Hi everyone, as I look out of my window and see bright sunshine streaming in it reminds me of last week's play in the Honda Classic in Florida! Equally some of the rain that persists in interrupting the drying of our course seemed to visit Florida on Saturday, only in monsoon amounts! Imagine the condition of our course if that much rain fell in a day. However, Sunday saw five Brits in contention and some of them haven't been for a while - Poulter, Harrington, Paul Casey, Luke Donald and Jamie Donaldson went in all with a chance of winning with Paddy eventually coming out on top for the first time in a number of years. When was the last time that happened in America? Lately, there seems to have been a resurgence from America with a number of young players winning and regularly making leaderboard appearences so it is great to see some big names in Europe answering the challenge. Meanwhile in South Africa, Andy Sullivan, who has had an unbelievable 12 months, won again. The future looks bright for European golf.
So does it matter how our big stars are doing? How does it affect us? Well on an individual basis perhaps not a lot, but for the game as a whole and therefore in terms of how our club does - a whole lot! You only have to think about the difference that Tiger Woods has made to the game of golf. It is undeniable (whether you're a Tiger fan or not) that popularity of the game, especially with younger players, has increased. It has become a 'cool' game and more people want to play. So if our big names are in the headlines then firstly we talk about it, especially in terms of the Ryder Cup, and then it makes us want to go and play. If you times that by all the clubs in the country and all the bars where it is being talked about by weekend players then you get an idea of how it can affect things. We had a great year last year at Chestfield with visitor numbers up. That is down to a number of factors, not least the great greens we are enjoying year round now, but it all helps to keep the club buoyant and able to make the improvements, for instance in winter paths, that we now need. So with Rory not even making the cut but undoubtedly the world number 1 and The Masters approaching the game looks exciting, and very healthy, for this year.
I know it's hard to believe but the dry months are nearly upon us! With that in mind I'm sure a number of you will be looking for trolleys, both powered and push, for the new season. We now have in stock several new Motocaddy trolleys and also iCarts. These are the foldable 3-wheel style that makes a big difference on our hilly course. We are also main dealers for Motocaddy and Powacaddy so if you are considering a trolley or even a battery for either then let us know - there is a big advantage to buying powered trolleys from your club pro. We will assemble them and take care of any issues you have. I will also offer discounts to my members on these top brands where many will not!
We also have new bags arriving including the new waterproof bag from Motocaddy. Waterproof bags are becoming more and more popular but with the Sun Mountain H2NO, and the Titleist StaDry coming in around the £200 mark (both of which we also supply) so the Motocaddy which lists at £179.99 is incredible value.
This is also fitted with the new Motocaddy 'slot' system that means it will not wobble on a Motocaddy trolley so bear that in mind. You can see the new bag and the Motocaddy range in your shop now.
Please see a list below of Pro-Ams that I need teams for. These are always great days and I would love for as many of you as possible to join me in as many as possible. They all include coffee on arrival (sometimes bacon roll), golf, lots of prizes and a sit down meal afterwards with prizegiving. If you are interested at all please contact me in the shop:
Wed 3 Jun - West Surrey, Godalming - £150 per person - 3 person team required - large prizefund.
Tue 9 Jun - Leeds Castle - 9 hole - £50 - 1 person required
Mon 15 Jun - East Sussex National - Cost TBC - 3 person team required.
Thu 18 Jun - Canterbury GC - Cost TBC - 3 person team required.
Fri 26 Jun - West Hill GC, Woking - £125 per person - 3 person team required.
Tue 30 Jun - Sittingbourne GC - Cost TBC - 3 person team required.
Thu 2 Jul - Rochester & Cobham - £110 per person - 3 person team required.
Fri 10 Jul - The Addington, Croydon - £125 per person - 3 person team required.
Wed 15 Jul - Bearwood Lakes, Reading - £200 per person (Special pro-am - includes welcome gifts from Cleveland/Srixon and team prizes from Tag Heuer!!) - 3 person team required.
Sun 16 Aug - Princes GC - Cost TBC - 3 person team required.
Wed 2 Sep - North Foreland GC - Cost TBC - 3 person team required.
There may be others that crop up through the year and I will let you know if this happens. Get in touch here if you wish to play in any of the above Pro-Ams with me.
Today is the last two holes on our course, the first of which is one of my favourites:
Hole 17 - 384/362 yards (Par 4)
Really good hole that throws problems at us straight away. Shorter hitters have something of an advantage here as their normal length off the tee takes out the trouble on the right. A drive up the right hand side leaves you a chance to hit a hybrid or wood at the green with plenty of room left to bail out in. However, that side is not easy to chip from as you are usually landing somewhere on a downslope. In fact the green is probably the best feature of the 17th - several levels which make putting and chipping difficult from almost any angle make for a really good test.
So short hitters are forced into playing the hole the way they should - lay up short of the pond and then either left or short of the green - simple. It's the longer hitters that have to be more careful here: Jack Nicklaus says you should never try to draw or fade the ball away from trouble - always go the other side and fade or draw it away from that side. I personally agree with that and it is relevant here. The shot is a fade (or draw for a left hander) off the left hand trees. In the summer this is also good as the ball is then shaping up the second half of the hole which is left-to-right. Of course with a left hand wind this is far more difficult and then the wind will do the fading of the ball for you. As they say play 'with' the wind - hot a straight shot up the left side and let the wind move the ball. There is an argument for laying up just short of the pond. That still leaves you only just over 150 yards and I have to say that would be a good option if you need par for a win.
Whatever you decide to do the second has the same problem - we do not want to lose the ball right so it is a good shot to aim left edge and hit a fade. This will also help with almost all the pin positions except one - the back left pin, which I like to try to draw the ball into. So, my 'tip' for this hole is to respect it. A great drive when the pin is in an easy position makes this hole relatively simple but it has teeth and lots of them. Be careful!
Hole 18 - 355/294 yards (Par 4)
Complete opposite to the 17th in a few ways: Firstly, it's right-to-left and secondly, it's the short hitters who have to worry about the trouble. The ditch on the left that comes out towards the fairway is definitely in play and the bunker is there to get any balls running up the fairway. This pushes many out to the right and into the trees and the rough there can be difficult. So, I think the important thing here is to pick a target and try to hit it. There is quite a large area between the ditch and the bunker and over to the rough on the right. This is the best place to hit your tee shot as it gives you the biggest margin of error.
From there it is reachable for almost everyone so DON'T try to hit the ball too far here - that is counterproductive. Once again the second shot is not easy so we need to think about what we are doing. The bunkering is very good for a short par 4 and the out of bounds long is certainly something we need to be careful about especially in the summer. So, unless you are hitting a shortish iron that you are confident of finding the green with the logical play is just short. If you can chase something longer on then great but the bunkers will get you very often.
The 18th then is not a tricky hole and does offer us a genuine birdie opportunity. The key is to not go for too much - you don't need to. A good drive, not a long one, gives all of us the chance to make a good score here. The biggest mistakes at the 18th will be made off the tee.
