Hello golfers,

I hope this finds you well and you have managed to take to the course and enjoy some golf this past week. We are seeing a gradual increase in the daylight hours and with the changing of the clocks only a week or so away, the excitement of the new season ahead continues to build. Chris and Lucy have been busy this week cutting fairways and the course is beginning to look in great shape. It's great to see that all the bunker work we undertook prior to the winter has paid off as they have been much easier to maintain and have been in play much more.

Just a gentle reminder to all golfers to please repair your pitch marks on the greens. This is something that affects all of us and so we must all do our bit to help keep the greens in great condition.

Ken Wicks and Ralph Robinson Memorial Trophy

Last weekend saw a good sized field take to the course to compete in the Ken Wicks and Ralph Robinson Memorial Trophy. With the weather set fair and the course playing well it was likely good scoring would be a foot and so it proved. The winner of the trophy was Harry Pierce who returned a superb 42 points playing off a six handicap. This was the equal of a level par 70 and was a fantastic effort. Runner-up with 41 points was Jason Morris who himself played great off his seven handicap. There were some fond stories told in the bar after play about the two sorely missed people in Ken and Ralph who were both fantastic club people and true friends to many.

Teignagers Stableford

There was a four way tie in Division One of the Teignagers Stableford. 39 points was returned by the quartet with players only being split on countback. Pete Verney was the man to take the honours from Lee Haigh. Division Two was won by Kevin Beech also with 39 points.

You may have seen a special mail that I sent out yesterday regarding our upcoming FootJoy shoe fitting day here at Teign Valley. Next Saturday (28th March) we have a FootJoy rep coming down to the Club between the hours of 10.00am and 3.00pm to help fit you for the correct size shoe. It really is scary the amount of people who are wearing incorrect sized shoes, causing a lack of stability and grip. If you need a new pair of shoes then this is the perfect event to make sure they are right for you - click here to book a fitting slot.

Whilst I am on the subject of FootJoy shoes, we have just had delivery of their superb new HyperFlex shoe. To mark this we have a brilliant special offer for the first 12 customers who purchase a pair. They will receive a limited edition HyperFlex belt for FREE!! Be quick to come and purchase your pair as this will be very popular.

The very successful Bag Trade-In promotion is now in full flow with plenty of customers taking advantage of this offer to upgrade their existing bag ready for the new season ahead.

Don't miss out by coming in to the pro shop and taking a look at what bags are on offer on the trade-in. We have bags from Motocaddy, Mizuno and TaylorMade available on this brilliant deal!

As part of our on-going commitment to our customers to help fit you correctly with your hardware, we now have in stock some trial sets of clubs. The idea is that you can take these sets out and play a full round of golf with to get a feel with the clubs before committing to any purchase. The sets consist of irons and woods and we have trial sets in both TaylorMade and Cobra and in men's and ladies. Come and talk to us about taking a set out for a test drive.

Most golfers under estimate the importance of having the correct fairway wood in their bag to suit their own game. They come in many head shapes and varying lofts and getting correctly fitted for one can help you use it from both the tee and the fairway. We have a wide selection in stock as well as in demo product so if this is an area you are looking to improve then come and talk to us about a fitting.

Professional's Tip - Fairway Woods

The first question you should be asking yourself is: do I intend to use this club off the tee, fairway or both? If all three a combination of easy to hit, high launching and distance created will all be desired.

When testing fairway woods be sure to use it for its intended purpose. It is a waste to buy a low lofted 3-wood if you are looking for a soft landing towering shot from the fairway. It is very important to go through all the options. A 3-wood can provide ample back up for a not trusted driver, or for a tee shot that requires slightly less distance. A 5-wood can provide that easy to hit, high fairway shot to reach that long par 4 for 2, or to push up closer to those par 5's.

Many people copy their driver specifications when buying fairway woods - the only concern with that is a fairway shot to a green will mostly be at less percentage of maximum swing than a full blooded driver. Brands do not need to match - a custom fit will help show which is the best for you.

To talk to me about this concept or to book a lesson come in at anytime.

New Coaching Offers - Don't miss out!

Season Starter Package - 30 minute short game session on the course (perfect a shot you want or learn to hit more short shots); 30 minute long game (irons, woods, driver - you decide what would help you best) and 30 minute on-course evaluation (work on those shots, holds, or lies that wreck the scorecard). Yours for just £50.00!!

Dates for your diary - Sat 21 Mar - 10.00am-11.00am - Junior Coaching