The Rumble In The Jungle, Torvill & Dean`s Bolero, Usain Bolt`s 9.58 in Berlin, Tiger`s US Open at Pebble Beach, the Ryder Cup `85, `87 or 2012, Wimbledon Final 2008, a 59 Year Old Watson`s Open near miss at Turnberry `09, The Duel In The Sun.

 

Moments in Sporting folklore where you knew you had witnessed something uniquely special. 

Last Sunday at Troon has undoubtedly provided us with another, '…..I know where I was when I saw….' moments. 

The 145th Open Championship, and namely, the titanic tussle at the top between Stenson & Mickelson could, and right now, should go down as the best Open Championship ever. The relentless quality of their golf in that final round was verging on unbelievable. It wasn`t so much that they were head and shoulders above the rest of the field, they were so much on another level that Dane Bowers could`ve conceivably finished 3rd. Although I`m sure the first thing Henrik has was thinking when he finally got his hands on the ClaretJug was 'I`m gonna lick you up and downnnnn.'

Just on the off chance you happened to lose track of time whilst out playing Pokemon Go, or were so absorbed in the goings on in Coronation Street that you have no idea what happened or who won at the Open Championship at Troon, basically you`ve missed a bit of record breaking history.

Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson went head to head on Sunday's fourth and final round, and produced a standard of golf that not only beggared belief, but was so good it literally made the leaderboard look like the rest of the chasing pack gave up after 4 holes and started watching them instead. Phil shot 65 (6 under par) and lost by 3…….but he was still ELEVEN strokes ahead of 3rd place. That was JB Holmes, but the truth is the gap between 2nd and 3rd was so big that you could probably fit one of Stewart Milne`s Homes in there.

That meant Henrik shot 63 to win by 3. In doing so he not only shot the lowest winning total at The Open (20 Under Par), he tied the lowest round in a Major and scored the lowest round to win a Major. He also became the first male Swede to win one of Golf`s Major Championships. The more you look at the numbers for the week, the more incredible his (and Phil`s) feats become.

Troon played it`s part magnificently. The course played classic links. 9 holes out, 9 holes back, with the easier 9 typically being the front nine. The field scoring for the week read - Front 9 versus Par = 86 Over / Back 9 versus Par = 943.. So when you consider that Henrik played the Back 9 in scores of 34, 32, 33 & 31 (which at 10 Under Par would`ve been good enough to finish 3 strokes clear in 2nd.) proves that he was streets ahead of the field. A tip of the hat should definitely go to Big Phil here too as he had no drop shots over the first 11 holes all week, and to go bogey free in the final round, post a flawless 6 under par round and still lose is a tough pill to swallow.

So while Henrik won a Claret Jug, Sky Sports certainly won a watch with their maiden foray into Open Championship Coverage. 

I have to say their coverage grew on me as the week progressed, but I was genuinely `ragin` at the outset.
Eager to see as much of the coverage as possible, and with Sky`s promise of 'first tee shot to last putt' coverage, I made the effort to be at the Club (because I don`t have Sky at home) for the Thursday mornings 6.30am start. No sooner had Monty hit his opening drive, then they were back to their shiny studio for what I can only describe as some hot breakfast waffle... Needless to say we got to see Monty`s double (no, not his chins) which triggered even more pointless analysis of whether Colin could recover from that, 'but if anyone knows this course well it`s Monty.' Yeah, very good Butch and you`re not wrong, but I know the script to Caddyshack really well but that doesn`t make me Chevy Chase. But by the time the big names got underway the coverage had settled into its stride, although it seems Sky`s policy is 'if we`ve got a technological toy we are dog gone gonna use it.'

Shot Tracker - Yes, great addition. Love seeing the flight they create. 

Split Screen with hole overview - Fantastic, to see exactly where those Shot Tracker strokes end up. 

All that technology on the Practice Ground - Pointless. No idea what Club they are using or what target they are aiming at. Numbers and graphics for numbers and graphics sake. 

In studio Holograms of selected players - Nonsense. You could tell the players couldn`t even take that seriously. 

Skypad Weather Reports - I learned more about wind strength and direct in 30 seconds with 'Ken on the Course' tossing grass around down by the beach whilst up to his knees in rough at the first hole than I did off the numerous visits to Nick Dougherty in the 'Open Zone'...

And of course the one obvious inconvenience to the viewing was the thrice hourly Commercial Breaks which did nothing more than make me realise that I`d seen more of Ronaldo in his pants than I had of Steve Stricker playing.......and he was 3rd at that point. (Steve Stricker that is, not Ronaldo.) And by the end of the 4 days, the only thing I wanted more than a washboard stomach was, ironically, some BEEEEEEFFFFFFFFF. Yes, Andrew 'Beef' Johnston became a fan favourite with his performance and persona last week, but I`ve always liked him….all the way back to the days when he played Bigfoot in Harry & The Hendersons.

His wasn`t the only face that reminded you of someone else. The British viewers were also introduced to Craig David look-a-like Tony Finau. And on the subject of image, the only player hitting the right notes last week was Henrik Stenson who certainly lived up to his nickname of 'The Iceman' - The way he held his nerve on that back 9 was definitely reminiscent of the cool character from Top Gun, but the way he ruthlessly dispatched his opponents was also reminiscent of the real life hitman, Richard Kuklinski, who also went by the same nickname.


 

One thing that has taken me by surprise is the USPGA Championship which comes hard on the heels of the Open. With only 1 week separating the 2 Majors, the world`s elite will very quickly have to adapt their games from the all the nuances of links golf in Scottish summer to the more familiar (to them) drop and stop golf that they are used to. Which makes it even funnier when you think that last week the greens were purposely left slower (not being cut 1 particular day) and the 'chip & run' was much more in evidence to next week`s softer fairways and greens at a course called Ball-Does-Roll.. I can guarantee the greens will be running faster than Troon merely for the fact the having to use the phrase "9'11" in America definitely sets off quite a high Stimpmeter Reading...

Will Henrik continue his record breaking form? Or will it be another 1st time Major winner? Perhaps the 'should have`s' will have taken inspiration from Stenson`s performance and we might see a Garcia, Westwood, Donald or Stricker victory?

One player who definitely won`t be lifting the Wanamaker Trophy is Tiger Woods. He has withdrawn again meaning he will have missed all 4 Majors this year. Not being able to play and compete is hard enough, but I`m sure his injury enforced exile has just made it even more unbearable when he sees many of his records being beaten.

However, despite them not being best of buddies, I`m sure he looked upon Phil`s performance at the Open as inspiration that it is possible to contend the Majors well into your late 40`s. Tiger has got 5 years on Phil. I wouldn`t bet against him.




Betting certainly paid off for a few people following my Open Sweepstake.

Michael Edwards had the midas touch this time but he`ll tell you it was as easy as 1, 2, 3. Because that was the Lucky Number that landed him Henrik Stenson and a whopping £133.75 in winnings. 

Here is a breakdown of the winners:

1st: Henrik Stenson - Michael Edwards - £100 
2nd: Phil Mickelson - Craig Henderson - £80 
3rd: JB Holmes - NOT PICKED 
4th: Steve Stricker - Brain Wood - £40 
5th=: Sergio Garcia - NOT PICKED 
5th=: Tyrrell Hatton - NOT PICKED 
5th=: Rory McIlroy - Dino Becci - £7 

Other Prizes: 

Best Score 
RD1: Phil Mickelson(63) - Craig Henderson - £15 
RD2: Henrik Stenson(66)- Michael Edwards - £15 
RD3: Henrik Stenson(68) - Michael Edwards - £3.75 
RD3: Haydn Porteous(68) - NOT PICKED 
RD3: Brandt Snedeker(68) - Stephen Cook - £3.75 
RD3: Steve Stricker(68) - Brian Wood - £3.75
RD4: Henrik Stenson(63) - Michael Edwards - £15 

Worst Score 
RD1: Sandy Lyle(85)- Mark Roberston - £15 
RD2: Billy Horschel(85) - Imran Sheikh - £15 
RD3: Kevin Kisner(80) - NOT PICKED 
RD4: Greg Chalmers(85) - NOT PICKED 

Low Amateur: Scott Gregory - Graham Innes - £15 
Top Brit: Rory McIlroy - Dino Becci - £7.50 (Tyrrell Hatton - NOT PICKED) 
Top Senior: Miguel Angel Jimenez - NOT PICKED 

Although it`s short notice I am going to also run a USPGA Sweepstake.

This will be along the similar format as The Masters, US Open & Open Sweepstakes but I`m going to give you at least double the chance of winning. 

Instead of the usual £5 Per Square - I`m going to give you TWO Numbers for £5 or FIVE Numbers for £10 . 

Your numbers will relate to a players in the 1st Round Draw. There will be pay outs for the following: 

USPGA Sweepstake 

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

Best & Worst Score Each Day: £15  

Let`s hope you get as lucky as Michael.

Someone else who`s lucky number came up this week was Stephen Cook. You may remember that earlier in the season I held a Penny Prize Draw with tickets costing anything from 1p to £5 depending on what you picked. With the values very small (and demand equally so) it has taken a little while to build up to the value of the Prize. But I`m now pleased to say that we were able to make the draw.

Click here to view a little video of it happening 'LIVE', and who better to pick the winner in the PENNY Prize Draw than Ryan Penny. Although Stephen is now the proud owner of a £400 Lithium Powered Trolley for only £1.95, the reaction of Ryan when he drew out his friend's ticket is PRICELESS. 




So you see there sometimes is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 


 

It may be more a Cup of Silver than a Pot of Gold, but Lee Stewart will definitely be picking up the Rainbow Taxis Trophy at this year`s Prize giving after he successfully posted the lowest 2 round total over the past 2 Wednesdays. His rounds of 66 & 72 were good enough to win by 2 strokes from a host on 140.

 Lee won courtesy of his great round the week previous, but the scoring in the second round was equally as good. Steven Wallace topped Division 1 thanks to a 68 on the countback from Drew Tremain. Jim Cruickshank was the leader in Division 2 with a 69 while Mark Clubb took pole position in Division 3 with a 71.


Division 1 
1st = Steven Wallace - 72(4) - 68, 1st = Andrew Tremain - 75(7) - 68, 3rd - Jonathan Montgomerie 73(4) - 69 

Division 2 
1st - James Cruickshank - 82(13) - 69, 2nd - Kevin Neish - 84(13) - 71, 3rd - James Steel - 85(13) - 72 

Division 3 
1st - Mark Clubb - 90(19) - 71, 2nd = Graeme Westland - 93(20) - 73, 2nd = Ross Leslie - 91(18) - 73 

      

 

Saturday also saw the start of a 2 Round Competition. This time it is the Galvin Cup (H`Cap) & the Galvin Shield(Scratch) 

Aynslie Wallace top scored to not only lead the race for the Cup, but also top Division 1. Gary Esson in 3rd is leading the Scratch Shield with a 70. In Division 2 Craig Thain was best by 1 with a 69 while Mark Shepherd had 70 to win Division 3 by 3.

Division 1 
1st - Aynslie Wallace - 75(8) - 67, 2nd = Martyn Garvie - 72(3) - 69, 2nd = Gary Esson 70(1) - 69 

Division 2 
1st - Craig Thain - 82(13) - 69, 2nd - Chris Scouller - 83(13) - 70, 3rd - Stuart Cumming - 85(13) - 72 

Division 3 
1st - Mark Shepherd - 87(17) - 70, 2nd = Brian Kiloh - 89(16) - 73, 2nd = Mark Clubb - 92(19) - 73 

    

     

Sunday was just a Walk on Stableford and with the golf on TV the entry numbers were quite low. However that didn`t affect the quality of scoring. Handicap Champ, Keith Allan, kept his good form going to top Division 1 on 40 Points. Mark Robertson did even better with 43 Points to take the spoils in Division 2, but it was David Small who had posted the biggest points total of 45 in Division 3.

Division 1 
1st - Keith Allan - 40 Points, 2nd = Robbie Murdoch - 39 Points, 2nd = Keith Horne - 39 Points 

Division 2 
1st - Mark Robertson - 43 Points, 2nd - James Cruickshank - 41 Points, 3rd - Iain Smith - 40 Points

Division 3 
1st - David Small - 45 Points, 2nd - Colin South - 41 Points, 3rd - Steve Davidson - 40 Points 

   

   

Saturday was also a Cappro Cup Qualifier so click here to view the latest standings.


 

I`m always keen to see who has played well in the competitions, and again it was great to see 11 of last week`s money winners are all pupils of mine. 

But there 2 performances that particularly caught my eye. 

Mark Clubb not only finished in the money twice in 2 Competitions, but also reduced his handicap by 1 stroke and held his new handicap in the process. Mark came to me struggling with his game and not enjoying his golf as much as he wanted. One session with me and he has regained a lot of his confidence and enthusiasm for the game again. 

            

Another pleasing performance came from someone who didn`t have his name appear in lights. However I know both he and I are extremely pleased with his progress. Rhys Elmslie finally bit the bullet and came for some help on his game. 

Rhys had endured his game deteriorating. And while his game was going downhill, his handicap was heading the other way. 11 Competitions in a row brought about 11 point 1`s with his best score getting to within 4 of his buffer. 

Again after only 1 session Rhys felt much better about his game and in the following medal broke his handicap by 3 strokes and reduced his handicap by 1 stroke (.6) back down to 9.

So don`t struggle with your game, come and get the Professional care and advice that I am here to give. And remember this, Henrik Stenson almost quit the game because his game got so bad he couldn`t hit the golf course. He sought expert advice and his since been working with Pete Cowan for 15 years. Together they have rebuilt his game and confidence to the point that not only is he a consistent world class player…he is now a Major Champion too. 


 

Why not take advantage of my latest Lesson Offer

"The Game Changer" - 4 x 45 Minute Lessons

Lesson 1 - Full Swing Analysis 
Lesson 2 - Pitching & Chipping 
Lesson 3 - Bunkers 
Lesson 4 - Putting 

ONLY £120 . (That`s A £20 Saving)**

**Top Up Lessons will be given at the equivalent reduced individual price. 

Everyone who signs up for this Package will have their handicap progress recorded until the end of September (Lessons are recommended to be taken over the maximum of 2 week intervals, and are only Valid until the end of this period).

The Player who achieves the BIGGEST PERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT on their Handicap will be crowned my "GAME IMPROVEMENT CHAMPION" and receive a Commemorative Sweater, Certificate and an All-Expenses Paid Away Golf Day with myself. 

Note - If the Promotion attracts enough interest I will offer 2 Runners-Up Prizes to join the All-Expenses Paid Away Golf Day with myself.

That lasting improvement to your Golf Game is just one Click away. Book your first session up today. 

 

We had the last of the scheduled Fitting Days on Friday, and it was Titleist who came to visit. It wasn`t the best of afternoons but that`s when having the covered driving range bays are a god send. Thanks to everyone who came along to support the event. There`s no question that the Titleist product is some of the best looking, best feeling equipment on offer.

If you would like to arrange a fitting with one of our professional team here at Portlethen, click here to get in touch, or come and have a chat with us in the pro shop.


 

Speaking of Titleist equipment on offer, their fabulous Titleist 915 Wood Range has been massively reduced. The driver used by the likes of Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Steve Stricker has the adjustability and forgiveness to suit any golfer on the planet, and with up to £70 OFF any Driver or Fairway, this is the time to take advantage. 

The adjustability and potential of the Clubs will only be fully maximised when expertly fitted, and I am offering that service as part of the promotion ABSOLUTELY FREE. This will be done with the very latest and most accurate Fitting Technology - The GCT Launch Monitor and HMT Head Measuring Technology allow me to pinpoint exactly what we need to do in order to get your optimum wood set up. 

The GC2 distance measuring is second to none and is also something I am encouraging with my second Promotion.

Right now I am offering you a chance to Test Drive ON YOUR COURSE during any round of golf (Bounce or Competitive) any GolfBuddy GPS Device or Laser. This is not an option you have at any other Range or High Street Outlet, and certainly not Online. 

This gives you a chance to check out the usability and visibility of the devices. (A few people have struggled to read some of the displays on certain other models, but don`t find that out until after they have purchased and used them).

The Golfbuddy Range is the only company (along with Sky Caddie) that have physically walked and mapped the course to give accurate landmark yardages. (Other Devices and Phone Apps only use satellite imagery) 

Where GolfBuddy differs from Sky Caddie is there is definitely no additional fees to be paid. 

Their range is comprehensive with something for everyone. 

From the simple CT2 & VS2 @ ONLY £129, the WT5 Gents GPS Watch @ £160 or the more bling LD2 Ladies Watch @ £199 

For the person wanting more detail then there is either the LR5 Laser @ £199 or the PT4 Touchscreen Handheld @ £299 

Click here to find out more about the GolfBuddy range. 

To book your On Course Trial - Click here 

PLUS Anybody who buys a GolfBuddy GPS during this Trial Promotional Period will receive a FREE Gapping Session (Normal cost £30) 

This will give you the precise Yardages of all your clubs (Both the average distance and the absolute max you can hit your clubs).




Speaking of ON YOUR COURSE, we had our annual visit from the STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) during the week. Their representative and Neil did an extensive tour of the course, and the feedback from STRI was very encouraging. The continuous and conscientious work of Neil and his Team have brought the greens to a standard where they have enormously reduced the amount/level of organic matter that dwells beneath the visible surface that stops all the 'essentials' passing through (drainage, oxygen, light). That spongey build up is known as thatch and can be the biggest harbourer of disease in the grass leaf. The most effective remedy to remove that build up is to core. The golfer's nightmare.

So because of the hard work and care from our team, with more regular aeriation and dressing, the greens are now in a condition where they won`t require heavy coring so we, the golfer, can now enjoy better and un-interrupted putting surfaces. Surfaces that were reported to be as true as Royal Troon`s were last week.

This week the guys have been double scarifying, light aeriation and top dressing to try and combat the ridiculous levels of summer rainfall we are still experiencing.




The ladies had 2 Walk On Medals on both Saturday & Tuesday. 

Liz Smith was the best of the bunch on Saturday with a 73 while on Tuesday Heather McCabe blitzed the field and her Handicap with a tremendous 67. Much of her success she put down to her newly acquired GolfBuddy GPS Device. For the first time ever she felt confident in Club selection because she had all the information. All she had to do was make good swings (which she obviously also did)

Well done. 

Division 1 
1st - Elizabeth Smith - 98(25) - 73, 2nd = Heather McCabe - 90(16) - 74, 2nd = Linda Craik - 87(13) - 74 

Division 2
1st - Heather McCabe - 83(16) - 67, 2nd - Barbara Tait - 98(22) - 76, 3rd - Jenny Selbie - 98(20) - 78




There was plenty of junior golf action last week at the club. I'll start with the HSBC family day which took place on Saturday. This is a FREE hour of golf activities for anyone to enjoy sponsored by HSBC; they provided equipment such as clubs, cones, flags, hoops etc. As we already have the Junior Development Gang at 3pm on Saturday's, we made it a family day and encouraged the parents to join in. 

It was a much better turnout than we had expected as we knew there was some parents who were afraid to get schooled by their kids at the sport. The whole day was a huge success in the end with some parents wanting to start the game up. We even had a lady who had never played come 2nd in the fun activities and get a prize. And there's no doubt the kids loved showing their parents who is the golfer in the family.

Now that we are into school holidays, the juniors have 3 medal days each week; Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

On the weekdays they play the Summer Eclectic which runs for so many consecutive weeks. After they have all been played, the best score on each hole is taken to come up with the winner for this particular competition. These rounds also give all the juniors a chance to reduce their handicap including the non SGU handicap players (over 28). It's fair to say some have taken full advantage of this opportunity. It's great to see so many juniors playing pretty much every day throughout the holidays and taking a break from playing the new phenomenom "Pokemon Go".

Tuesday - Summer Eclectic - Yellow Tees 
1st -  Cameron Ferguson - 82 (25) = 57 
2nd - Taylor Hughes - 89 (28) = 61 
3rd - Nicholas Critchard - 105 (41) = 64 
4th - Matthew Davie - 88 (22) = 66 


Thursday - Summer Eclectic - Yellow Tees 
1st - William Lloyd - 71 - (10) = 60 
2nd - Matthew Davie - 86 - (21) = 65 
3rd = Ritchie Smart - 88 - (21) = 67 
3rd = Daniel Critchard - 93 (26) = 67 


Saturday - Junior Medal 
1st - Ritchie Smart - 87 (21) = 66 
2nd - Finlay Wallace - 84 (14) = 70 
3rd - Ashley Wallace - 93 (19) = 74 
4th - Taylor Hughes - 104 (26) = 78