On Saturday we had one of our biggest competitions of the year, Presidents Day. 146 of you took to the course to challenge for the presidents prizes. Donald Campbell came out on top of the pile, by two shots, with a magnificent score of 67. 2 shots of the pace in joint 2nd place were 3 players. Marcus Barrow, Eugene Smith and Mike Perry all came in with a great score of 69. The lowest gross of the day went to John Browning who shot a very impressive 75, playing off 5, meaning he just missed out on the main prizes. Maurice Ireland took the over 70's prize with a very good 71.
On Sunday we also had a mixed 4'somes Stableford with Dave and Myra Penkethman (pictured) winning on a card play-off from David and Penny Barker after they had both tied with 36 points. Filling the prizes in the 3rd place was our President Mike Bebbington and Nan Coates.
Last week the ladies took part in the Maud Bason Memorial Foursomes. They played the tough medal version and Wendy Mosley and Gill Kennedy beat Myra Penkethman and Barbara Boyd by ½ a shot!! Wendy and Gill had a nett 72 too Myra and Barbara's 72.5 nett. Elaine McLean and Jill Gregory finished 3rd with 73.5 with Marie Hadfield and Joan Crouch in 4th with a 74
Moving on, this weekend we have the final major of the season to watch, the USPGA at Valhalla. Rory McIlroy is coming into the tournament with two great back to back victories at The Open and at WGC Bridgestone, sparking talk of the start of the 'Rory Era'. However Rory has rubbished these claims, just saying it is nice to be playing some of his best golf and winning competitions. He says he wants to continue playing this way for as long as possible. Tiger Woods remains a doubt after being granted an extension to his registration deadline. Players usually have until 5pm local time on Tuesday to confirm their place but Tiger has taken advantage of the provisions aimed at injured players. He now has until 8.35am, his start time on Thursday, to confirm his place. However he has yet to arrive at the course and did not take his place at the Champions Dinner on Tuesday, so we very much doubt he will take part this year. Plus we all know Tiger likes to prepare well for Major Tournaments and with no preparation at all his presence on the first tee on Thursday is very unlikely.
Nike Head to Head Challenge - Are you up for it!
It gives me pleasure to announce that Nike are holding a fitting day at the club on 19th August between noon and 4pm. They have issued a head to head challenge with the VRS Covert 2.0 against your existing driver, so why not take it up!
Hire before you Buy
When you are playing golf it is easier to hit a good shot if you know the distance to the green or how far it is to reach a bunker or stream and with new technology it doesn't have to take any longer. However as there are a number of distance measuring devices on the market I would like to give you the opportunity of trying either a Skycaddie SGX which gives a detailed map of the hole being played or a Nikon Coolshot which you put to your eye to get the distance. I find that it is personal preference as to which you like.
Also if you practice and have an iPhone you could have a go with the Skycaddie Skypro which is an ingenious small piece of kit which pops onto the shaft of any club and allows you see your swing along with data that will help you improve your consistency. All 3 items can be hired for £10 each and this will be taken off the price should you decide to buy one!!
As most of you will know Eamonn and I played in the National Pro Am regional final at Dunham Forest last week and unfortunately we will not be going to Gleneagles in September for the Grand Final.
The format of better ball medal proved difficult for us as we managed to have few bad holes between us but on the same holes!! This meant that we finished in the pack.
However we might have struggled to win the event as the winners managed to shoot a ridiculous score of 59!!!
We've got a few new waterproof bags in the shop this week, a cart bag and a stand bag:
The cart bag features:
Cart strap loop.
Lynx designed base to fit all carts, including power carts.
Fully water-resistant with sealed zips.
Stitching back sealed and taped.
14-way divider system.
2 large clothing pockets.
10 additional organiser pockets.
Velcro glove attachment.
Size: " 9.5 inches.
Weight: " 5.1lbs.
Colour: Black and vibrant orange or Black and green.
The stand bag features:
Size: 7.5 inches
Weight: 4.5lbs.
Colour: Black and orange.
