Hello Golfers,
I hope this finds you well. I am in need of a volunteer to be my "Game Improvement Champion". The idea is that I take someone under my wing for eight weeks and help them work on all aspects of their game and check their equipment is well suited and in turn improve their golf scores, all at a minimal cost to the volunteer.
Anyone volunteering must be available at least once a week to undertake their lessons and be prepared to have their progress reported weekly in my newsletter as well as writing their own thoughts on their progress. I want to use all my years of experience as a coach, a custom fitter and PGA professional to help someone make big progress in a fairly short space of time!
This is something I have wanted to do for quite a while and I'm sure it is going to be a fun and exciting challenge and if you want to be considered for this project then read the newsletter next week for more details. In the meantime, please contact me here if you are interested.
And so as we near the end of April it has been brilliant to see so many of you trying to get your game in shape ready for the season. If you haven't begun to do this yet, don't panic as it's not too late!! So how can we, your Professional Golf Team, help you get season ready? Here are a few ideas:
Golf Lessons - By taking some lessons you will be able to realise which areas of your golf game need to work on before you enter the heart of the golf season. Lessons can be on any area of the game and can be tailored to suit the individual needs of any player. The instruction received will be very simple to understand and will be backed up with drills and exercises so you can work on your game in your own time.
Custom Fitting - It's a well known fact that there are still way too many golfers playing with clubs that are not suited to their game. Have you ever purchased a set of clubs either online or straight off the shelf in a shop? If so there is over a 90% chance that your clubs will be ill-fitted and not suited to your game at all. Still wondering why your golf is not consistent? The beauty of custom fitting is that it comes at no extra cost and you have a team of fitting experts right on your door step! We have the knowledge, the launch monitor and simulator, the demo product and most importantly the desire to help you find you the perfect fit with your game.
Ball Fitting - In a ball fitting we can easily analyse what type of ball is best suited to you based around the way you strike the golf ball and also what you want out of a ball for your short game. Sometimes there needs to be a compromise in the shape of would you prefer more distance or more control over short game? Particularly in the short game playing with the same type of ball really helps your feel for short shots and putting.
Gap Testing - Hand on heart, do you really know how far you hit all your clubs? I think if you're honest you will be guessing how far they go. We can help you realise exactly how far you hit all the clubs in your bag by doing a gap testing with you. At the end of your session you will have the exact yardage of how far each of your clubs will go. A sure way to save you shots.
Correct Grips - Having your clubs fitted with the correct grips is vital to get the most out of your clubs. The correct size of grips in particular is something that can have a huge affect on your shot consistency. If the grip is too thin or indeed too thick it can lead to increased grip pressure, poor rhythm and poor timing with a tendency for the hands to work too quickly or slowly and close or open the clubface at impact leading to loss of direction.
So make sure you come and see us, your local pro shop, if you want to enjoy better golf this year. Get in touch here.
We staged our annual Nike Experience Day last weekend and once again it was a huge success. 124 players took part in the day which was based around a pairs betterball stableford competition with bonus points awarded for nearest the pins, putting competition and long/straightest drive competition. The clubhouse and course was decked with Nike Vapor banners and flags which gave it the feel of a tour event. Two of Nike's fitting reps were on hand to help players with custom fittings and to help raise the awareness of the Nike brand and products.
On a bright day but with a chilly wind it was going to interesting to see what the scoring would be like. As the day progressed it looked like the bonus points on offer could play a major part. In the end it was a superb score of 51.5pts from Fiona and Roger Carpenter that took top spot and won the event. Runners-up on 50.5pts were the pair of Carol and Nathan Davies and in third place were the pair of Rob Batten and Craig Lamble. Ian Williams won the draw for the Nike Vapor tour bag. A huge thank you to all those who took part and helped make the day a huge success.
What a great day the Nike Experience Day turned out to be!! It was a lot of fun to stand on the 10th tee and have a chat along with adding a bit of pressure to that tee shot. Although I saw some good shots I was treated to a fair few not so good ones. Two main things stood out above the rest:
Club selection - I must have only seen five shots go over the green all day and many, many more finish short of the green. Now that either shows you had the right club and didn't strike it as expected or do not fully know how far you hit each club when approached with wind and cold air temperature. In either case a lesson, gap testing, or ball flight control may be a perfect idea to make the most of those iron shots.
Alignment - There were definitely some interesting pointed clubfaces on that tee. A reliable ball curvature is brilliant however aiming with a curve can greatly increase its movement especially when playing into the wind. Regrettably, pointing feet does very little to influence the clubface and the main dictator in ball starting direction. A single lesson may present the easiest fix to stop that bad shot.
Remember, a lesson does not mean huge changes or things to make your game harder. In many cases it will be an explanation of the problem, a simple drill and confidence to make that game better.
Other News
One of my main goals this season is to help golfers understand the importance of good wedge play. It's incredible how many shots you could save by being more in control over your wedge play. For me one of the biggest issues is understanding how far you hit your wedges and having the right wedges in your bag to execute these shots. So much importance is put on driving the ball that wedge play can be easily forgotten. Myself and my team are here to help you improve your golf and in turn your enjoyment. I would like to ask you two questions:
Do you know how far your wedges go?
When was the last time you practised your wedge play?
I think if you are honest with yourself then the answers will be mainly: 1. No. 2. I cant remember. This is a fundamental reason behind your wedge game not being as good as it could be. Many golfers do not carry the correct wedges either. One of the key wedges that should be in everyone's bag is the gap wedge. This sits nicely in between your pitching wedge and your sand wedge. A gap wedge would normally be something in the region of 50, 52 or 54 degrees in loft and adds lots of variations to pitching and chipping.
We have a great selection of demo wedges that you can take out on to the course and try. Pop in to the pro shop and let us help you decide which would be the right wedge for your game.
With the weather seemingly on the turn and the course dry and firm, now is the perfect time to sort out your summer golf shoes. A very popular concept is the dimpled spikeless golf shoes that allow you to drive up to the club, play your golf, have drink after your round and then drive home without changing your shoes. We have a brilliant selection of styles in stock from FootJoy, Nike and adidas.
Battery Trade-In - This is a fantastic opportunity to upgrade your current lead acid battery for a new lithium version. Lithium is not only lighter but also takes less time to charge and has a 5-year guarantee. If you trade in your old lead acid battery you will receive £25 OFF the retail price off a new lithium battery. Learn more.
Trial Sets - As part of our ongoing commitment to our customers to help fit you correctly with your hardware, we have now 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.
Complete Equipment Solution - This Friday sees the start of our latest hardware campaign: the Complete Equipment Solution. Please keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow evening for a Special Mail detailing exactly what this entails.
