How Good Was That?
The last day at Augusta never fails to amaze and entertain.
As you know Sergio Garcia was crowned champion after a thrilling duel with Justin Rose. Garcia produced a remarkable comeback after seeing a three-shot lead turn into a two-shot deficit with seven holes to play, and the pair both missed great birdie chances on the 72nd hole to take the enthralling duel into sudden-death. But after returning to the 18th tee, Rose pushed his drive into the pines and could only scuff his second a few yards up the fairway which led to a bogey, and Garcia held his nerve to find the heart of the green in two and hole the putt for victory, something he has struggled to do when in previous hunts for major titles.
Finally Garcia has his major and I for one was routing for him all the way round that last 18. We would also like to give a great mention to Rose who made it a thrilling encounter in what turned into a match play situation and the grace in which he took the defeat. If you haven't seen his press conference after the tournament, go and watch it.
We also want to say well done to Nick Chadwick in the shop who picked Garcia as a potential winner and also Thomas Pieters who came joint 4th. Dustin Johnson was his other pick but obviously he didn't play due to his back injury. Joe and Nick Summerfield both went for McIlroy who was there on the final day but didn't produce his best golf over the weekend and never really looked like winning it.
Masters Sweepstake Winners
The following people have had money credited to their accounts from getting the players in the top 5 positions:
1st - Jim Bisset - £175
2nd - Mike Hewitt - £125
3rd - Pat Higgins - £75
4th - Nicky Markland - £50
5th - Steve Hall - £25
Helen Bolam, Mike Bebbington, Gordon Reilly and Dom Franey have had £10 added to their account from winning the best round per day.
Club Competitions
Last Wednesday I played in the first of out Captain/Pro events. With 6 holes to play me and captain were 3 up and looking like we were going to close off a victory. Although our opponents Nick Wood and Ian Rennison played the next 3 holes 3 under par with and thanks to their handicaps had a shot on each of the last 6 holes. So, me and the captain found ourselves 1 down going down the last. Luckily the Captain then birdied the last and the match ended in a half.
On Saturday the gents played in a Stableford competition. This was our first official comp on the white tees. They had a choice on whether to play off the whites or the yellows and we ran two different competitions. From the yellow tees, Peter Stephenson came in 3rd place with 36 points, Mike Forbes came 2nd with 37 and Roger Samways won the comp with 38 points. From the white tees it was very close at the top. Tom Kirton scored 39 points for 3rd place, Paul Wild also scored 39 points to come in 2nd and John Ogden completed the trio on 39 to win the competition on a card play-off.
On Tuesday, the ladies played in a medal competition split into two divisions. In Division 2, Elsa Andrew came in 3rd place with a nett 75, Margaret Woof came in 2nd place with a nett 75 just beating Elsa on a card play-off, but out in front with a nett 73 to win Division 2 was Linda Worsley. In Division 1, Jean Duncan came in 3rd place with a nett 75, Nicky Markland was 2 shots ahead of her with a nett 73, but the winner by a card play-off, also scoring 73 was Jill Morris. That's 2 wins in a row for Jill and here she is with Mark after last week's competition, bet she's even happier now!
Short Game Clinics for your Diary
We've got some FREE of charge clinic days coming up which will help your sharpness around the greens. They will be run on Thursdays starting on Thursday, 27 April.
Thursday, 27 April - Distance Control - This clinic will be done on the practice ground and will help you with your wedge shots from within around 50 yards. Many people struggle with this distance as you are not taking a full swing. This clinic will help you become much sharper at these distances.
Thursday, 4 May - Understanding Loft - This clinic will take place on the putting green and will help you choose which club to chip with, a lot of people will just chip with their wedge all the time. This is not what you should do, you should vary which club you use by the amount of green you've got to work with and distance to the green.
Thursday, 11 May - Putting - Exactly what it says on the tin. Have a go with a few different putters and see which type best suits your putting stroke.
Callaway Demo Day
We had the Callaway demo day on Saturday where some of our members tried out the Callaway kit, including the Epic Driver. The day was great success, everyone seemed to enjoy it and a few have got themselves some new clubs.
Jerry is pictured here trying out the Epic Driver, he was nearly in tears after he saw the numbers compared to his new M2!
Divots Repair
Recently on the course we have noticed that a lot of divots have been replaced but then picked up by the birds. This picture was taken on the 8th and as you can see it looks a mess. This is through no fault of the members or visitors but it does make the course look a mess and can also affect your round. If your ball goes in a divot you get no relief and if it is resting against a divot you can't move the divot because you move the ball.
Therefore, we have thought of a solution - using the McDivot. These are a pin to hold down your divots so the birds can't pick them up before they have time to repair. These are environmentally friendly and break down into naturally occurring elements over a short period of time.
They will be available in the locker room to pick up or in the pro shop. We and The Captain would appreciate it if you start using these in the interest of protecting the course and improving your scores.
Easter Specials
The shops special deals running over the Easter weekend (Friday to Monday) are:
- Selected Bags - Cost Price
- Spend £50 - FREE Sleeve of balls
- Spend £100 - FREE cap
