Hello golfers,
I hope you are well and have managed to find some time to play this week. We have seen plenty of golf this week with the changing weather not deterring many of you from playing and keeping the game in shape. The course is holding up superbly and although the conditions are a bit softer good golf is still realistic and that is great considering we are deep in to November. Let's hope we can all keep playing through the winter months and ease our way through until spring.
Men's Stableford
A decent field took to the course to contest the men's stableford last weekend. Roger Haley was top man in Division One with an excellent 39 points, ahead of runner-up Stuart Goodenough with 35 points. Division Two was topped by Graham Stone who recorded a superb best of the day 44 points which gained him a nice little handicap cut. Roger Carpenter was runner-up after count back with 40 points. Ian Williams won Division Three with 41 points, two ahead of John McDougall in second place. Well done to this week's winners.
Teignagers' Stableford
A good field competed in the Teignagers' stableford on a testing day weather wise. Roger Cox won Division One on countback from Keith Burgess, after both golfers finished with 37 points. Mike Sandford led the way in Division Two, on count back this time, with 36 points. Well done to this week's winners.
Saturday's Competition
Congratulations to Pete Layland for his 40 points in the Saturday competition. Pete took advantage of the Sunday sessions I ran last month and has turned this into a handicap cut of one shot already.
End of season
This week sees the finale of the Race to Dubai season. With Rory McIlroy having already been crowned European number one for the season, it will interesting to see who comes out on top with the pressure somewhat off. You really can't see past Rory who is a staggering 74 under par for his last 20 rounds at the Dubai based event. It would be very fitting if he could crown his amazing season with yet another win. I will report next week on who lifted the trophy.
Social Media
Many of you, I'm sure, are aware of the power of social media. It is a very quick, easy and useful way of keeping you informed about what we have going on in and around the Pro Shop. We update you on special offers and promotions as well as new stock details. We can be found on Facebook (click here) and Twitter (click here).
Captain and Pro Challenge
This Saturday sees the annual staging of The Captain and Pro Challenge. A good field is lined up to take us on in a betterball pairs format with bragging rights at stake and a trophy for the pair with the highest points total. Good luck to all taking part but please take it easy on us!
Men's Trophy Presentation
Following the Captain and Pro Challenge on Saturday we will be having the presentation of some of the men's trophy winners from this season. This is a great event and a nice way of saying well done to all those who have achieved success this year. Even if you haven't personally won a trophy it would be nice to stay around and congratulate those who have.
Devon Alliance
I had the pleasure of partnering Dave Martyr last week in the Devon Alliance meeting at the stunning Thurlestone Golf Club. We were greeted with very strong winds, 35-40 mph standard gusting to 50 mph, and with a bit of rain mixed in you can imagine it was pretty testing conditions. On a day like that it really is all about getting your head down and battling through trying as much as you can to control to control your ball flight and limit mistakes. Myself and Dave managed to dove-tail very well and battled our way around in 37 points to finish two points off the leading score and finish in third place.
The right way to practice
As golfing time is decreasing through the depths of the winter - practice time along with lessons become increasingly important to keep the game sharp. Up and down ranges they will be filled with people buying 100 balls, hitting a few wedges then following this with 80 drivers. Although using a few balls to warm up before practicing with your driver is correct - taking up your practice session with a club you only use 6-8 times a round isn't efficient use of your time.
Block practice is a great way of grooving new moves however this should be done for part of the session not all of it. Other elements should replicate the shots found during the golf round every week. This means targets should be varied every shot, along with the club - this forces full concentration and the pressure to hit a shot with only one chance like on the course. Practice swings should be used too, to make it as game like as possible.
A competitive element should be used to again force you to concentrate and execute your swing under pressure. Set yourself a target of hitting different shots within a certain area, or test yourself to hit different shapes and heights on demand. If you practice with someone taking it in turns to name a target and club and playing first to 5 will work exactly like a match play scenario. This will help keep practice varied and interesting.
A few weeks ago Luke Donald returned to his longtime coach Pat Goss. They use a practice method that has Donald practice his strengths to keep improving them. They believe that making a strength even stronger is the way to progress rather than being overly concerned on weaker elements. This idea is one that can be hugely disputed by other high profile coaches - however, you have to find a practice schedule you enjoy, keeps you interested and more importantly helps you improve. Working with a coach can help put a practice schedule in place, no matter how frequent/infrequent to help you.
Lesson Vouchers
As Christmas is approaching I am putting together voucher offers that will appear in next week's newsletter. Please remember that I can tailor any package to suit your needs. Lessons do not necessarily have to be individual either - if you want a refresher within your golfing group or weekly fourball I can do group sessions starting at as little as £6.00 per person (Minimum of 4 per group with this price). This can be a fun way of improving together and a way to keep costs down.
Make this Christmas your time to get your golf game to the stage you want - whether it's a reduction in handicap, to break a certain score barrier or to just hit better shots we can work together to achieve them all. To talk to me about any of the points above, or to work on how to do this consistently with easy techniques, pop in and we can discuss it further.
Please remember that I am here to coach until 8pm on both Monday and Thursday so if weather or work stops you playing you can still keep working on your game. Don't let the above stop you improving. I am here to coach mostly every day at times to suit you. You name the time and day.
Christmas Trolley Dash
It is that time of year again - it is Christmas Trolley Dash time! Once again we willl be offering one lucky winner the chance to run around the Pro Shop for 15 seconds collecting golf goods of their choice. The past two years have seen the lucky winners receive £745 and £580 worth of golfing goods so it really is not be missed. Tickets cost £10 and are now on sale in the Pro Shop! Click here for more information.
With only 6 weeks until Christmas we are going to feature a perfect Christmas gift idea each week in the newsletter. This week we look at the new Golf Buddy WT4 GPS watch.
The slick and sleek design is visually stunning and appeals to those who want more than just a GPS watch for golf. Designed with the following features it would make a great Christmas gift for any golfer:
Slim design with digital/analog watch feature
Full targets & hazards information
Dynamic Green View Pin Placement GPS tracking
Digital scorecard
Distance to front/center/back of the green
37,000+ global courses preloaded
Automatic course & hole recognition
Shot distance measurement
Faster data transfer on PC sync mode
In stock now at the Pro Shop!
Hiring the GC2 Simulator
As winter approaches, it's a good time to remind you of the fantastic indoor facility we have here at the Valley. Our GC2 Simulator and Launch Monitor is state of the art and a fantastic way to keep your golf going this winter. Whether it is through coaching, fitting or just playing on one of the five courses we have you will be able to keep your game sharp over the coming months.
I am currently working on some winter promotions based around the simulator and will add these in to next week's newsletter. We will also be running a competition where someone will win FREE use of the simulator for the winter and we will be reducing the hire cost of playing the simulator at certain times over the winter period. I myself will be sharpening my game up in the warmth of the simulator this winter!
We have devised the following prices to make the most of our great facility.
Play golf on one of five courses - £15 per 60 minutes
(split the cost between a maximum of four players)
Hire the Simulator for practice - £6.50 for 30 minutes
If you are interested in hiring our GC2 simulator then please get in touch by clicking here.
Let us help you play better golf
As a golfer I am sure you are keen to improve your game and reduce your handicap or even obtain a handicap. My staff and I are the most qualified people to help you do this. We are trained to the highest standard in custom fitting and coaching - the two key areas to look at if you really want to improve your golf. I have managed to help many of you this year by custom fitting you correctly to a product that will undoubtedly help your game. Whether it be a set of irons, a driver or even a wedge or putter we have the skill set to correctly fit you in to the correct product to improve your game.
Our custom fitting is completely FREE when you make a purchase within one month of your fitting and with our wide range of choice aided by our state of the art GC2 Launch Monitor and Simulator.
Our Price Promise to all our Customers
I take great pride in not only the amount of great product that we stock, but also how competitive our pricing is. I make it one of my weekly tasks to sit down and look at other retailers and compile a list of what price they are selling the products that we stock. Without having to move my pricing I am always sitting there right alongside the best pricing online. The one thing that I can give ALL my customers that the online retailers cannot is face to face advice and service.
We are here seven days a week to help you with all of your enquiries and queries and are the best people qualified to recommend and fit you for correct product. We also offer a complete after sales service package on all items we sell which gives our customers complete piece of mind.
If by any chance anyone finds a product we sell and the price is cheaper than us, then I am more than happy to match that price without compromising on our quality of service. Please feel free to come in to the Pro Shop and chat to us about our services.
New Coaching offer
Coaching at the 19th hole - 15 minute lessons for £10 !
This new lesson option is perfect to use after a round of golf. To not eat further in to free time this shorter lesson can provide a quick analysis into your game without using too much of your time. This can be perfect if the golfer only wants a small check or subtle change just to be put back on the right path. Book yours today - click here!
Dates for your diary
