Welcome to another edition of our newsletter. In this week’s mail, we take a look at the key features of Ryder Cup course Le Golf National and explore which putters can help you hole out under pressure and much more!

Enjoy the read.

How can I be more consistent

A question I hear a lot. Practising with uniform conditions will help you; playing the same shot with in the same ball in the same environment and using a perfectly flat lie will help you.

A 7 iron is good to practice with because it is in the middle of your set so provides a good average/intermediate. Sounds boring but practice can be quite the opposite…

It depends where you do it, and how much feedback you get from the shots because it’s that feedback that keeps you going. Having a target is a good start, what about a great par 3 with an island green to aim at?

Now it’s a bit more interesting and you are more likely to enjoy practice and benefit from it. What about your own nearest the pin competition? Then change to another great par 3, and then another - you won’t want to stop. Knowing exactly how far the shots go is definitely helpful, and knowing your swing path is helpful too.

The golf course does not offer these uniform conditions, in fact quite the opposite as you constantly alternate between clubs and situations. Good practice improves rhythm which you can then take with you onto the golf course.
Learning a pre-shot routine and using it on the course helps you to approach every shot the same; more consistency.

Much of my time is spent helping golfers learn how to learn, controlling themselves as well as their golf ball. The technical positions and movements of the golf swing are important but are just a part of the whole thing.
Can you guess where we are going?

Swing Studio

Discover how this fantastic facility can help you. Beat the rain, beat the cold, beat the wind and beat the mud.

Practice on the holes or play Kingsbarns in an hour? The Indoor swing studio is there for you to use. No Waterproofs allowed!

Special Offer – first 10 people – 5 x 1 hour hours for £50. This offer was fully sold out last year and many people repeated the booking. The GC2 is easy to operate, fantastic fun and will help you to improve over the winter. Contact us to reserve your spot.

Results 

Victory Trophy Overall

Playoff - Vinny Kilcullen - 65+70=135

Playoff - Ryan Swift - 69+66=135

3rd Place - Andy Hutchinson - 71+66=137

Day 1 Winners (Saturday 9th September)

1st Place - Mark Watkins - 77-10=67

2nd Place - Dean Martin - 70-2=68

Day 2 Winners (Saturday 15th September)

1st Place - Gary Hughes - 89-22=67 (CPO)

2nd Place - Alan Bell - 71-11=67

Club Championship

Winner - Ryan Swift - 71+68=139

2nd Place - Vinny Kilcullen - 69+74=143

Seniors Championship

Winner - Chris Marshall - 72+68=140

2nd Place - Mike Radcliff - 72+70=142

Sunday's Pro Stableford 

1st Place - Alastair Nadin - 44 Points

2nd Place - John Milner - 40 Points

3rd Place - Paul Bruckshaw - 38 Points

Wednesdays Section Stableford 

Div 1 Winner - Lee Costello - 33 Points (CPO)

Div 2 Winner - Ian Pearson - 36 Points

Div 3 Winner - Chris Roberts - 35 Points

Two's - £18.50 each.

Key features at Le Golf National

For the first time in the history of The Ryder Cup, the tournament will be being held in France at Le Golf National. Opened in 1990, the course has a reputation for being one of the most demanding on the European Tour. We take a look at some of the key features of the par 72, 7,331 yard course which could prove pivotal in the quest for victory.

Water – it’s everywhere

The first thing you’ll notice when you’re watching The Ryder Cup this year is how much water is on the course. It’s there for a reason, the clay silt of the Parisian basin means that without the man-made lakes the course would be extremely boggy and muddy after rain. It makes numerous appearances throughout, featuring on no fewer than 10 holes, including three of the last four. This will make players on both sides think about club choice, with a driver off the tee not being the most sensible solution on most occasions.

The 18th

We just mentioned how tough the last four holes are and it doesn’t get any tougher than the intimidating 18th. You’ll need a long and accurate tee shot to allow yourself a short club into the island green. Too far left and you’ll be in the drink, but stray to the right and you’ll find yourself in some seriously thick rough. It’s a serious test under any circumstance, factor in the tension which The Ryder Cup brings and it turns into an absolute monster of a hole.

The last Major of the LPGA season for 2018 was played over the course of last week, with American Angela Stanford coming out on top. Stanford finished on -12 to win the Evian Championship, one shot ahead of compatriot Amy Olson, who double-bogeyed the last. Stanford's first Major win comes at the age of 40, proving that determination and desire does eventually pay off.