No Competitions 

Unfortunately due to the awful weather again at the weekend the competition on Saturday was called off. This is 3rd major in a row we have had to cancel due to the weather, and I don't know about you but I am growing tired of it. The picture on the right shows the extent of the weather and how it flooded the greens to make the course unplayable. 

To make the best of a bad situation we are going to run a competition. 

Let us know where on the course this picture was taken and the winner will be picked at random to win 3 free golf balls!! Click here with your answers. 

The Open Week 

Obviously, The Open starts this week at Royal Troon and as usual, we have done our Open Sweepstake. The draw has been done and here are the results. Hopefully you got who you wanted, though we can't please everybody.



Now, the coverage this year, for the first time, will be on Sky television rather than on BBC which originally I was a little annoyed by. However, it seems Sky are doing a great job with their coverage of the golf. They have dedicated a whole channel to the championships which has been showing build up and drama in previous tournaments all week and it has been a great watch. They will also be showing for the first time ever the first tee offs at The Open, which is brilliant! Whereas, the BBC in previous years have had limited coverage due to their other obligations such as the news and popular soaps, Sky can now show the whole thing in full and I for one am looking forward to it. 

We mentioned in a previous newsletter that in the shop we have no idea who is going to be crowned open champion this year but we thought we would give it our best go and tipping the winner. 

Remember, we have no idea so don't hold us to these tips!

Nick Summerfield's tips - Branden Grace and Henrik Stenson 

Joe's tips - Dustin Johnson and Matt Fitzpatrick 

Nick Chadwick's tips - Louis Oosthuizen and Shane Lowry 

Random guesses I know. It's clear to see that none of us think that the so called 'Big 3' will win it though Dustin Johnson could be put into that category now and that's who Joe has picked. We all agree that Fitzpatrick will have a good tournament but whether he has the experience to take it over the line on the final day will be the key for him. The other players are golfers that seem to consistently perform well and may have chance of winning it. This tournament is so hard to predict as a lot will be down to luck of the weather and keeping a steady head. It promises to be great tournament and we can't wait to watch and find out who wins on Sunday.

 

Dates for your Diary 

I will be receiving all the best putters from Odyssey and wedges from Callaway to have a go with for a week. Now, during that week I want to run 3 different events, all to do with the short game. So one day we will do gapping, another day we will do lofty shots and another putting. All will be free to take part in and will include prizes for any winners of the events, so it's something to look forward to. 

Each session will have only 6 people involved so get down to the pro shop to book your slot as soon as possible. 

This will take part on 23rd, 24th and 25th August and possibly for the rest of that week. We will be running a putting competition with a chance to win a brand new putter as well that week, so make sure you know when it's happening to give yourself a chance. We want to find out who the best putter in the club is! 

Another couple of days we've got booked for you in the Cobra experience on the 5th August and the Callaway demo day on 13th August. We've got the Cobra and Callaway reps coming down with all the latest drivers and irons you should all have a go with. Come into the pro-shop to book a slot!!

 

Massive Congratulations to Neil and his wife Anna who has just given birth to a baby girl!! We are led to believe that she will be called Emily Harriot and she certainly takes after he dad as she came out at a whopping 9lbs 8oz. Understandably Neil may not be working behind the bar for a little bit but be sure to wish him congratulations when you see him.

 

Big Grips 

This week we were supposed to be starting our tutorials on course management, though bad weather has stalled this. Instead, as we are doing our putting competition soon, we thought we would talk about the benefits of having a bigger grip on your putter. 

Thick putter grips have soared in popularity over the past few years thanks to the likes of Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Jason Dufner all using them to win on tour, but how do they work? Well it's all to do with making your hands less active and getting your shoulders level at address. One of the chief benefits is that your fingers don't wrap all the way round a thick putter grip and so naturally relax more than when using a traditional grip. This means they are far less likely to manipulate the face angle as you make your stroke, leading to better accuracy. 

It will help any of you who struggle with putting yips, alignment on short putts or who regularly three putt. We have a great selection of thicker putter grips in shop, mainly from the brands SuperStroke and Winn. Come and have a go with one and see if it improves your putting stroke!