Well done to Mark Hanson (Mellor & Townscliffe) who has won this year's Reddish Vale Trophy, and did so in style. Mark's net 65 in Friday's play-off is an exceptional score on what was quite a wet and windy day, and was enough to win by 5 shots. Vaughan Stott finished second and Roger Arnold third. The following day Mark attended our monthly presentation meeting and received his trophy and voucher from The Captain. Congratulations Mark, we hope to see you back at The Vale whenever possible.

Saturday's presentation was very successful with lots of vouchers to present, so here are a few selected photos.

Saturday's August Stableford was won by Jeff Watson, who was the only player to better his handicap on the day with 37 points. Kevin Seaton won the three way tie for second all on 36 points, with Dean Martin taking third and Neil Blakeley fourth.

Tomorrow is the September Monthly Medal, there are still plenty of spaces left for the comp, please check the brs or contact the shop to book your tee time.

John Kuehl won this week's Pro's Stableford with 37 points, on countback from Les Hattersley. John is very steady off 5. For all voucher winners and 2's click here.

There were only 3 two's on Sunday each worth £13.66.

Wednesday's medal was played in beautiful conditions and this was reflected in the scoring. Derek Simpkins is having a highly successful year and won Division 1 with a nett 67.

The score of the day goes to Division 2 winner, Andy Hart with 78-12=66; I wonder what the record is for the most number of shots a person has scored gross under their age? Andy's gross score is five under his age on this occasion, but eight is his personal record - scoring a 72 aged 80! I know I am always going on about this but the man is a phenomenon.

Division 3 was won by Alan Malone with a net 70.

Course Management

How you think your way around a golf course and how you plan for your next shot is crucial. Sounds simple enough, but controlling yourself is as important as controlling your golf ball. Lots of golfers could lower their scores just by thinking better. Here are a couple of examples;

Keep things in perspective - You have just missed a 50 yard wide fairway, from a perfectly flat lie and with the ball teed up. You are now faced with an awful lie, ball below your feet and with a gap about the width of a ball between two trees to aim at - don't try and get a wood to it, it won't work! There is a feeling of 'must catch up' that you need to resist. Think if there is an alternative route which may even involve playing away from the target but would get the ball back in play more easily. Or would you be better to take a drop? Don't let that 6 become a 10, 'take your medicine' and get the ball back in play.

Stay in the present - Don't let a bad shot cause another one. This is a mental skill that requires you to think forward and concentrate fully on your next shot all of the time. It can be difficult to forget bad shots, and if you dwell on them - they will prevent you from visualising successful outcomes on future shots will cause more bad shots, and so it goes on.

Pre-shot routine - Do you have one? This is how you prepare to play a shot. Learning one or improving what you have will help you to concentrate better, think properly and approach each shot with more chance of success.

Rather than just the basic positions and movements of the golf swing, these are all issues I am dealing with on a daily basis. Don't keep struggling - book in with myself for a course management lesson. Let me help you improve.

The excitement is back, with a very strong European team ready to face Team USA at Gleneagles. Captain Paul McGinley has Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Vicktor Dubuisson, Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn, Justin Rose, Jamie Donaldson, Martin Kaymer, Grahame McDowell and his three wildcards Stephen Gallacher, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood in his European team, (would you pick different?) this is a very tough team to beat although I might have put Luke Donald in myself. The Ryder Cup will on the 23rd September to the 28th September; I am most certainly looking forward to it.

Last Sunday 8 Ladies attended my beginners coaching class, which is growing nicely.

If your partner/daughter/friend/relative is showing an interest, the perfect time to start playing golf is now. Encourage them to come along and join in at 12pm this Sunday!

And by the way, the class isn't just intensive learning of the golf swing. We do different skills each week, it's relaxed and good fun with tea/coffee after - and it gives ladies the opportunity to come and see what the place is about.

Special thanks to Sheila Cowlard who always attends. Sheila is not only a great ball collector and target, but is there as a mentor to new lady golfers and lets them know they are wanted.

Pitch marks

The course is superb and the greens fantastic. Please repair your pitch marks, and any others that you notice on the greens. This is really basic care for the course, but some people are not doing it.

Here is a picture showing how to repair a pitch mark correctly. Basically, don't lift them up! Draw the displaced turf back over the mark to where it was originally.

If at any point you are still unsure then please do not hesitate to see me in the shop and I will happily go through it with you.

Rules

Carrying a rule book in your bag is a good idea. If you can actually find your way around it this is better still! If you are still unsure about doing the right thing in a certain situation, you can play two balls; the original and also another in case of a different ruling that you can check on later such as when you come in.

Last week's rules question brought an excellent response thank you. I received several different answers but the correct one was 5 shots.

The definitive ruling is rule 19: A ball deflected or stopped: by another ball: if a players ball in motion after a stroke is deflected or stopped by a ball in play and at rest, the player must play his ball as it lies. In match play, there is no penalty. In stroke play, there is no penalty, unless both balls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, in which case the player incurs a penalty of two strokes.

Pro's tip: always make sure you read the whole ruling as you may miss the key information you need. If anyone needs a ruling you can ask me anything about the rules.

Thank you to all who responded. The first correct response was from Ross Paton, who collected his prize of a dozen Titleist balls on Sunday morning.