Hello everyone, 

Well what can you say about Rory McIlroy that hasn't already been said? Last weekend saw the final event in the Race to Dubai where the top players battle it out to decide what used to be the order of merit title. I have to be honest - I didn't think Rory would win. I see him as very much a confidence player and as such he needs to go on runs where he starts to really feel in shape. Contrast that with Jordan Spieth who is harder and can grind, mostly thanks to putting stats that would have scared anyone, ever! So having not played that much recently I didn't give Rory that much of a chance to win. Instead, from start to finish, he looked totally in control and unfussed. Troubled only by one of my favourite players, Andy Sullivan, in the end he strolled to victory, albeit with an unbelievable error at the 71st hole that might give him a few nightmares for a while yet!


Nike's latest products 

I should add at this point that Rory was, of course, using the new Nike VaporFly driver which I saw just two weeks ago. Even Simon from the shop, who I thought didn't even recognise that other manufacturers other than PING existed, said that it was one of the best drivers he could remember seeing. The Pro head that Rory uses is a classic tear drop shape that better players will really appreciate. The technology is hard to argue with as Rory and the boys on Tour seem to be blasting them and the adjustability, which Nike started with Covert, really is one of the easiest to use on the market. 

However, I would say that it is the Speed head that is the biggest improvement. It looks great and Nike say it has a better centre of gravity which reduces spin. Last year's model put too much spin on the ball for the better player so this is very welcome. I have the Pro version coming but I will seriously look at the Speed head next year. 

In this department, Nike really have got things going for next season and you will see the range in the shop in the New Year. He was also wearing the new Lunar 4 shoe. I can fully understand these won't be to everyone's taste but they are full of features that Rory developed himself and are actually very comfortable. They will also be in the shop next year.


Back to the Tour

Both Andy Sullivan and Danny Willett deserve mentions at this point. I love Sullivan's swing - he has a beautiful, effortless release and really is someone a lot of us could copy in many ways. Could anyone ever have looked like he enjoys his golf more as well? Willett has become a consistent performer and one we are going to see at the top of leaderboards far more regularly. Both will almost certainly contend for Ryder Cup spots next year.


What happened at Chestfield last week?

At home we saw one of the coldest weekends this year, especially on Saturday as a cruel wind whipped in from the north. I spent ten minutes on the first tee watching the juniors go out with the East Kent league team and that was enough! Well done to everyone who battled round including those juniors, several of whom looked very dodgy with their snoods covering their faces like balaclavas!

Talking of which, we have snoods in the shop so don't suffer the cold around your neck and face this year! Everyone said the course is still standing up very well and having played a few holes this week I can concur with that. We are definitely now in winter mode so you need to club up as I wrote about last year. The greens are slower, but overall we are very fortunate to still be playing on a very good course at this time of year.


Take a look inside the Pro Shop

As usual Christmas brings about great offers and this year is no exception. The best is probably from Motocaddy who are giving £50 cashback on any Lithium trolley purchased pre-Christmas. If this is possible for you then come in and secure one now as the offer only runs until Christmas Eve. 

Incidentally, we will be stocking both Motocaddy and PowaKaddy trolleys next year including the PowaKaddy Touch. I was very impressed with this when I saw it and on our hilly course and I can see how useful and easy to use it would be, especially going downhill. The trolley reacts to your touch, slowing down as you pull back on it. No more buttons and having to stop trolleys from running away downhill! We will have one in stock in the New Year.

Titleist are doing their free personalisation offer on their whole golf ball range. To guarantee Christmas delivery you must order your balls by 8th December. Order yours using my online order from here - payment is taken upon collection.

We have a sale still running on summer shoes, which believe it or not you'll be using again in a few months! Grab a bargain now. Equally we have some great winter shoes in. We have recently taken delivery of some classy shoes that are incredibly comfortable. You will be seeing a lot more of these in the coming years as they are very, very comfortable and a great design.

Now the cold weather's here, remember we have crested and un-crested lambswool tops from Glenmuir as well as woolly hats and mitts. We also have base-layers in stock including the thermal pro version from Nike. This is thicker and has a brushed lining which is fantastic in the cold.


It's time to get Christmas-sy

Please remember we can also supply vouchers for gifts to include shop items as well as lessons with myself and Simon. They can also be done over the phone so if you have relatives who want to get you something then we can certainly help them if you let them know.

And just a reminder there is only four weekends to go until Christmas so you need to get your Christmas Draw numbers now. The value of prizes is going to be in excess of £1,200 and we will have more than 25 great prizes to give away. You don't have to wait for us to see you as you can get your numbers in the shop at any time.