I am pleased to tell you the junior coaching is going great. The current lessons take place on Saturday mornings from 10.00am until 11.00am, and are aimed children aged from 9 to 12 years who can already hit the ball. I always have room for more so if you know of any juniors (or anybody else for that matter) who you think would like to try golf, please put them in touch with me.
What a difference it makes to have a hole to aim at, play to and put the ball in on the practice ground! It is much easier to keep children interested and we can play competitive games and keep scores.
As you know from my newsletters of previous years, I have desired this facility for some time and now it is here it is just great.
Buy any dozen (new) Bridgestone balls and receive a Cleveland cap for FREE (worth £12.99)
Buy any pair of shoes and receive a MacGregor shoe bag for FREE (worth £12)
President Graham Kennedy certainly organised the best of weather for his President's Weekend. Lee Heginbotham was the worthy winner after shooting an astounding 8 up in round one (the best round in a bogey I think I've seen) and a steady final round of one down for a total of 7 up. Lee had the misfortune of winning a major a few years ago but realised after his round that he used a refinished ball and disqualified himself from the competition. Well done, Lee on your first Major victory. Marc Singleton finished second in President's Weekend with 3 up and in third was Pete Watson with a score of 2 up.
Dave Hamilton won Division One in Wednesday's Stableford with 39 points, reducing him back down to five. Dave has had some brilliant scores this year and I am sure we will see his handicap plummet further. Division Two was won by Tony Foster with 35 points and Sam Phillips won Division Three with 37 points. The twos were worth £4.33 each. The most outstanding two has to go to Tim Crampton who holed his second shot with a 9-iron on the third.
Our Exchange Day with Bramhall Park is on Saturday, 29 August. Enter on BRS as normal but turn up at Bramhall Park!
The Reddish Vale Trophy is this Sunday and we have increased the number of tee-times allocated because with over 60 entries the sheet is almost full. There are just a few gaps if anyone is still interested in playing. It costs £10 per member to enter and £20 for visitors. Remember this is a major and a board competition - gold writing!
The USPGA
This tournament produced the finest quality of golf I think I've ever seen. The final couple of hours of the third round were truly fantastic and, for me, this is more evidence that the leading players of today have evolved once more.
I remember when John Daly burst on the scene around 25 years ago now, and yes it is that long ago! John was the first player to average over 300 yards off the tee, managing to average 302 in 1997 (seven yards further than the second placed Tiger Woods) which at the time was a phenomenon. Dustin Johnson is the longest driver on the US Tour in 2015, averaging 319 yards. 302 would get you 18th place this year.
So the average driving distance seems to be increasing by about a yard a year. Doesn't sound much but it's a lot! Jason Day hit two drives of 382 and one drive of 384 yards on his way to victory.
So how are the players of today gaining such distance?
I could write a dissertation on this but as simply as possible here goes; they use improved clubs and balls. They follow better fitness regimes and are more athletic. And perhaps most importantly, they receive more and better coaching. And I don't just mean a technical coach teaching the swing, but also a mind coach and a fitness coach, too.
Hoping to fall upon the right solution?
Most players start experimenting when things begin to go awry and hope to somehow stumble across the right formula to make things good again. The problem is that very often the good bits get changed and before you know it, you don't know where you are and things get far worse! Discover the right solution for your game by booking a lesson. Get in touch here.
How old is your driver?
If you change every six months you will probably not notice much difference between clubs. However, if you haven't changed for 5 or even 10 years you will notice a big difference. Thinner club faces, better weighted heads, adjustability, improved quality of graphite are just 4 of the most significant improvements in the last 2 or so years alone.
Result is longer and straighter drives!