Golf course tips
One of our PGA teaching professional's and Lombard Trophy finalist Adrian Hill shares a few tips and strategies that may help you tackle the par 4 ninth hole at Hartford:
Hole 9 - Par 4 - 367 yards - SI 3
"The ninth hole is definitely one of the more challenging holes at Hartford and I know many a golfer that has had a great round going but come to grief on this final hole, but as with all the other holes here if you play it with the right strategy it can be conquered!
You really need to make sure you place your tee shot up the left side of the fairway, your focus should be here as it will open up your view of the green for your approach shot but also it will ensure that you stay well away from the out of bounds that runs up the right of the hole, for the bigger hitters a driver might not be the best club from the tee as there is a pond on the left at around 220 yards which can catch a well hit tee shot on that line so be wary!
I would say that a well struck shot aimed at the pond that travels around 200 yards would be the perfect shot from the tee, you will then leave yourself around 150 yards to the green for your second shot, it may be tempting to try to hit your tee shot further than this with your driver but you have to way up the risks and rewards, as you will bring more trouble into play is it worth the extra risk to gain another 10-20 yards? The risk/reward factor is especially important if you are on a good score and playing the ninth as your last hole, a conservative approach will almost certainly make sure that you can return a good score.
When playing your approach shot to the green remember that the pond guarding the right front portion of the green can catch a miss hit shot so again the focus should be towards the left side of the green, even if you go slightly too far left you shouldn't have a particularly difficult chip to the green.
Again when you finish look back up the hole and quickly review how your strategy worked out and decide if you may play it differently next time, please let me know how you get on next time that you play."
Can you beat Adrian over nine holes?
Throughout the winter Adrian Hill will be running a great deal on a nine hole playing lesson, you can play a round with Adrian and receive some expert tuition and course management strategy for the bargain price of just £40. In fact Adrian has an even better offer - if you can beat his score over the nine holes with your handicap taken off he will give you the lesson for FREE!
Even if you don't beat him you have received two hours worth of professional coaching and tips that is guaranteed to improve your game for the great price of just £40 . Adrian is available for these playing lessons all day on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. If you would like to book a slot please click here.
Are you ready for winter golf?
Now that the weather is turning a bit wetter and colder you need to consider if you are ready for winter golf, I am big believer in the old adage that 'there is no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing'. We now have in new stock of warm base layers, winter gloves, thermal hats through to waterproof boots and even hand warmers so you can always be prepared to tackle the golf course no matter what the weather. If you have the right gear you never need to miss a game and it really will improve your golfing experience, call in now to have a look!
We are always trying to give you the best retail experience and at this time of the year we are looking at what brands, equipment, clothing and shoes to stock in the shop in 2015, if there is something that we don't stock but you would like us to or if there is a particular golf brand you would like to see more of in the shop please let me know by clicking here and I will see what I can do.
Midweek Stableford
There was a popular winner of the October midweek Stableford as Stuart Fallows broke his duck and claimed victory with 40 points, he had three runners up spots this season so it was good to see him get his first win and he sees his handicap drop to 19. Steve Dean was in second place with 39 points and third was Steve Simmons on 38 points, Steve had back to back birdies on holes fourteen and fifteen.
The next midweek Stableford is on Wednesday 12th November.
First match against Pryors Hayes
We played our first match against our friends over at partner club Pryors Hayes on Sunday, for the first time in a long while we suffered a home defeat losing the match 4-2. By way of a slight excuse we did have a couple of players unavailable including Captain Chris Bird so Vice-Captain Liam Tyrer stood in to lead the team and he did in fact win his match with partner Gareth Eaton, our other winning pair were Dave Johnson and Patrick Scanlan. However we can't take anything away from Pryors Hayes' players who all performed really well, let's hope we get revenge next time!!
This Saturday there is a 3 Club Challenge, which is 2 clubs and a putter and is always good fun with some good scores always returned.
It's still not too late to enter the Winter League, we now have 20 pairs entered and the first round takes place on Saturday 25th October - this is the deadline date for you to enter, if you would like to play but haven't got a partner just let me know and I'm sure that we can fix you up.
Click here to let me know.
Our rising young star Rhys Nevin-Wharton certainly has had a great few weeks, he has been selected for England winter coaching in Portugal and for the Cheshire men's first team, now he also has a deal with Nike Golf where he will go to their American headquarters next year for a full equipment fitting. He has played great golf all season and won our Scratch Trophy getting his handicap down to +1. Despite being just 16 years of age he came second in last week's prestigious Daily Telegraph Junior Championships in Portugal only being beaten by 18 year old local player Vitor Lopes, the event was filmed by Sky Sports and will be shown in the next few weeks. Here he is photographed at the prize presentation with Vitor.
Clare scores a Hole in One
The seniors and ladies section played their annual mixed pairs competition on Thursday and it was a very memorable day for Clare Woodcock, using her trusty driver she scored her first ever hole in one on the seventh hole! The format normally sees a lady play with a senior golfer as a pair, as there happened to be more ladies than seniors Clare ended up playing with Elspeth Forbes and helped by her hole in one they scored a fantastic total of 26 points over the nine holes to take first place. Here they are photographed with their prizes and Clare looks suitably overwhelmed for someone who has just got a hole in one!
Presentation Evening coming up soon
It's that time of year again when we present all the summer prizes, this is always a highlight of the year and is a great chance for us all to get together and celebrate the season's winners (and commiserate with the losers!) and look back at a another great season. It takes place on Friday 24th October with a 7pm for 7.30pm start.
All prize winners are encouraged to attend including senior and lady golfers and guests are more than welcome with a smart casual dress code, there is a 3 course meal around the presentation and tickets are very reasonably priced at just £15 each.
Please purchase your tickets in advance they are available in the bar now. To view a list of prize winners please click here.
Somebody clearly had a bad game of golf on Monday as these clubs were left in the bin outside the shop, we're not sure who they belong to but please feel free to send me any suitable captions!!
3 Club Challenge - Saturday 18th October 11am
Di Sommerville Vase - Sunday 19th October 12.04pm
Seniors 9 hole roll up - Tuesday 21st October 9.32am
Ladies Winter Greensomes 18 holes - Thursday 23rd October 9am
Winter League round one - Saturday 25th October 12.04pm