Hello golfers,

I hope you've all had a good week on and off the golf course and welcome to another edition of the weekly newsletter bringing you up to date with all the latest news and offers from Hockley Golf Club.

Captain/Pro Challenges

Damian has returned from his very warm training camp in Australia to face two very strong pairs in Richard Gillespie and Chris Ford with Vicki and Bob Kimber, who had the biggest win against Nick and myself last year beating us 6&5! We knew we were in for a tough afternoon, however after three bogeys, three pars and three birdies to start with we were 4Up on Vicki and Bob and 2Up on Richard and Chris. The two games then went slightly different ways, Vicki and Bob won 10, but then lost 11,13 and 15 to unfortunately lose 6&4, however Richard and Chris won 10 and 11 to even the game up, then won their last shot hole on 14 to go 1Up. We then birdied 15 after Damian holed a nice 10-footer, we all then parred 16 and 17 and both bogeyed 18 to go up the first. After Richard and myself missed the green, Damian chipped up to 10 ft and Chris hit it to 6ft. We all know the old golfing adage, first in wins, well we holed it and Richard lipped out. I’m sure if I missed Richard would have holed his, but this time it was our turn.

So the run continues... we have four matches this week, on Thursday we take on Tony Crawford and Martin Mitchell with Indie Bilkhoo and Sean Dolphin and on Saturday Dan and Howard Barton with Martin Gill and Nigel Nike, fingers crossed the winning streak continues.

Improperly sized grips, grips that aren’t suited for certain weather conditions, grips that don’t enhance playing ability and grips that are simply worn-out and slick will negatively impact your game and cost you strokes. Comfort, consistency, shot dispersion and shot distance can all be improved with new golf grips. A grip that is too small promotes extra hand action and commonly leads to ‘pulling’ the ball. A grip that is too large limits proper wrist movement, stifles shot distance and can cause you to ‘push or slice’ the shot. A new grip lets you hold the club lightly without the subconscious fear of losing the club during your swing or hitting it left or right. This relaxed state promotes proper swing mechanics and wrist action. While a worn grip causes you to grasp the club tighter, causing arm and wrist tension that inhibits proper swing mechanics and leads to a loss of power and control.

For a limited time, we are offering one FREE of charge Golf Pride Align grip on your 7-iron, that's right, completely FREE! There's no catch. We want to show you just how beneficial a new grip can be, just some of the added bonuses are increased grip, greater control of the golf club and the potential to gain more speed through the ball and the advantage of the Align grip is it helps with consistent hand placement for consistent results.

Come and see us now for a fitting and take advantage of our Golf Pride FREE 7-iron grip offer.

Wessex Seniors' Winter League - Hockley were always on top

The final round of matches has now taken place and Hockley secured an away win against Corhampton on a very wet and windy Wednesday last week (by the time we were safely ensconced in the clubhouse the rain was coming down horizontally). The winning margin was 2.5 - 1.5 thus matching the score of only defeat, to them, at home.

From the beginning of the campaign we topped the league table and stayed there all the way through the season. The final table can be found here and it shows us with a huge final tally of 21 points. Thanks to only the one defeat and significantly three away wins.

A big thank you to all the squad of players who brought about this great result.

Graham Light

Millennium League 2018

Calling all seven-day members with a handicap between 11 and 18. If you like singles matchplay, and like playing on top courses (ours, as well as Blackmoor, Broadstone, Brokenhurst Manor, Ferndown, Barton-on-Sea, Stoneham, Hayling and Royal Winchester) then sign-up to play in the Millennium League. Against each team we play at home one year and then away the next. All matches are on a Sunday and for those at home, the post match dress code is relaxed with a one course meal and a coffee/tea.

We have actually won the Millennium League in the past (in fact, we have won it twice) and it would be great if we could do that again this year. So, put your name on the sign-up sheet in the changing room and tick those matches for which you might be available for consideration.

Graham Light

John Simpson Fifth Card

The John Simpson 5th card was held this weekend and the best score from the three days was from Mike Killingley with 41 points. After five rounds Chris Ford still tops the leaderboard with 149 points, however, Paul Telfer has just sneaked in with 148 points. All to play for in the last card.

All results can be viewed online or in the locker rooms.

Upcoming events

• Thursday, 22 February - Ladies Stableford.
• Saturday, 24 February - Men’s Short Course Stableford.
• Tuesday, 20 March - Cobra Fitting Day, 12:00pm – 4:00pm, book your time slot with any member of my team.
• Friday, 23 March - Quiz Night.
• Sunday, 25 March - Family Foursomes, entry details will be published soon.
• Friday, 30 March - Callaway Fitting Day, 10:00am – 2:00pm, book your time slot with any member of my team.