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Stuart Wilson

Portlethen Golf Club PGA Golf Professional

Get in Touch: 01224 782571
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"A man was marooned on a desert island. One day a beautiful woman arrives in a wet suit. 'When did you last have a smoke?' she asks. 'Five years ago.' So she gets out a cigar and he smokes it. She unzips her wet suit a bit and says, 'When did you last have a drink?' He said, 'Five years ago.' So she gets out a bottle of Scotch and he has a drink. Then she unzips her wet suit a bit more and says, 'And when was the last time you played around?' He looks at her in amazement and says: 'You're not telling me you've got a set of golf clubs in there?"


Pros news 

That was my own 'Little' tribute to everyone`s favourite funsize funnyman and fairway fanatic, Ronnie Corbett, who sadly passed away last week. As we all know he was one half of the legendary Two Ronnies, and quite aptly mastered the art of telling the most engaging and entertaining 'short stories'.

He was also a mad keen golfer, and pretty handy at it too, considering that he played with a half set….the bottom half.. 

Click here to check out a great clip of him which pretty much sums everything I`ve just said up in a nutshell.

A more fitting tribute was given at his funeral last week where simply and subtly on the alter behind the service flickered `Four Candles', lit in his remembrance and also that of The Two Ronnies most memorable sketch.

And now more poignantly than ever can we use his trademark catchphrase "….and it`s a goodnight from him". 

But that indelible image of a beaming smile, and an equally bright tartan blazer takes me nicely to cheerier events in the world of Professional Golf.


Tour news

Last weekend`s tournament might have had a Heritage, but it was all about the `Luke` and `Grace` in the end. And with Russell Knox also finishing 2nd, all I needed was some boy called 'opportunity' to feature too and you would`ve been subjected to all sorts of cringe worthy lines. The RBC Heritage Classic at Harbour Town is as famous for its `natty` Tartan Champions Blazer as The Masters is for it`s much coveted Green Jacket. And if any player were to have 2 good weeks of form they could end up with a wardrobe to rival that of Ronnie Corbett.

You may remember back in January I featured the low that Luke Donald had fallen to, and his optimistic outlook at how he would attempt to scale the heights again. (Click here if you fancy a re-fresher).

So fast forward from that to last weekend and it was pretty much the first time we had seen Luke`s name on a leaderboard. He led after round one, and was still a top the pile going into the final day. But, much like last weekend at the Masters, it was a player with a last round charge that ultimately crossed the finishing line first. 

So while South Africa`s Branden Grace was the man slipping his arms into the Shortbread Tin Sleeves to the rapturous acclaim of `Well Plaid.` I`m sure the man from Hemel Hempstead was able to `Luke` back at his performance and take a lot of confidence and encouragement from it. Perhaps this can kickstart a run of good form for Donald and he can also make a push for this year`s Ryder Cup Team? Something that I`m sure is also on the mind of another Brit abroad, Scotsman Russell Knox. Russell also found a bit of form at Harbour Town but with their route to the Ryder Cup most likely being via the World Points list at 23rd & 29th respectively both Donald and Knox will need to keep up that level of performance from now on to make it to Hazeltine in September.

Speaking of the Ryder Cup, the European Tour got its feet back on EU mainland when the Spanish Open (or Open de Espana) got underway at the scene of one of Europe`s most Memorable Ryder Cup moments. In 1997 the Ryder Cup was played outside of the British Isles for the first time in the history of the Europeans home fixture, and with Seve at the helm, the match was taken to Spain`s jewel in the crown, Valderrama. A venue that proved to be a fitting venue and an even better test of golf.

That difficulty was highlighted once again during last week`s Tour Event which saw the course, coupled with the weather, provide such a bruising battle that the halfway cut fell at a whopping 9 over par, and the winning score was 1 over par. This shows how difficult a test it was for the players, but is a refreshing change from the usual target golf birdie blitzes that we usually see.

Perhaps it was quite fitting that the winner looked as if he`d had to sleep rough for the whole tournament, and maybe even more fitting given the venue he won at that his head looked like an upside down Carlos Valderrama. (The famous mop haired Columbian Footballer in case you were wondering.)

That man was England`s Andrew Johnson, and I`m sure with the 333,000 Euro first prize he can now afford a razor. It`s certainly changed days. When I was an Assistant Professional, we would get fined if we arrived at Tournaments unshaven.. Unfortunately for me those were about the only cuts I could make. Perhaps Andrew Johnson's latest victory might land him a lucrative endorsement deal with Gillette?

Certainly there was one golfer this weekend who landed a fairly significant, perhaps even life changing, endorsement. Back over the pond at the RBC Heritage, Bryson Dechambeau, the US Amateur Champ and Low Amateur at last week`s Masters, threw away his handicap certificate and took the plunge into the paid professional ranks. His Tied 4th finish would most certainly put food on the table this week, but he has also been snapped up by the Puma/Cobra Golf Company. With his Hogan-esque Flat Cap, single/same length Irons and `All-American` looks and charm, he`s very much a marketers dream. It wouldn't surprize me to see Bryson line up for the States in this year`s Ryder Cup either.

One thing that did come out of last week`s golf was incriminating evidence that these Tour Pro`s can play much faster than the sort of snail`s pace we see from week to week. 

Click here to check out this fun challenge that 12 of the European players took part in.

I think the Tour should put on a tournament where the players all have to carry or push their own clubs, can only use a yardage book or GPS, and each group has a walking Referee who starts a 'Shot Clock' of 45 seconds per player when it is their turn to play. If they don`t execute in that time, it`s a 1 stroke penalty. I bet the scoring would be just as good.


 Improving your game 

I mentioned Bryson Dechambeau`s single length irons briefly. This essentially means every iron in his set is exactly the same length. In Bryson`s case, he has them all made to his optimum 7 Iron length. The reason for him adopting this style of technology is to allow him to create what is termed a `One Plane Swing`.

Now, I`m certainly not going to try and convince you all to copy this mad cap method. However, I think it is worthwhile using this to emphasise how understanding the relevance of plane can hugely increase your direction control and overall shot consistency.

First of all, before holes get picked in this, I need to stress that this topic alone is fairly complex. What I`m about to describe is a concept to try and keep it as simple as possible. It won`t be relevant to every golfer, however it can be useful to many mid to high handicap players.

Plane - Think of this as the optimum angle that the swing should move around (on both sides of the ball) a person`s body to suit that persons height and body shape. 

Path - Think of this as the line (direction) of the swing as it passes through the ball during impact. Clubface - Hopefully self-explanatory. Let`s call it the bit you hit the ball with..

So before we start, let's sprinkle in a little bit of Body Rotation. Whether it`s a little or whether it`s a lot, we should all have the ability to turn our shoulders around the axis of our spine. Then there is Forearm Rotation. Virtually everyone has the ability and agility to allow their forearms to roll through 180*. From Palm up to Palm down - Try it.

When you grip the Club you are trying to make sure that it is `square` to you.  

Grip the Club and hold it out in front of you. The leading edge of the Clubface should be Vertical. This means it is also in line with, and therefore, `on the shaft`.

Picture 1 - Now, with the Club still in front of you, start your swing back. but allow the forearms to rotate so the Clubface mirrors that rotation and now points up to the sky. As this is happening allow the shoulders to rotate around the spine (only the amount you can comfortably move, don`t corkscrew.) and hopefully you can get your left shoulder (for right handed golfers) under your chin.  

Picture 2 - What you should notice is that your shoulders, left arm, club shaft and clubface are all on the exact same level - PLANE. They should all pretty much be horizontal to the ground. From there, simply tilt your chest to face the golf ball (from the hips. - Don`t roll from the ribcage.) Now your shoulders, left arm and club shaft point more or less towards the ball. The Clubface is still `on the shaft` - meaning it is on line with the swing and PLANE. 

   

So Backswing = Roll The Forearms - Turn The Shoulders.

Once the backswing angle is set, we try and maintain that on the forward and up-swing by reversing the motion. 

Thru-Swing = Turn The Shoulders - Roll The Forearms.

If the shoulders, clubshaft and clubface stay on the same angle and rotate the same amount thru as they did back, then you will achieve a PATH that swings through the ball on the desired line with a CLUBFACE that is always on that line.

Picture 3 - This means you will essentially create a mirror image of your backswing. 

The great Ben Hogan illustrated this by imagining he had a window pane, with a hole cut for his head to poke through, resting on his ball and his shoulders. Now he would have to swing underneath the glass on the angle of the glass to strike the ball.

For the best results and the best improvements for YOUR golf swing, you should always come for a One-2-One Lesson. That way you get the advice and remedies that are relevant to your swing characteristics. 

Why not book in for your Performance Analysis now? Click here to get in touch if you are interested.


Competition news

There were a few golfers who have taken some recent instruction that featured in the winner's enclosure during the limited Competition play we got this week.

Weather put paid to any Competitive golf on both Wednesday and Saturday of last week. But we did manage to get going on the Frost delayed Sunday Competition.

Nick Mackie won Division 1 with a best of the day 73(6) - 67. His score was best by 2 over Ryan Penny who posted a 71(2) - 69 which he says was helped in no small measure by the pitching lesson he had on Friday evening. Barry McDonald sneaked 3rd on a countback with a 76(5) - 71 

      

Division 2 was a closer affair with Gary Masson topping the pile with 83(13) - 70, proving that all his hard practice throughout the winter following on from his lessons was bearing fruit. Only the countback could then separate Grant Munro 83(11) - 71 and Peter Clark 86(14) - 72, finishing 2nd & 3rd respectively.

   

Division 3 saw another pupil triumph when Mark Brake 89(20) - 69 again edged in front thanks to a countback over Graeme Reid 91(22) - 69. Steven Campbell was a distant 3rd with a best of the rest 92(18) - 74.

The one glaring omission from the Competition Reports is obviously Saturday's proposed April Medal. Again the golfing gods conspired against us on a Saturday and the Course was closed all day due to a reasonably heavy overnight snowfall. Which now means we need to Re-Re-Schedule the April Medal. With the fixtures backing up already, this means the most suitable date to play the April Medal is now on Saturday, 7 May. That will push the May Medal now to be played alongside the Club Championship 1st Round on Saturday, 14 May.

This week coming is still the CR Associates Qualifier (23rd Apr), and the following Saturday is the combined Keith Tait Rd1 & Keltie Trophy Over 50`s (30th Apr).

This re-jigging also means the 1st CAPPRO Cup Qualifier is now the 7th May, so plenty time to get your name down before the Points Race starts.

Click here to find out more about the CAPPRO Cup.




The Ladies Competition fixtures were affected by the weather also which saw no Tuesday or Saturday play from last week, but they did manage to get this Tuesday played in time for me to include it in the Newsletter.

This week was the 1st Round of the Louise Mulligan Stableford, and there were great scores from both Denise Robertson and Sarah Ritchie who both tied on 38 Points. It was Denise who got lucky on the countback.

Division 1 

1st - Denise Robertson - 38 Points ACB 
2nd - Sarah Louise Ritchie - 38 Points 
3rd - Barbara Watt - 35 Points




Well the kids didn`t get much luck with the weather during their Easter Holidays. Much of the events that were scheduled were scuppered due to the course being closed. They did get out a couple of times and managed to complete 2 rounds of their Holiday Eclectic Competition. 

As you can see there were some fantastic scores from young men who have spent the winter working hard to improve their games. Well done to you all and keep it up.

Junior Eclectic - Wednesday 

1st - Finlay Wallace - 81(19) - 62, 2nd = William Cameron Lloyd - 81(15) - 66, 2nd = Brandon Simpson - 85(12) - 66 


Junior Eclectic - Sunday 

1st - Owen Harper - 90(28) - 62, 2nd - William Cameron Lloyd - 78(15) - 63, 3rd - Finlay Wallace - 85(17) - 68 

   

   

I was a little under the weather myself last week with a bad virus, but I`m on the mend now and in the nick of time too. I`ve been trying to get as much studying in as I can for my upcoming exams.

The Junior `Get Golfing Gang` is back this Saturday. Remember this is an ideal opportunity for young kids to try golf, learn golf and get them ready for making that step up to the big course. It`s FREE to all existing Junior Members and for Non-Members the first 3 weeks are FREE so they can try it. Thereafter it is £20 for the remainder of the year.

Scott Sinclair & Terry Kennedy are the stalwarts of the Saturday Gang and will be back on hand this weekend to get things going for another busy season. The more volunteers and support these guys can get for those few hours, the better the kids experience will be, so if you`d like to lend a hand give us a shout.


 Shop news 

Remember all our fantastic In Store Offers are still running for another week or so. 

The Shoe Trade In and Battery Trade In Promotions continue 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.


Our Cleveland Wedge offer is a fantastic opportunity to close the gaps in your bag, which could help you save plenty of shots over the season ahead. 



Click here to find out more about our Cleveland Half Price Wedge offer, which is already going down a treat here at Portlethen. 




Well, what can we really say about last week? 

It`s just been a fight to get things open and a mystery as to what was going to be thrown at us next. We literally went from the extremes of a winter wonderland to reaching for the sunscreen. As I`ve mentioned, Saturday was closed and things have slowly progressed since. But I hear the forecast is turning just in time for the weekend again.

  

Saturday's conditions caused quite a bit of confusion for people who call the Course Condition Phone Line. So just to clarify the situation, the phone line course condition options are either:

LINE 1: "The Course is OPEN" 
or
LINE 2: "The Course Is CLOSED". 

However, because the snow on Saturday potentially could have cleared very quickly meaning the course may have been left in a playable condition, the phone line was left to say `The Course Is Open`. 

The other option (Course Closed) would`ve implied that the Competition was definitely abandoned. The website however allows the Greenstaff to be more detailed with what condition the course is in, why, and what the protocol is regarding the next update. 

Plus the Greenstaff on that day can update the website from anywhere on the course, whereas the phone line can only be changed by physically being in the Clubhouse.

So, our advice to you all is refer to the website whenever possible.

 
Golf Care

Your next shot could cost you a fortune

We’re talking more than a double bogey – and one loose shot is all it takes. We’ve teamed up with Golf Care to help cover our members adequately, so you’re insured for costs such as personal accident and property damage. Don’t take the risk, get insured now and take advantage of the special member offer we have running.

Learn more here

 
Club News
Click here to find out more about The Cappro Cup here at PortlethenRead more...

 
Club News
Click here to find out more about what Kamran has been up to this week…Read more...

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

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

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