Bridgestone Balls

Bridgestone have been making quality golf balls for many years, and their current presence on both the European and US Tours is massive. Further afield their usage on the Asian Tours is greater still. Aswell as making balls for the likes of Matt Kuchar and Fred Couples, their range of balls will cater for the needs of every golfer so I have decided to take stock of them. Have a look at the range next time you are in the shop, these go from the four piece B330 to the two piece E7.

I have also organised for Bridgestone to do a ball fitting day which I think will be on a Saturday in July. This is something that I know lots of you would benefit from and there is a maximum of only 15 people who can receive the full, free ball fitting service. This will involve you playing shots under the eye of a launch monitor so if you are interested, please click here to send me an email to let me know so I can book you in.

Bionic Gloves

If you don't know what these are, they are a specially designed glove that allows you to hold the club lighter. Initially developed for golfers who struggle to impart pressure on the grip (such as those with arthritis etc) these gloves have pads on the pressure points of the hands that help secure the club more easily.

These have been a true golfing godsend to many that have discovered them and made the game easier and more comfortable. I find that many people who buy them have nothing wrong with their hands at all, but benefit from the ease of use the gloves provide. It may also surprise you to know that according to the latest measuring devices, a players' swing speed is increased when wearing a Bionic glove, thus achieving extra yards.

Anyway, I have a full range of all sizes back in stock now in both leather and synthetic. Try one on as they really work!

Free FootJoy Glove Offer

This weekend's medal has just got even more competitive! Purchase any FootJoy glove from us on May medal day, then beat your handicap and we'll give you that same glove for FREE. That's a nice little 2-for-the-price-of-1 incentive for those of you who fancy going low. What a great time to dispose of that worn glove.

Contact us for more information

The winner of The Founders Trophy is yet to be decided. Ryan Jackson, Phil Harrison and David Platt all finished on level, and have a three way 18 hole play-off to arrange that will decide the winner.

Unfortunately, the first major of the year has also highlighted the need for scorecards to be completed correctly. Initially, two players had tied for the lead on 1 up. However, one card had no scores for the holes recorded on it, and the other was returned unsigned. Marking on the card how many shots it took you to get the ball in the hole, and signing for your score are mandatory and the penalty for either breach is disqualification. Whatever the format, the golden rule is always record your gross scores on the card.

If you are ever unsure of how to mark a card please ask me. If you have a good score and would like me to check your card before you submit it I will do so with pleasure.

Tomorrow's comp is the May monthly medal and also the first round of the Jubilee. If you are looking for a game you can either book on the brs system, or phone the pro shop and we will book you in.

Sunday's forecast was supposed to be foul but the sun came out on the day, there were 42 in my pro's stableford which wasn't bad on the day of the mixed open. Dean Martin won with 37 points; Tim Crampton was a close second with 36.

Two's were worth £10.50 each. Click here to see full comp results. Wednesday's stableford was cancelled due to lightning and flooded greens at about 5.00.

Invitation Day - Saturday 10th May

Please invite your friends from other clubs to come to Reddish and play in next week's invitation day. There is a choice of either the morning shotgun start at 8.45, or the afternoon shotgun at 1.30.

Considering how fantastic our course is, it is surprising how much space is still on the list, particularly in the morning. The entry sheet is a hand written one which is on the main competitions board so please make those phone calls, invite a partner and add your names to it.

Abbie

Abbie's week began with her and partner Nick Day winning the mixed invitation on Sunday. We had a good entry, the sun shone and 43 points was enough to win the better ball competition outright. The victory was made all the sweeter by the fact that playing partners Dad and Grandma (Ian and Sheila!) were one of three pairs tied on 42. Nick played the front nine very well, and Abbie the back nine with the highlight of the round coming at the 15th, where Abbie's second shot was a driver off the deck to the middle of the green resulting in a 4 for 4.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week were the ladies County Championships at Wilmslow. Abbie scored one under and three over on the first day, to qualify for the knock out stage, reducing her handicap to 2.6 in the process. Abbie then won both her morning and afternoon matches on Wednesday to be one of only four players who made it to compete on the Thursday. Abbie was eventually beaten in the semi-final, by the lady who would go on to win the tournament, Emma Goddard, handicap +1 from Royal Liverpool. Abbie did fantastically well, is still getting better, and we can all be very proud of her!

Aerial view of course

Thank you to Shirley Blakey who has brought me this fascinating aerial view of the course. There is no date on the picture, but I think this is taken sometime between 1967 and 1970. Clearly, the 'apartments' in Brinnington have already been built. The thing which best pins it down for me is that the restaurant has been built on the side of the clubhouse (which I think was built in about 67) but the locker room has not been built yet and there is a line of cars parked where I am sitting now in The Pro Shop typing this. Perhaps you can spot features to identify the date better than me. If so I would be interested to know what year you think this was taken and why. If you click on the picture you can enlarge it for a better look.

The general lack of trees on the course is very noticeable. There are none to the left of the 4th, virtually none to the left of the 7th and none between the 7th and the 8th.

The 4th hole is interesting. You can see that before this area was landfilled on the left, the 4th played along the top of a rocky outcrop, and over a gully with an unobstructed view to the left. To the left of the green the land falls away sharply which is why the out of bounds was and still is so perilously close to the green. There are no bunkers to the right of the 5th green, they have appeared later. The 10th has the original bunkers behind the green. On the 15th there are far less trees. We can even see some of the rock in the steep river bank on the apex of the dogleg. It makes me wonder if it was ever possible to see the green from the tee.

The position of the bunkers and green for the original par 3 16th is very clear. For years after the hole changed the green was maintained and used as an optional par 3 in the winter. This is now covered with trees. Also there is a football pitch on the land to the left of the 14th, bet they got fed up of the ball going in the river!

Please, if anyone has gems like this locked away in cupboards or attics, dig them out and bring them to the club so we can all share them!