At this time of year we are receiving products every day and nearly lost Jack to a mountain of boxes! We have had the Puma clothing and shoes in, The PING 'G' range, together with bags from Titleist, Cobra, TaylorMade, and PING. Very soon Motocaddy bags and the spring range of clothing from FootJoy and Under Armour will be here available in your pro shop.


 

On 26th March our competitions and handicap secretary Gary Whitfield is doing a 'Firewalk' challenge, he will walk across hot coals to raise money for the 'Little Heroes' Cancer Trust. Little Heroes Cancer Trust Supports Children with cancer and their families by offering toys and distractions to children going through treatment.

A sponsor form is in the Pro shop so please dig deep and help Gary raise his target of £250, more would be great.

You can witness this feat and watch Gary in pain at The Hunters Inn, Romsey at 7.30pm on 26th March.


 

The week's weather is being pretty kind and the forecast shows some dry periods which is great news for both our renovation week and getting trolleys back on the course.

Most of the heavy coring of greens should be over by Tuesday evening thanks to some long days and some heavy work by our team and the volunteers Steve and John.

The rest of the week will involve re-instating the putting surface and sand topdressings. Thanks for bearing with us whilst we ask you to play on temporary greens whilst we work, this allows us to be far more efficient.

Keep an eye on the blog for updates. 

Glenn Kirby
Course manager


 

Please note the kitchen will be closed on Monday, 29 February for a deep clean, however, sandwiches will be available from the cold cabinet.


 

New In

The 'M' family from TaylorMade is now complete with the launch of the new M2 woods.

M stands for Multi-Material and it's this that unlocks the performance in the M1. This construction is highlighted by the proprietary 7-layer Carbon Composite Crown that is precision-formed and built ultra-thin, ultra-lite and high strength to maximize weight savings. This addition has allowed TaylorMade to place the weight lower and further back on the sole for a more efficient power transfer; giving golfers more ball speed.

We have demo models for you to try or book a fitting.

Click here to find out more about the TaylorMade M family

Click here to get in touch if you would like to arrange your fitting.


 

After 2 successful Chipping and Pitching classes this week our next masterclass will be on Bunkers and Putting on Tuesday, 16 March from 9 - 10am. 

This is limited to 10 golfers and costs just £10 per person

Please click here to book your place.


 

No. 1 Driving Fault 

Don't roll your wrists, hinge them up and down 

Players who struggle with the driver usually start going off the rails early in the swing. It begins with the hands and wrists in the takeaway. (See photo)

Watch a swing with great sequencing and rhythm and the common theme is that all the important parts are working together. The hands and wrists, arms, shoulders and hips are doing their jobs in what I call a one-piece takeaway. 

Players get into trouble when one part takes over, or the club starts going in the wrong direction. The most common mistake is rolling the wrists at the start so that the left hand ends up on top of the right, and the club head pulls to the inside. That makes the swing plane way too flat and forces the player to re-route the club dramatically to even hit the ball. 

The wrists shouldn't roll sideways. They hinge by moving up and down. 

Try this: 

Hold the club out in front of you, and hinge it upward as if you were going to tap your nose. That's true hinging. Combine it with a full body turn, and you're on your way.

       

 

A game of two halves

Christine Quinn and Louise Spruce along with Damian Cain and Mathew Richards were our opponents this week on what started out as just a blustery day, but turned into a wild back 9. 

Once again Adie and I started well and were 2 up on both pairs after 9. Then the rain started which seemed to help us, but not our opponents. Adie hit one of the shots of the day on 10, hitting his rescue wood to about 15 feet into the wind and with the other two pairs bogeying we went 3 up. On 11 Adie holed from 10 feet for par to go 4 up. 

The rain was really coming down and becoming very unpleasant! The girls caught a bad break on 14 finding a bush and had to take a drop, so we went 5 up there, but the boys made birdie to go back to 4 down after 3 putting 13 to lose that to our par. 

On 15 we had another contender for shot of the day from Christine, when Louise thought she needed to hole from 20 yards left of the green and after 2 bounces it flew in for a bogey, unfortunately for the girls we also bogeyed to end our match with them. 

So now for the boys, on 16 Matt hit a fantastic 3 wood to about 20 feet, and after we made a par, Damian had to hole his putt to keep the match alive, but alas it just stayed out, to end that match. Although the company was great we made a VERY quick march back to the clubhouse where thanks to Damian we enjoyed a cheeky sherry which warmed everyone up. 

Many thanks again to our challengers, on to the next one on Thursday before Adie takes a well-deserved week off to Turkey.


 

Wessex Seniors Winter League 

Alresford have just played their last match, beating RWGC at home, which brings them up to 19 points, an unbeatable score. As the last 8 seasons were dominated by Hockley (5 wins) and SWGC (3 wins), this means we have a new winner on the trophy which is great for the league. 

We have two matches to go, one on Tuesday (23rd) at RWGC and the other is our home match vs Corhampton on 21st March. For the teams playing, you can relax and enjoy - unless, that is, you want to try to beat SWGC into second place!

Click here to view the latest results,

John Taylor


 

Three very different days for the John Simpson 5th card this weekend, the daily results can be found on the website and on the results board in the changing room. 

We had 4 members with 40 points on each of the days, although sadly again, one of these winners did not sign their card so is unable to collect any prize money. 

Friday: David Gillespie 
Saturday: Martin Smith 
Sunday: Tom Cullen 

Two's winners were Mark Wright and Daniel Mould each winning a sleeve of Velocity balls.


Summer Knockouts 

The Summer Knockouts are now open for entry on the psi machines in the locker rooms. Click here for the information and the conditions of entry and I urge you all to read them please. 

Can I also ask that when entering on the psi, that you complete ALL stages and wait until you are thanked for entering, DO NOT walk away when told that the competition fee has been taken, this does not mean you have been entered. 

If you are unsure, please ask one of my team for help.


 

The Winter League Semi Finals were played on Sunday in quite calm conditions. 

The winners were: 

Group 1: Nigel Noke and Joanne Russell 
Group 2: Andy Eley and David Morgan. 

They now play in the final on Sunday, 13 March at 11.20am along with a 3rd and 4th playoff AT 11.10am.


 

No competitions this weekend due to course maintenance. 

Tuesday, 1 March - St David's day stableford, open to both Men and Ladies, enter on the day in the Pro Shop. 

Sunday, 6 March - Mother's Day Sunday Lunch, book in advance at the bar. 

Friday, 18 March - Callaway Demo day from 12 noon - 4pm. Click here to get in touch to request your fitting slot.

Family Foursomes on Sunday, 20 March is now open for entry, only £15 per pair, please sign up in the foyer and click here for more information.