If you were wondering what that fiery red thing burning up the course at the weekend was……

 

It was William McGirt... 

With a name like `Wild` Bill McGirt and from the same gene pool as Yosemite Sam you`d expect to see the North Carolina native shooting up Saloons and Bars, not firing off birdies and pars. But when the PGA Tour schedule stopped off at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio for the Memorial Tournament it was McGirt that made all the other players `eat his dirt`. It was quite fitting that with the daddy of all Sherriff`s watching (Jack Nicklaus), that both McGirt and another fairly unfamiliar name, Jon Curran, went head to head for the title in the only way known for two hot shot gunslingers to settle who was best………the shootout. Fortunately this time it was only figuratively sudden death for one of them.

You couldn`t really say they came out all guns blazing when you consider that McGirt won courtesy of 2 Up-&-Down Pars during the two hole Playoff. But I`m sure Wild Bill wasn`t bothered given that he was able to look the Sherriff straight in the eye then ride off into the sunset with his saddlebags stuffed full with the $1.5 Million Dollar reward for his weekends work.

Over the pond it was a baby faced assassin who had another title in his sights. Matthew Fitzpatrick claimed his 2nd Tour Title since turning Pro in 2014 at the Nordea Masters in Sweden. You might remember that Matthew first hit the headlines at the Open in 2013 where, as an Amateur Competitor, he was refused access to the Practice Area because the Security Guard thought he was just a wee boy chancing his arm to go get autographs. He went on to win the Silver Medal that year. I think it`s fair to say that since turning Pro that Matthew has made more cuts with his golf clubs than he`s ever had to do with his razor. I`m no fortune teller, but I think it`s fair to say I don`t see a Gillette endorsement any time soon.

The life of a Mach3 Turbo sounds a lot like poor Andy Murray`s tennis career. At first he went close, then closer still, then closer again….before it eventually needs to be chucked in the bin. I`m pouring scorn on Murray`s record, but although it was more disappointment for him at the weekend, where he lost out to Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam Final again, we should all be immensely proud of his achievements. Andy Murray is now one of only 10 men ever to reach the final in all 4 Grand Slam Majors. Unfortunately for Andy, he has done that in an era of arguably the best trio of Tennis players ever to play the game. Djokovic however has joined an even more elite group. That being the cream that have not only won all four Slams but have held them all at the same time.

Will golf ever see that again? Danny Willett is the only man with a chance of it this year as we tip toe towards the US Open in a little over/under (depending on when you read this.) a week`s time.


 

So who is your money on? 

You should all have received the message about my Pro Shop US Open Sweepstake. 

There are still some squares left if you would like to get involved. 

Here`s how it works for those who missed the email. 

This will be along the same format as The Masters Sweepstake from earlier in the year. 

£5 Per Square - Pick A Number 

Your Number will relate to a player in the 1st Round Draw. 

There will be pay outs for the following: 

1st: £100 
2nd: £80 
3rd: £60 
4th: £40 
5th: £20 

Best & Worst Score Each Day: £15 
Top Amateur: £20 
Top Brit: £20


 

The sun definitely got it`s hat on last weekend. Hip, Hip, Hip, Hooray.. But you can get a hat on for FREE to help keep that scorching sun out of your eyes. All you need to do is take advantage of my latest Clothing Promotion. 

Dress To Impress Promotion 

Here`s how it works:

Buy any 2 Tops* (Shirts, Sweaters, Fleeces & Insulas) at FULL PRICE and take advantage of the following SAVINGS.

• FREE Cap Of Your Choice. 
•  HALF PRICE Trousers 
• 30% OFF Any Belt 
• 20% OFF Any Pair Of Shoes.

*To a value of £50 or More
(T`s & C`s: Account Credit & Vouchers can only be used on Full Price Items - All Discounted Items MUST be paid for in either Cash/Card/Cheque) 

So at least if you can`t guarantee you play like a golfer, you can at the very least look like a golfer.

Speaking of FREE stuff, the Kids Development Gang got a huge boost when Terry and Stuart got together and invested some of the Junior Gang Funds in some new clubs. These are aimed at helping those who are just starting or trying the game get off to a faster and more fun start with some new junior equipment. The most important thing to grab a kids attention and enthusiasm is when they see they can do it. With these new Junior Clubs from Golphin, the game becomes much easier to learn as they are so easy to hit.


This past weekend we had lovely weather again. I guess summer is finally coming round. We had a great turnout at The Junior Development Gang yet again, with some new faces too. Having so many kids trying golf is great, but as the numbers are getting really high on Saturday's, we're looking and encouraging some kids to come to our week night sessions.

I'm also very pleased to report that two juniors; Taylor Hughes and Cameron Ferguson were cut over the weekend and now have an official SGU handicap (28 and under). This means they can now play in the medals and competitions. Well done boys.

On Saturday the Juniors were battling for the June monthly medal. Continuing his great form, Ewan Brown snatched the medal with a nett 68. From his last 3/4 medals he has been cut by 3 shots and is the lowest junior at the club at 8.2. Close behind him were the Wallace's with a nett 70. Finlay just beat his sister on count back for the runner up medal.

Monthly Medal: CSS Men 72 Ladies 73 

1st - Ewan Brown - 77 (9) - 67 Lowest gross 
2nd = Finlay Wallace - 86 (16) - 70 
2nd = Ashley Wallace - 89 (19) - 70 
4th - Brandon Simpson - 84 (10) - 74

Click here to view the upcoming Allison Pairs Draw


 

It wasn't exactly free clubs, but there were a few kids in a sweetie shop at last week`s Fitting Days.

Wilson (Thursday) and TaylorMade (Monday) brought their Fitting Day Experience to Portlethen, and we couldn`t have had too more extreme days of weather.

On Thursday a gale force hurricane was bellowing straight into the face of the driving range which made things tricky. Fortunately that is where the benefit of having Launch Monitors comes into its own, as they can forecast and simulate how the swing you have made would/should have hit the ball. 

  

An example of this was when Graham Murray, who is a strong and sweet hitter of a ball, struck a crisp 7 Iron which the launch monitor predicted (based on the ballistics of his swing speed and impact factors) would carry 169 yards (A healthy 7 iron indeed), only for it to climb into the wind like Apollo 13, hover like a curious Kestrel and fall like a stone some 4 or 5 yards SHORT of the 100 Yard post..

That said, Graham Ross, the PGA Wilson Fitter did a great job in the conditions.

On Monday it was a completely different story at the TaylorMade Fitting Day as the sun split the sky and there wasn`t a breath of wind. Thanks to all those who took time to come and support the event, and I hope everyone who had a fitting appointment enjoyed their experience.

There was no shortage of experience from the TaylorMade Fitter, Luke Searle, who is also a PGA Professional. It was great for me to listen into how Luke, who works with the same products day in day out, used the adjustability and options to get clubs that help improve the golfers performance. So even I walked away from the fitting day with something new.

But so too did many others. I have been using the TaylorMade M2 Driver this year (for the handful of times I`ve played - but more about that later..) and have been really pleased with the performance so much so that I questioned `was the M1 really £120 better?` But Thursday confirmed why the price jumps. There is just so much more suitability on offer. With the weight tracks for both trajectory and shot shape along with the ability to interchange shafts, the TaylorMade M1 driver was able to be `tailored` to suit the different styles of swings and shot shapes much more accurately.

We still have a few more Fitting Days to come for other brands which are listed below. 

They will all be on Appointment only basis, but can I stress these are NO OBLIGATION TO BUY 

Callaway - Monday, 20 June from 3pm - 7pm 
PING - Thursday, 30 June from 3pm - 7pm 
Titleist - Friday, 15 July from 3pm - 7pm 

Click here to get in touch if you would like to book a fitting slot at any of these events.

Note: Please stipulate which fitting day you would like to attend and the preferred time.




As soon as the sun pops out things appear on the golf course that you don`t regularly see. Don`t worry, I`m not talking about an agronomy anomaly (Easy for you to say). I am talking more about what I class as the `Solar powered Golfer` - A species that I now find myself evolving into.. So with the sun beating down on SunDay (Of course) I took the chance to give myself and my clubs some fresh air and headed out for a few holes. The only thing that pleased me more than how acceptable my golf was (other than 2 shanks, one of which nearly took Gary Esson`s head off.) was how good the course is looking. 

Granted, the sunshine brightens up any postcard, but there really isn`t anything the Members can be critical of on the course at all. Yes, perhaps there are areas of the intermediate rough that are a little juicy, but with the fairways bounding on and the greens running, slick, smooth and true, the course is playing firm but fair. 

So firm that Neil and his Team are having to add hand watering into their already packed schedule. 

The one thing that did disappoint me about the course was nothing to do with the Greenkeepers upkeep, it was more to do with the Members up keep. Far too many un-repaired pitchmarks and un-raked bunkers. If you don`t repair them then someone else has to. So let's all work together to keep the course in its peak condition as long as possible.

  

It wasn`t just the sunshine burning up the course this weekend either. As the season gets into full swing then so it would appear do the golfers. 

The weeks competitions got off to a blustery start on Wednesday with strong winds and a few, ahem, interesting pin positions, making the conditions particularly testing. So much so that the CSS went to Reduction Only for the first time ever since I have started at the Club. The best score that day was 72, shot by 3 players in Division 1 which meant they were separated by the countback to decide the top 1,2,3. Sneaking to the top of that pile was Mark Ryan, who edged out Ben Murray who shot an impressive 71 gross (1 Under Par) with Donald Smith in 3rd.

Division 2 saw Peter Will the best of the bunch on 74 with Mark Clubb winning Division 3 with another 72.

Division 1 
1st = Mark Ryan - 79 (7) - 72, 1st = Ben James Murray - 71 (-1) - 72, 1st = Donald Smith - 77 (5) - 72 

Division 2 
1st - Peter Will - 86 (12) - 74, 2nd = Thomas Boyle - 86 (11) - 75, 2nd = Graham Miller - 90 (15) - 75 

Division 3 
1st - Mark Clubb - 92 (20) - 72, 2nd - Jim Chissell - 94 (20) - 74, 3rd - Mark Wallace - 93 (17) - 76

   

   

Saturday saw the start of the Strokeplay Championship. This is played over 4 Rounds alongside the relevant Monthly Medal. The weather and the scores were much better. But there was a certain déjà vu to the winners though. Division 1 saw Ben Murray beat Donald Smith on the countback again. This time however their scores were both 5 strokes lower. Ben`s 66 (6 Under) gross was actually the lowest score of the day, but when you play off +1 you even have to give a stroke back to the course.

Division 2 saw another 67 lead the way with Tony Storey that man. Aaron Watson also top scored with 67 in Division 3 and is starting to find his feet and some form with his new irons and swing.

Division 1 
1st = Ben Murray - 66 (-1) - 67, 1st = Donald Smith - 72 (5) - 67, 3rd - Graham Murray - 78 (10) - 68 

Division 2 
1st - Tony Storey - 81 (14) - 67, 2nd = Gordon Duncan - 83 (15) - 68, 2nd = Kevin Neish - 82 (14) - 68 

Division 3 
1st - Aaron Watson - 87 (20) - 67, 2nd = Dennis Riddell - 85 (17) - 68, 2nd = John Ritchie - 88 (20) - 68

   

The June Medal was the 3rd Qualifier in the Cappro Cup which saw quite a bit of movement in the automatic qualifying places. 

Click here to check out the full standings.


Sunday was just a Walk On, but again with the ideal conditions the scoring was good. Lee Stewart bounced back from a disappointing Saturday with an excellent 66. It was clickety-click in all three Divisions with David Donaldson top scoring in Division 2 with that score and Mark Brake also found the right Route to 66 too.

Division 1 
1st - Lee Stewart - 76 (10) - 66, 2nd = Martin Shand - 72 (4) - 68, 2nd = Craig Henderson - 76 (8) - 68 

Division 2 
1st - David Donaldson - 78 (12) - 66, 2nd - Bruce Fraser - 82 (15) - 67, 3rd - Andrew Catley - 81 (13) - 68 

Division 3 
1st - Mark Brake - 85 (19) - 66, 2nd = Alex Legge - 89 (19) - 70, 2nd = Mark Wallace - 87 (17) - 70

   

 

 

   

The ladies Saturday scores weren`t quite as impressive as the gents with the firmer conditions and faster greens proving more of a challenge to the ladies. Barbara Watt top scored in the Silver Division with 74 while Pat Penfold led the way in the Bronze with the best of the day 73. 

Division 1 
1st - Barbara Watt - 93 (19) - 74, 2nd - Linda Craik - 92 (13) - 79, 3rd - Kathleen Johnston - 102 (20) - 82 

Division 2 
1st - Pat Penfold - 99 (26) - 73, 2nd - Marjorie Davidson - 108 (34) - 74, 3rd - Sylvia Revell - 105 (28) - 77

      

As I`ve mentioned, the course conditions are definitely changing. The fairways are firmer, the semi and intermediate rough is juicier, and the greens are definitely running faster. All this means the way the course plays changes, so you have to adapt your game to manage and suit these changes.

Consider these factors:

Obviously, most people realise that they can take one or two clubs less on full shots and let the ball bound on to the green, but I see many people not adapting their short game. Mainly because their short game is too one dimensional in the first place. 

For example, picture the scene. The ground is soft, the greens are lush. The ball is 5 yards off the green and the pin is on the green 20 feet. The player chips the ball with their pitching wedge, it lands on the edge of the green and bounces softly before rolling up next to the pin. 

The player is faced with the exact same shot, only now the ground is firm and the green surface much faster. They instinctively go for their pitching wedge (because that is what they chip with.), they land the ball on the exact same spot as before but this time the ball takes a much harder bigger bounce, then a smaller one before releasing and rolling way past the flag. 

The shot called for more loft to encourage more height that would allow the ball to land in the same spot but with a different trajectory. Now the ball is more likely to react the same as the shot played in softer conditions. 

And here is something else to consider. For those of you who struggle with keeping the driver straight, fear not. By taking a more lofted club you will dramatically improve your control over your accuracy, but now the firm fairways mean your more lofted club will run out as far as you would normally drive. So now you are in play more and as close to the green as you would normally be.