Nevil Bland

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter.

In this week’s mail we take a look back at last week’s U.S Open winner after a certain someone tipped him for victory, Maria blows away the field in the Jubilee Cup, and we take a look at some players distance irons.

Enjoy the read!

Pro's news

Did you check out my tips last week?

I don’t know of anyone who managed to stay awake to watch the US Open from Pebble Beach at the weekend, but any US Open without controversy is a good one. Did you check out my tips last week?

'My picks would be Webb Simpson to win on current form, Paul Casey to be the top European on his past consistency at Pebble Beach and Gary Woodland to be a solid top 5 performer due to his length and consistency.’

I nearly got them all right as Webb had the best round of the weekend to finish just outside the top 10. It was a good week for the independent club fitters as well, Gary Woodland has long been a fan of ACCRA shafts, which would never be found in a main manufacturers offerings. And he uses an RPG model in his driver and a Tour ZX in his 3 wood, both of which we have at Brocton.

Another winner at the weekend was Maria Tiffany-Thompson who shot a fantastic nett 62 to win the Jubilee Cup which is open to men and lady members. There was a full field and Maria won by 3 shots reducing her handicap down to 12 in the process. Good luck to Maria and all the juniors competing in the Open this coming Sunday.

The Captain’s Charity AM-AM takes place on Sunday 11th August and one of the feature events is an auction with a fantastic prize of a 4-Ball on the exclusive JCB Country Club course. Sealed bids can also be sent in and it’s well worth a flutter - I’ve been lucky enough to play it and it certainly meets all the hype, PLUS you can’t get to play it normally as it’s for corporate guests only.

Fitting news

Players distance irons…

The new category of golf clubs which is making a huge difference at this game is what’s called the ‘Players Distance Iron’. Traditionally irons would be categorised as ‘Blade’, ‘Cavity’ or ‘Game Improvement’. These days the blades are becoming less popular and the Players Distance Iron is taking over. The first of these models were the PXG irons whose design brief was to produce the ‘Games most forgiving blade design’. They look like a solid blade but are hollow on the inside and the faces flex and produce faster ball speeds in the same way that a wood does. The difference is that these forgiving, distance irons also look very traditional and clean from above with thin top lines and square blades.

I’ve noticed during fittings with low handicappers and professionals that they refer to the ‘click’ that the clubs make as being a good sound and transferring into a feeling that they’ve hit a good shot. Only a couple of years ago these same players were looking for the ‘buttery soft feel’ that a forged blade would provide. The same phenomenon happened 30 years ago when wooden persimmon woods were being replaced with the first metal woods. Give a golfer back then, a metal wood and they appreciated the performance but had to convince themselves to part with the ’nice, soft feel of persimmon’ and accept the loud clunk of metal. The wooden option today would feel completely dead to a modern golfer and I can see the same thing happening with irons.

Recently I installed some graphite shafts into a Ryder Cup golfers irons in order to make them feel softer off the face and this trick worked, allowing them to still use these new distance irons. So, these days you can use an iron clubhead that looks as big or as small as you like and get the same performance from both.

Wow. What a strike

How good does it feel when you strike the ball right out of the sweet spot? Pretty special, right? As much as we'd all love to, striking the centre of the clubface on every shot isn't realistic, which is why opting for some irons with added MOI could make all the difference.

What is MOI?

An iron’s actual sweet spot is no bigger than a pinhead, with anything struck outside resulting in the clubhead beginning to twist at impact – this is what is commonly referred to as MOI. The higher a club's MOI, the more stable it is through impact and therefore more resistant to twisting. So...

Higher MOI = More forgiving

The secret to better strikes

So, here's the secret to getting that special feeling more often with your irons:

Coaching – Yep, let’s take some time to assess your swing to ensure you're giving yourself the best chance of success

Try out Mizuno's JPX919 irons – All three models in the range (Hot Metal, Forged and Tour) boast a unique stability frame to enhance MOI across the face; plus, the Swing DNA will fit you into the perfect model for your game in just three swings

Let’s start getting a little extra forgiveness back in your game with a fun-filled custom fitting session with your local PGA professional – that’s us!

Get in touch via the link below.

find out more >

Battle of the balls

It’s time to bring you aheavyweight contest as two brilliant models of golf ball duke it out for your attention in a bid to convince you they should be making their way into your bag. Let the battle commence...

Which ball will come out on top?

Srixon Soft Feel

Its name gives it away but this option from Srixon is all about its unrivalled softness and feel, which you'll love when around the greens.

What also impresses us is the brilliant distance it offers too, thanks to an improved core and aerodynamic dimple pattern.

That is impressive tech from a two-piece ball that comes in at a very budget friendly price. Sure, you can get more complete performing balls, but not at this price point and rarely with such distance.

Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star XV

If you want a ball that is trusted by the world's best players then look no further than these beauties from Srixon.

Among many others, Matsuyama and the one-and-only Ernie Els choose to put the Z-Star balls into play which just goes to show what you can expect from its more premium price point.

All you need to do now is choose between the added distance of the Z-Star XV and the increased spin of the Z-Star. Over to you...

explore Srixon's range >

Video of the Week

Gary Woodland hit some remarkable shots en-route to US Open glory last week, but how many of them made this list of the week's best shots?

Get out and get golfing!

Brocton Hall Golf Club
Sawpit Lane
Brocton
Stafford
ST17 0TH

Phone: 01785 661485

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