Hello golfers,
An exciting end to the week with the first Hockley Par Three Masters event and of course the thrilling final on Sunday night. Finally, after 74 attempts, Sergio Garcia is a Major champion, his enthralling battle with Justin Rose left us with a fully deserved Masters Champion and winning on Seve's birthday was perfect.
I hope you enjoy another edition of our weekly newsletter, bringing you up-to-date with all the latest news and offers.
Charity Games
The winner of the bonus ball this weekend was John Fisher. Don't forget to buy your tickets for the Easter Raffle of chocolate and wine from any member of the bar team as all proceeds are going to the Captain's Charity, only a £1 a ticket, please give generously and buy as many as you like.
The draw will take place on Easter Sunday.
Hole-in-one Alert
Congratulations go to John Ward who is 80 years' young on his hole-in-one on the 12th hole last week, this is only John's second hole-in-one.
Partial Wedge Shots
Most golfers hate partial wedge shots because they don't have a good plan for playing them. They tend to make too big a backswing and then have to decelerate at impact to avoid smashing the ball over the green. When you slow down like that, everything gets out of sync, which makes it tough to catch the ball solid.
The secret to these shots is making a shorter, wider backswing (left), so you can accelerate through the ball. You want to be able to rotate your torso and swing your arms faster on the downswing that's an athletic move that produces more consistent results. When everything moves through the shot together, you can make a firm strike and not worry about putting too much on it.
I tell my students who struggle with these shots to commit to this phrase: "Wide back, accelerate through." Get your body facing the target at the finish and your arms farther through than they went back (right). To do that with confidence, the key is a shorter backswing.
If you are still struggling with the technique and would like to book a lesson with one of our team, please click here to get in touch.
Team News
What a sensational win for Hockley in the first match of the season against Stoneham beating them 6 - 1, well done ladies, let's see if we can make another win against The Army on Thursday, 13 April.
Ladies Coffee Morning
The annual Ladies Coffee Morning was a huge success, 56 ladies signed-up to play on quite a drab morning. We had fine drizzle the first couple of hours then overcast weather the rest of the day. Many thanks to Tony Cullen and Andy Evans for starting the ladies off - always a nice touch I feel and many thanks to all the Hockley ladies who baked cakes, donated raffle prizes and those who helped out on the day. It was nice to see so many of our ladies supporting these events, well done. In total we raised £416 for Naomi House and Jack's Place as well as bringing a gross income of £1,008 to the club.
Competition Results
The Elkington Knife was won by Helen Vidal-Allen for the second year running, Lesley Milne was the winner of The Medal Winners Salver and Victoria Kimber who won the Spring Meeting stableford, congratulations. We all wish Beth Goater (now down to two) all the very best as she plays in the 36 Hole Junior Championships at Rowlands Castle on Tuesday, 11 April.
Wendy Evans,
Ladies Captain.
Repairing Pitchmarks
Sorry, this piece was omitted from last week's junior news - On a less happy note two members who followed the junior match a couple of games behind complained to me about the number of pitchmarks that they had to repair during their round (up to six on each green) and their opinion was that we were responsible. I do not agree with this assumption as my guess is that around 150+ members would have played before hand, however, please do try to always repair not only your pitchmark, but any others that you can find whilst waiting to putt. This, of course, does not only apply to our section but to ALL golfers.
Below is a reminder on how to repair a pitchmark.
Colin Field,
Junior Organiser.
How To Repair A Pitchmark
The player may repair an old hole plug or damage to the putting green caused by the impact of a ball, whether or not the player's ball lies on the putting green. If the ball is moved in the process of such repair, it shall be replaced, without penalty, any other damage to the putting green shall not be repaired if it might assist the player in their subsequent play of the hole. A pitchmark only takes a few seconds to fix correctly however, a pitchmark repaired incorrectly takes over three weeks to heal. Please study the diagrams on how to correctly repair pitchmarks. Correct repair will help protect the grass root system and benefit all members and visitors to the course.
Correct Method:
- Discard the loose piece of turf taken out by the ball.
- Insert the pitchmark repairer tool just outside of the back of the pitchmark.
- Lever the turf towards the centre of the pitchmark.
- Repeat this motion from all sides of the pitchmark.
- Gently tap the repaired area with your putter. This action stretches undamaged turf over the pitchmark, providing instant recovery.
Incorrect Method:
1. Do not replace the loose piece of turf taken out by the ball. It will die and delay the healing process.
Do not pry up the centre of the depression with the pitchmark repairer as it exposes the soil and will delay the healing process.
Do not insert the pitchmark repairer and twist it. This only breaks more turf loose.
Junior Coaching
After a very successful coaching session, the final session will take place next Tuesday, 18 April from 10:00am - 12:00pm if you have any friends interested in taking up golf or you may want to come along yourselves. Cost £15 for the two hour session, please contact the pro shop team for more information or to sign-up as this is limited to 10 per session.
Click here to get in touch for more details.
Competition Notice
Can we remind members again to please input your score after play, even if you have an NR, it takes a long time to check through large numbers of scorecards just for the missing scores. Failure to input your score will result in disqualification.
Tank Cup And Wells Trophy
124 members played in this event in glorious weather. The Tank Cup winner was Bob Monkhouse with a nett 68, beating Martin Gill and Phil Rowlands on a countback. The Wells Trophy winner was Rob Tobin with a nett 70, beating John Ormston a countback.
Hockley Masters Par Three Competition
On Sunday, 9 April, 68 competitors battled it out to win the first ever Hockley Par Three Masters Green Jacket. The day started perfectly with beautiful weather and with everyone managing to find their first tee on time. With GPS rendered useless, this was a day for careful calculation on yardage and wind speed. The scoring was great with lots of birdies, however unfortunately no holes-in-one (well not that anyone owned up to at least).
The ladies' winner on the day was Vicky Kimber with a superb nett 48. The overall winner of the nett prize and Green Jacket was Gordon Dewis with a nett 47. Nigel Bray finished with the runners-up prize with David Gillespie taking third spot. Gordon is also now the par three course record holder with a very impressive three over, gross 57. Thank you to everyone that participated, I really hope you enjoyed the day.
My thanks also to Steve, Ryan and all the front of house staff for the BBQ after play, it was the perfect day for a BBQ. Finally thanks to Glenn Kirby and the course team for helping me to set the course up and bringing this event alive. Who will challenge for the Green Jacket and course record next year?
Nick Goater,
Club Captain.
A final thank you from all the competitors to Nick, for all his efforts in organising a great event.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, 13 April - Ladies Stoneham Cup vs. The Army, tee reserved from 11:45am - 1:00pm.
Friday, 14 April - Men's Medal.
Saturday, 15 April - Men's Long Course Stableford and Ladies Stableford.
Junior Greenjackets Team vs. Southwick Park, tee reserved from 2:00pm - 2:30pm.
Sunday, 16 April - Men vs. Lee on the Solent, tee reserved from 10:45am - 12:00pm and 2:30pm - 3:30pm.
Monday, 17 April - Men's Short Course Stableford.
Monday, 1 May - The Spring Texas Scramble, entry information has now been posted on the noticeboard.
Wednesday, 24 May - The Hockley Pro-Am, we would love to see more members playing in this event and supporting our club and Captain. Why not invite some of your friends to play and make up a team of three. Your chance to play with a Hampshire Professional and your entry fee includes coffee and bacon roll on arrival, a two course meal and prizes.
It's Time To Upgrade
The popular Battery Trade-in is back we will give you £25 OFF a new lithium battery when you trade-in your old battery, working or not. Lithium batteries are quicker charging, last longer and work out cheaper in the long run than the standard Lead Acid alternatives, so it's time to say goodbye if you're still using one.
Click here to get in touch for more details.
Masters Sweep Results:
Day One Best Score - Charlie Hoffman - Kevin Burnett-Whalley (£10 Shop Credit).
Day One Worst Score - Scott Gregory - Bob Kimber (£10 Shop Credit).
Day Two Best Score - Rickie Fowler - Andy Evans (£10 Shop Credit).
Day Two Worst Score - Sandy Lyle - Chris Ford (£10 Shop Credit).
Day Three Best Score - Justin Rose - Richard Gillespie (£10 Shop Credit).
Day Three Worst Score - Ernie Els - Loz Hopper (£10 Shop Credit).
Day Four Best Score - Matt Kuchar - Derek Noyce (£10 Shop Credit).
Day Four Worst Score - Ernie Els - Loz Hopper (£10 Shop Credit).
First Place - Sergio Garcia - Sue Gardiner (£125).
Second Place - Justin Rose - Richard Gillespie (£100).
Third Place - Charl Schwartzel - Jonathan Russell (£80).
Fourth Place - Matt Kuchar - Derek Noyce (£40).
Fifth Place - Thomas Pieters - Louise Spruce (£40).
