Oh No! My childhood is crumbling before my eyes! Was nobody in the 70`s and 80`s who they said they were!? Next you`ll be telling me that Roger De Courcey had his hand up Nookie Bears trousers!! (No wonder his eyes were so big!!) And Morecombe & Wise didn`t actually sleep in the same bed!
It seemingly was a week of reputations taking a dive with our cultured friend from Uruguay showing once again that his bite is very much bigger than his bark and the Dutch winger who falls like someone has tied the laces of his clogs together! He is particularly well named because there is no doubt that I-am Robben (you with a stone wall dive which will win a penalty and secure the victory!) cheated the Mexicans out of a chance to go to extra time in their match with the Netherlands.
Whilst these poor acts of sportsmanship (and decent human behavior full stop) have spoiled the World Cup some of the matches have more than made up for it in terms of entertainment! Something I`ve been finding really entertaining are the names of some of the players. In particular the Algerian forward Fegoughli and the Belgian Felliani! It would have been even better if the Italians had brought a Ferrigno…….but then I remembered Hulk actually plays for Brazil!! Although I did wonder if he was Australian when I saw their supporters with a "G`Day Bruce" Banner!
And no wonder South Korea are getting so good at football with all the Parks they seem to have there!! And when did they start getting so tall!? Their striker is 6' 5", Hee So-Hi! And what about the Greeks, Christodoulopoulos, he is the one that is wearing the long sleeved shirt so they can fit all his name on the back! Perhaps the Greeks are hoping he lives up to his Christian name, Lazaros, and they miraculously re appear in the Quarter Finals!!
Someone who has made it to the Quarter Finals on merit is our own Andy Murray who is putting up a stout defence of his Wimbledon title! Never an easy thing to do when there is a weight of expectancy on you when you are the defending Champion!
That expectancy and responsibility now falls on a new name hear at Eastwood! Graeme Smyth, playing in his first ever Championship here at Eastwood did a "Fuzzy Zoeller" and only went all the way to the final and won the thing! But while Graeme was in his Rookie year his opponent, Bill Jenkins was making his 3rd Final appearance in as many decades! It`s fair to say that Bill`s Championship journey got better as the week went on considering that when he was at the 1st Tee ready to play his opening match he glanced down only to realize he had 2 different golf shoes on!!! Fortunately he put his best foot forward and never looked back.
Both Graeme and Bill`s route to the final saw them both come through extremely close and hard fought Semi-Finals. In both cases they found themselves 2 down starting the back nine. Bill was in Match 1 versus Stephen Smith and despite the 2 hole deficit after 9 the match really ebbed and flowed after that. Bill turned it round to be All Square after 13 & 16 but was 1 down playing 18. Great up and down from short of the green to a tight front pin took the game down the 19th where Bill closed it out to book his place in the 36 Hole Sunday Showpiece.
It was a similar story in Match 2 with Graeme`s opponent, Austen McDowall, also holding a 2 Hole lead after 9. But back to back birdies by Graeme at 10 & 11 and a win at 12 turned the match on it`s head. Graeme found himself still with that 1 hole advantage heading up 18. Austen thought there might be a chance when Graeme shortsided himself, much like Bill had done previously, but a chip in ended the game as a contest and Graeme`s run to the final continued.
The Earn Salver also was at the Semi Final stage and Match 1 also made it to the 18th hole despite Greg Walker holding a dormie 4 Up with 4 to play lead at one point. But Allan Crooks whittled away one hole at a time to take the match to the 18th. A poor tee shot at 18 was followed by a chip out recovery but when he almost holed his 3rd shot to 18 on the fly it gave him a putt to take the match down the 19th. His 6 foot putt slipped agonizingly wide and Greg was able to tidy up the half for a 1 hole win.
The second Semi was the battle of the Stevens (or Stephens!) and it was Stephen Cunningham with his ph that tested the water first and a after he got his nose in front against Steven Murray the flood gates opened! 3 Up after 8 holes quickly became 4 Up after 11 and by 13 it was all over to the tune of 6&5!
The guys got a good nights sleep in preparation of the 36 Hole final to come on Sunday and I`m sure everyone went to bed hoping that both their form, luck and the weather would continue even for just one more day!
That wish certainly came true for 2, and fortunately the weather held meaning there was never going to be a repeat of the awful conditions the players had to endure this time last year. As the players broke for lunch the Championship match was still very much in the balance with Graeme Smyth holding a narrow 1 Up lead after 18. The Earn Salver wasn`t as close with Stephen Cunningham continuing his good form, building up a 6 hole advantage at half time.
I`m not sure what Graeme had in his soup, but he certainly came out the traps in the 2nd round well and quickly built up a 4 Hole lead after 25 holes which soon became 6 Up after 27 Holes. It seemed that for Bill the shoe was on the other foot now and when he failed to get up and down from the side of the 12th (their 30th hole of the day) the match was over 7&6 (and not 6&5 as I had reported for those of you who follow on Facebook & Twitter!!)
Back in the Earn Salver Final Stephen was in even more of a rush to get the job done! His 6 up lunchtime lead quickly turned to double figures and he closed out the match against Greg Walker 10&9 meaning Stephen only had to play a total of 30 holes for the entire tournament!
To get more of a feel for how all the matches last weekend went why not check out the action on my Finals Video to the right!
Matchplay really does bring something different to the table than the trials and tribulations of trying to piece together a score. You can play with a certain amount more freedom knowing that a bad shot might be the end of that hole but it`s not the end of the round. You stay a lot more in the present, very rarely worry about the past and certainly never look too far into the future. It really does allow you to golf with that age old saying "One shot at a time!"
Other interesting things happen when you are playing "A person" as opposed to "the course". It`s amazing how players adapt their strategy when their opponent hits a poor shot. If they drive into trouble you change down and hit an iron to keep it in play! When they short side themselves to a pin you play conservative to avoid making the same mistake! When the chip (or putt) long you make sure you get yours down for a gimme! If you need to hole a putt for a half you are not worried about missing. But the irony is that with that mindset and approach you end up playing better and scoring better. You should try the more methodical strategy the next time you are playing strokeplay, especially with conditions harder, faster and trickier now.
Remember the course plays different now so your game needs to adapt. The fairways are drier and running faster so that means the course is playing much shorter. Great! However you need to remember that also means it is playing narrower as well with every slope, undulation, hump and hollow more likely to kick your ball further away from your target. If a hole that usually plays a driver and a 7 iron can now be played with a driver and a pitching wedge remember that also means it probably can be played with a 5 wood and an 8 iron as well! I`ve tried to make this point many times before and I`m going to try and make it again.
No one is denying that the rough is getting heavy and thick in most places on the golf course. But if hazards like the burns at 4, 17, 18 or even 12 have now come closer than normal to your drives because of the harder ground and you`ve had to hit less club to get in the same position then same threat/risk/danger has occurred with the height of the rough and firmness of the ground. This means the same strategy needs to be applied if you are just as likely to hit it in the jungle as you were to hitting it in the river!!! You`ll be much more likely to be in position with that shorter club and guess what! It`s the same number of shots you`ve hit!
Some where that will definitely be a tough test and require strategy this September will be the PGA Centenary course at Gleneagles. I`m interested to see how well the 2 sets of players adapt to it in this years Ryder Cup, and whilst I`m glad I wont be playing it I can`t wait to go watch them strut their stuff. And for 3 lucky winners there is a chance you`ll be going too. That is if you take part in my….
RYDER CUP DRAW
"WIN An All Expenses Trip To The Ryder Cup For ONLY £10!"
1 Lucky Winner will win an All Expenses day out to Gleneagles as my guest for the Final Practice Day and Opening Ceremony* at this years Ryder Cup!
There will also be 2 Runner Up Prizes of an All Expenses day out to Gleneagles as my guest for the 1st & 2nd Practice Day`s*.
There are 2 ways for you to enter.
OPTION 1: BUY Any piece of Clothing or Outerwear from my Glenmuir Ryder Cup Collection! (In Store or Ordered From Catalogue) and you will be automatically entered into the Ticket Draw. (Link To Glenmuir Catalogues)
OPTION 2: Simply Buy a Ticket for the Draw.
TICKETS COST £10!
Ryder Cup Final Practice & Opening Ceremony is Thursday 25th September and Practice Days are Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th September
*PRIZE Includes Travel to and from the event, food & refreshments and entry to the Tournament.
T&C`s: The Prize is for the Person named on the Winning tickets. If the date of the 1st Prize cannot be made it will be offered in exchange for either day in the Runners Up Prize, otherwise the Tickets are non-transferable and another winner will be selected from the previously "Unlucky" Tickets.
All of Europe`s big name players seem to be coming into great for at the right time. 2 of our Medinah heros especially in Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Henrik Stenson all cementing their places in recent weeks.
Although it doesn`t quite carry an Ryder Cup recognition our guys back at Eastwood were showing some good Thursday medal form of their own.
In Division 1 Liam Corbett 80(12) - 68 posted the low score of the day. That left Colin McMurtrie 80(10) - 70 and Paul Houston 85(13) - 72 in 2nd & 3rd respectively. Division 2 had a similar pattern with Craig Walker 84(15) - 69 leading the way by 2 from John Masson 87(16) - 71 and Stephen Scott 88(16) - 72.
If you`re frustrated that it`s not your name and photo appearing in the Newsletter there is one way to remedy that. Take the lead of Ladies Past Captain Linda Hay (seen right). Linda had 2 Lessons with me in the early part of the season and has since gone on to reduce her handicap by nearly 4 full strokes in less than 3 months! (She also won a brand new Motocaddy from me in the same period but that had nothing to do with my Lessons!)
Individual LessonPrices
30 Minute Lesson - £30*
45 Minute Lesson - £35*
60 Minute Lesson - £40*
Development Plan Package: "The Game Changer" (4x 45 Minute Session) - £140*
This Package is the ideal way to make simple, effective and long lasting improvements to your game. Whether it is focusing on one particular aspect or gaining knowledge and adding improvement to every department of your golf game.
Complete Game Package: "Top To Toe Improvement" (3x 45 Minute Session) - £105*
This Package focuses on every aspect of your game where you will be given analysis and advice on how to improve your Tee To Green Game (Session 1 - Long Game), your Approach Play (Session 2 - Shortgame) and your Putting Prowess (Session 3 - Putting)
Scoring Zone: "The Ultimate Shortgame Session" (2 Hour Session) - £75* 2 People = £37.50 Each, 3 People = £25 Each, 4 People = £20 Each)
The ideal way to make significant and lasting improvements to the one area of the game that guarantees lower scores! This session contains a detailed assessment of your Shortgame "Strengths & Weaknesses", a skills test, Computerized Putter & Stroke Analysis, Green Reading & Pace Control as well as an overview of Pitching & Bunker technique, Chipping method and shot choices.
Playing Lesson: "Take It To The Course" (2 Hour Session) - £75* 2 People = £37.50 Each, 3 People = £25 Each, 4 People = £20 Each)
This On Course Session focuses predominantly on your ability to manage your game and the course, mental approach, visualisation, routine, green reading, rules, etiquette and shot execution. Whilst how to play certain types of shots will be covered technique and swing changes will kept for on the Practice Range.
Consultation "Performance Analysis & Overview" (2 Hour Session) - £ 75 2 People = £37.50 Each, 3 People = £25 Each, 4 People = £20 Each)
This session contains a detailed assessment of your game and your goals! Important performance data is recorded using Flightscope which alongside a comprehensive Skills Test and questionnaire allow a "Plan For Progress" to be created specifically for your game. *Anyone who takes this assessment automatically qualifies for a 10% Reduction on all future Lessons & Packages that season.
Group Tuition
2 People (1 Hour) - £30PP
3 People (1 Hour) - £20PP
4 People (1 Hour) - £15PP
To book, click here now.
Another recent pupil of mine basking in some success is Robert Auld. However this time I`m going to step back from any glory because Roberts success was very much done to his own input. And it was the sort of input that might have Paul McGinley on the phone inviting him to be one of his Vice Captains at Gleneagles, because Robert was the man that lead Eastwood`s Over 50`s "Fields In Trust" Team to the league title this year. It all came down to the last match where victory against East Renfrewshire at home would be enough to pip Williamwood to the title. At one point in the 3 matches all our pairings were down but like "Captain Marvel" Bryan Robson himself, Robert showed his boys the way to victory by turning a 2 down with 3 to play into a 1 up victory! I`m hoping his new swing and/or custom fitted Wilson irons played their part!? Bill McKean & Bill Jenkins (Yip, more matchplay golf for Bill J last week!) also got the job done and the win on the night and victory overall was secured. The team will be presented with the Trophy at the end of season Gala Day which conveniently is being held here at Eastwood on Friday 5th September. This day is open to anyone who plays or has played in the FIT League so if you "fit" (sorry couldn`t resist) that description and would like to support the guys in their victory celebrations then look out for more information nearer that date!
More very important dates for your diary are next Saturday & Sunday which is when…..
I`m Going WWW.clearancecrazy.com!!!
Because that Saturday & Sunday (12th & 13th) Is my….
WEEKEND WONGA WIPEOUT!
There are HUGE CASH SAVINGS* on virtually every product In Store!
Deals Like:
adizero One Shoes ONLY £79! Plus A FREE Limited Edition Cap
All Golf Bags Up To HALF PRICE!
15% OFF All Putters PLUS FREE Lesson & Fitting!
£20 OFF Any TayloMade Wood!
Up To £30 OFF All PING G25 Woods!
Lambswool Sweaters ONLY £30!
Galvin Green Waterproof Suits FROM ONLY £350!
All Ladies & Gents Clothing BOGOHP** or 3 FOR 2!
Plus Many More In Store Savings On Other Clubs, Shoes, Balls, GPS, Grips and Accessories!
*Discounts advertised only apply to Full Cash or Card Payments made at the time of purchase! Account Credit can not be used for this weekend promotion! **BOGOHP - Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price!
Members Birthdays This Week
5th - John Harkness, Graham Thomson, Frances Duffy and Matthew Reilly
6th - Sam Anderson, Robert Hope and Thomas Miller
8th - Michael Atkinson and Glen Coubrough
9th - Christine McConnell
10th - Robert Auld, Stuart Dunn, Alastair Dunn and Robin McGuire
11th - David Dougan and Braxton McGuire
