Welcome to another edition of our newsletter, in this week’s mail we recap on a successful Ryder Cup for Team Europe, we invite you all to come and play in the Family Cup, we talk bunker raking out on the course, and there is plenty of popular products in the shop at the minute. Enjoy the read!
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Team Europe secure the cup! Wow, what a stunning Ryder Cup for Europe and what great nail-biting entertainment it was for European fans. The 17.5 - 10.5 result doesn’t do justice to how tight the matches were. As soon as the draw come out for the singles I could see us losing - one of the sides best group of players had to start performing at their usual level and if it was them rather than us, we could easily have witnessed a collapse. As it happened neither teams stalwarts proved the deciding factor instead it was the wild card picks that made the difference with the Europeans winning 9.5 and the Americans just 2 points from their wild cards
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There were many breaks from tradition at this Ryder Cup and most notably the presentation ceremony. After the champagne celebration there’s usually an hours break until both teams walk onto a stage dressed in suits for a formal presentation with each speaker re-iterating the previous speakers thanks before the obligatory predictable announcement that “The real winner this week is the game of golf!”, perhaps followed by the eye-wateringly predictable “Have a safe journey home”! This year however the teams strolled onto the 18th green soon after play, simply throwing a jacket over their golf gear and donning their golf shoes before lofting the trophy and continuing the party with the crowds of fans whilst the losing team disappeared from view. I always think it odd, (well, ridiculous really), that as PGA Professionals we have to get changed into a suit to accept top 3 places in a small winter pro-am with maybe half a dozen people at the presentation, otherwise we receive a hefty fine. Win a Tour event, a major championship or the Ryder Cup and you can accept the trophy in your golf gear with an impromptu heartfelt speech.
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I’m a fan of tradition in many aspects but it’s nice to occasionally see something different being tried. One of my favourite examples is the US Masters announcer on the 1st tee - the players in the first major of the year are set off with the immortal words “Fore please - Dustin Johnson now driving”. (Replace the players name for each player and repeat the sentence with a heavy southern Georgia drawl e.g. "Now Draaaavin”). I announced everyone onto the tee for my pro’s day this year purely to make them feel a little more under pressure before the 1st tee shot over water. In comparison this is an example of how we get announced onto the tee for even the smallest PGA event: “Good morning gentlemen, welcome to Whittington Heath golf club for the qualifying round for the Midland PGA series 2018. This is the 1st qualifying round with a start time of 9:35. First on the tee, representing Brocton Hall Golf club, Nevil Bland” I appreciate the formality but I’ve usually teed off by the time they’ve announced the time, to the surprise of the announcer. I like to tee off when I’m ready and use it as a way to focus on what I’m doing. I’d definitely be one of the players at the Ryder Cup who gets the crowd to be noisy whilst teeing off, as John Rahm said ‘you can hear your own breathing when they all go quiet’.
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Family Cup Only slightly less significant than the Ryder Cup is our own Family Cup tournament which takes places on Sunday October 14th. In the past there’s been a variety of qualifying criteria and this has been a poorly supported event but this year it is open to ALL family members and we’re hoping for a much bigger field. So, any family combination of married couples, fathers, daughters, mothers, sons, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents, third cousins twice removed and I guess also civil partnerships (to be bang up to date) can play. The event is a members only competition better-ball stableford played off 90% handicap from either the white or red tees. If you need fixing up please call the shop on 01785 661485.
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Bunker raking One of the most talked about topics in many golf club bars would be bunker raking and where to leave the rakes. The simple advice is to leave the bunker how you would like to find it yourself. Our rakes are designed to be pushed, not pulled through the sand as our type of sand is thinner and lends itself better to this action, PLUS it alleviates the problem of sand piling up at the rear of the bunker. However, I do find that because our bunkers have a slope at the rear, if you push the rake as you walk out the bunker, you’ll be pushing the sand downwards and create a big ridge of sand. The key is to hold the rake as level to horizontal as you can and push lightly across the surface, and if you need to pull the rake to clear a ridge of sand, try pulling it across your path more side- to side. You definitely don’t need to be there for ages holding up play and simply walking the same route in and out of the bunker can save time. As far as where to leave the rake, the R&A suggest outside the bunker on the green side. |
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Have you seen these? Popular products in the shop this week: - Cleveland wedges - Srixon drivers - Srixon driving irons - PING drivers - Ladies shoes - Multi compound grips - Wooly hats and winter clothing!! |
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| To sleeve or not to sleeve |
Being underprepared when you're out on the course is a blunder which we've all been guilty of making. As the cold weather starts rolling in, you need to start thinking about some layering pieces that keep you warm and dry, but also lets you have freedom of movement during your round. Luckily for you, we have just the answer. |
Mizuno Tech Shield jacket Mizuno has given you a perfect solution in the form of this stylish jacket, which is versatile enough to be worn straight over a polo shirt should the temperature rise or fall over the course of 18 holes. Its additional stretch to a full length back panel ensures that weather protection doesn't come at the expense of a free moving swing. |
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Mizuno Move Tech gilet If you prefer the gilet look, then why not try this option from Mizuno? It features stretch panels to ensure freedom of movement and also means you can wear a pullover underneath for those extra chilly rounds of golf. The best thing about this sleeveless gilet is that you have a choice of six colourways - which will take your fancy? |
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