It's a warm welcome to our latest newsletter bringing you all the goings on at Cheshire's friendliest Golf Club! Lots of news and features for you this week but for daily updates and the chance to enter exclusive FREE prize draws please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter . Enjoy this week’s read! - It's a family affair in the Texas Scramble
- A Gray day in the Midweek Medal...
- Lucy wins another junior board competition
- Be king of the hill with Adrian's help
- Don't forget our Open sweepstake
- Our buyers guide to golf shoes...
- Photo of the week
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Texas Scramble review We have quite a few board competitions coming up in the next few weeks so it was nice to have a more relaxed affair on Saturday as we played a Texas Scramble event. There were some good teams assembled but it always helps when you have a +3 handicapper back for summer holidays from Tennessee University as part of your team of four. Rhys Nevin was back to help mum Kiera and fellow family members Alanna and Gary Grogan, and although Rhys is used to scoring birdies, we bet he's never been involved with a round that has included 11 before!
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 | | Rhys Nevin |
 | | Kiera, Alanna & Gary |
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The teams remarkable scorecard included four birdies to start with, no dropped shots at all and a total of eleven birdies to give a gross 58 and an amazing nett 51 score. The team of Ben Barrow, Stuart Gray, Martin Shaw and Dave Shering reeled off an impressive five birdies in a row from the 4th hole but they lost momentum on the back nine and had to settle for a gross 63 giving them a nett 56 for second place. Texas Scramble is always a low-scoring format and on the day there were a total of 27 birdies scored and just 12 bogeys, this Saturday we get back to the serious stuff as we play the Scratch Trophy sponsored by Birdy Consulting starting at 11am. Defending champion is Gareth Eaton and previous winners include Rhys Nevin and Tom Duncalf.
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 | Gareth Eaton
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Midweek Medal round up The weather was good for last week's Midweek Medal and it was a close affair at the top as just one shot separated the top 5 players. It was Stuart Gray who prevailed in the end with a nett 68, after good finishes in the Maddock and Benny Trophies it was nice to see Stuart claim a win - and he also escaped a handicap cut! Phil Dean was playing in his first competition with an active handicap and he nearly took the honours after also scoring a nett 68 but he just lost out after the countback, Phil had the consolation of scoring the competition's only two - worth £40 in shop credit so still a good day for Phil! Gary Cashmore completed the top three with his nett 69. In the Midweek Order of Merit at the halfway stage Chris Whalley has a 7 point lead over Julie Daines. You can view the full standings here.
The next Midweek Medal is on Wednesday 17th July.
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 | Stuart Gray
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JP Memorial Trophy It was the first playing of a new junior board competition on Sunday - the JP Memorial Trophy named after professional Jonny Pearce who sadly passed away last December. Alongside Adam Powell, Jonny was a much loved coach and mentor to many of our junior members and we wanted to do something to maintain his legacy by way of a junior competition. The competition was played the day before what would have been Jonny's 36th birthday and we know that JP would have been proud to see such good scores from our youngsters. The winner was 15 year old Lucy Barks with a nett 60, Lucy also won the recent Junior Barnes Trophy, and since January her handicap has now dropped a remarkable 15 shots from 49 to 34. Fin Waterhouse took second place on nett 63 and for the 9 hole competition the winner was young Dan Gilbert with a nett 41. Also well done also to Joel Cann who won a competition at Sandiway at the weekend and his handicap is now down to 4.8.
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 | Lucy Barks
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 | | Joel Cann |
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Be king of the hill with Adrian's help.... What makes many of the best players so good isn't so much their shot execution but their course management and the way they don't get themselves into too much trouble. In a new feature, we'll be giving you three key tips from our PGA professional Adrian Hill about your strategy for each hole at Hartford, so cunningly this week we start with the first hole... 1. How many times do you rush to the first tee with no warm up and only get going by the 3rd or 4th hole? That's because you haven't loosened up properly, you wouldn't see a Formula 1 car starting from cold on the grid. So my most important advice for the 1st hole is to have a £1 coin with you and put it in the range dispenser and hit around 15-20 balls on the range before you tee-off. I'm sure that you will arrive on the 1st tee in a much better frame of mind and feeling more ready to go. |
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2. The first fairway is one of the widest ones on the golf course however you do not always need to hit your driver. I often hit an iron off the first tee and whilst you may not hit the ball as far as me most, players will always score better from the fairway. The first hole is a '3-shotter' for most players so there isn't necessarily much advantage to having more distance off the tee and with your second shot it will mean you can lay up well short of the big oak tree on the left. Next time you play maybe try a different club off the first tee and see how it affects your normal score.
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3. My third tip of the day involves the strategy for your approach shot to the green - and it is to club up! The approach to the green is uphill and most amateurs hardly ever hit the ball past the hole - even with long shots. So if you think you need a 9 iron to reach the green, try an 8 iron instead. The other advantage to this strategy is if you mishit the ball even slightly you can probably still get enough distance to reach the green.
These tips are all purposefully not to do with technique and something that any golfer can try, give them a go next time you play and let me know how you get on. Next week we'll talk about the devilish second hole.
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Open sweepstake has begun... The countdown is now on to the last major of the golf season - the 148th Open Championship which takes place at Royal Portrush in Ireland and starts on Thursday 18th July. Just to make watching it that bit more interesting, why not buy a ticket or two for our Open sweepstake? Tickets are available at just £1 and there are a total of 8 prizes that can be won, the top prize is a £75 shop voucher so it's well worth entering. So next time you call into the shop make sure you pick up a few tickets before they sell out.
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Buyers guide to the latest golf shoes.... If you're thinking about buying a new pair of golf shoes, here is our handy buyers guide: - Spikless shoes now account for over 60% of all shoes sold, and most of them are still waterproof and give you just as good grip as traditional rubber cleats so don't think of them as 'summer shoes' - they are all year round shoes and well worth looking at.
- If you're going to get just one pair of shoes why not go grey? Many brands offer lots of grey styles in their ranges now, the advantage to this colour is that it's very neutral and will go with white, navy or even black trousers or shorts - very versatile.
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- Watch out for the fit - for example adidas, FootJoy and Under Armour provide a wide or standard fit in their shoes. So if you have a wide foot, look out for this option as it could provide you with a lot more comfort.
- Ecco shoes may be the most expensive but they offer a two year waterproof guarantee so even if they cost you a little bit more, they have a guarantee that is twice as long as most other brands.
- Never buy golf shoes off the internet - the sizing and fit is different with every brand and even if you've worn that brand before, the fit can vary even amongst different styles.
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Think about your socks, if you spend over £100 on a highly breathable pair of golf shoes, don't waste it by wearing a cheap pair of polyester socks that will make your feet sweat and not allow moisture to wick away. Look for a good pair of cushioned, cotton socks like the FootJoy ProDry - your feet will thank you for it after a long round of golf!
We have one of the largest selections of golf shoes in the north-west so call in to have a look at our full range, we can also use our Brannock device to accurately measure your feet and ensure you get the right shoes for your game.
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The countdown is now on... We're into the final week of this promotion, meaning you don't have long left to benefit from a FREE custom fitting and a FREE aftersales lesson with selected equipment purchases in-store. Why take us up on this offer? Well, quite simply, we want you to enjoy better golf this year! We talk a lot about the importance of having clubs that are suited to your game and this is your chance to experience this first-hand. Don't delay it any longer. |
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Photo of the week... We have a UK finalist! It might not be in golf but our very own body-building golfer Eddy Williams did brilliantly at the weekend to finish fourth in the UKDFBA heats. Eddy went through 12 weeks of intense preparation before the event and his reward of a place in the UK finals means that he now has to go through another 12 weeks of pure hell! So we have some rather different photos of the week for you this week, many of you will have seen Eddy on the golf course but not looking like this, well done Eddy a great achievement and much deserved after all the hard work.
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Upcoming events • Scratch Trophy - Saturday 29th June 11am
• Junior Texas Scramble - Sunday 30th June 12:36pm
• Seniors Summer League - Tuesday 2nd July 9:16am
• Ladies Charity Day Stableford - Thursday 4th July 9:24am
• Club Championship - Saturday 6th July 11am
• Junior Club Championship - Sunday 7th July 1pm
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Have you customised our newsletters? Did you know that you have the option to customise our mails and receive more content specific to you and your golf? By completing a simple profile form, you will receive more content suitable to your handicap and your gender. Take a look at the difference of male and female content below, just simply click on the link to complete your profile today. Click here to update your newsletter profile. |
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Is there a better time than summer to be out playing golf? Silly question, really. So, now you’ve got your cap on and you’re lathered in sun lotion, it’s time to make sure the most important part of your body (arguably) is protected: your eyes. |
 | Oakley Mercenary sunglasses
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UV protection You don’t need us to tell you that staring straight at the sun is not the smartest idea, but these sunglasses come with UV protection to keep those harmful rays at bay.
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Enhanced vision The best thing about the Mercenary is that it comes with Oakley's Dark Prizm lenses, which help to improve colour, contrast and detail for maximum clarity on the course.
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Stylish look Last but by no means least, these sunnies are incredibly stylish with a modern frame and larger lens shape, meaning you'll happily wear them all day long.
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Looking for something else? If the Mercenary doesn't tickle your fancy then not to worry, we have a huge collection of Oakley sunglasses available online to get delivered to store for you to pick up at your convenience - simply click on the button below to browse the range. |
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