I think I mentioned the ever changing weather last week and I played in all of the varying conditions. Firstly, at Foxhills in a T shirt, followed by full waterproofs, then at The Oxfordshire on Sunday with the traditional woolly hat and Monday (again at The Oxfordshire) in the Foremost Championships in a howling wind, once more in waterproofs and a woolly hat.
I managed to finish in a tie for 7th in the Foremost Professional Championships which was very pleasing considering the weather.
I have just heard the weather is warming up this week and Bank holiday weekend should be dry, happy days and I hope to see lots of you playing.
The picture on the right was taken at Hockley on Monday evening by Seniors Captain Graham Light. A very threatening sky, but a beautifully bright rainbow.
Our Pro Am on Friday, 29 May is fast approaching and filling up fast, but I still have a number of Professionals who would like to play with Hockley members. Why not invite a colleague to play in a team with you?
Members price £40 and guests £80 which includes coffee and a bacon roll on arrival, 18 holes with a PGA Professional, a 2 course meal and prizes.
For further information please chat to a member of the Pro Team, or click here to get in touch.
Help required
Thank you to the Lady volunteers who have offered to help with the refreshments on the 11th for the Pro Am. Just 1 more required! Please let Tracy know if you are able to help. Thank you.
The Captain be running a Raffle in aid of the Macmillan cancer charity so we are after donations please, I am sure you all have a few spare bottles of wine tucked away in your cupboards, an unwanted gift or even a sleeve of balls. We have received a very generous donation of 6 bottles of wine from one of our lady members. So come on, get rummaging for this very worthy cause! Please hand your donations into the Pro shop. Thank you.
How to play the 30/40 Yard Pitch
Pitching
A 30 or 40-yard pitch shot occupies an awkward middle ground for a lot of players, literally and figuratively. You have a variety of choices in terms of trajectory, and this can be confusing. You're hitting the ball in the air more than you would for a chip, but you don't use a full swing. That can produce mismatched swing mechanics.
Many players intuitively understand that they need less force than for a full swing, but they dial back the power the wrong way. They freeze the body and make too big an arm swing--mostly because they've focused on the flag as their target instead of where they want the ball to land. The brain subconsciously knows that flying the ball to the flag is too far, so it tells the body to hang back and slow down through impact. That's a recipe for poor distance control at best and bladed or fat shots at worst.
I want you to focus on the width of the swing, which will mean in the down swing the body will have to turn towards the target with your hips level at the finish. Your hands and grip should finish close to your belt, the butt of the club almost in your left pocket. You'll create club head speed by turning your body and releasing your hands, not by tugging the handle. See the image to understand where you should finish with this shot.
If you are struggling with your game, why not click here to get in touch and we can discuss a suitable way to help improve your game.
If the weather forecast is correct for the weekend, why not trial a pair of the Oakley Prizm sunglasses, discover the performance benefits of golf specific eyewear by getting involved in our exclusive FREE Oakley trial.
Click here to get your hands on your FREE Oakley trial voucher code, or pay us a visit in the pro shop.
Click here to find out more about our fantastic Oakley range.
The winner of The Trimmer Cup was Helen Vidal Allen with 38 points which even included a Hole in One at the 8th, well done Helen.
The Tank Cup winner was Bethany Goater with 37 points beating Jo Russell on a countback.
"BRING ME SUNSHINE"
- Visions of a sun drenched day at Hayling were dashed when the heavens opened last Thursday and the Seniors' match had to be postponed sine die; pronounced "sunny day"
On the right is a picture of Hayling before the rain arrived!
Triangular
The second round on Monday, 18 May saw Hockley slip from second to third place at Royal Winchester on a windy but thankfully dry afternoon. The 10 man teams (9 best stableford scores count) now stand as follows:-
Royal Winchester - 562
South Winchester - 548
Hockley - 543
Captain Graham made 'Light' of it and reassured us that a 19 point difference was more than achievable in the final round at Hockley on 16th June!
County 7's
On Sunday, Hockley played its second match in 8 days against Burley as they hosted the 1st round of the County 7's match. Weather conditions were more challenging than on the first occasion, and were probably more suited to the Hockley side - who were looking to gain 'revenge' for the defeat in the Gales Hockley last week.
Alan Carpenter led the team out, and eventually won down the 18th 1 up - Howard Barton won his match 3&1 - thus exorcising his demons from a loss on the 20th last week! Nick Goater, Jason Cattle and Alan Drayton all had wins by 7 holes, whilst 'Loz' Hopper enjoyed his debut win for the team 2&1. Lastly, Kevin Stansfield and his opponent agreed an honourable half on the 15th green as the overall match was a done deal at that stage, and the sandwiches and chips were waiting!
So overall a resounding win - giving some relief from the wounds of last weeks defeat - the team are drawn to play Southwood (Farnborough) in the second round - venue and date to be agreed.
Click here to view the full results
The Delhi Cup
Darren Walkley from Hayling GC successfully defended his title and won The Delhi Cup with a gross score of 140, 2 under par. Two Hockley members featured in the prizes, Shane Rose was runner up in the overall nett division with 143, and Mike Andrew had the best morning nett score with a nett 70. Our thanks go to Howard Gleadow and Adrian Nicol for co-ordinating the day, to Derek Noyce and Alan Drayton who assisted with the scoring, and to all the members who gave up their time to help out on the course.
Darren sent the following message to us via Facebook:
'Thank you for a great day yesterday and to the people that make the day possible, the light breeze made things tricky as well as pin placements and quick greens! Course was in superb condition!'
On a very busy Sunday the winner of The Dreadnought Trophy was new dad Ross Garfitt with a nett 64, closely followed by Neil Brittain with a nett 66.
Knock Out Competitions
A gentle reminder that the completion date for the first round of the Heriot is this Sunday, 24 May 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 recorded.
Saturday, 23 May - The Steel Charity Plate a Medal played from the white tees, enter on the day in the Pro shop.
Sunday, 24 May - Men's Medal played from the white tees. Ladies Stableford and the Ladies Stoneham Cup match v South Winchester, the tee is reserved from 2.00pm - 3.15pm.
The Satterthwaite Salvers on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May, this is a club mixed foursomes event open to ALL members. Sign up in the foyer and also enter on the psi in the changing rooms. More entries are required for this competition to take place.
Click here for more information.
The Men's Invitation on Sunday, 14 June is now open for entry, £55 per pair. Why not invite a friend, relative or work colleague to play at Hockley with you.
Entry forms are available in the foyer, click here for more information.
Lady Captains Day June 18th, Julie has now posted the information in the Ladies Locker room.
Presidents Texas Scramble on Saturday, 20 June. This will take a different format this year and entry information will be posted on the notice board very soon.
And Finally
Meet Rory, Chris Quinn's new addition he is only 10 weeks old and growing! So cute!
