You`ll be glad to hear that my New Year`s Resolution was to stop using 'Puns' in my Newsletter...I also intend on eating more vegetables and less chocolate. Pfft, fat chance.
Ok, so now that`s one New Year`s Tradition ruined, let`s get the others out the way. Indeed we have, according to the date on my phone and other mediums, entered into a new year or, as some people might say, another year. So I will happily wish you all a 'Happy New Year' and hope that it will be a prosperous one, filled with much sunshine, straight drives, holed putts and lower scores.
If we happen to meet in person in the next few days I will gladly offer you a firm handshake in accompaniment to the aforementioned festive greeting. However, if it`s likely that our paths won`t cross anytime soon, or your hibernation-esque sabbatical won`t see you venture near the Golf Course much before BST then there will be absolutely no requirement, and you have my permission not, to engage in any 'Handshake a`la Hogmanay'.
Merely because by then we are as much 'Happy New' to the Year as your chances of winning the Monthly Medal are having arrived 5 minutes late for your Tee Time. It may only be a few moments past 'that time' but it is now as pointless as sipping on a Diet Coke, and pretending that will be your savour, having just demolished an entire Selection Box at one sitting...in your Pyjamas...at 2.45pm...on a Tuesday. I throw this in because in my 20+ Years working at Golf Clubs, like Christmas Day & Hogmanay, it is an annual occurrence that even in the depths of February, and beyond, the re-appearance of golfers to their Golf Club for the first time in months sparks an instinctive assumption that they need to wish someone they haven`t seen for a while a 'Happy New Year,' just because that occasion took place during their sabbatical. There are some Golfers I won`t see until after the Masters so unless they are going to give me a Valentines Rose, a Pancake and an Easter Egg we can skip any special day remembrance and just get to the "Good to see you. How`s things?"
Now, before I go any further I`d just like to throw in a disclaimer. - I do enjoy the traditions of Christmas & New Year, but I just find many of them wonderfully ridiculous.
Like Christmas Day - The only time you make the effort to get smartly dressed, perhaps you even bought something nice to wear specially for the occasion, to then sit in your own house eating your own food…with a paper crown on your head...even the food has to get dressed up. We wrap sausages in bacon? (Which must be the food equivalent of kissing your cousin surely?) But that`s not the main food-in-food infusion either. No, even the turkey needs a little something stuffed in it. Why? Is it to prove that on its own it really is bland and a poor man`s chicken?
The only things that I need stuffed with something better than the outside on Christmas Day are my presents and the Christmas Crackers.
Shop Specials: I have just taken delivery of a new, but limited range of products ideal for those adults the size and dexterity of a new born children. Choose from Staple Guns, 3 Piece Screwdriver Set, 4 Piece Jigsaw, a Comb, a Hairclip, a Spinning Top, a Frog To Hop, or a Clip-on Moustache.
Like the plastic frog I`m being flippant of course, and I am very thankful that I could enjoy the Christmas Holidays and all the festivities as we move into 2017, as I know full well that there are some people who weren`t so fortunate.
Poignantly for George Michael it was his last Christmas, Debbie Reynolds will now be able to dance the whole night through somewhere better, while Carrie Fisher is a force that will be with us…always.
Sad headlines that rounded off an unprecedented year of famous bereavements in 2016.
But while auld acquaintance should NEVER be forgot, And ALWAYS brought to mind, if there`s one thing we should all definitely be trying to do in 2017 is - Look forward.
There is going to be lots that I am looking forward to bringing you throughout this 2017 Season, and hopefully you will be looking forward to what I have in store. Whether that is the new line up of product ranges, facility and service improvements, events and golf days, promotions and offers or just less tedious patter (we can both live in hope) I`m positive 2017 is going to be a CRACKER. (No toy inside unfortunately.)
I suppose it`s appropriate to keep things on the 'New Year, New Me' then with an update on the latest arrivals and additions to my Custom Fitting arsenal.
Between Christmas and New Year I took delivery of my Custom Fitting Product from TaylorMade for their new 'Upgraded' M-Family of Drivers, Fairways, Hybrids and Irons. Perhaps TaylorMade have decided on their own New Year`s Resolution because for the first time in the cycle of their product they have decided to keep a successful name/model and simply improved it. (Like we all should be trying to do?) They took all the attributes that made the existing version good and made them great whilst taking anything else that could be improved on and made it even better.
To keep it simple here is in a nutshell what they have essentially done.
Saved weight in certain areas of the Clubhead design - Redistributed this weight into more worthwhile positions on the Clubhead. This has allowed them to make both centred and off-centre strikes come off faster (more speed = more distance potential) and this weight re-distribution has also made the driver more forgiving (your mishits now go further AND straighter.)
But here`s the deal. The only way this (or any other technology) will give you the performance gains they are claiming is if that club is FITTED SPECIFICALLY TO HELP YOUR SWING & SHOT ATTRIBUTES.
Especially with Driving, there are optimal performance parameters for everyone - You need to know what these parameters are in order to unlock YOUR Driving potential. Things like: "
- What speed you generate.
- How you deliver that speed to the ball.
- The initial height that creates.
- The direction and shot shape that creates.
- And the spin characteristics that creates.
Know these and fit the correct driver specs to them then you will start to experience: CONSISTENTly LONGer & STRAIGHTer Drives than before.
Pick or Click a New 2017 TaylorMade M1 or M2 Driver off the shelf and you might get lucky, but chances are it`ll do much the same as whatever you are currently using.
TaylorMade's promise to you:
The new Irons have also been given that performance enhancement as well as a fantastic new look too. Check what they have to say about them by clicking here.
But here is my promise to you:
Using the extensive Fitting Pack I have, combined with the very best in Club Fitting technology (the GC2 + HMT Launch Monitor) and my Professional Custom Fitting Knowledge and Experience I will help you understand and achieve your Driving Potential.
Click here to book your FREE M-Family Fitting.
It`s probably a bit early to hope that Santa will bring you one of those Clubs! But on Christmas Eve we had plenty of golfers 'Scrambling' around trying to find Santa when we had our Santa Scramble two Saturdays ago. This was being run as a 2-Man Texas Scramble, with bonus strokes handed out to Teams in Santa Hats or Christmas Jerseys.
However as it was Christmas I had to look kindly upon a poor soul who had been abandoned on Christmas Eve when his playing partner cancelled on him. This meant I had to allow a 3-Ball to enter the event. They were handicapped appropriately and were still held to five drives each over 15 holes, so no wiggle room. The extra man however clearly proved advantageous and they came home first, but only by 0.4 of a stroke.
The downside to a Team of three is they have to split the Prizemoney more ways, so second place did in fact get the same prize money as first in any case.
Santa Scramble
1st: S Winpenny, D Murdoch & W Tait - 44.6 = £15 Each
2nd: S Lawrie & R Dickson - 45 = £15 Each
3rd: J Christie & A Legge - 47.25 = £10 Each
Nearest The Pins:
@ 5th - H McBain
@ 8th - C Watson
We also had a Christmas Treasure Hunt with a Chocolate treat hidden on every Hole. In particular, person or Team who found Santa had to send in a Santa Selfie to go into the Prize Draw.
Here are the lucky few who found him:
And the Winner of the Best selfie goes to:
Tom Stoddart, Billy Todd, Brian Dobson & Brian Kiloh
It`s back to competitive action for some of you this weekend as the Winter League returns. It`s past the halfway stage now and the race for the top two spots in each league is hotting up.
Click here to view the current standings.
This weekend is also a significant one for the Professional Shop as it will be 2 Years since I took over as the Head Professional here at Portlethen GC.
To mark that occasion I am holding a 'Jan-Iversary Sale' starting on Saturday, 7 January.
Here`s what to expect during it: "
*Future Purchase Voucher - These will be given out on any Full Payment Purchase over £50 (EG: Spend £50 - £75 and receive a £5 Voucher that can be used on any future Full Price Purchase, Spend over £75 and receive a £10 Voucher that can be used on any future Full Price Purchase)
Anyone wishing to redeem a FPD Voucher from my Christmas 'Double Discount' Promotion, all I ask is your purchase is double the value of the Voucher (EG: If your Voucher is worth £15 you need to buy something worth £30 or more - Any queries ask in store or click here)
The Snowball Discount Promotion reminds me that I think it`s worthwhile mentioning that Chris Gardner had a 'Doubly' good Christmas this year as he popped the 100% (FREE SHOPPING) Snowball and bagged himself a Golfbuddy GPS Watch worth £160 for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
It`s not just in the shop you guys are getting lucky right now.
The course is flourishing (literally) in this continued great spell of weather with the Summer Tees, Greens and Fairways still in full use and playing great. The guys are still managing to give them a little trim from time to time and rolling the putting surfaces whenever possible.
Hard to believe this time in 2016 the area as still reeling from the after effects of Storm Frank.
