Hartford Golf Club

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter bringing you all the latest going's on at Cheshire's friendliest Golf Club! Despite the recent wet weather, we have a huge amount of competition and members news for you as well as another feature in our clothing spotlight series. Enjoy the read...

• It's close at the top in the first Winter League
• Julie and Wendy hold their nerve in a tight pairs final
• Roger keeps his good run going....with Alaine's help
• Keep warm on the green with Galvin Green
• Introducing a new face in the shop....
• Photo of the week - Peter's ace

Competition news

Winter League review

It may be called the Winter League but the weather was pretty kind to us on Saturday. The sun made a long-awaited appearance and gave a brief respite from the rain for the 25 pairs that played in the first round, the handicap allowance was reduced to 75% but nevertheless scoring was still impressive.

Three pairs finished on 23 points over the nine holes but bizarrely they all struggled on the last couple of holes. After a countback, 16 year old Joel Cann and Ben Barrow took top spot. This was mainly due to a hot run in the middle of their round, where they fired four birdies in a row from holes 4 through to 7, despite a bogey-bogey finish they still had the best last 6 holes.

Joel Cann

Ben Barrow

In third place were Javier Lang and Gary Cashmore. Gary had an amazing start - he was playing like a pro with birdies on the first 3 holes to give them 12 points.

Stood on the 9th tee, they already had 22 points but could only manage a 6 for Javier on the last to finish a round that could have been even better.

This week we have a bit of fun as we play a 3 club challenge on Sunday at 11am. Remember that you can only use two clubs plus a putter.

The Winter League returns on Sunday, 27 October at 11am.

The Ladies Autumn Pairs Trophy

The Ladies Autumn Pairs Trophy reached the final stage on Friday and it saw a great match that went down to the last hole. Julie Daines has had a good couple of days and her and partner Wendy D'Arcy triumphed in the end by the margin of 2 up against Sandra Peake and Annie Rowland.

Sandra used her only shot wisely to par the third hole but in the early stages it was Julie and Wendy that quickly established a three hole lead. Sandra and Annie are fighters however and they pulled all the way back to all square. In Julie's words afterwards, she thought 'they'd lost it' after letting a three hole lead evaporate, but her and Wendy managed to dig in and crucially won the fifteenth hole.

The next two holes were halved so Wendy and Julie were still one up playing the last, they held their nerve to win this hole as well and emerge as the Autumn Pairs champions.

Team match against Pryors Hayes

In a team match last Tuesday, 8 of our ladies played against 8 ladies from Pryors Hayes. The result was a very friendly 2-2 draw with our sister club and a good day was had by all.

Junior Stableford

15 year old Lucy Barks won the latest Junior Stableford with a fantastic 49 point score.

She is now down to a 19 handicap which has fallen by 30 shots over the last 6 months.

Ladies and seniors’ pairs

In a busy week, it was also the annual ladies and seniors’ pairs event last Thursday. There was a great turnout of 24 pairs with a lady and senior playing together and adding their Stableford scores.

Roger Farley has been in good form with the seniors after winning their first Winter League and he partnered Alaine Britton to win with a combined 32 points. Roger had to leave before the presentation but he and Alaine both won some lovely glassware presented by Lady Captain Chris Paxton.

Upcoming events

Junior Stableford - Saturday, 19 October - 2:04pm
3 Club Challenge - Sunday, 20 October - 11am
Seniors 9 hole roll up - Tuesday, 22 October - 9:16am
Ladies 9 hole roll up - Thursday, 24 October - 9:24am
Ladies 9 hole Stableford - Saturday, 26 October - 11am
Winter League 2 - Sunday, 27 October - 11am

Shop news

Clothing spotlight

Winter is on the way, so now is the time to start thinking about your wardrobe to get you through the cold and wet weather. If there is any golf brand you can rely on to get you through the winter, it's Swedish clothing company Galvin Green. As you can imagine, the weather gets pretty extreme in Scandinavia so their range is designed without compromise and to live up to the old adage 'that there is no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing'.

Galvin Green have been around since 1990 and they are primarily known for their GoreTex waterproof suits. They have a huge 32% market share in the rainwear category and even though GoreTex suits are relatively expensive they are supplied with a lifetime waterproof guarantee - so in theory you will only have to buy the suit once.

Galvin Green now make a lot more than just waterproofs and they have some of the best Insula and Windstopper pieces of men’s and ladies golf clothing on the market too.

Here are three of the best autumn/winter items we have in-store from Galvin Green:

The Dwight pullover - For a cold frosty day the Dwight pullover features Insula technology with built in air chambers that trap body heat, very light and takes up very little space in your golf bag.

The Linus full zip jacket - When there is a bitter cold wind on the course, try the Linus full zip jacket. The short sleeve version leaves your arms free to swing and the Windstopper guarantee is something you will only find on the very best clothing. This is a hybrid top as it will not only keep you warm but also dry in showery conditions.

The Aaron GoreTex jacket - On a very wet day when you know you'll be playing in the rain wear the Aaron GoreTex jacket, tested to withstand even the heaviest of downpours a mesh lining also provides a thermal element.

This jacket is extremely breathable as water can't come in but moisture will escape out, it's also very stylish in looks and available in some great colours.

Welcome Steve!

You may have spotted a new face in the shop recently as we have added another member to our sales team. Steve Kinder has 17 years golf retail experience, having previously worked at the Mere, Warrington and Poulton Park Golf Clubs as well as a number of years with the American Golf retail chain.

He is passionate about the game and a keen 6 handicap player as well as being a big Manchester United fan (we can't all be perfect!) - here is a brief profile about Steve:

What are your favourite and least favourite holes at Hartford?

'I've been lucky enough to play the 3rd hole quite well so far but I can see how it can be such a tricky hole, so that would be my least favourite as a disaster is always just around the corner! The 7th hole is my favourite because of the views and it's such a dramatic tee shot from the elevated position'.

What's your favourite club in the bag?

'I love my Titleist AP2 4 iron and hit it off the tee a lot on holes such as the 3rd - maybe that's why I don't often get in trouble!'

Who would play in your dream fourball?

'It would have to be Tiger Woods for obvious reasons - he's the GOAT in my opinion. I'd also play with Brooks Koepka as he's the top player at the moment and Tommy Fleetwood as he's a local lad and then we could have an England against America pairs match!'

What's the best course you have played?

'My favourite is the Victoria course at Vilamoura in Portugal. It has hosted European Tour events as well as the World Cup Championship and was designed by the great Arnold Palmer around the natural wetlands, so visually it's stunning and a great test of golf.'

Look out for Steve in the shop and next week we'll profile our soon-to-be starting new Head Greenkeeper - Dan Ashelby.

Pro's news

Photo of the week

Photo of the week is of a very proud Peter Hargreaves after he scored his first ever hole in one with his trusty 5 iron on the 7th hole last Tuesday during the seniors roll up.

Peter is 82 in December but he still plays 2 or 3 times a week and he has been a member here since 2006. It's great to see him score his first ever ace.

Well done Peter on a great achievement!

Golf trip

Tick Ryder Cup off your bucket list

The scenes at Le Golf National last September were nothing short of amazing as Team Europe convincingly beat their American counterparts to lift the Ryder Cup in Paris.

Thanks to our friends at Your Golf Travel, you can book your place at next year's contest and enjoy weekend tickets to the biggest event in golf. Click the link below for more information.

find out more >

The round white thing...

Since the game began in the 15th century, there is one thing that has never changed – the ball being the only piece of equipment used on every shot. Despite this, it still gets a raw deal with some golfers viewing it as less important than the clubs used to hit it. So, we decided to take a look back and see how modern golf balls compare to those of yesteryear.

Callaway's Chrome Soft golf ball

In the beginning

Feathery balls reigned supreme for over 200 years in the early days of golf, but even they are relatively new compared to the original hairy balls (guess what they were stuffed with!).

It's hard to imagine what it would be like playing with those balls these days, and even the later-developed Gutty and Haskell balls left golfers with little-to-no room for error.

Where we are today

100 years ago the thought of using a state-of-the-art Graphene-infused Dual Soft Core to minimise driver spin/maximise distance would have been unthinkable (and probably impossible) – but that is exactly what features in Callaway's Chrome Soft.

Snazzy Truvis styling is something the Chrome Softs offer too for those golfers after something a little bit different. Why not grab a dozen or two and leave the Gutty at home?

explore Chrome Soft here >

Find your sole mate

See what we did there? Finding your sole-mate is no easy task and, yet, as our shoes are the only part of our body that stays in constant contact with the ground during the golf swing (well they should do anyway!), getting it right is crucial for both performance and comfort.

FootJoy UltraFIT Boa shoes

Let those stats sink in for a moment or two. Do they surprise you?

If you're wondering whether your shoes are the right size, here are some tell-tale signs to look out for:

Creasing on the upper
Wear on the inside heel
Stretching around the side

Just because you wear certain sized trainers or smart shoes doesn't mean your golf shoes will follow suit, and that's why we're here to help.

Come in to see us and we'll make sure that you not only walk away with the correct size but also the model that gives you what you want, whether it's stability, comfort or a pair that simply look great - like FootJoy's UltraFIT Boa above.

watch our review here >

Video of the Week

Three stunning irons from Titleist but which one tickles your fancy the most? Each one is aimed at a slightly different golfer, so watch our review video to find out which is ideal for you and how they each performed when put to the test.

We hope you have a great week.

Hartford Golf Club
Burrows Hill
Northwich
CW8 3AP

Phone: 01606 871162

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