If a late Summer is affectionately known as an 'Indian Summer' then what should we call a late Winter!?...don`t say Bernie!
Unfortunately we have had to deal with lumbering Snow bitz leaving big puddles of drool behind!
Now, I`m no Nostradamus but those of you who didn`t switch off more than 30 seconds into a conversation with me anytime throughout December to March would`ve heard me say on more than one occasion that 'I hope this nice mild winter doesn`t come back to bite us and mean we end up with a 'mingin' (technical meteorological term) Spring!'…well, it has! So that either makes me a psychic prophet…or the reason this has happened!
This last week has seen everything from frost, rain, sleet, hail, snow all lovingly garnished with a wind that gives us all that 'Donald Trump Expression' and is as cold and as cutting a verbal backhand from Ilie Nastase! So much so that virtually our only Customers lately have been some Brass Monkeys on the lookout for some 'new balls please!'
We stumbled through the weekends competitions thankfully but the icy atmosphere got so bad for the Ladies Cancelled Medal on Tuesday that I thought for a minute Nicola Sturgeon & Theresa May had joined their Section!
For once though it wasn`t a case of us sitting at home wrapped in our duvet, watching the Golf Coverage through the peep holes of our balaclava while the Tour Players lap up the sunshine in ideal conditions.
Over in China at the Shenzhen International they were blighted with poor weather also. Electrical Storms plagued the opening rounds, but they caught up with play by the time the final round got underway. But that last day's play was blighted with rain most of the time. It didn`t stop Tommy Fleetwood blitzing round in a 9 Under Par 63, which included 7 birdies and an eagle, to set a Clubhouse lead of 16 Under Par and tie the on course leaders which included Ross Fisher, George Coetzee and Bernd Wiesberger.
Fleetwood's final round made up for his mediocre start to the tournament where the only headline making activity he had on Thursday & Friday was his ridiculous attire which I can only described as 'Joggy Bottoms'! Even without the string vest and white socks & sandals his 'look' was verging on Shameless!
Fortunately for Tommy his golf was much better to look at and when Fisher 3 putted the last the tie at the top was down to 3, then Coetzee thought he must`ve been in the Bennachie Hills when he decided to make a 'snowman' up the 72nd Hole. That 8 proved costly to the tune of between 250 or 400 thousand Euro!
In the end it was Fleetwood & Wiesberger who Played Off for the title. Like both Fisher & Coetzee before him the 1st hole of Sudden Death would see Fleetwood Mac the first mistake and a Par 4 on the tough 18th would be good enough for Bernd to cap a fantastic run of form with a richly deserved victory. In his last 5 starts in Europe the big Austrian has had three Top 5 Finishes!
There was a touch of the Coetzee's about the finish to Sunday's Grouse Trophy.
It turned out that a nasty 8 on the final hole was the difference between Stephen Cook winning the big prize and having to just settle for a disappointing handicap reduction.
The benefactor of that blip was Brian Stephen who, with his 67, coasted to a 3 shot victory and ensured that he will definitely pick up a bird at the end of Season Prize Giving soiree!
Division 1
1 Graham Innes 71(1) - 70
2 William Craig 79(9) - 70
3 Stephen Cook 74(4) - 70
Division 2
1 James Harper 82(11) - 71
2 Iain Main 87(15) - 72
3 James West 84(12) - 72
Division 3
1 Brian Stephen 86(19) - 67
2 Mark Brake 87(17) - 70
3 Brian Alves 88(17) - 71
Saturday was the CR Associates Matchplay Qualifier and conditions were tough. Perhaps the fact that the first man out at 6.26am posted the best round tells a story of how the blustery conditions only worsened during the day.
Martin Shand was that man and also managed to post that low score in a round that took just over 3 hours! So just shows that good golf doesn't need to take long either!
Division 1
1 Martin Shand 72(4) - 68
2 David Ferguson 73(4) - 69
3 Stan Forbes 79(9) - 70
Division 2
1 Greg Smart 78(12) - 66
2 Brian Wood 83(15) - 68
3 Robert Dickson 81(13) - 68
Division 3
1 Konrad Lister 93(25) - 68
2 Mark Shepherd 86(17) - 69
3 Mark Clubb 91(19) - 72
The cut off for the Matchplay fell at 77 and thanks to everyone with their patience with the Sign In Procedure as we tried to ensure that those who did and did not want to be considered for the Knockout Stages were registered correctly.
Unfortunately not everyone 'got the memo' regarding that operating procedure for the Opt In part of Saturday's Computer Sign In and I found myself having to walk(talk) 90% of people through it time after time!
So, just a heads up that there will be a similar Opt In Procedure this Saturday for those wanting to be eligible for the Lombard Trophy National Pro Am Qualifier that is being run in conjunction with this Saturday's Competition.
Here is a reminder AGAIN of what it involves and what to do! - PLEASE READ...as my Laryngitis is just clearing up!!
Lombard Trophy National Pro-Am Qualifier
Saturday, 29 April. In conjunction with a basic Medal & the Keltie Over 50`s Trophy we will be holding the Lombard Trophy National Pro-Am Qualifier. The lowest score of those who have chosen to enter this Qualifier go on to play in a Regional Qualifier at Crieff GC on Monday, 10 July in a Pro-Am Format alongside myself. The Winner of that event goes on to Represent Portlethen GC at the Grand Final in Portugal on Wednesday, 20 September to Friday, 22 September.
Essentially you need to be available for those dates, so if you are here is the Sign In protocol to follow.
- Sign In To Competition As Normal
- Click 'YES' To Perform Another Operation
- Select 'SIGN IN' To Lombard Trophy Qualifier (Highlighted In Orange)
- Follow 'On Screen Instructions'
- Click 'NO' To Finish & Exit
- Pay £2 Entry & Collect Scorecard
For those of you interested here are the Qualifiers & the subsequent Match-Ups for the CR Associates - Click Here
There were some great scores posted on Wednesday`s Walk On Medal with a special mention going to Mark Ingram. Mark is a fairly new Portlethen Member and although a golfer for a good few years he has taken a little while getting used to the course and playing in Competitions so I was pleased to see he managed to put it all together in an impressive Nett 64…he`ll now need to get used to his new, 2 strokes lower, handicap!
Division 1
1 Stephen Lawrie 76(6) - 70
2 Mark Leslie 80(9) - 71
3 Keith Horne 72(1) - 71
Division 2
1 Graeme Reid 82(14) - 68
2 Duncan Livingstone 81(12) - 69
3 Michael Cameron 82(12) - 70
Division 3
1 Mark Ingram 83(19) - 64
2 Brian Ward 93(25) - 68
3 Terry Taylor 87(17) - 70
There are again TWO students of the week worth mentioning, and both for the same reason.
Firstly to Brian Ward who I was really pleased to see getting some reward for all the hard work he has put into his game over the last year, but mainly his recent efforts to work on his Putting. Perhaps helped hugely by the fact we discovered his old putter was bent! So a new 'wand' a little advice and some hard graft on the putting green and a handicap cut. It`s not a guarantee but it most definitely improves your chances.
You can just ask Jamie Ironside. Jamie just missed out on the Prizes on Sunday following a 75(4) - 71, but he did nudge a 0.1 off his handicap and posted his best round of the year, stopping a slide of scores that would`ve seen his handicap jump up to 5 if he had missed the buffer again. All of Jamie`s frustrations were on the greens as he felt he was playing well enough to be scoring better.
An emergency Putting Lesson was booked and once we had highlighted some flaws in his Set Up and the consequent impact they had on his Stroke, Strike and Feel he quickly understood and saw the benefits the Changes/Improvements made.
On Sunday he apparently rolled in LOTS of good putts - the reward was the score his golf merited.
Remember, Lessons are not just to sort your Swing! Think of your whole game and what areas will impact and improve your Scoring best.
Why not Book your Short Game or Putting Lesson today - Click Here.
I`m passionate about making sure my golfers golf better. I talk most weeks about the benefits of Tuition and the importance of Custom Fit, so right now for the Month of May I am going to put my money where my mouth is and launch my latest Promotion.
In association with the Companies I stock (Callaway, PING, TaylorMade & Wilson) I am offering what I would call 'The Complete Performance Solution' but they have named 'The Complete Equipment Solution'
Take advantage of my FREE Custom Fit Session & FREE Lesson Offer*
This applies to any Driver, Iron or multiple Wedge Fit.
(T`s&C`s: *Free Lesson only applies to Single Brand Fittings - 1Hour session comprises 30 Minute Club Fit & 30 Minute Lesson. All Multi Brand Fits are still FREE but require the full 1 Hour slot)
We have one of the most comprehensive Fitting Selections you`ll find anywhere, but especially at a Green Grass facility and when you add to that my newly acquired GC Quad Launch Monitor not only are you getting a fantastic level of service but you are also getting it absolutely FREE!
Why not Book your Custom Fit Session today - Click Here
We have a few Company specific Fitting Days coming up soon too. One of which will be a first for me also.
On Monday, 8 May (3pm - 7pm) we have Titleist visiting to offer a BALL FITTING EXPERIENCE.
This is a chance to see if the type or model of Ball you are currently using suits what your game needs.
If this is something of interest you can book your 30 Minute Slot - Click Here
We also have the following Trial Day:
Callaway Fitting Day
Wednesday, 31 May - 2pm until 4pm
To Book a 30 Minute Fitting Appointment - Click Here
Hopefully there is enough going on to make you play good, but I`m equally as obsessed with making you guys look good as well.
I can finally showcase the last of my Clothing Ranges for…ahem…Spring/Summer! The adidas Collection will be arriving in '2 Colour stories' - Here is a sneak peek at the first one and the second will be hot on its heels throughout May so get it while it`s H…ere!
Much like Stuart has been mentioning getting the correct fitting equipment is vital for a golfer to improve. We believe this is even more important when a kid is both growing and learning. For the smaller Juniors especially allowing them to learn with Clubs that are neither the correct length or weight/flex for them can be extremely detrimental to their progress. And we all know that if a kid isn`t good at something they certainly won`t enjoy it and more than likely not want to do it.
With that in mind the Junior Development Gang not only invested in suitable Clubs for the kids to try but Stuart has given the added incentive of providing them with their own Iron for only £14 (That`s a 30% Saving)
We have also created a designated 'Junior Section' in the Shop with product to suit all ages and heights.
The Junior Development Gang started up again on the 15th and has been busier than we thought for its first couple of weeks with over 30 in attendance. This season we have a few more kids who are now getting to the stage of playing the golf course and will be playing for their first handicap very soon. Last week that meant there was a nice balance between the kids up on the driving range and the ones on the course.
It's quite a familiar sight that the kids who have been showing real potential and have been hitting the ball well on the range don't necessarily score well on the course the first few times and that is normal. The golf course is very different to hitting balls on the range and they quickly learn how to adapt to the course where just because you can hit it 200 yards, doesn't actually mean you can score well!
The kids who have been playing the course for a while and even the ones just starting to play for their handicap get very little coaching and that`s where I come in. I am hoping to start some coaching groups very soon for these juniors if they are keen enough. If you are interested in any coaching for your child - whether it's group or individual - don't hesitate to contact me for further information.
We also have a healthy number of older Juniors playing either 9 or 18 Holes, so on a Saturday we are seeing nearly 50 Juniors involved in Golf at some level which is really refreshing.
Competition Results
The first Monthly medal for the 18 Holers was played on Saturday and claimed by Matthew Davie by just the one shot! Matthew had actually booked a lesson with myself before playing but it doesn't seem like his game is that bad! However there is always room for improvement and I look forward to helping him get his handicap down this season.
Junior April Medal
Winner: Matthew Davie - 93 (21) - 72
Runner up: Finlay Wallace - 85 (12) - 73
It was that time in the Ladies Calendar to play for a Trophy so what better one to play for than the Callander Trophy!
Pat Penfold certainly has another date on her Calendar now as she`ll need to come along and collect her Trophy at the End Of Season Prize Giving.
I felt sorry for Morag Cammack who has been working hard on her game following a series of Lessons and missed out on a healthy Handicap reduction and a Trophy courtesy of an 11 at the 13th spoiling an otherwise extremely good round.
Division 1
1 Pat Penfold 101(27) - 74
2 Sylvia Revell 104(29) - 75
3 Morag Cammack 103(27) - 76
The new TP5 ball from TaylorMade has been achieving some impressive results on tour so far this year - and it’s now available in your local pro shop. We’re so confident that you’ll benefit from the TP5 that when you purchase a dozen, we will give you a 2-ball pack for FREE. If you don’t get on with it, then you can return your unused dozen for a full refund.
Watch our video on TP5 here.
