet team travel to Tavistock to play against Portmore in the quarter-final of the knockout competition. I'm sure you will join me in wishing Ian Black, Darren Thorpe and the team the very best of luck.