Hi everyone,  

I've had some good feedback from some of you regarding my Par 3 tips last week so I am going to continue the theme this week. Rather than just talking about one or two holes, I am going to start a six week series looking at 3 holes per week on our course. Please don't worry - this will not just be from the point of view of a professional or low handicapper but instead will look at the course from all players points of view. I hope you find a few hints that help you in your future golf.


 

Hole 1:  

There are two potential 'card wreckers' here at St Augustines and unfortunately one of them comes up straight away. I would say that our 1st has ruined more cards before a player has left the 1st tee than any in the South East area. The reason is obvious but it's made ten times worse because it's the 1st hole. 

Now, remember what I said last week about teeing up on the right hand side of the tee box? Never truer than here. Even if you draw the ball you do not want to be flirting with the right hand side off the tee at all. Tee up as far right as you can go and aim to the left side of the fairway or even left of that if you are a natural fader or slicer. There is half of Ramsgate to the left but nothing but pain to the right. 

Your second shot isn't much better no matter how far you hit the ball. You still need to err on the left hand side and that is all the way to the green. This will actually serve as an advantage when you get to the green as we all know it slopes from right to left so if you are going to miss, it is better to miss it on the left side. This really is a hole to respect so play conservatively. Interesting point - when I won the pro-am I shot 62, and I bogied the first! You cannot make a round after one hole but you can go a long way to ruining it.


Hole 2:  

Now we have a hole that everyone should be looking at as a pick up hole. Because a large number of you can drive this hole, and the others can get relatively close, it is important to look at it from the green back to the tee. The green is pretty surrounded by sand with a narrow entrance and slopes left to right as you look at it from the fairway. It's that last bit that is important. 

In the summer in particular it can get very fast and that slope on the green should dictate how you look at things. If you can go for the green then you absolutely should but I would only want to miss it on one side and that's the right. As a fader that's easy but if you are a pronounced drawer of the ball then this becomes a little more difficult especially as the white tee is tucked well to the right and near to trees. If that is the case then you have to be a bit savvy here. Long left is horrible - over a bunker and amongst trees to a green sloping away from you. Instead I would think about coming up slightly short and just left, which gives you a view down the entire green. And that is something the rest of you need to bear in mind. 

If you are a shorter hitter and you are looking at having a 100 yard shot in then you need to be slightly left off the tee. To the right there are nasty trees that can hamper you and, more importantly you will probably have to come in over the right hand bunker. So aim down the left side of the fairway. Even left rough is ok as long as you don't get too close to trees but it really does open up the green so try to keep it there. A definite birdie hole but it can get you.


Hole 3:  

Another birdie hole due to its length but much tougher. If you hit the ball straight down the middle you need to hit it 170 yards to have a clear view of the green. That's an interesting figure. To a golfer with a slow swing that may be a push to get to whereas for a low handicapper it represents only a mid-iron. 

Let's deal with the short hitter first - you need to give yourself the best chance of hitting the green in two and in which case you must try to go to the right hand side of the fairway. 9 times out of 10 if you go too far right you will still have a shot to the green but if you go down the left you will have no shot for the green 10 out of 10 times. So think about that. You may have realised you need to go down the right but have you seriously worked out that you need to guarantee yourself a shot by erring far enough to the right? 

Now the low handicappers - to guarantee not being blocked I would say I need to be 180 yards from the tee. Bu if I hit it 200 would I get any benefit? Absolutely not. So why risk hitting longer clubs? To a front flag especially I think it is far better to have a full shot so you can get some backspin. I don't want to try to chip and run to a front flag and I'll have to if I draw the ball to within 30 or 40 yards. You can get to this green if you hit the perfect shot but the risks to me aren't worth it when you consider the easy alternatives. For me this is a hole to play conservatively and intelligently. I'll make more 3s that way anyway.

If course management is a problem for you and these tips don't help, click here if you'd like a playing lesson.


 

Taking Advantage

As many of you are still coming in to take advantage of my many deals I can only assume most of you are aware of them already. However, at the risk of preaching to the converted - the new crested clothing can be combined with other new items such as trousers and shorts and any two items bought together will receive a £5 discount each. 

I also have a trade-in deal currently on old batteries when a new lithium is bought. It's clearly trolley season as I have sold three in the last fortnight so this will be the time you are all looking at your old lead acid batteries, that may be giving up on you. I'll give you all a discount on a new lithium AND a trade-in of £25 so come and see me now. Click here to learn more.

Lastly, the swing studio is clearly doing the trick where club sales are concerned as I have done three sets in the last week. If you are looking at any make come and see me. I have Callaway, PING and Benross in stock but I can also supply most other makes. You'll be surprised how competitive I can be. Click here to request your fitting or ask a question.