Hello golfers,

I must start by congratulating Harry Ellis from Meon Valley Golf Club on winning the British Amateur Championship last week. Harry Ellis, whose father Murray is a member here at Hockley, battled back from four holes down with five to play to win the 36-hole final of The 122nd Amateur Championship at Royal St. George's. With back-to-back Hampshire winners, the 21-year-old followed in the footsteps of his former Hampshire teammate, 2016 Amateur Champion Scott Gregory, to lift the famous trophy after defeating Australia's Dylan Perry in a dramatic match that went to the 38th hole.

Ellis, who became the youngest player to win the English Amateur Championship aged just 16 in 2012, secured a place in The 146th Open at Royal Birkdale, next year's US Open at Shinnecock Hills and, by tradition, an invitation to the Masters Tournament in 2018. I have known Harry for many years through Hampshire squad training, what an achievement and exciting times ahead for him.

   

 

Charity Golf Challenge

On Monday four of our members; Mark Wright, Mike Reed, Tony Davis and Nick Khaira played 72 holes in one day for Macmillan Cancer Support. They were on target and Unique Plumbing Supplies will now double the amount raised. Well done.

You can still donate here on the Just Giving page, or search Hockley Longest Day.

Hole-in-one Alert

Kevin Burnett - Whalley's luck changed this weekend after his first hole-in-one last Sunday on the 12th hole, this weekend he had a 'snowman' eight as he described it. Well that's just typical of golf!

 

Captain's Day - Saturday, 1 July

You will have seen from the news last week that we have managed to secure some fantastic prizes for a hole-in-one. Due to the value of the first prize, we are still looking for some adjudicators for the 16th hole. Therefore, if you are not playing and are able to spare a couple of hours on the day, please let myself or the pro shop team know. I will make sure you are well looked after and your help would be much appreciated.

Mid-summer Madness

On Sunday, 25 June, 17 golfers celebrated the Mid-summer Solstice by teeing off for 18 holes at 5:00am, yes am. The competition was an individual stableford with the twist of doubling the points on the par threes. Unfortunately, the cloud covered the early morning sunrise, but nevertheless for those that managed to pull back the bed sheets, it was a great time to play a round. Winner of the event was Richard Gillespie with 55 points, pipping Alan Smith, Justin Hamon and Monica Finlayson who were second, third and fourth respectively, tied on 48 points. Our thanks goes to the green staff team for allowing us to play at this time as well as Steve and the catering team for delivering the well-earned breakfast and cuppa that followed. A great morning had by all, and I'm sure we'll do this again next year.

   

Nick Goater,
Club Captain.

 

Two simple adjustments to hit great short game shots...

The standard operating procedure on chips and pitches is to set up open to your target and swing the club down and left through impact. You can hit the ball solidly this way, but it's tough to control the trajectory and direction without a lot of practice. An easier and more reliable way to hit these shots is from a square stance. That means your toes, hips and shoulders should be aligned parallel left of your target. Put a little more weight on your left leg than your right, and make sure your shoulders are fairly level. The ball should be centered between your feet for a medium-trajectory shot; a little more forward if you want to hit it higher.

When you swing, focus on moving the clubhead toward the target (right). A helpful visual is to imagine you're tossing the ball underhand. You wouldn't throw it left of your target you'd go directly at it.

If you are still struggling and would like to book a lesson with one of the team, please click here to get in touch.

 

Knockout Competitions

A reminder that the third round of the Tutt Bowl is to be played by Sunday, 2 July and there will be no extensions. If your match has been played, please ensure the result has been recorded on both the draw sheet and the PSI. If the winners are not posted by the round completion date, the game could be assumed not to have been played and therefore both teams could be subject to elimination. Winners - Please check that the win has been posted.

Thursday's Men's Long Course Stableford

Division One Winner - Alan Arthur with 44 points.
Division Two Winner - Steve Stanbridge with 39 points, beating Darren Warnoock and Jon Bulloch on a countback.

Birch Trophy

On a cooler Saturday, 86 entries into the Birch Trophy and the winner was Robert Nguyen with an amazing nett 61. Runner-up with another great score was Carl Faulds with a nett 64, Sunday's Men's Medal was processed as one division due to the low entry in Division Two, the winner was TJ Donaldson with a nett 66, closely followed by Ollie Coleman with a nett 67.

Ladies Invitation Day

The next big event will be the Ladies Invitation Day on Thursday, 13 July. The sign-up sheet is now on the noticeboard and I do hope you will come along and support this day as you have done in the past, why not invite a friend, relative or business colleague to a day out on our fantastic course? £38 per pair which includes coffee on arrival a buffet lunch and prizes.

Wendy Evans,
Ladies Captain.

Upcoming Events

We have a number of events coming up at the club over the next few weeks including:

• Thursday, 29 June - A Ladies Stableford and Men's Long Corse Stableford.
• Saturday, 1 July - Captain's Day. Information has now been posted and one or two spaces are still available.
• Sunday, 2 July - A Men's Medal and Ladies Centenary Medal.
• Friday, 7 July - Golfer/Non-Golfer. Information has now been posted and an excellent entry so far, two golfers are needed to play please with two keen Non-golfers.
• Sunday, 9 July - Men's Invitation is now open for entry, £60 per pair. Why not invite a friend, relative or work colleague to play at Hockley with you? Entry information is for available in the foyer.
• Saturday, 29 July - The Centenary Bowl AM/AM was omitted from the diary and has now been scheduled for Saturday, 29 July, entry information has now been posted in the foyer. This is a team of four stableford event.
• Sunday, 6 August - The Mixed Open is open to Hockley members and guests. Please complete an entry form and return to the admin office.

DNA Special Offer

Save £60 on the FootJoy DNA shoes, we have assorted sizes and width fittings, this promotion only applies to current stock lines. The FootJoy DNA 2.0 shoes feature the latest innovation in comfort and performance with superior stability. They have a top quality ChromoSkin leather system which is extremely soft, lightweight and very durable. The shoes also have extra depth last to accommodate thicker foot-bed for enhanced cushioning.

Click here to learn more.