What do the weekends PGA Tour winner Troy Merritt and junior member Ethan Evans have in common?

They both displayed exactly why it's essential at this game to get your head down and don't give up when you're having an off day.

Troy Merritt had missed the previous 5 cuts on the PGA Tour, then fired a course record 10 under par score of 61 on Saturday and followed it up for his maiden tour win by 3 shots on Sunday and in doing so, also qualified to play in the WGC event at Firestone this week and in next week's US PGA Championship - his first major.

Ethan was struggling after 9 holes on Saturday in the medal but knuckled down and played well under handicap for the back nine to finish 2nd in the Medal. Then 2 days later he shoots a nett 65 in the junior medal, wins that and reduces his handicap by a further 2 down to 18. Roll on, Ethan!


 

I asked you last week if you'd noticed a difference in the greens lately. The responses were mostly that you had seen them running very smooth and true. Whilst this is no doubt largely down to the green staff, the climate and the time of year - the reason I asked was that Andy has had a demo of a 'green iron' for the past 2 weeks. You may recall my article a couple of weeks ago about Stimpmeter readings and how that is the curse of many green staff - golfers assuming that good greens need to be fast greens.

Whilst the use of a green iron would enable us to get the greens very quick they would be too quick for the slopes on the greens - however another benefit of an iron would be the ability to allow the greens to be left longer without producing a slower surface, 4mm instead of 2 or 3mm, and whilst that doesn't sound much it would greatly reduce the stress on the grass.




 The Pro Am takes place on Friday August 21st. If you wish to play in a team as an individual or enter a team, there are a couple of last minute vacancies - teams of three to partner one of the best professionals in the Midlands. The cost is £60 for a member, £70 for a member's guest and £80 for a visitor to include:

• Over £3000 of amateur prizes
• Nearest the pins
• Halfway house refreshments
• Meal after play
• PGA starter
• PGA tournament vehicle and leaderboard on site
• Professionals playing for £5000 prize fund.

Please click here or call the shop on 01785 661485 to enter.





Junior Captains Day

Congratulations to Jake Sheldon on a very successful Junior Captain's Day last week. As well as the competition, Jake challenged everyone to beat his drive on the 18th hole plus he held a chipping and putting competition with the day culminating in a meal and prize presentation.

There was also an optional "2s" competition with just two competitors having a 2 on their card, George Johnson and Harvey Hall with Harvey's coming on the Par 4, 7th hole! The winner of the Captains Shield was Hannah Golding with a nett 66. A full report and list of results can be found here.

Junior Academy Days

During the holidays we will be holding some special Junior Academy Days.

Monday 10th August 9am - 1pm
Saturday 22nd August 9am - 1pm

The days cost £30 per person and are great fun and include drinks and refreshments, coaching, competitions and challenges, teamwork, prizes and even more fun! Please click here if you are interested in either of the sessions or call the shop on 1785 661485 to register.

There will also be two 90 minute Saturday coaching sessions during August open to anyone with a cost of £12 per person before the regular weekend coaching sessions return in September.

Saturday August 15th 10:30 - 12:00 and another session 1:30 - 3:00
Saturday August 29th 10:30 - 12:00 and another session 1:30 - 3:00

Please book in for these as well in the same manner so we can assess numbers.

Ladies Beginner Coaching

If you are interested in taking up the game or have had a dabble and want to take it further, I have some dates available for Ladies Beginner Group coaching. Small groups at a cost of £10 per person. Please contact the shop to register your interest and I'll get back to you with possible dates and times to suit.

The Captains Charity Day raised nearly £3000 for the Donna Louise Trust on Sunday with a raffle and competition won by Alan Birch, Josh Smith, Carl Tindall and Karl Horvath with 94 points, followed by an auction which was hosted by Ben Gamble from Cuttlestones Auctioneers & Valuers. Thanks to all the volunteers and donations for the day and to the person who outbid me for the West Brom shirt - best not be using it to clean your car with!

Some of our members have arranged a 5-night golf trip to St Mellion for the 10th year running and have a couple of vacancies. The trip starts on Saturday 26th September, returning on the following Thursday. If you'd like the full details, let me know and I'll send them to you or pass your contact details on.

Short Game Masterclass

I have two Short Game Masterclasses coming up focusing on bunker play, pitching and chipping. This will be limited to 8 people per class and is just £10 per person with each person receiving a sleeve of balls for taking part. Topics covered include:

• How to use bounce effectively
• When to play high or low shots
• Different lofts for different sand conditions
• Short Game strategy

The dates are Wednesday 19th August from 5pm - 6:30pm and Saturday 22nd August from 10:30 - 12:00. Please click here if you'd like to book onto one of them


 

While I was on holiday last week we played FootGolf in Newquay. It was great fun and has been developed as a way of getting more people involved in golf in one way or another.

On a steep slope, if you missed the first green, the ball would roll back past the tee and nearly onto the beach!