So where were you when the wall came down?
Not Berlin this time though. And it won't break down the barrier between democracy and repression, more likely just remove a barrier to give the shop de more spacey impression.
Yes, the Pro Shop was more DIY SOS meets Changing Rooms last week as I set about trying to create a better flow and a little more display space by taking down part of the Office Doorway. Now when I say 'I' you have to understand that meant I was more Laurence Llewelyn Bowen than Nick Knowles and I left the construction headache to a real 'Professional' - Mark Wallace.
But I did think the occasion was momentous enough to invite David Hasslehoff over to re-enact his famous performance of Berlin '89, his reply read "Unfortunately I will need to decline your very generous offer" - which he signed 'The Hoff'. So I wrote back - "No Hassle."
Maybe President Trump could use the bits that I removed for his project at the Mexican Border? I hope he builds that in a more solid construction than his ban on immigrants from Muslim States which crumbled and fell like Joey Barton after a phantom head skiff.
I think a more worrying threat spreading across the world right now is the emergence of so many blonde quiffed political buffoons. We've got Boris Johnson, they've got Donald Trump now Holland have MP Geert Wilders, known most notably as Anti-Islam campaigner. If you're not sure what he looks like imagine a cross between Christopher Walken and Harry Enfield's 'Tim Nice But Dim.'
All we need now is for Frank McAvennie to be elected leader of Afghanistan, Freddy Boswell to become the new Libyan Dictator, Jedward to take over ISIS (ISIS Baby!) and Kim Jong-Il to turn albino and their blonde ambition will be complete.
Sounds like a mission for Blonde, Bleached Blonde.
It was less Blondie Bleach and more Bondi Beach last week as the European Tour made a trip back to Australia (ok, I know it was in Perth which is nowhere near Bondi Beach) for the ISPS Handa Super 6 event. This was the first of a few 'different-style' format competitions that the Tour are trying because they 'are looking at ways to engage with a younger generation of golf fan.'
For those of you who missed it the 'Super 6' structure saw 3 rounds of stroke play, which included a 36 hole cut, then the Top 24 qualified for the knockout stages, with the Top 8 earning a bye to the second round of matches. These matches were played head to head over 6 Holes.
Did it work? Was it good viewing? Did it attract more people to the game as they had hoped? Will it catch on?
I suppose time will tell, but it was different and it was innovative. But when I heard the concept it struck a chord in my memory bank. So I fingered my way back through my Inbox to August 2016. Anyone remember what happened then?
Golf returned to the Olympics in Rio. And here was my take on that…
"In the weeks and months leading up to Rio, and with golf ready to retake its place in The Olympics, all the headlines surrounded the World`s leading Golfers withdrawing because they didn't want to catch THE BUG.
But now that it has had its "moment in the sun" (all 4 days of it) the big question is 'have any of the non-golfing spectators caught the bug?'
GB claimed Gold in the event when Justin proved that a Rose can blossom in the South American heat. His fabulous 2 stroke victory over Henrik Stenson and their final round head to head tussle for the title certainly produced the type of Gold Medal showdown and high calibre showcase that I'm sure the Olympic Committee were praying for. It was also fitting that Justin scored the Olympics' first ever Hole In 1 too… I mean 'as well` and not as in `buckle my shoe`.
Like the threat of the Zika virus, I don't want to be the fly in the ointment here, but I really feel that Golf missed a trick if we truly wanted to inspire a generation, inject new blood into the game and win people over to a game they possibly weren't interested in before.
I think the golf fans liked it. I certainly enjoyed the last round coverage, but much like the Equestrian Dressage, unless you're already a golf or horsey person anyway, the chances of kids asking their parents for a set of Clubs or a Moonwalking Pony are slim.
A bike, swimming goggles or some uber quick trainers, now that's a different story.
For me the Games Governing Bodies should've been working with the Olympic Committee to try and introduce/re-package the game in a more dynamic and diverse format.
Perhaps taking a look at the Boxing blueprint. Short bouts and a Knockout (not literally) format. 6 Hole or 9 Hole head to head sprints. Match play `Holes Up`, but with every stroke counted, tied matches decided on the Medal score, if still tied then most birdies wins or sudden death extra holes. Make it more dynamic, challenge the players ability to birdie (land worthwhile punches) rather than their simply not making bogey (hands up and defend).
In the later rounds you play more holes. Then you'd definitely end up with a Gold Medal Match.
The Ladies would have the same event. Then the following week there could've been a Mixed Team Tournament to integrate both genders. 1 Round Best Ball, 1 Round Alternate Shots and 1 Round both Scores to count."
One thing that did please me about the outcome of this event was that justice was served. Brett Rumford romped the first 3 rounds to lead on 17 Under Par, FIVE Shots clear of 2nd Place. But effectively his Tournament could`ve been over 6 holes later if he was beaten in his 2nd Round Match. However Brett managed to keep his blistering form up for the whole weekend and won his three Super 6 Matches to claim the title. I`m sure any win is special but for Brett this was a triple whammy. On top of the win it was also in his home town, but most significantly it secured Brett full playing rights to the Tour as he had lost his Card last year.
Over the pond there was certainly no concerns about this week`s PGA Tour winner losing his playing rights. Quite the opposite actually. Dustin Johnson produced an equally as impressive performance to bag the Genesis Open by 5 shots from another in form player, Justin Thomas.
Like Brett Rumford, Dustin`s victory had an added silver lining. While Rumford was ensuring he had a seat at the top table for the rest of season, DJ climbed to the top of the mountain and became the World`s Number 1 Golfer. Quite a rise up the rankings when you consider that it was only 2014 that the big hitter from South Carolina took a 'self-imposed' leave of absence from the Tour. This came amid rumours he had failed a 3rd Tour Drugs test. Since his return he has bagged his 1st Major (last year`s US Open) and 4 more victories.
Quite apt that it was a DJ winning last week as I`m about to drop the needle on my current favourite, 'Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay'
I`ll give you 1 guess what equipment Dustin DoM1nated with last week?
Click here to watch him in action.
If you watched a lot of the American golf over the weekend you may also have seen an aggressive advertising campaign from a 'Big Box Retailer' with a similar name (well, it`s exactly the same really!) offering a DOUBLE TRADE-IN VALUE.
Which I`m sure is very appealing to people. I just want to take this opportunity to make you aware of the nuts & bolts of what they are offering.
Double Value On Clubs Trade-In - Terms and Conditions
Valuations are given based on prices from the PGA.com Valuation Guide, this value in Dollars will then be doubled then converted into pounds using an exchange rate of $1.5 to £1.
So here is an example of a valuation:
TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2 Driver - PGA.com Valuation = $63 x 2 = $126 divided by $1.5 = £84 DOUBLE TRADE-IN.
A Golfbidder Valuation (The Company I use to give Trade In Values) = £80 SINGLE TRADE IN.
So the facts are you really aren`t getting DOUBLE the Value of your Club.
Another thing to consider before you decide to purchase elsewhere:
- The only thing I`ll try and sell you is RESULTS not products.
- Accurate Fitting is about knowing both how the Technique AND the Technology influence the Ball. I have over 20 Years' Experience in both.
- I also know YOU, YOUR GAME & YOUR COURSE - So I`m more focussed on your Improvement/Enjoyment than just hitting a Sales Target.
- No matter how much money you invest in your equipment elsewhere no High Street Retailer, Online Company or other Golf Outlet will be reinvesting any of that money in YOU, YOUR CLUB or YOUR LEISURE TIME ENJOYMENT.
The simple fact is, if you`ve read that last sentence then you are enjoying (well, maybe enjoying is stretching things a bit) one of the examples of me investing time and resources back into MY Members and MY Club by engaging with you on a personal level - And I churn this nonsense out EVERY WEEK!
Hopefully more examples of the value you guys gain from me is in the form of the many and varied Promotions I run throughout the year. Most of which are exclusive to a select number of Golf Clubs and their Members, thanks to the diligent work done by Foremost.
One running at the moment is the FREE Golf Pride Grip Promotion.
Choose any of the selected Golf Pride Grips in-store and we will re-grip your 7-Iron with both the Grip & Fitting FREE OF CHARGE.
But I thought I`d give you a 'Heads Up' Sneak Preview of some of the other Promotions I will be running as the Season gets underway, so that if you were thinking of any of these products you`ll know that great value is just around the corner.
COMING SOON:
Bag Trade-In - Trade in your old bag and receive £20 OFF a new one from the following Brands (Wilson, TaylorMade, Callaway or Motocaddy) - Promo begins Wednesday, 1 March.
Motocaddy Lithium Battery Trade-In - Trade in any old electric trolley battery and receive £25 OFF a new lithium battery. - Promo begins Wednesday, 1 March.
Titleist 4 For 3 - Purchase 3 Dozen personalised Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x and get one dozen FREE - Promo begins Monday, 13 March.
adidas Shoe Trade-In - Trade in your old golf shoes for up to £20 OFF a new pair of adidas - Promo begins Saturday, 1 April.
FootJoy Shoe Size Challenge - We challenge you to come into our shop and get professionally shoe fitted. If your current shoes fit correctly we will give you a FREE pair of FootJoy ProDry socks. - Promo begins Saturday, 1 April.
We have almost reached the end of the Round Robin stage of the Winter League. 7 of our Quarterfinal Pairings are in place with League 3 still to complete their final week of matches. This will decide who makes it through as Runners Up.
So the Match Ups are as follows:
Saturday, 4 March
Q/F 1: (Group A Winner v Group B R/Up)
8.30 - Bill Daniel/Eddie McDermott v Steven Jackson/Chris Gardner
Q/F 2: (Group B Winner v Group A R/Up)
9.30 - Gary Pacitti Snr/Alex Handsley Jnr v Brian Alves/Alistair Bell
Q/F 3: (Group C Winner v Group D R/Up)
10.30 - Colin South/Allan Towler v Robbie Murdoch/Grant Munro
Q/F 4: (Group D Winner v Group C R/Up)
11.30 - John Goate/Ryan Donaldson v Group C R/Up TBC
So both of last year`s finalists have made it through their respective groups as Top Points Scorers and are on course to meet one another in the final again. I know John Goate is particularly pleased because his Winter League record of 20 Consecutive Wins also matches his beloved Celtics League record this year.
Congratulations to Barbara Tait who had an incredibly impressive feat on Tuesday.
Barbara had a Hole in One at the Par 4 10th - So not only an Ace but an Albatross to boot!
Another pretty good week of weather has seen the Course continue to flourish and is shaping up nicely for the Season getting underway.
We have actually had a few visitors play as we are still one of the few Private Members Clubs who play Green Grass Golf throughout the Winter (ie: No Fairway Matts or Lift to the side regulations) and they have all commented both how good the Greens are running, and how refreshing it is to be able to play from the Fairways.
So kudos to Neil and his Team.
The guys have been focussing this week on improving the drainage on the 10th Hole and around the Putting Green.
No alliance for me this week or the last as I flew to Portugal last Tuesday. And no, not quite a holiday but a different part of the job - playing tournament golf, in some decent weather!
My reason for going to the Algarve at this time of year is to get some practice and get back into playing competitive golf before the season kicks off back home. I will be playing 3 events on the Algarve Tour which is a mini tour with tournaments in the off season with some decent prize money available for the top 15. Quite a few guys from the UK go over to get ready for the upcoming season but it all costs money of course, otherwise I'd be there all winter! I haven't gone myself, I'm sharing with Sean Lawrie and Craig Lawrie, who's been out here and done well on a few occasions.
So far we've played 2 events at Palmares and unfortunately neither I nor Sean made the top 15. Craig however finished 12th in the first event but just missed out by a shot on the prize money in the 2nd. Sean had a better 2nd event but still missed out on the prize money. I've not scored well at all due to having some high scores on the card in both events, but it's all good experience to be playing in these high standard tournaments. Hopefully I can eliminate the doubles and make more birdies in the next event.
The last event is the Boavista Classic on Feb 24-25.
You can check on our scores by clicking here.
Junior Easter Camp
The Junior Easter Camps will run both weeks of the Easter holidays, Monday - Friday, 10am - 2pm.
Little bit about the Easter Camp:
All aspects covered - Basic Swing Technique, Woods, Irons, Awkward lies, Short game, Putting
Rules & Etiquette
Fun games and skill tests everyday
On course tuition and competitions
Price - £40
If you would like any more information about the Easter camps or would like to book a place don't hesitate to contact myself or Terry Kennedy.
Terry - 07795522078
E: tkennedy784@btinternet.com
