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Stuart Wilson

Portlethen Golf Club PGA Golf Professional

Get in Touch: 01224 782571
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Well folks, if you didn't believe the cliche before then, I'm sure you do now!


The Masters 

It's been said a million times before, but it always seems to ring true, The Masters at Augusta really doesn't start "...until the Back 9 on Sunday". 

The goal for the week of ANY player in the invited field is to stay in the mix until they make the final turn for home in round 4. But as Augusta proved even that is easier said than done. 

For any of you who were perhaps in a mild coma for most of last weekend, here is a quick synopsis of this year`s Masters Moments.

  • Strong winds and colder temperatures made Augusta play much more demanding than is the norm.
  • Ernie Els decision to putt with an electric eel backfired at the very first green.
  • Jordan Spieth's decision to putt with Harry Potter's Wand made up for the fact he seemed to be playing with Harry Redknapp's swing, and gave him a platform which saw him lead for about 9 & 3/4's of the tournament. 
  • Unknown Smylie Kauffman (clearly an ironic Christian name.) went from world beater to panel beater overnight, as he posted a best of the day 71 on Saturday, followed by the worst of the day 81 on Sunday. Taxi for Kauffman.
  • An episode of French & Saunders (Spieth's fat & thin double act trying to pitch on @ 12) helped Danny Willett win his first Major and the coveted Green Jacket.

Yes, Danny Willett's place in Masters history is undeniable now. His 2 stroke victory was thoroughly merited, and anyone who posts the best round of the day whilst in contention in a Major deserves all the acclaim that victory brings. But for so long that day, that tournament even, it looked like there would be only one winner. Jordan Spieth, the defending Champ. For 7 straight rounds at Augusta Jordan had lead the Masters, and despite him clearly wrestling with his tee to green game (wonder what Ernie would give to putt like him right now...) his hot putter allowed him to climb aboard the 10th Tee on Sunday with a 5 stroke advantage and only 9 holes to play.

A couple of bogeys dripped from his bucket at 10 & 11, but once again it was at the tennis elbow of Amen Corner that his chances truly kicked it. One in the water off the Tee at 12 was followed by a belly flop back in the drink with his penalty pitch. By then it was more than Rae you could hear Creek. 7 blows later and Jordan now found himself 3 behind.

The man they were all chasing now was Englishman Danny Willett. A name that summed up the climax to another great Masters because the last few holes were all about 'will it be him, or will it be HIM'? Will it do this, or will it do that?

Ultimately Jordan had too much to do, in too few holes, with too little form. But was it form or was it fate? It's hard to say for certain in these circumstances, but I like the romance and possibility that coincidence throws up in life. Danny's attendance at this year`s tournament only came about because his new baby arrived early. His official due date - April 10th......Masters Sunday. The baby's early arrival into the world meant Danny's late arrival at Augusta. Last to register gave him the Player/Caddy number of 89 - the year an Englishman first won the Masters (Nick Faldo 1989). It was the 20th Anniversary of the last Englishman to win the Masters (again Faldo), in that year he shot a final round 67 (same as Danny) to overcome a huge final day lead. And last but by no means least, he was the only player who wore an outfit that would look good with a Green Jacket on.

So here are my final few thoughts on what I learned from this years Masters:

  • Colin Montgomerie still thinks being a winning Ryder Cup Captain is the same as winning a Major. 
  • The 16th at Augusta is like putting in the sink. 
  • Paul Azinger cannot say Kjeldson - Come and ask in store for my novel way of pronouncing it.
  • (Speaking of which) Soren is clearly practicing to become the back end of a Pantomime horse with that putting technique? He might get penalised for anchoring......to his shin. 
  • Bernhard Langer is proving what a farce the Anchoring Ban is.
  • There is a Golfing God who made it up to Billy Horshel, who had to watch his ball get blown off the green into the water hazard on the 15th hole on Saturday, then take a penalty drop and make bogey, by allowing him to slam dunk a wedge for eagle on the 8th hole on Sunday. 
  • And finally Ken on the course with his paper and pencil is 10 times better than any 'SkyPad'


Improving your game 

But we can all learn from the Masters. And I'm not talking about pipe dreams of hitting the ball distances like Dustin Johnson, McIlroy or Day. I mean more realistic things that if you implement them into whatever standard you play at now, you WILL see your scores improve.

Jordan Spieth proved again you can be spectacularly good without being spectacularly good. I appreciate he will be gutted right now, and certainly thinking he let that Major slip away, however the history books will show he finished in the Top 2 of a Major. The stat sheets will show that he did that without playing anywhere near his best.

How? Because he managed his game and his misses (except 1 hole - Tee Shot on 12) and his short game was phenomenal.

I'm going to highlight Round 3 - Affectionately known as 'Moving Day' in Tour events. The players have manoeuvred their way through the cut to the weekend. Now they want to get in contention, but moving day can go BOTH ways and you can fall out of a tournament too. Saturday was the big one that everyone had been waiting for. Spieth & McIlroy Head-To-Head in a Major. Spieth held on to his lead on a tough scoring day, McIlroy fell well out of the picture.

Why? Well, in my opinion, Spieth boxed clever and McIlroy came out swinging.

Jordan knew he wasn't playing great, but he made sure his misses weren't costly. Case in point, on many occasions Jordan took 3 wood or less from the Tee, and even with poorish shots avoided (by being short) the few Fairway Bunkers on the Augusta course. Rory on the other hand has one style, Driver and bomb it. Almost no Plan B.

Remember every round of golf is a game of chess. You are just trying to plot your way around, one move at a time, and make the lowest score you can. The fortunate thing in golf is the other pieces don't move. The bunkers stay still, the water hazards stay still and, with the exception of the strong winds, the trees stay where they are too. Your job is to just try and miss them, and miss them in the right way/place.

So make a plan for each hole. Play to your ability and strengths, not what you hope you could do or even think you can do. Only do what you KNOW you can comfortably and consistently do. 

So if bunkers, water or trouble are more than likely to catch anything other than your Sunday best shot, weigh up the risk & reward of that shot. If hitting a more conservative (or cowardly) shot guarantees a better score, then there's only ever a select few people will see you play it.

Then there is short game. I'm going slightly over old ground here, but Spieth 100% reiterated my points from last week in his post round interview on Sunday (which I may add he did with maturity and class following what must've been one of the hardest moments of his young career so far. He really is an old head on young shoulders, unlike Renee Zellweger who is clearly trying to get a young head on old shoulders).

When asked about his choice of drop for his recovery pitch on the 12th hole, he said that the drop zone was only 65 yards on a downslope, stating "we (he always talks of himself and his caddy as a Team) didn't like that number". They knew that the distance required a feel shot rather than a stock shot, and that the lie wasn't conducive to give him the height or spin he'd need to stop the ball. So they paced back and found an 80 Yard shot because this time he said he "liked that number". Basically he knows he has an 80 Yard shot.

Ultimately he made a mess of even that, but the point is even this super talented player wanted the comfort of a shot he knew he had in his tool box at a moment of high importance.

Even if we take that aside, just simply sharpening up your chipping and putting will save and shave so many strokes off your round. Turn bad days into reasonable scores and good days into great rounds.

The putting green is in magnificent condition for the time of year, so why not find yourself 15 minutes every other day to come and putt. Better still, why don't you make time for a 45 minute Putting Assessment where we can give you important advice and improvements on your Putter choice, putting stroke and your approach to holing putts.

With my GC2 Unit I can now also offer detailed insight into the style of stroke you have, and more importantly the type of putter that will suit that.

Click here to get in touch if you would like to arrange a lesson with us here at Portlethen.


 Shop news

If you are unsure what I mean by 'style of putter', I'll explain. If you look at a range of putters, you will see all sorts of shapes and sizes. In the past it was often just a case of 'buy the one that you like the look of'. But these differing styles have always had method to their look and design. Until now there have been 3 distinct styles of putter design (important to note I`m not talking about how they look at this stage, more how they are built).

They are:

Face Balanced - The Toe & Heel ends of the putter balance equally because the shaft aligns with the centre of the clubface.

Slight Toe Hang - Where the Toe end slightly dominates the balance of the face because the shaft aligns between the centre and heel of the clubface.

Toe Hang - Where the Toe end dominates the balance of the face because the shaft aligns directly with the heel end of the clubface.

These balance points vary to suit the different styles of stroke.


For instance:

If you like to see the putter swing straight back and straight through with your eye-line directly over the ball/clubhead and start line - you would want a Face Balanced putter so the face moves squarely to the straight line of your stroke (think Padraig Harrington or Paul Lawrie in their prime).

If you like to feel the putter arcs slightly inside the start line of your putt on both the back swing and forward stroke, perhaps with your eye line slightly inside the ball/clubhead and start line - you would want a slight Toe Hang putter, so the face subtly opens and closes to the start line and mirrors the slight arc of your stroke, meaning the face is always square to your stroke (think Tiger Woods or Brad Faxon in their prime).

If you like to feel the putter arcs a lot inside the start line of your putt on both the back swing and forward stroke, perhaps with your eye line well inside the ball/clubhead and start line - you would want a Toe Hang putter so the face visibly opens and closes to the start line and mirrors the arc of your stroke, meaning again the face is always square to your stroke (think Phil Mickelson or Ben Brenshaw in their prime).

The problem I see a lot when people putt is that they are trying to swing the club straight back and straight through from a position that doesn`t naturally want to do that, with a putter that also doesn`t naturally want to do that. The end result is the toe of the putter turns in during strike and the balls start left (for a right hander) of the intended start line.

But now there is a new kid on the block. And it is an impressive piece of engineering that will go a long way to reducing the likelihood of that.

Callaway, or more importantly, Odyssey have just unveiled the new 'Toe-Up' putter head design.

Now the Toe is balanced with the shaft so it makes it very difficult for it to move past the heel. The design also encourages the player to have the shaft slightly angle forward so they deliver the correct putter loft with a more forward (rather than upward) stroke.

These are available at only £169. Why not come along and check it out for yourself in store.


Remember all the other In Store Offers are still on the go

Like my Shoe Trade In and Battery Trade In Promotions as well as the Cleveland "Buy 1 Get 1 HALF PRICE" Wedge Offer.

Click here to find out more about our fantastic shoe trade in.

   

And for the Battery Trade In, simply bring in your old duff Battery and get £25 to spend on either a 18 Hole Lithium Battery & Charger FOR ONLY £175 or Lithium Powered Motocaddy Trollies FROM ONLY £375.

Click here to find out more.


Master Sweep Results

So the Masters brought plenty of joy and financial reward to a good few players, but it also did the same for many lucky ones in my Pro Shop Masters Sweep.

It was a case of in for a Penny in for a Pound. £120 to be exact.

Ryan Penny picked the lucky Number that bagged him Danny Willett for the event.

Here are all the other Winners.

Top 5 Places:

1st = £100 - Ryan Penny (Danny Willett)
2nd = £70 - Steve Wallace (Lee Westwood)
2nd = £70 - Brian Ward (Jordan Spieth)
4th = £20 - Dave Fleming (Paul Casey)
4th = £20 - Charlie Rennie (JB Holmes)
4th = £20 - Stuart ?( #29) (Dustin Johnson) 

    

Other Prizes 

Best Score Each Round = £15
RD 1 Best (£15) = Brian Ward (Jordan Spieth - 66)
RD 2 Best (£3.75) = Ian Craik (Rory McIlroy - 71)
RD 2 Best (£3.75) = Stuart ?(29) (Dustin Johnson - 71)
RD 2 Best (£3.75) = Archie McKechnie (Daniel Berger - 71)
RD 2 Best (£3.75) = Tony Bourne & Bill Grant (Troy Merrit - 71)

RD 3 Best (£15) = Derek McCann (Smylie Kaufman - 81)

RD 4 Best (£5) = Ryan Penny (Danny Willet - 67)
RD 4 Best (£5) = Dave Fleming (Paul Casey - 67)
RD 4 Best (£5) = Jim McD? (Matthew Fitzpatrick - 67)

Worst Score Each Round = £15
RD 1 Worst (£15) = Lena Dellanzo (Paul Chaplet - 83)
RD 2 Worst (£15) = Barbara Watt (Darren Clarke - 84)
RD 3 Worst (£15) = Jeff Capstick (Kevin Na - 85)
RD 4 Worst (£15) = Derek McCann (Smylie Kaufman - 81)

Top Brit = (£15) - Ryan Penny (Danny Willet)
Top Senior = (£15 each) - Greg Donaldson & John Mulvany (Bernhard Langer)
Top Amateur = (£15) - Bruce Johnston (Bryson DeChambeau)


Competition news

We`ve had a shocking weeks' worth of weather which literally washed out any and all forms of Competition. So I have no Results to bring you.

But some information worth re-iterating is that with last Saturday's play being cancelled, we have had to re-jig the Fixtures for the coming few weeks. The April Medal is now being played this Saturday, 16 April. The Keith Tait Rd 1 has now moved to Saturday, 30 April and played alongside the Keltie Trophy.

So this gives everyone even more time to get signed up for the ….. The Cappro Cup, Saturday/Sunday, 8 & 9 October.

"10 Events, 4 Divisions, 24 Players, 2 Teams, One Match, Lots Of Fun."

Yes, the Qualifying Race for the end of season 'Ryder Cup Style' Match now begins (hopefully) this Saturday, 16 April.

For those that missed it last week, or haven't signed up yet, click here to find out more.


 

The weather continues to be the bane of everyone`s life right now. Not least the Greenkeepers who take one step forward, then are washed about 3 lengths back. The majority of the past week has seen the frustrating mix of torrential rain through the night (and plenty during some days too), followed by reasonable overhead weather during the day.

The upshot of that being the course is closed and everyone stares out a pleasant golfing day with no golf.

   

But when the conditions have allowed, and the odd day that the course has been open, the Greenstaff get out there and the place really is in great shape despite it being exceptionally wet. 

The soft conditions mean that to reduce wear and tear, especially on the closer mown areas, the Team set foot with the Hand Mowers. This stripes the place up beautifully, but it also means that the guys have walked so many miles and so many more that I`m going to have to start calling them The Proclaimers, 'Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da.'

Unfortunately when the course has opened there is still lots of neglect towards the upkeep of the course from the golfers. The soft greens are even more susceptible to pitchmarks, and the lush fairways cause bigger divots to be taken. Please take a few seconds to repair/replace these after your shots. 

There was glaring evidence of carelessness on the face of the right hand greenside bunker on 11 from Tuesday`s play. It looks like someone has tried to climb into the bunker by going down the face and it collapsed from beneath them…….then they have just left the damage and the divot in the bunker. 

Please take more care in these precarious conditions.



There also seems to be a distinct shortage of Driving Range Baskets these days, so if you have mistakenly put one of these in your car after practicing can we ask that you return it as soon as possible. We don`t really want to investigate this any further because the last thing this Club needs is another 'Basket Case'.




For most of this week I have been in bed with a bad cold unfortunately. I've managed a little bit of studying, but not as much as I could have done if I wasn't so ill. I did get perked up a little when I received news that I got good pass marks in 2 of my latest assignments.

This year I am planning to offer much more variety in Junior Coaching. The idea is to get as many kids into golf, and for the ones that are already playing to move up a level and help them to get out on the course. In fact we already have a lot of kids who play a little bit, but don't engage in any sort of coaching. The different group and individual options and the prices for these will be featured in the next week or two. So watch this space.


The Course stayed open long enough for the Ladies to get their Tuesday Competition played. Cold and with the course playing long the scoring was high, but that didn`t stop Kathleen Johnson beating the CSS of the day and getting her handicap cut. 

Division 1 - Silver Winner - Kathleen Johnston - 94(20) - 74 
Division 2 - Bronze Winner - Sylvia Revell - 111(28) - 83

         

 
Club News
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Custom Fit news at Portlethen..Read more...

 
Club News
Coaching news at Portlethen..Read more...

 
Club News
Click here to find out more about how you could win a top prize for just 1p through our Penny Prize Draw!Read more...

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