Do you think PJ & Drunken is asking himself whether he should have ‘Bike-or-Drove’ I wonder what it`s like to be in your Car, call the AA for help and not be 100% sure which one will turn up!? ‘Nime a Celebriny! Geh-hic, Getmi Ounaveer!’ – Let`s get ready to trundle, watch us wreck the bike, watch us wreck the bike, watch us wreck the bike, YIKES! Aww, poor Ant not Dec obviously enjoyed his Saturday Night ‘Carry-Oot’ too much. But good to know that a Celebrity DD incident is worthy of as much headline news and column inches as a Russian Spy assassination, rigged elections and general skulduggery from our politicians! At least we`ve got our priorities right!
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We didn`t get to witness any Drunk Driving on the Members Away Weekend last Sunday because our second days golf was a ‘White Out’! The first day was also pretty Baltic but when I said it was at Drumoig someone obviously thought: ‘Wear the Fox Hat!’ |
| Bear Essentials |
You may remember that I had organised a trip to Drumoig and Scotscraig Golf Courses last weekend and we had 38 attendees. Unfortunately the weather didn`t deal us a good hand with strong icy winds buffeting us all day on the Saturday, but at least we got to play on the full course.
When we twitched the curtains on the Sunday morning our hazy gaze was met with a very snowy outlook! This covering was enough to cancel our golf for the day which was a disappointing end to what was otherwise a very enjoyable trip away.
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Huge thanks to everyone who supported and attended the trip and I think this is definitely something we will be continuing in the future and I`ll be looking at different venues to keep it fresh.
The big winner was Brian Dobson who not only took the Best Individual Stableford Prize but he was also unsurprisingly part of the Winning Team alongside Billy Todd, Russell Prosser and Brian Mutch. I didn`t know that Telepathy was such a strong attribute amongst the Portlethen Members because it seemed most of them knew there would be no Sunday Golf judging by their Saturday night ‘socialising!’ I might need to introduce a new Prize for the ‘CCTV Charades Champion’ given we managed to concoct a new Hotel Game!
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It was more a case of rediscovering some ‘Old Game’ last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational! Tiger continued his impressive comeback and once again flirted with the top of the Leaderboard and winning of a Tournament. A wayward ‘Out of Bounds’ Tee Shot on the 70th Hole of the event saw his challenge for the Title finish, but there were again a tonne of positives for him to take away from the week. None more so than an amazing stat that saw him, at one point in the event, have a 100% conversion rate of 34 from 34 Putts from inside 9 Feet! Another Putting Stat (and I know that Stats can be a little misleading at times) was Henrik Stenson taking a meagre 20 Putts in his first round! TWENTY PUTTS in 18 Holes!! Now ask yourself what kind of score you could shoot if someone gave you 20 Putts to add to the number of biffs it takes you to get to the Greens! But as always the ONLY ‘Stat’ that matters comes at the end of a 4 Round Tournament of who hit it the fewest times! This week it was another stuttering Superstar that rediscovered some of his best! Rory McIlroy has struggled to find any kind of form lately, due largely to his total lack of confidence and form on the Greens. Last week he made a few changes, the first being a switch back to a putter style he had used since he was that Teenage Phenom. The second and perhaps most important was triggered by some advice from a Tour Player renowned for his Putting, Brad Faxon, who basically got Rory ‘thinking’ about not thinking! Trusting his ability more and essentially also taking him mentally back to when he was a Teenage Phenom!! So, Rory won, Tiger purred and we had a Top 5 that also included Rose & Stenson. I personally can`t wait for the US Masters as I think it could be an absolute classic!
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There are still a few squares left in my Masters Sweepstake so take advantage of that! Here is a reminder of the format:
Choose a square on the board. This will match up with a player from the field. These can be bought for £5 (Make sure to be quick as these sell out fast).
There will be prizes available for:
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1st - £100 2nd - £80 3rd - £60 4th - £40 5th - £20 Best Score Each Round = £15 Worst Score Each Round = £15 Leading Amateur = £15 (Regardless if they miss the cut) Leading Senior (Over 50) = £15 (Regardless if they miss the cut) Leading Brit = £15 (Regardless if they miss the cut)
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| SoM3 Te4M |
The 3 of the 4 players I mentioned from last week`s Top 5 made it another doMinant week for the TaylorM4de M Series Drivers. Rory in particular was in imperious form from the Tee encapsulated by his 370 Yard Drive at the 16th Hole in the Final Round.
TaylorMade ‘Twist Face’ Staffers have already claimed 6 Titles on the PGA Tour and 3 over here in Europe.
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Fortunately for you guys not only do you have one of the most comprehensive Fitting Propositions right on your doorstep but next month I have TaylorMade and their Expert Club Fitter bringing his Clubs to this Club!
TaylorMade Demo Day
Thursday, 5 April – (1st day of the US Masters!) 30 Minute Fitting Slots 3pm – 7pm (Last Session 6.30pm)
To Book a Slot – Click Here
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I`m constantly banging on about the need and benefits of correct Custom Fitting. Last week during one of my Lessons this was highlighted in the most powerful way and I`d like to share that session with you now. Firstly, do you think you`re not good enough for Custom Fitting!? Well maybe this will change your mind. Our 8 Time Club Champion, Clark Brechin a +1 Handicap, came for a Pre-Season Check Up. Clark hasn`t been playing through the winter really, but has been hitting balls in preparation for the Season. He came for a session as he was concerned about his iron shots leaking right. Something that he attributed to him ‘swinging too much left through the ball.’ With the benefit of accurately measuring both his Shot Characteristics, his Swing Delivery Data and his Strike Pattern using the GC Quad Launch Monitor I was able to show Clark that although his swing was typically neutral to slightly left (as he thought) he was losing his shots right because the Face & Loft were returning open at Impact. But here is the crucial element, the Clubface & Loft were Open and causing the ball to drift right because the Lie Angle of the Clubs were way too flat for the swing Clark was making! I gave him a more suitable Lie Angle Spec and immediately the Ball flew straighter…without changing the Swing!! Why not find out if your Clubs are holding your performance back by Booking an Equipment Evaluation Session now – Click Here
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I`d like to use another very good Player as an example of why what we can do is so important to making you play better and enjoy your golf more. I`ve been working with Sean Lawrie for about a year now and by all accounts he made some good strides last year in his second year on the EuroPro. But throughout the winter Sean has mostly been Practicing instead of Playing and, much like Clark, wanted to come for a Pre-Season Check Up to make sure he wasn`t falling into old habits! And guess what! That is exactly what had happened.
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| Before Set Up |
| Before Backswing |
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As the images show, Sean has a tendency to adopt a posture that doesn`t suit his frame. He gets ‘Seated’ meaning his Hips/Pelvis get too level and his spine inverts at the base. This leads to his arms swinging too much up and away from the body on the backswing then having to recover on the downswing. This is also mirrored by his body ‘Squatting’ then ‘Straightening’ from backswing to downswing – The upshot of all that is it can very quickly get disjointed and hard to co-ordinate.
Last year we worked hard on a better (more suitable posture) which allowed Sean to move his Club, Arms & Body much more in harmony and essentially more around himself. We now just need to ease him back into that shape and swing feeling. |
| After Set Up |
| After Backswing |
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The most noticeable element was something that Winter Practice hadn`t allow Sean to do – His Divot Characteristics! Having ‘Beaten Balls’ for Months off of a Mat it was masking the fact that Sean`s divots were getting too deep, too long, too inconsistent and significantly (Like Clark`s Irons) uneven at the Toe End of the Club. Once we tweaked the Posture and got used to the Swing Shape again Sean`s Divot pattern became much more uniformed, shorter, shallower and sharper. |
We have had even more new arrivals again this week with the first of our 2 Spring/Summer batches of adidas Clothing joining the Galvin Green & Under Armour Collections we received last week. |
Plus we launched several fantastic early Season promotions: TaylorMade TP5/5x and Titleist Pro V1/V1x – 4 FOR 3 Personalised Balls – SAVE £43!! |
Battery TRADE-IN – SAVE £25 against a NEW Motocaddy or Litepower Lithium Battery (And Charger) when you Trade-In any old Trolley Battery (Yip, it doesn`t even need to be in working order!)
Golf Bag TRADE-IN – SAVE £20 against a NEW Golf Bag from the Callaway, TaylorMade, Motocaddy & Wilson Ranges* - *Selected Models. (Ask in-store for more Details)
BIG MAX Trolley/Bag Combo – Buy the fantastic IQ 360 3-Wheel Push Trolley (£199) and matching i-DRY Waterproof Bag (£199) and SAVE £50!
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ISP - ‘I Support’ Program |
Quick update on the proposed ‘You scratch my back – I`ll scratch yours!’ Points Program We are due to receive the ‘ISP’ Poker Chip Membership Markers by the end of next week so all things being well I hope to be able to launch this In-Store Initiative as planned on 1st April.
Stay tuned for a specific ‘ISP’ Launch email, but in the meantime I`d like to remind you of how the Program will work.
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Here is a reminder of how the ISP will work:
• To become an ‘I Support’ Partner all you need to do is Invest £100 into your Shop Account (This can be done as part of your first purchase) • With that you will receive a Special ‘ISP’ Poker Chip Marker declaring you an ‘I Support’ Partner, 200 ISP Points and the choice of 1 of the following (FREE Custom Fit/Club Analysis Session – FREE Yardage Gapping Session – FREE 30 Minute Lesson) • Thereafter, for every Full Ticket Price Purchase you make you will accumulate 2 Points for every Pound (You will receive 1 Point for any ‘Shop Reduced’ Ticket Price Purchase – *Manufacturer Promotions will qualify for as ‘Full Ticket Price’) • Once you accumulate 1000 ISP Points you will be entitled to one of the following rewards: A 45 Minute Golf Lesson - £25 Shop Credit – 1 Dozen Balls of Your Choice – HALF PRICE Re-Gripping. • ISP Points accumulated over 1000 can be ‘Cashed In’ at any time for the equivalent of 2.5p Per Point (aka 5p for every 2 Points!) in Shop Credit. • There will be ‘Exclusive’ ISP Promotions available to only ISP Partners where you will receive extra Points. Here is an example: £100 to Sign Up = 200 Points + Introductory Session of your Choice. First Purchase is New Irons @ £700 - £100 Shop Credit = £600 = 1200 Points + Initial 200 Points = 1400 Points. This person can now either ‘Cash In’ and claim £35 in Shop Credit (1400 x 2.5p) or A 45 Minute Golf Lesson - 1 Dozen Balls of Your Choice – HALF PRICE Re-Gripping. Points are then Zero`d and you start accumulating again. The ISP Partnership will come into effect on 1st April If you can say ‘I Support’ my Professional – then ‘I Support’ you back! All ISP Partners Accounts will be highlighted to track the Point Accumulation so it is important to note that if you are on the Loyalty Scheme and want any transactions to count towards your Point Total that you make whoever is serving you aware that you would like that sale against your account, for instance small purchase like Tees, Drinks, Confectionary, Hire Items, etc.
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If you’ve been in the pro shop recently you’ll have seen lots of new products displayed proudly around the store, many of which are new for 2018. One that’s generated quite a bit of interest is adidas’ Tour360 BOOST 2.0 golf shoe, but did it live up to its billing? |
| adidas Tour360 BOOST 2.0 Review | More and more of us now look to reviews to help narrow down our options and make an informed purchase. When it comes to footwear this should be no different, so take a look at this video where Foremost TV reviews the latest hero offering from adidas. |
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