Hello golfers,
I trust this finds you well. I am taking time out from my honeymoon to write this week's newsletter. Leah and I have finally found the time to get away having got married last August. We are currently in Bangkok (an amazing if not slightly crazy experience!!) and are flying over to Koh Samui in a couple days' time. I am fighting the urge to play one of the many golf courses out here but to be fair its around 40 degrees out here so probably a little to warm to stride the fairways anyway. I hope all is well at home and I will see you later next week.
I have now closed entries for my Game Improvement Champion. I have had a fantastic response with over 60 of you putting your names forward to be considered. Due to the high response it is going to take me a little longer than planned to choose the successful candidate. Therefore I will not be announcing the lucky golfer until I return from my honeymoon next week. The successful golfer will spend time with me over eight weeks, working on all aspects of their game from technique to course management as well as having a custom fitting, a ball fitting, a gap testing and much more. The aim is to see how much we can improve your golf over that period. It may be a handicap cut, your best ever score or just the ability to improve fairways or greens hit in regulation. The challenge is on to see what we can do for your game. Meet the lucky candidate in next week's newsletter.
Our Battery Trade-In campaign ended on Sunday with lots of you taking full advantage of the £25 trade-in offer when upgrading to a new lithium battery. Thank you to all those who supported the campaign.
If you are thinking about upgrading your existing clubs then now is a great time to do so. We are currently running our Complete Equipment Solution campaign where anyone getting fitted for irons, driver, fairways, hybryds or wedges from either TaylorMade or PING will receive a FREE fitting and a FREE lesson, now that's a superb offer! For more information please contact the pro shop or click on the links above.
Pete Hindon took full advantage of the brilliant offer running currently from Srixon Golf (pictured above). If you buy a sleeve of Z-Star golf balls you will receive a special two-ball pack
FREE! That's five balls for the price of three! Some four hours after purchasing his Z-Stars, Pete recorded a best of the day nett 66 in the second round of the Four Seasons! To take advantage of this great offer please contact the pro shop.
Four Seasons - Paul Lock maintained his control of the Four Seasons competition with a second round nett 70 backing up his blistering first round nett 61. Currently at nine under nett for two rounds, he looks like he may take some catching over the last two rounds. Pete Hindon and Gary Birch both recorded nett 66s in round two with Roger Carpenters nett 67 the only other score under par.
Teignagers' Medal - Dave Shipp recorded a blistering nett 64 to win Division One, three ahead of runner-up Tony Potter with a nett 67. Mike Sandford signed for a nett 67 to take top spot in Division Two with Alan Mercer shooting a nett 69 to finish runner up.
Midweek Stableford - The pair of Ben Coggavin and Dan Willatt both recorded 40 points in the Midweek Stableford last week. Ben just prevailing on countback but both players received handicap cuts.
Ladies Medal - The ladies played their monthly Medal on Tuesday. Kim Paley won Division One with a nett 74 with Viv Masterson runner-up. Division Two was won by Margaret Thomson with a nett 72 and Margaret Kingdon's nett 77 took top spot in Division Three.
Our annual Pro-Am is only five weeks away and we are keen to get as many members playing as possible. The event has been a brilliant success the past few years with an average of 36 teams being paired up with a top West Region Professional to play in a team event. The Pro-Am precedes our annual West Region PGA Fourball Championships where the region's top Professionals battle in a fourball pairs competition.
The Pro-Am takes place on Tuesday, 16 June and is open to members and non-members and there are sponsorship opportunites also available. The cost is £180 per team of three amateurs which includes bacon baps and coffee on arrival, 18 holes with a professional playing in a team event followed by a two-course meal and a superb prize table. We can allocate you a professional to play with. Entry forms can be picked up from the pro shop and it is advised that you get your team entry in quickly as spaces will fill fast.
Ted and I are looking for challengers to take us on in a series of challenge matches. The format will be betterball pairs stableford The cost is £10 per pair but if any pairs beat us they will receive a sleeve of three balls. At the end of the series of matches the pair with the best stableford points will play alongside myself and Ted in a regional Pro-Am at no cost to the players. There is a list of dates in the changing rooms but if you would like to contact us with a date and time of your own then we will try our very best to squeeze it in to our diarys. Pairs can be made up of any combination and the matches will be played from the red and white tees. We look forward to playing with you.
Hit More Greens
A simple thought this week focusing on the main cause of why golfers don't hit the green. The balls starting direction is influenced mainly by the position of the clubface at impact - it has a lot less to do of the swing path. Meaning when golfers hit a big slice and keep aiming further left it is Infact making the problem worse, not better.
Controlling, or being aware of where the clubface is and your influence on it is a key for any golfer who wants to improve. A way to test this out is to purchase a drill stick, or use some form of pole/stick and place it 5/7 yards in front of you when practicing. Aim to start the ball just one side of it depending on your shot shape, aim straight instead of your normal way. Then try the same starting it the other side. This will take away the pressure of the target, or thoughts of the swing and have you much more aware of the clubface.
To talk to me about this or to book a lesson to hit more greens, especially those par threess get in touch.
May Special - 60 minute green in regulation improving- £25.00. Take control of your game.
Upcoming Events - Sat 30 May - 10.00am-11.00am