It's that time of year when I think we're all longing for Spring to arrive! The course looks at its most beaten up this time of year after a winters play and several months of no grass growth. We are doing our best to nurse it through to warmer times.
This week has seen us wrap up two of our three winter projects. The 2nd greenside bunker has been reshaped to make it more visible from the fairway whilst shedding all the water that runs off the banking on the right of the green. A rubber base has also been installed which, alongside the sand bagged edge, will minimise stone ingression and give us a smooth base to work from, this gives us the best chance of maintaining a consistent depth of sand in this bunker in the future. The new 4th tee has been built too which is higher and slightly further left than the previous one and should sustain better turf cover than before.
This week coming will see us complete the turfing on the bank on the 3rd tee as well. How quick we can get these areas open is very dependent on weather, a cold dry spring will give us a very different opening date to a wet mild one, but I believe Easter weekend is a realistic target for opening all of our winter projects.
Those of you keeping an eye on the diary will see that next week is our first renovation week of the year, we have moved this year's major greens renovations outside of the playing season to try to give you as much of the main season as possible on a really good putting surface. The downside to doing renovations outside of the growing season is that it is very awkward and highly weather dependent. This operation has every possibility of running into a second or third week if we don't get some favourable weather so please bear with us. The recovery of the greens will also be slower due to the lack of growth that takes place this time of year. It's certainly not the best time of year to do this work, but we hope it won't impact on your golf too much.
As renovations this time of year have a high chance of being compromised, we have a provisional date booked into the calendar in April which will allow us to carry out some additional work should we need to.
Turf cover is very thin in some of the high traffic areas at the moment and I'm sure you will have noticed how slippery and greasy these areas get when it's wet or dewy. This is a particular problem up through the valley and down the steep 18th. Where possible we have roped dangerous areas off, avoided using tee's with steep slopes and placed rubber mats out to reduce the chance of slipping. Please wear a decent set of spikes and take the safest route possible to access tee's.
It's for the above reasons that buggies are currently restricted to the flatter and safer areas on top of the hill, your safety is our top priority and I'm pleased we are still able to offer buggy users some golf.
Glenn Kirby
Golf Course Manager
Those of you fortunate enough to have your name on an Honours board, could I please ask you to check that your information is correct and inform the admin office should any changes need to be made.
Subscription renewals will be sent out next week by e-mail. If your e-mail has changed within the last year could you please inform the admin office. Those without e-mail will have their renewals sent by post.
Bar News
A few places remain for the Sunday lunch this coming weekend, please see any member of the bar staff to book.
The final match of the season was halved at SWGC with 2 wins and 2 losses - a very respectable result for an away game, especially at SWGC. This tied us on 20 points each. Unfortunately, the tie-break rule established many years ago is the number of away wins and we had one to SWGC's two, so they are this year's winners. We have won the trophy 5 times, SWGC have won it 3 times. Corhampton, RWGC and Alresford have yet to win.
Many thanks to the 26 of you that played in these matches. We were unbeaten. Last year we won with 18 points to SWGC's 16, so 20 points is a great result.
Now we can all look forward to some better weather!
John Taylor
New in this week is the Nike Golf Lunar Control 3 Shoes which are packed with technology to provide the highest levels of comfort for the long walk round a golf course. Dynamic Flywire technology wraps the foot for adaptive lateral support while a Nike Control Platform provides underfoot stability, smooth weight transfer and control through impact. A technical TPU and composite carbon fibre midfoot shank offer a lower profile, lighter fit and more stability. The Lunar Control III shoes are constructed from a waterproof microfibre leather for durability and protection from the elements. Scorpion Stinger Spikes with a Tri-LOK system provide excellent traction no matter the stance.
Nike Golf Lunar Control 3 Shoes Features:
- Full-length Lunarlon midsole
- Dynamic Flywire technology
- Waterproof microfibre leather for durability and protection from the elements
- Two-year limited waterproof warranty
- Our price £129.99
Click here to find out more about our cracking Nike Vapor range.
Ladies Clothing Sale now on: 
JRB Reversible Gilets now only £24.99 - Save £15
JRB Lined Jumpers only £25.99 - SAVE £11
Nike Thermal ½ zip top £29.99 - SAVE £10
Chris' latest tip to improve your game:
Chip Like You Putt
After good feedback on last week's chipping tip, I thought I would continue with the chipping theme. Below is a shot that will help you reduce the amount of fat and thinned shots and help you to lower scores. Please come in and share with us how you are getting on with this shot.
Most golfers who hit chip shots fat or thin do so because the club travels too far inside the target line back and through. This shallow path causes the club to either bottom out before the ball (a classic chunk) or you sense this and pull up through impact, sculling the ball clear across the green.
A better way to chip is to get into your ideal impact position at address: weight toward the target, ball in the middle of your stance or slightly back, eyes over the target line so the club head sits slightly on its toe.
Then execute your putting stroke, taking the club straight back and up with minimal wrist hinge, then down into the back of the ball, re-creating your address position. The club should finish low to the ground, your left wrist flat. The ball will pop into the air, land softly and roll to the hole like a putt.
Do You Know What Wedge Is Right For You?
Titleist Vokey Design SM5
Street Price: £99.99 Our Price :- £99.00
Details: 21 loft/bounce options from 46 to 62 degrees; six sole grinds; three finishes: tour chrome (shown), gold nickel, raw black
Tech Talk: The wedge's groove pattern changes depending on the loft. Lower lofts have narrower grooves for trajectory control, and higher lofts use deeper grooves for more spin from the rough. A heat treatment is applied to the impact area during the casting process to improve durability.
Callaway Mack Daddy 2
Street Price: £99.99 Our Price :- £89.99
Details: 16 loft/bounce options from 47 to 64 degrees; three sole grinds; two finishes: chrome (shown), slate
Tech Talk: Forged from 1020 carbon steel, the wedge line features two groove patterns. The lower-lofted wedges use a narrow groove for control on full swings, and the higher lofts have a larger groove for more spin from greenside rough. A laser-milled pattern between the grooves increases surface roughness to improve short-game shots.
Cleveland 588 Rtx
Street Price: £79.99 Our Price:- £59.99
Details: 10 loft/bounce options from 46 to 64 degrees; two finishes: satin chrome (shown), black pearl
Tech Talk: The company's "zip" grooves are 16-percent larger than they were in 2014 for better spin out of the rough. The face features two surface textures for enhanced control. The Rotex pattern uses milled, angled curves to improve consistency on open-face shots. Laser-etched lines between the grooves help make the surface roughness more uniform.
TaylorMade Tour Preferred
Street Price: £99.99 Our Price £99.00
Details: 10 loft/bounce options from 50 to 60 degrees; two sole grinds; satin-chrome finish
Tech Talk: The ATV sole, which is available on the 54- through 60-degree models, features a wider convex shape that has different bounce angles based on the address position. The face features chemically etched "micro bumps" to improve friction in the areas between the grooves.
Come in and see us about booking a Gapping session or click here to contact us.
Summer Knockouts are now open for entry on the psi machines in the respective lockers rooms, closing date is 29th march. Please click here to read the conditions of entry.
A good entry into the Stubby stableford on Saturday and the consistent winner in Division 1 was Mike Andrew with 41 points, closely followed by Scott Couper with 40 points, beating Ben L'enfant on countback.
The Division 2 winner was Tim Waters with 40 points and Runner Up was Ross Garfitt with 37 points.
Mystery Matchplay
A low entry into the event this year, nevertheless those that took part all commented on how much fun it was, especially coming back into the tasty casserole cooked by Dan and Tina. The first semi-final saw Jill Hoarton narrowly beaten by John Fisher and birthday boy Mike Eames just missing out on reaching his first Mystery Match play final, days after his 70th birthday to Steve Pullen. The final of John Fisher and Steve Pullen (pictured here) was played out for all to witness, and the winner for the second time in 3 years was Steve Pullen.
Friday, 20, Saturday, 21 and Sunday, 22 February - John Simpson 5th Card
Saturday, 21 February - Capt/Pro Tee reserved 11.55 - 12.05
Saturday, 21 February - Ladies Stableford
Sunday, 22 February - Winter League Semi Finals tee reserved 10.55 - 11.05
Family Foursomes on Sunday, 22 March is now open for entry, only £15 per pair, please sign up in the foyer.
Click here to find out more information.
