Please give us your feedback
Many thanks to all of you who have so far completed our annual equipment survey, if you haven't had a chance yet could I please ask you just to spare a couple of minutes and fill it in. The survey provides vital feedback for us about the golf brands and equipment that interests you and what we should stock next year in order to give you the best possible service.
As an added incentive we will enter everyone's name that completes the survey for Hartford Golf Club into a special prize draw to win a dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls worth £45 ! Not only this but everyone will also be entered into a national prize draw to win a three night golf trip to the PGA Cataluyna Resort in Spain.
Just click here to begin the survey.
End of season SALE now on!
Our end of summer SALE is still on and there are still many bargains to be had! The weather is still very good and you can still grab some of our summer clothing stock such as polo shirts and shorts at greatly reduced prices. Call in soon as this is the biggest sale we have all year and it will only be on until the end of September.
Here is a selection of some of the sale items:
£10 sale rail - clothing reduced from as much as £29.99 to £10
£15 sale rail - clothing reduced from as much as £44.99 to £15
£20 sale rail - clothing reduced from as much as £49.99 to £20
adidas adizero one golf shoes were £99.99 reduced to £69.99
Nike Lunar Control II golf shoes were £109 reduced to £75
Nike and Callaway golf balls dozen packs just £9.99
20% OFF the marked price on all golf bags
20% OFF the marked price on all golf balls
20% OFF the marked price on all putters
Waterproof shoes reduced to as little as £29.99
TaylorMade Rocketbladez irons were £449 now £379
Titleist ex demo woods from £99
Titleist 712 AP2 irons sets were £599 now just £449
TaylorMade Jetspeed drivers were £199 reduced to £149 , fairway woods £109 and hybrids £99
It is impossible to list all the sale items so please call in to the shop and have a look around, but be quick as everything will soon go!!
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 3 fifth hole at Hartford:
Hole 5 - Par 4 - 177 yards - SI 6
"The fifth hole is one of my favourite holes at Hartford and it really can be a tough par three - especially from the back competition tee which involves a long carry over water to reach the green.
I would say that the focus with your tee shot should be to hit the centre or even right half of the green, even if the pin is on the left don't go aiming straight at it as this line requires a longer carry over the water and there is also out of bounds just left of the green if you over do it.
I want you to either pick a specific point behind the green to use as a target to aim at or pick a spot on the tee just in front of your ball along the target line where you want to hit your tee shot. I know that this approach has worked very well for world number one Rory Mcilroy who put his Open Championship victory down to a routine of a focus on a spot just in front of his ball along the line where he wanted his tee shot to start off. I know we all can't swing like Rory but there is no reason why we can't imitate his pre shot routine and his course management skills. Try this approach next time you play and let me know if it improves your accuracy.
When choosing what club to hit from the tee on the fifth I would always say to club up, if you end up short of the green there is water and a front bunker to catch your ball but if you do go a bit long through the green it's not the most difficult of chips back towards the green. Once you have chosen your club and picked your target spot commit to your shot!!
The plan from the tee is to hit the middle of the green and if you do this you should never really have too long a putt. If you do miss the green with your tee shot make sure you either miss long or right of the green this will give you the best chance of chipping close to the flag. Remember the hole is a low stroke index so even single figure handicappers are expected to make a four more often than a three on this hole, the key is to avoid making a big score on this hole which you should achieve by following the correct strategy.
When you finish the hole take a look back as you are walking away from the green this gives you a different view of the hole and it may show areas where you could improve your strategy the next time play, as ever please let me know how you get on."
The Hartford Masters was played on Sunday and the winner was the in form Dave Johnson (below, left), he followed up his runners up spot in last week's Medal by firing a nett 67 to claim victory, this is the second occasion Dave has won the Masters and the right to wear our famous old jacket!! Dave played the front nine in just one over par, Ian Wardle (below, right) and Julie Danies finished second and third respectively both with nett 69's.
Tim and Steve win the Pairs Knockout Trophy
The final of the I&J Daines Pairs Knockout Trophy was played on Tuesday afternoon and the winners were Tim Barnes and Steve Bond who beat the pair of Andie Fraser and Dave Johnson. The match started off closely with Dave playing some good golf, staying level par for the first seven holes, however Tim and Steve were dove tailing well together and established a one hole lead. As the game entered the back nine they established the upper hand but the real clincher was on the eleventh hole as Steve was looking in trouble through the back of the green in some little trees - he produced an unbelievable chip shot that went into the hole for a two when it looked like he would be making a four at best. From this point onwards Tim and Steve moved further ahead and eventually closed the match out by the margin of 5/4 - well played!!
Good luck to Tom Duncalf and Gareth Eaton who are contesting the final of the LJ Percival Singles Knockout Trophy.
New online tee booking system
We are in the final stages of implementing a new online tee booking system, this will be more user friendly than the old booking system and we will have special offers on green fees, if you book and pay online you will be able to save up to 25% on the normal green fee rates.
The booking system isn't live just yet but you can have a sneak peek and register now by clicking on the link http://www.brsgolf.com/hartford/visitor_home.php
Winter fixture list
We have put the final touches to the winter fixture list, you can click here to view it and it will also be available to view on the club website.
Entries for the Winter League are now being taken, this is a pairs competition with an entry fee of £5 per pair , it would be great to see a good turn out for this ever popular competition and the course is always in great all year round condition meaning that you can keep your game sharp over the winter months.
The next competition is the President's Day on Saturday 27th September, it is the final event for the summer Order of Merit and it should provide an exciting finish to the season as Steve Bond and Paul Underwood are tied on the same points, however Dave Johnson also has a chance of winning with his late surge pushing him right into contention.
A special mention this week for our 7 handicap junior member Kieran Underwood who capped a fine season by making his debut for Cheshire under 14's at Eaton Golf Club on Saturday, he won his match in a 3-1 victory for Cheshire. He was also selected for an additional County coaching session on Sunday which unfortunately meant that he had to miss playing here in the Hartford Masters. Well done Kieran, keep up the good work!
Well done to nineteen handicapper Alison Worall who won the Ladies Midweek trophy last Thursday with a score of 38 points, this is the third board competition that Alison has now won and she also took the nearest the pin prize. In second place was Margaret Cherry with 34 points and Kath Hough came third with 31 points, well done also to Sandra Peake who won the longest drive prize.
The next ladies competition is an 18 hole Stableford next Thursday 25th September at 9am.
The seniors played a yellow ball competition on Tuesday, the pressure of playing with a yellow ball got too much for some players as 5 out of the 8 teams lost their yellow balls! One team who managed to keep the yellow ball in play and win the competition were Paul Frost, Mike Eddison and John Sykes with 70 points. Next week the seniors play a nine hole strokeplay competition and they also have their final team match of the season at Pryors Hayes, so far they are unbeaten this season.
Congratulations also to Geoff Dodd who won the seniors knockout trophy and to Bob Bowen and Rhett Butler who won the seniors pairs knockout trophy.
Seniors 9 hole Strokeplay - Tuesday 23rd September 9:32am
Midweek Medal - Wednesday 24th September
Ladies Stableford - Thursday 25th September 9am
President's Trophy - Saturday 27th September 12:04pm