Hartford Golf Club

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to our weekly newsletter bringing you all the going’s at Cheshire’s friendliest Golf Club, remember to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (@HartfordGolfC) for daily updates and news from the Club….

Paul wins a windy Bank Holiday Stableford
We’re the 9 hole league champs!
Our first ladies Invitation Day is a great success
Check out our new Autumn clothing arrivals
Are you using the right putter?
Photo of the week
Upcoming events

Competition news

Bank Holiday Stableford

It was a quiet weekend competitions wise at the club so there was a good turn out on Monday for the Bank Holiday Stableford, it was a windy day and most of the holes seemed to be playing into the breeze just to challenge our golfers even more and after some much needed rain the ball certainly wasn’t running as far.

39 points was the best score from Paul Underwood who achieved his first victory of the season, Paul played extremely steady golf in testing conditions with two birdies including a brilliant two on the 16th after he holed a long putt from the front of the green, his only double bogey came agonisingly on the last hole but luckily it didn’t stop him achieving the winning score.

It was a battle of the Paul’s at the top as Paul Cunningham was close to his first victory of the season but he had to settle for runners up spot after also scoring 39 points, most of his best scoring was done on the front nine as he had a great spell of 5 three’s in a row including 3 birdies but the momentum went on the back nine. Third place went to Ian Wharton who continued a good run of form with a 38 point round.

Still a good weekend for Paul Cunningham though as he reached the final of the LJ Percival single knockout and will face the winner of Alan Nevin versus Stuart Gray. In the pairs knockout the final will be between Mike and Ben Barrow against Simon Stephenson and Bobby Williams.

This Saturday we play the September Medal at 12:04pm which is the last chance for those not already qualified to claim the final spot in the Hartford Masters.

Paul Cunningham

Paul Underwood

Cheshire 9 hole league round-up

We held our last Cheshire League fixture of the season on Wednesday at home against last season’s winners Alderley Edge, and just like last season this was the decisive match. We knew that as long as we didn’t lose the match, we would hold onto our lead in the table and finish as champions. Alderley Edge sent a strong team and they weren’t giving up on their title easily, on a wet evening we held on to a 2-2 draw which gave us the necessary points to pip them to the title. Well done to Steve Hulse and Julie Daines who were our only winning pair on the night and congratulations to all the members that have played in the 6 matches over the summer.

Well done also to James Eaton who came second in the very first Cheshire 9 hole Championship played at Hale, James scored 21 points for the 9 holes and it was the first time he had ever played the course so it really was a great effort.

Now we can officially call ourselves the best 9 hole club team in Cheshire and we’ve got the second best player in Cheshire!

Ladies section

Luckily we didn’t get too much rain last Wednesday for our very first ladies Invitation Day and the course was in excellent condition – a total of 14 pairs played with the winners being member Annie Rowland and her guest from Delamere Forest, Glenys Taylor. The longest drive was from Sandra Peake and nearest the pin was Alanna Grogan.

It was great to hear all the lady guests being very complimentary about the organisation of the day, every player walked away with a prize and the great condition of the course was commented on. The Invitation Day was such a success it will definitely become a regular event on the ladies fixture list and it will surely go from strength to strength!

This Thursday the ladies play an 18 hole Summer Stableford.

Shop news

New clothing arrivals

There is definitely a bit more of a chill in the air in the mornings and evenings, autumn is inevitably on the way! In the next few weeks you’ll see a lot more clothing in the shop to reflect the change in temperatures and now is the time to start thinking about your winter golf wardrobe as it won’t be warm forever!

Already arrived are the latest Under Armour, Galvin Green, FootJoy and Ted Baker collections and there are a number of good looking technical pieces that will keep you warm but comfortable on the course. Have a look at some of the new ranges here and call in to have a better view.

The hottest clothing brand in golf at the moment is definitely Under Armour and just as we are coming to the end of the Summer we have a great offer for you….we have a limited number of mens navy Cold Gear ½ zip full sleeve tops reduced from £65 to £45 and Cold Gear gilet gilets from £60 down to £40, we only have a few left though so be quick to grab a real bargain!

Equipment spotlight

Do you know that all putters have a balance point and how it affects your putting stroke? When you balance the putter shaft near the head on your fingertip the face of the putter will either face the sky (face balanced), the toe will point down to a certain degree (toe heavy) or even face the sky (toe up).

If you have a putting stroke where you go straight back and through and feel like you are putting on a railway line you should use a face balanced putter. They generally are more mallet shaped and have plenty of weight on the edges of the head to stop any twisting. Straight through putters usually stand more over the ball with eyes in line with the ball to allow a simple back & through stroke so shorter shafts such as 32 or 33” are popular and sometimes thicker grips - Henrik Stenson is a pendulum style putter.

If you putt with an arc shape then you should use a heel balanced putter which is designed to not resist slight rotation of the head. Arc putters stand slightly taller and further from the ball with a longer length up to 35” with thinner grips so as not to limit slight wrist rotation. Tiger Woods is a good example of an arc style putter who stands taller with his eyes inside the ball and you can have a slight arc or a strong arc.

Have a look at the photo and see if you can work out which set up is with a face balanced putter and the toe heavy putter and notice the subtle differences. Check your putter now and make sure that you have the right putter which compliments your style and when you do you will definitely hole more putts. If you’re not sure call into the shop and we’ll give you some advice.

Other news

Photo of the week

The weather was very changeable last week and it made for rainbows galore, here are couple of double rainbows seen over the golf course.

Upcoming events

September Medal – Saturday 1st September 12:04pm
Ladies 9H Stableford – Monday 3rd September 5:32pm
Seniors 9 hole roll up – Tuesday 4th September
Ladies 9 hole Stableford – Thursday 6th September 9:24am

Setting your sights

How many times do you find yourself lining up your shot and thinking "this is about an 8-iron from here to the pin", only to find that you end up 10-15 yards short of the hole? Being able to utilise accurate yardages is a key step to taking your game to the next level, which is why we'd recommend using a GPS device to ensure you always know exactly how far you have left to the pin.

Information at a glance

If you are yet to make the step into GPS assistance, why not try out the Garmin Approach S20? The watch's high-sensitivity GPS receiver gives you the distance data you need to fire away with confidence and hone in on the pin. You'll have distance to the front, back and middle of the green, as well as hazards, doglegs and layups.

watch our review >