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Stuart Wilson

Portlethen Golf Club PGA Golf Professional

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Dubai is well known for having many strict laws. For instance, having Cold & Flu medication on your person could see you imprisoned for up to 4 years! That`s not to be sniffed at. Holding hands in public is also a prison-able offence! So best to let that one go. And even chewing gum after dark is against the law! Which is even harder to swallow. However if you thought those laws in Dubai were stupidly strict, apparently they`re one of the member states of the UAE that won`t even let you watch The Flintstones………….fortunately Abu Dhabi Doooooooooo!

Hopefully that opening paragraph won`t get me in any `Barney Rubble`!? But it did create the bedrock that I`m going to build this week`s blog on. Call me a Dinosaur but it seemed that events in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship were more `Back To The Future` than they were `Stone Age`. Yes, Rickie Fowler gave us his best Marty McFly impression with the latest fashion make-over which I can only best describe as Basketball Boots and Bicycle Clips!! The evolution of the Golf Shoe has moved on a notch again from the olden day wingtip brogue, you know the ones that made you look like Bugsy Malone but had a flappy tongue like Donald Ducks feet, made you feel like your feet were encased in concrete and were as inflexible as a Traffic Warden with rigor mortis. Then came it`s softer leather cousin with the comfort soles! Designs changed every year but that style of shoe was the norm from virtually every company, then along came the `is it a trainer-is it a football boot-golf shoe` and now they have been trumped by the `Hightop`! A Golf Boot that looked exactly like the self-fastening Power Lace boots from Back To The Future! `Great Scott!` 

 

 

 

Photos -Wingtips, Golf Shoes, Golf Trainers & Hightops

Of course you would only want a pair of Golf Hightops if you could show them off, so what better way than to wear a pair of elasticated `Joggy Bottoms`! A far cry from the classic Farah slack, chino or dare I say the Johnny Miller-esque checked flares of the 70`s. I`m sure I heard Master Fowler when asked about his latest fashion statement say "Sorry, you guys aren`t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it!" (for all you Back To The Future fans out there!)

Although they do say Fashion is more `revolution` than evolution so perhaps these shorter than normal trousers gathered in tightly at the bottom are the start of the modern day version of the Plus-Four. They may even start to retreat further up the leg like a Plus-Two, Knickerbocker or old fashioned Breeks!

For those of you not sure what I`m Bam Bam-ing on about I`m of course making reference to Rickie Fowlers dressage at last week`s European Tour event, that oh so European of destinations…….Abu Dhabi! This was the first in the 3 event `Desert Swing` which also takes in Qatar & Dubai. We got the first glimpse of Ricky Fowler looking like he had just plundered Pauline Fowler`s Launderette Lost Property!

Some people might call me old fashioned, however I like to think of myself as more traditionally modern, and I`ve said for a while now that I didn`t think the styling of some high profile players was doing much for the image of the game. The likes of Matt Kuchar, Jim Fuyrk, Justin Rose and even Tiger with his big baggy slacks and clumsy but comfortable correctional creations on his feet made even the elite of golf look fuddy-duddy. Especially when compared to the likes of Rory, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Stenson, Sergio and Jason Day who, in my opinion, have that modern style with traditional class that I think is `correct` for our game.

Rickie is cool! There`s no denying that, he`s like Trevino meets the Fonz, he`s like Gary Player meets James Dean, he`s like Arnold Palmer meets Arnold Schwarzeneg…….I should`ve just stopped at James Dean!!! But absolutely Rickie Fowler is someone who the kids of today can not only relate to but they will definitely look up to. He`s a great role model……from what we can see…..so far! So I hope he keeps that up. But will his fibula and foot fashion really be the thing that inspires more youngsters to take up the game? I doubt it!

Will the Hightops & Joggers be the `must have` golfing attire flying off the shelves in Golf Shops around the world!? I doubt it!

Will all of your golfing buddies think you are the epitome of cool if you turn up to golf looking like that? I doubt it!

Will Golf Clubs across the country throw their doors wide open with welcoming abandon to hordes of H-elasticated Halfmasts and Hightops? (because let`s be honest, you`re not going to take off golfing boots and put on normal shoes if you`re wearing those breeks are you?) I doubt it!

And on the subject of rules and regulations, I find it confusing that the European & US Tours are quite comfortable with these fashion statements but won`t allow the Tour Players to wear tailored shorts! Especially when you consider some of the searing temperatures they play in.

None more so than in the middle of the Arabian Desert! But irrespective of the fact that Young Richie pegged it up looking like one half of a Teenage Rap Act, (I`m sure he doesn`t want people to think he`s a Kris Kross dresser!) it certainly didn`t seem to effect his performance as he took on the World`s Top 2 golfers and gave them a `wiggida wiggida wiggida wack` to claim his 5th worldwide victory in 9 months.

The arid conditions of in Abu Dhabi couldn't have been in more stark contrast to those being experience in Rickie`s native America. Washington, New York and Boston were hit by Storm Jonas and are now dealing with the unprecedented depths of snow that it dumped on them. I hear Washington has more than one White House now and were struggling to deal with it. Boston have been forced to stay in doors to the point that they`ve renamed their baseball team the Bed Sox, so apparently it`s up to you New York, New York! Whilst we didn`t get the extreme snow or water levels like we experience over the New Year the weather here at Portlethen has been quite frankly ROTTEN! The Course has been closed virtually every day which has meant it`s done a very good impression of the Mary Celeste doing an impression of Old Trafford on Match Day! 

So whilst there haven`t been many people through the door there has been some exciting new arrivals.

You may remember that in October last year TaylorMade introduced us to the new M1 `Unmetal` Wood Range. This was their top of the range driver that combined mixed material construction with multi variable adjustability. It was all singing and all dancing, which as you`ll appreciate comes at a premium price. But TaylorMade have always offered a more affordable Wood Range to complement their lavish big brother. So replacing last year`s AeroBurner Range they have extended the `M` Family with the introduction of the M2 Series.

This offers both Irons & Woods with the main benefits being `Distance with Forgiveness`.

The Woods especially have the same mixed material head construction as the M1, as well as face angle and loft adjustability (the moveable shaft port) that allows you some amount of direction control. However they don`t have the moveable weight slots that the M1 has which limits the level of trajectory and flight adjustments you are able to make on the M1.

The new Iron replaces the RSi 1 but again they have kept the successful Speed Slot Face technology, it now appears on a slightly reshaped and recoloured head.

Here are some great videos to give you more insight in to the advances they`ve made on these products.

Click here to watch 'The Family is Complete. Introducing M2'

Click here to watch 'M2 Irons - Designed to take you higher + farther'

We took delivery of the Fitting Components so why not gives these babies a try. To book a Trial/Fitting appointment, Click Here

                             

As January tip toes to a close, so does my Sale. However with a few items of stock left to clear to make much needed space for all the shiney new products due in for the beginning of the season I am going to be holding a Clearance Weekend with a DIFFERENCE. This will take place on the weekend of Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th February.

What`s the difference? Well, a question I`m often asked by customers is "What`s Your BEST Price!?"

Well, here`s your chance! But instead I`m going to ask you "What`s Your Price!?"

In my "MAKE ME AN OFFER - Deal or No Deal" Clearance.

Here`s how it works:

  • Find A Sale Item You Want.
  • Make Me An Offer.
  • If I Like That Offer - DEAL!
  • If I Don`t - NO DEAL!
  • You Can Always Up Your Offer!

(T`s&C`s: Shop Credit or Shop Vouchers NOT Allowed - Full Payment Purchases Only) 

Again I`m sure you`ve worked out that no golf means no Results! So I thought I`d mention something that will affect you all and also relates to "Worked Out!"

As you know CONGU, the Handicap Governing Body have made several changes to things for 2016. I previously mentioned the 90% Handicapping for 4-Ball Matches, now I`d like to let you know that for this season and beyond the CSS(Competition Scratch Score) for men will now include Category 4 players scores in the equation/calculation in the same manner as they already do in the Ladies CSS calculation.

For any of you unsure what the Competition Scratch Score (CSS) is or just don't understand how it works there really isn't enough space to go into the full details here, but in summary a CSS is a day-to-day variation in SSS(Standard Scratch Score) against which handicap changes are based. It ranges from one below SSS to three above according to the handicap make-up of the field and the scores returned. This, in turn, should be a function of the difficulty or otherwise of playing conditions on the day. As one golf club's website sums it up: "The logic is simple. If scores on the day are generally very good you can assume that playing conditions were good. In that case it would be unfair to cut a player's handicap too much as some of the success was probably down to conditions."

In other words it wasn't a change in ability that allowed you to score well or forced you to struggle, but a variation in course conditions and difficulty. So it is only right that this is factored into the figure against which handicaps are assessed.

It will be interesting to compare this year`s CSS Scores to similar Comps/Conditions from last year.

Last week I had my first game of (crazy) golf at Newburgh in the winter alliance. As I stepped out the car, I realised I forgot my ice skates as I was nearly on the ground just making my way from the car park to the clubhouse! The golf course I felt was not in safe condition as there was big patches of ice nearly on every hole. The walkways and paths were extremely icy also. It was also impossible to get a tee in the ground. I must say it was fun at times to hit a 7 iron over 200 yards! Check out some pictures I took of the Newburgh on Wednesday!

 

With the recent rain, our course is either hard or really wet and some areas might be marked as GUR which brings me to this weeks "Rule of the Week" feature.

"Ground under repair" is any part of the course so marked by order of the Committee or so declared by its authorised representative. All ground and any grass, bush, tree or other growing thing within the ground under repair are part of the ground under repair. Ground under repair includes material piled for removal and a hole made by a greenkeeper, even if not so marked.

If your ball has come to rest in GUR which is classed as Abnormal Ground Conditions, you proceed under the Rule 25-1.

"If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift and drop, without penalty, within one-club length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief."

The main reason I wanted to go over this rule is that in the Rules of Golf, it is not a necessity to take relief from GUR. The rule says "the player may take relief" meaning it's his own decision whether he does or plays the ball as it lies.

However the Committee may make a local rule and Portlethen have, stating that "you must take relief" when in GUR. Many golf courses do this in order to protect the damaged parts of the course.

So remember: If your ball is in GUR at Portlethen, you must take relief even if your lie was fine! When playing other courses, check the back of the scorecard to see if this rule applies. 

Well with a week`s worth of Course Closures I bet your thinking the Greenstaff would be feet up, drinking tea and playing cards in the warmth of their bothy! You couldn`t be further from the truth with the lads out battling the lashing rain and biting winds doing some worthwhile, and potentially unnoticed jobs around the periphery of the course.

They went a bit Simon & Garfunkel on us on Monday & Tuesday in a `Hazy Shade Of Winter`, with the river running rapid, they set to work on lifting and replacing the rubber matting on the `Bridge Over Troubled Waters` at the 9th to stop you all `Slip Slidin Away`.

 
Have a great weekend and enjoy the rest of my newsletter. Stuart.
 
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