Hello golfers, 

I trust this finds you well and you have managed to get some golf under your belt this past week. Life at the club has once again been very busy which has been very much the theme all year. This is great news for everyone as it has meant a healthy golf club environment for everyone to come in to and play his or her golf. There has been a healthy input of new members as well as a great retention of existing members. We have been blessed with the course being in superb condition all year also which has been extremely well complimented by members and visitors alike.


 

Why we carry out maintenance programmes on the greens

The greens in particular have been well praised this year and much of this is down to the maintenance undertaken on the greens at certain times throughout the year. Although this may be frustrating when the greens are not running as well through this process, the work carried out is the exact reason why the greens have been so superb this season. 

As you will be aware, we are currently carrying out one of our maintenance programmes at minimal disruption to all of our golfers. The programme at the moment is a coring and dressing programme with the idea being that the coring helps to take out some of the unwanted thatch in the greens whilst also allowing them to breath. This helps the greens with drainage and keeps the quality of grass to a premium. You notice other courses that have a lot of thatch in their greens as when they get a bit damp you will leave big footprints in them. We are then top dressing to give the greens some food to live on and increase root strength and continued consistent growth.


 

Don't miss out on a Winter Golf MOT 

Be sure to read next week's newsletter as there is a special Winter Golf MOT offer in there that should not be missed!! You will need to be quick to take it up though as it will be very popular!


Members' Accounts

It's amazing how many times we have customers coming in to purchase something and tentatively ask if they have any vouchers on their pro shop account and are then shocked by how much they have in there. I am looking to send out up to date account balances every month but to do this I need up to date email addresses for you all. Please can you be sure to either check with us that we have your correct email address or let us have your email address if you have not already so I can begin this process. In the meantime, why not come in and find out how much you may have in credit? A new golf bag or pair of shoes may be sitting right there!


FREE Titleist Velocity golf balls 

We currently have a fantastic offer on in store on the superb Titleist Velocity ball. You will receive a sleeve of FREE balls when you purchase a dozen box at £22. This is incredible value for money and we only have a limited supply at this offer so be quick to come in and secure yours now!

The Velocity ball has a LSX core for explosive ball speed from the tee and for longer shots yet retains a superb feel and control when playing shorter shots in to the greens.


 

It is fantastic to see so many golfers achieving their goals through lessons. I really feel as though we can help every golfer no matter what their ambition. Below are a few individuals that have really done well this year and prove what lessons can do alongside hard work.

Gents - Lee Chatham Hcp 23 down to 17; Darren Bingham 18 down to 14 - Lee worked very hard to improve consistency and cure a destructive shot with his driver. Darren was finding a problem shot ruining rounds so we improved the understanding on how this happened.

Teignagers - Alan Mercer one shot reduction - Alan got to a stage with his golf where he really wasn't enjoying it anymore. Through a series of lessons we aimed to hit more good shots and really start enjoying again. This resulted in a fantastic competition win last week and a handicap cut.

Ladies - Maggie Thompson 34 down to 32 - Maggie and I discussed course management and how we could plan round the golf course. We put hole strategies in place to make sure the course was played in efficient ways to bring the handicap down. 

Social golfer - Tony Coombes - Tony and I have a catch up every six weeks where we run through facets of the game. We check all elements and discuss how to keep improving. Tony is regularly shooting between 80-85 every time he plays with fantastic rounds being in the 70s - a great achievement for an 18 handicapper. 

Category 1 - Stuart Daw 7 down to 5; Paul Madge 7 down to 5 - Stuart firstly came looking to add distance and strengthen up his ball flight. This boosted his already good game and proved a stepping stone into lower scores and category 1. Paul and I worked on a technical element in the backswing/shoulder plane to help highlight what would cause a bad shot and how to reduce them leading to a big trust in more good shots. 


These are just a few and must be commended for hard work and persistence. Lessons really work - don't let your playing partners leave you behind.


 

Paul Madge was star performer in the 1st round of the Gold Cup. His superb gross 72 (nett 67) leads the way going in to round two this weekend. There will be lots of players looking to post a low score to get in to contention to win these fantastic trophies (pictured here), so good luck to all players.

We were honoured to stage the Dartmoor Pony on Sunday. Five clubs from around the Dartmoor area competed in a mixed greensomes format for the historic trophy. With the weather stunning and the course in superb condition all players had a fantastic day with some good golf being played. The winning team on the day was Okehampton with Teign Valley finishing runners-up. 

Well done to Maggie Kingdon on winning the Grannies Plate this week. Annette Haigh won Division One of the stableford with 38 points, pipping Sally Balchin by one point. Liz Evans secured Division Two and Maggie Kingdon won Division Three.