Well I was pleased to watch this on Sunday night, Adam Scott claiming his first win with the short putter, there is still hope for me. His last win came at The Colonial in a play-off with Jason Dufner in May 2014, when he was the World No 1. We now count down to the Masters only 5 weeks away, keep an eye out for our Masters Draw coming soon.
Thank you to all those members who have sponsored Gary Whitfield in his 'Firewalk' challenge. We have nearly reached his goal of £250, just a few more pounds please. The sponsor form is still in the Pro shop.
Another member doing his bit for charity is Ed Player, who in April will be running the London Marathon on behalf of Cancer Research UK. His challenge is to raise £5000 through donations from work and friends. You can donate on his Virgin Money page, 100% of donations go directly to CRUK. If you get a moment, please donate!
Click here if you would like to donate.
There is a large amount of 'Lost property' in the Men's drying room, can we please ask you to take a look if you are missing any headcovers, shoes, glasses etc as it will all be disposed of very soon before work commences in there.
Tuesday saw the start of our Motocaddy and TaylorMade 'Bag Trade in'. Bring in any old bag regardless of its age, brand or condition, and we will give you £20 OFF a new bag.
I have extended this offer to £10 OFF any Cobra, PING or Titleist Bag and £20 OFF any Nike Bag.
It's back...
Back by popular demand is ourTitleist ball offer.
Purchase 3 or more dozen Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x and get 1 dozen FREE, including FREE personalisation.
Click here to order yours.
I came across this little quote:
'Golf balls are like eggs - They're white, sold by the dozen and a week later you have to buy more'.
Seems fairly appropriate...
Fairway Bunkers
The problem most golfers have from this situation is, they use their normal swing. If you drive with your legs on the downswing, like on regular shots from the grass, you sink in the sand and hit behind the ball. That's no way to get to the green.
Focus on two keys:
- First, stand tall at address and feel like you keep that height all the way through the shot.
- Second, swing a little easier and with less leg action. That will help you clip the ball off the top of the sand instead of driving down into it. If you do it right, you'll feel like your arms are swinging past your body through impact.
A good swing thought is, More arms, less body.
One last thing on fairway bunkers:
Take a club with enough loft to clear the lip in front of you. If there's no lip, take an extra club because you want to swing easier.
The next masterclass will be on Bunkers and Putting on Tuesday, 15 March from 9am - 10am. Limited to 10 and only £10 per person, please click here to book your place.
What's in my bag?
Following a recent fitting this is what can be found in my tour bag for 2016:
Driver: Cobra King Ltd with an Aldila Rogue stiff shaft, 10.5 deg.
3 wood: Cobra King Ltd, 15 deg with the same shaft as my driver.
Rescue wood: Cobra King F6, 19deg with a Tour AD stiff shaft.
Irons: Cobra King Forged Tec 4 - PW with KBS tour C-taper light, stiff shafts
Wedges: Cobra Tour rusty, 58, 54, 50 deg.
Putter: TaylorMade Spider OS CB length 38"
Golf Ball: Srixon AD333 Tour
Glove: Puma Pro Formation leather glove.
I will be wearing Puma clothing and shoes, but not the latest Rickie Fowler 'High Top shoes' and 'jogger' style trousers!
A full range of Cobra equipment is now available in store or to request a fitting click here.
Wessex Seniors Winter League
Congratulations to Alresford who have now 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.
On 23rd February, our team, led by Kevin McArdle, had a splendid 3:1 win away vs RWGC There were only 15 holes open, but trolleys were allowed and the weather was kind. The final match is on 21 March at home against Corhampton. If we win this, we will come second (unless SWGC lose to RWGC in their final match, then we will come second anyway).
Summer Friendlies
These start away to Barton on Sea 14th, Lee on the Solent 17th and our Triangular with South Winchester and Royal away at South Winch on 22 March.
The team sheets will be put up on the Seniors' Notice Board this week and those playing will be notified by email. I will try to ensure that all those expressing an interest in this year's Summer programme can participate in at least one or two home and away matches!
Geoff Charnley - Seniors' Captain
Danny Francis is sending an invitation to all men members to participate in the men's Friendlies this summer, please sign up on the sheet in the men's locker room.
There's no substitute for happy holiday thoughts!
A tough couple of games for my partner this week as 2 days after we finished, he was jetting out to Turkey for a holiday (to hone his golf skills even more). Alin Liu had to bring in a super substitute in the shape of Jeff Ashford and our other opponents, were also subs, in the shape of Steve King and Mike Cherrett, replacing Doug Peacock and Jim Digby.
Once again a good start from the old boys and we were 2 up at the half way stage, we then made a bit of a move on both groups making some steady pars, especially on 14 where we holed a putt from 8 feet to nick a win from Alin and Jeff and a half with Steve and Mike. This made the last few holes play a bit easier as we bogeyed 15 to finish our game with Alin and Jeff and then parred 16 to finish off Steve and Mike. Another enjoyable afternoon and we look forward to our next game on Thursday, 10 March against Monica Finlayson and Chris Stephens with Jonathan Russell and Mark Cumberledge.
Ladies Mail on Sunday
On a freezing day with a strong easterly wind the ladies lost away at Wellow golf club 3-2, home advantage proved too much with testing course conditions very different from our home course. Debutant Lorraine Cole put in a strong performance winning 1 up on the eighteenth. There's always next year and hope there will be better luck for the first Stoneham cup match, away at RWGC and the Hezlett match at Ferndown, both unfortunately on the same day, Friday, 8 April, supporters always welcome.
The first friendly against Alresford is on March 16th and the Spring meeting, a stableford qualifier, is on March 31st as the golfing season gets going.
Jean White
Ladies' Captain
Friday, 4 to Sunday, 6 March - the final John Simpson card, played from the yellow tees and enter on the day in the Pro shop.
Saturday, 5 March - Ladies Medal.
Sunday, 6 March - Mother's Day Sunday Lunch, book in advance at the bar.
Tuesday, 8 March - Ladies Fun day, details on the temporary notice board outside the locker room.
Friday, 18 March - Callaway Demo day from 12 noon - 4pm - Click here to get in touch if you would like to book a slot.
Family Foursomes on Sunday, 20 March is now open for entry, only £15 per pair, please sign up in the foyer or click here for more information.
