Hello golfers,
A real mixed bag of weather last week, heavy rain, followed by a few dry, but cold days, then freezing fog and then sun on it's way this weekend! Can you believe there has even been snow on the beach in Malaga? I hope you enjoy reading this week's news from Hockley Golf Club in the warm.
Restaurant News
Please note the kitchen will be closed on Monday, 6 February for a deep clean, however, sandwiches will be available from the cold cabinet.
Help us to support the Captain's Charity - Naomi House and Jack's Place
Two games are available each week:
The Saturday Football Sweepstake - For only £2, guess the result of the Premier League games and a few local teams and you could win half the pot. Of course the other half goes to the charity. The more that play the bigger the pot... this week's winners sharing the pot were Bob Monkhouse and our Bar Manager Ryan.
The Lottery Bonus Ball Draw - For only a £1, guess the Saturday night lottery bonus ball, the winner gets £40 and £19 goes to the charity. This week's winner was Dave Thompson.
All games can be entered with any member of the bar team.
Which club would you select?
This is where Scott Hammond's tee shot on the 5th ended up on Sunday, his partners saw it hit the tree, but had no idea where it finished up...
Scott took a drop and a one shot penalty, was he correct?
Rules Quiz
Whilst we are discussing rules, the R&A are offering the chance of winning weekly tickets to The Open. It is 18 very tricky questions and anyone who gets all 18 correct has the chance of winning weekly tickets to The Open.
Click here to find out more.
Captain/Pro Challenge
Half way through our challengers and four matches again this week for Nick and I, we started against John Platt and Merrick Denton-Thompson with Nick Bell and Chris Boswell. Although we played in rock hard conditions, the golf was pretty good from all parties, but Nick and myself had a nice little run around the turn to open up a bit of a gap which neither pair could close. We closed both matches out on the 16th, that's where the positive stuff ends though, as we got trounced by Mike Henry and Dave Bannell 6&5 and by Derek Noyce and his late substitute 'King Numpty' Danny Munro 3&2. Although Nick and myself started badly, as usual, we did pick up a little, but both pairs played well under par with their shots so no complaints. Only one game next Saturday, we play the father and daughter pairing of Bob and Vicky Kimber with Dan Mould and Clive Keywood, so we hope to play or at least start better.
Winter League
Can we remind you that first round matches must be completed by Tuesday, 31 January.
Upcoming Events
We have a number of events coming up at the club over the next few weeks including:
- Captain/Pro Matches - Saturday, 28 January, tee reserved from 11.55am - 12.05pm.
- Men's Short Course Stableford - Saturday, 28 January and Sunday, 29 January.
- Kitchen closed all day - Monday, 6 February.
- Cobra Demo Day - Saturday, 25 March (10am - 3pm)
Click here to get in touch for more details about any of our upcoming events.
On the Course...
Another small entry into the Stablefords this weekend. Saturday's results were as follows:
Division One Winner - Tony Davies (41 points). Runner-up - Richard Gillespie (34 points).
Division Two Winner - Mike Reed (39 points). Runner-up - David Dumper (35 points).
Sunday's results were as follows:
Division One Winner - Lee Griffiths (38 points). Runner-up - Russell Clayton (35 points).
Division Two Winner - Steve Godwin (36 points), beating new member Jon Bulloch on a countback.
How to break 90 - No Three Putts
Nothing feels like more of a waste than three-putting, you put all this effort in to getting to the green, just to waste three strokes from 40-feet away. Put tee pegs at 20, 30 and 40 feet away from the hole, take five balls and start putting from the 40-foot marker. Once you've put five in a row within three feet of the cup, move to the 30-foot marker, do the same and then move to the 20-foot mark. Mixing the distance drills up will improve your accuracy and feel. The average amateur golfer (10-19 handicap range) requires 1.72 putts per hole, that's approximately 31 strokes per round, which equates to roughly 30-40 percent of most golfers' scores.
Still need help?
Chris and I will be holding a Putting and Chipping clinic on Monday, 13 February from 10.00am - 11.30am. £10 per person, limited to 12 and please sign-up in the pro shop.
Click here to get in touch for more details.
Junior Lessons
Saturday and Sunday morning junior lessons return on Saturday, 11 February at 9.30am and 10.30am and Sunday, 12 February at 9.30am. The cost for six one hour lessons is £48.
Please contact one of the pro shop team if you have a youngster interested in taking up golf.
New Product Arrivals
Cobra F7 Driver - The driver has three different center of gravity settings in the front, back and heel positions which produce three very different ball flights. Move the heavier 12g colored weight to the front position for a lower, penetrating ball flight with less spin and more roll, or place the weight in the back position for a higher, towering ball flight with added spin for more carry. Lastly, when moved to the heel position, it works to create more draw spin to correct a slice by delivering straighter drives.
Callaway Epic - Any golfer, from scratch players to high handicappers, should find more speed, distance and control with GBB Epic. Rory McIlroy certainly has! Demo clubs will be available. Click here to learn more about the range.
Ladies PING G le Range - Launching soon are the new range for Ladies from PING, the PING G le. We have the demo irons in stock and woods arriving soon. The driver head is made lighter, faster and extremely forgiving, supported by a thin face that increases ballspeeds for added distance. The fairway woods have a lower lead edge, making it far easier to launch the ball cleanly from the turf, a common challenge with fairway woods. The lightweight, forgiving irons with easy-to-hit hybrids increases performance across the set by ensuring every club has its designed role.
Click here to book a fitting or pop in and take a look.
Cobra Fitting Day
We will be holding a Cobra Fitting Day on Saturday, 25 March from 10am - 3pm. Come and try the new F7 range and the 'single length' irons from Cobra. Click here to book your slot now.
Coming Soon
If you're looking ahead to the spring and feel like a new spikeless pair of golf shoes, we will be receiving the new FootJoy Pro/SL next month. They boast superior feel with 'Fine Tuned Foam', making them extremely stable and more importantly, comfortable. Look out for this exciting new addition to our FootJoy range throughout February.
