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Stuart Wilson

Portlethen Golf Club PGA Golf Professional

Get in Touch: 01224 782571
Website: PGA Golf Professional | Golf Club
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Are we getting close to that day?

The day when what constitutes 'Entertainment' is us sitting at home watching people on Gogglebox who are watching people on Big Brother watching people on Gogglebox watching repeats of Big Brother!! Is there even a word that could describe that? I`m thinking of a few, none of which are allowable in type!

Yes, it seems that January 2016 has reached that point where everything is just a bit 'meh!' at the moment. There`s no occasion to get excited about for a while and Christmas is a distant memory. The weather has reduced back to typical-yet-comparably-mundane compared to the headline making/heart breaking scenes of the flooding earlier in the month. The Cinema has had a stinking Star Wars hangover (although I am looking forward to Dicaprio`s latest flick - The Revenant! It`s kinda 'Taken' meets 'Last Of The Mochicans' with a touch of 'Blazin Saddles') with nothing of note worth going to see! Even the return to heavyweight boxing of the former World Champion, David Haye, wasn`t even worth the razzmatazz! His comeback fight after 3 years was being promoted under the strapline "Hayefever Returns" which was probably quite apt because, sneeze and you missed it! His opponent and challenger was ranked number 8 in the world by the WBA, his ring name was "The Dominator", his real name was Mark De Mori. You might not have heard of him but I`m sure you would have heard his song before!?

"When he hits your eye, it`s as weak as a fly, That's De Mori! When he falls in quick time, like he`s had too much wine, That's De Mori!" - He was more "Domino" than "Dominator", toppled just as easily and was `chappin' after a double blank!

The golf on TV was equally as uninspiring.

On both sides of the pond (I use that term flippantly to describe the US & European Tours because in reality with the destinations last weekend being Hawaii and South Africa they probably couldn`t get any further away from America & Europe respectively if they tried) That said, the Sony & Joberg Opens certainly gave many lower ranked player opportunities to get their season off to a good start, especially those fresh from Tour School who need to get money in the bank, cuts made and experience gained as quickly as possible before their obvious ability and confidence gets dented and doubted by poor results.

You tend to find with these early season events, with the Tours Big named players still taking a little bit of a break that they tend to produce many unheralded and unheard of winners. Last weekend we were introduced to some new names in the winner circle in the shape of Hayden Porteous who won his first European Title at the Joberg Open in only his 3rd start on Tour. In fact the Top 10 was more a "Who`s That!?" than a "Who`s Who!" Porteous was followed by: Lombard, Akesson, Im, Wall, Walters, Blauuw, Carlsson, Dunne & Haindl! Think it`s safe to say that 'Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble & Grubb' are a more memorable bunch! Although the Dunne, was the Paul Dunne who hit the headlines in last year`s Open Championship at St Andrews where he held the joint lead after 54 Holes.

As we are talking Amateur success in the Kingdom of Fife I thought I`d take the chance to mention a fantastic achievement from one of our talented home grown Amateurs.

Connor Syme is a name some of you might have heard recently? Connor is the son of Stuart Syme, a PGA Professional, owner of the Drumoig Golf Centre and current Scottish PGA Captain. Stuart, himself a much decorated Amateur Golfer having represented both Scotland and GB&I, must be extremely proud of his son's achievements as Connor has just been crowned the Australian Amateur Champion. A tournament that will open a few doors and almost certainly provide a stepping stone to better things for Connor. 

A trip to the Australian heat would be trial enough for a fair haired fellow `fae Fife` but not only did Connor overcome that but also the gruelling challenge to become Champion. 2 Strokeplay rounds of qualifying were followed by 6 Matchplay Rounds where Connor triumphed 3&2 in the 36 hole final. Connor`s achievement is another in a list of notable success for Scottish Amateur golfers recently which included European Amateur Team Championship glory in Sweden, three players in the record-breaking GB&I Walker Cup side, Perth's Daniel Young (a lad I used to coach at County level during my time at Gleneagles) winning the South African Amateur and Grant Forrest's run to The Amateur Championship final at Carnoustie. Scotland`s ability to produce exceptional young amateurs is something that recently HASN`T been a problem, so hopefully this crop of youngsters can do what many of their predecessors couldn`t, that is kick on and make the sizeable step up to be Top Tour Professionals as well. Connor Syme, hopefully a name to look out for in the future….watch this space!

Back to the paid ranks for a moment and it was a similarly new name that took centre stage at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Fabian Gomez is someone who sounds like he should be on a Major League Baseball sticker, but instead he is another talented Argentinian who chose golf as his passion. But he is no wet behind the ears whippersnapper who has just given up his paper round, finished school and come through Tour School! Fabian is finally hitting the big time aged 37 having beaten Brandt Snedeker in a playoff at the Honolulu tournament, his closing round 62 deserved to win any tournament. But he still had work to do in a Playoff.

Playoffs always provide an exciting finale to an event, but it was Fabians tactics to win it that I want to focus on. Having played the 18th hole 5 times that week (4 in regulation and once already in the playoff) Gomez had failed to hit the fairway at the reachable par 5 once using his driver! Sixth time around he decided to use his Hybrid instead. The reason, he knew his chances of winning would increase if he could go for the green in 2 shots. Something that could only really be guaranteed from the short stuff. He found the fairway, and although faced with a longer second, he also hit the green in 2. His birdy was good enough to secure the biggest win of his career.

This is a great lesson, especially for all you handicap golfers out there who week in, week out are given strokes to use wisely on many holes during a round of golf, then go and waste them away by hitting drivers on holes that perhaps you don`t need to hit drivers on! Holes that you possibly can`t reach in regulation even when you do hit your Sunday Best Drive!

So, think strategy, think strokes. Put the ball in play as often as you can. It might not always lead to your lowest score…..but there is a high chance it will reduce the prospect of a card-busting highest score!

Another thing that I found interesting about the Sony Open was, only 2 tournaments into the New Year, and we already had our first 'ANCHORING' Controversy/Debate! More surprisingly the spotlight wasn`t on how someone was using a long shafted putter, it wasn`t even a putter at all!! Which might be news to many of you out there. Anchoring, or more importantly, the prohibition of anchoring relates to ANY club in the bag!

On this particular occasion it was a young golfer, Zac Blair, who was well in contention during Sunday's final round. He had a chance for birdie from the fringe of the 17th Green and chose to play the shot in a chip'n'run style with a hybrid. By gripping down the club considerably to make it almost conventional putter length, Zac played the shot from a chipping stance using more or less a putting stroke. This caused the excess grip end of the shaft to protrude past his hands and point in towards his body. Due to the style of the stroke he used the position on his body where the butt end of the club pointed never changed throughout, and on completion of his follow-thru it looked like the butt end was contacting his shirt/body. This led to the nearby rules official questioning whether he was trying to 'Anchor' the club during the swing! Check out the video below and see for yourself.

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/688914206771384320

On looking in to this situation I came across a few posts and sites that were commenting on it, but one in particular made me giggle when they said "This is a great opportunity to clear up a few misconceptions about the new rule now that we have seen one of the potential grey areas arise in competition." Because as you know I already feel this as straight forward as untangling a ball of barbed wire, now it`s just even more of a head thump! But if it helps, here are some of the guidelines they added to those that we already know!

Misconception No. 1: The anchoring ban is specific to putters.

Truth No. 1: Rule 14-1b applies to all clubs and all strokes. The new rule does not permit players to anchor with other clubs. However, it does not prohibit players from using long or belly putters without anchoring.

Misconception No. 2: If the grip touches the torso during any part of the stroke, the player is in breach of the rule.

Truth No. 2: Rule 14-1b prohibits intentionally anchoring the club, either directly or through the use of an "anchor point." If the player's club inadvertently comes into contact with the body, the player is not in breach of Rule 14-1b (see Decision 14-1b/6).

Misconception No. 3: As long as the club does not touch the body, the player is not anchoring.

Truth No. 3: Rule 14-1b prohibits both direct anchoring and anchoring through the use of an "anchor point." Note 2 to Rule 14-1b explains that, "An 'anchor point' exists when the player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any part of his body to establish a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand may swing the club." This means that a player may not anchor his forearm against his body with the intent of steadying the grip of the club and thereby creating a pseudo-pendulum. Even though the club itself is not anchored against the body, the use of the "anchor point" violates the new rule and would come with a penalty.

Misconception No. 4: Because anchoring is a prohibited stroke, a player who does so is disqualified.

Truth No. 4: The penalty for a breach of Rule 14-1b is loss of hole in match play, or two strokes in stroke play for each anchored stroke. To apply the penalty, count the anchored stroke itself and add an additional two penalty strokes.

At the Sony Open, the fact that Blair did not intentionally hold the grip against his torso meant that he was not in violation of the rule, even though the grip clearly did come into contact with his body during the stroke. We will probably see more situations like this throughout the year; the key point to remember is that anchoring is an intent-based rule. Without intent, there is no breach.

So, to be 100% on the safe side, don`t grip down, don`t wear baggy stuff and perhaps just to remove any shadow of doubt make as wristy a swipe as you can!

Shop news

I know many of you think I`m off my Trolley anyway, but I thought it important to remind you that we get under them when required too!

Here at Portlethen we are now officially a "Motocaddy - Authorised Service Centre" so whether it`s In-Season Service or a Pre-Season Health Check we can make sure even if the wheels fall off your round the certainly won`t fall off your Trolley.

Typically the first reason for Trolley failure is with the Battery and/or Charger. We have the most up to date Tester on the market in the shape of the Astratec M69CM. This is capable of testing both Lead Acid & Lithium Batteries. It gives a printed report of you Batteries efficiency, so if your battery has been in storage for the winter then probably best to get it checked out before the season starts.

Battery Test - £10*

*If the Battery Fails you will be able to use that £10 as a Voucher/Credit off the cost of a new Battery.

We also carry out a comprehensive Trolley "Health Check" Service which covers the following essential aspects of a Trolleys performance.

We Check For:

  • Frame Fatigue & Joint Failure
  • Axle Fatigue & Failure
  • Wheel Alignment, Clutch Condition and Bearing Mobility
  • Gearbox Functionality
  • Motor Bearings and Brushes
  • Speed Control Condition and Performance
  • Electrical Connectivity and Conductivity
  • Switch & Display Responsiveness

Also Included:

  • Clean Trolley & Wheels
  • Battery Test

Trolley Service - £30* *£10 as a Voucher/Credit towards any new parts or repairs if required.

The "Health Check" Service is FREE for the first year for any customer who has purchased a Trolley from me inside 12 months. But that is not the only added value that you get when you purchase your motorised trolley from me. Here is a reminder of my "Roll To The Tee" Guarantee.

Buy any Powered Trolley from me and receive for FREE.

  • Hassle Free Delivery (If Trolley Needs Ordered)
  • Unpacked & Checked " Battery Charged Ready For Use
  • Sale Recorded Against Account (No Need To Retain Proof Of Purchase - Essential For Any Future Warranty Claims)
  • Account & Multi Payment Facility
  • Roll Back Recovery: In Warranty Issues - Use Of Replacement Trolley While Problem Solved
  • Roll Back Recovery: Out Of Warranty Issues - Use Of Replacement Trolley While Repairs Carried Out.
  • Trade In Facility
  • You Become A "Powered Up" Partner And Are Entitled To 10% OFF All Trolley Accessories

That is value that you just won`t get from any High street or Online Retailer, and here`s the best part…..you get all that AND a trolley at the same price as you would get online or in the big superstores! Yip, you read that correctly! You might think that if you see it online or in a 'Discount' style superstore it MUST be cheaper than I can provide it for, but that couldn`t be further from the truth!

So actually, "You Would Be Off Your Trolley To Buy Elsewhere!"

And right now there is an amazing incentive to purchase a new Trolley in time for the season.

FREE cart bag opportunity

Some offers are too good to miss. Right now, if you buy a Motocaddy S Series trolley we'll give you a FREE cart bag. While stocks last so get your order in ASAP. Check out the range and offer by clicking here.

There were more new product arrivals this week when we took delivery of the latest PING Irons for Trial & Fitting.

Following on from the hugely successful G30 is its replacement - Now simply called G-Series. If you're a Ping Fan you'll love these, if you've never been too keen on the more angular look of a PING Iron then you might just be surprised at how nice these look. Why not take them for a whack or book a Fitting now!? Click here.



Since the course opened for the first time this year last Wednesday, it has been on winter greens due to the hard frost.

With the current conditions there will be a couple puddles that have frozen over which brings me to this week's "RULE OF THE WEEK" feature.

What do you do if your ball lands in a frozen puddle? Would you attempt to stand on the ice and have a hit? No.

Basically Snow and ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player.

So if you find yourself in a puddle of ice, you treat it as casual water, meaning:

Lift and drop it, without penalty, within one club length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green.

If you find your ball beside some broken ice then you treat the ice as loose impediments, meaning:

Except when both the loose impediment and the ball lie in or touch the same hazard, any loose impediment may be removed without penalty. 

With the Course resembling an arctic carpark at the moment it curtails what the Green staff can or can`t do. This leads them to doing some essential pruning and tidying up of the surrounding areas and tree plantations. The eagle eyed of you who have been to the club might have already noticed but the end tree in the row that is closest to the 1st Tee & 6th Green had to be dug up as it had died.

I christened it the Trumpet Tree because Neil `rooted-it-oot' on Tuesday with the help of a digger.

  

I marked my 1st year at the Club with a Big Blowout Weekend.

Thank you to everyone who came along and supported that while the course was still closed.

I have decided to extend the Sale and ALL the Offers that were on for that weekend for another few weeks. You can check out the bargains below, or better still pop in to the Professional Shop and see them in the flesh!  

- ALL Bags HALF PRICE
- ALL Shoes 40% OFF 
- Further HUGE Savings On ALL Sale Clubs 

  

- Galvin Green & Under Armour Clothing -  
"Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!"
 
(Full Ticket Price - Cheapest Item FREE) 

- Galvin Green Waterproof Jackets ONLY £200 plus   20% OFF any Future Galvin Green Purchase (Voucher) 

- Galvin Green, Under Armour & ProQuip Insula/Fleece NOW 40% OFF  
- Golfbuddy BB5 GPS Watch HALF PRICE
- Hat & Scarf Gift Sets ONLY £10
- ALL Luggage 40% OFF !

Many other Items are Reduced with Clearance Bargains on GPS, Balls, Putters & Wedges!   

 
Have a great weekend and enjoy the rest of my newsletter. Stuart.
 
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Portlethen Golf Club
Badentoy Road
Portlethen
Aberdeenshire, AB12 4YA

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