Hello golfers,
I'd love to be reporting on the definite arrival of summer but as one of my thicker sweaters has just come back out of the cupboard, and yesterday was colder than Christmas Day (apparently), I think I'll have to postpone that report. Still, the rain we've had this week will not have hurt the greens one bit (not sure the poor Mitrebeens who got caught in the deluge on Wednesday will be quite so happy - sorry chaps!). The better news is the temperature is set to rise steeply next week so let's hope summer is here at last.
Hands up who thought Jordan Spieth was all washed up then?
Some of us seem to forget just how hard this game is to play consistently well and it stays true for the best. Mind you Spieth's 'bad form' meant that he was still in with a chance of winning tournaments right to the end so is it any surprise that, once he sorted a few things out, he should then win a tournament in surprisingly similar fashion to Rory the week before? I'm not quite sure how the greats of this game, and others, manage to produce their absolute best just when it matters but it makes for some of the most compelling viewing and always has done.
- Tiger on one leg in the US Open
- Nicklaus producing a ridiculous birdie to force Tom Watson to hole his putt for glory at Turnberry
- Angel Cabrera's stunning shot to the 18th at Augusta to force a play-off with Adam Scott, who had himself just sunk a 20 footer on the last
How is it that great football teams seem to win a lot of their matches in the last 10 minutes of matches? Is it all luck? No, of course it's not - it shows an absolute determination to win and a refusal to believe that the chance has gone. Some people have that, some don't, and sometimes it can look like arrogance and be quite unattractive in a person but it is that side that takes them to glory.
So can we learn anything from that?
One simple thing that's often mentioned on TV is patience. Even when it's not quite happening you have to stay calm and hang in there. Don't let frustration get the better of you as you never know when it can turn around. We don't have leaderboards to tell us how close we are but we usually know if we're doing well and that feeling coming towards the end of a round when you know you're in contention is the best feeling of all. Stay as calm as you can and concentrate to the end - what more can you do?
I mentioned before that with several players all looking superb going into the majors, and the way things are right now, it couldn't get any better. It looks like being a very exciting summer.
Back at sunny Chestfield there have been some amazing scores recently. I can only say that I have not found the course that easy of late with the hard greens, but clearly some have handled it incredibly well.
Talking of the course, it has been great to hear so many good comments about the way the course is looking. Trevor Clarke, with the help of Pete Newman and the greenstaff headed by Dave Brighty, have started a process of making some major improvements and it can already be seen. The full extent of the changes will take time to really bed in but the fact that people are already seeing positive signs is testament to the hard work that everyone is putting in.
We have now received a large number of demo wedges in both the Vokey SM6 range and the Cleveland RTX 2.0 range.
We have deals on both so come in and try them now. This is an opportunity to try out the new 'grinds' that are available in these ranges and find out just what they might do for you.
In the Cleveland range, you get a second wedge at half price
10% OFF two Vokeys and 15% OFF a third one if you buy three at the same time
We have lots in stock so now is the time with the season upon us.
We still have trade-in deals on shoes and batteries as well as money off certain bags. You can purchase new trolleys with bags and save a bundle. Pop in-store for all the latest offers.