I know that the razzmatazz that goes with movie releases these days is getting OTT, but I really think that to coincide with the DVD of Noah hitting the shop shelves the need for biblical wind and rain was completely unnecessary! Especially seeing as it caused mayhem for our competitions last week!! The Thursday Medal was completely abandoned due to the terrible flooding and all the players caught out on the course that afternoon made their way in by two, by two! There had been a few players who had managed to finish their rounds, with some posting very good scores so they`ll be glad to hear it was a reduction only day! You`ll also be glad to hear the Club have invested in some new squeegees (No, it`s not a high pitched Tribute Act!) but they have been christened Moses, because they don`t so much remove the water from the greens but just clear a line up the middle! They even help move the dews off in the morning too!
The weatherman definitely seems to be a non-golfer, or perhaps even an ex-golfer with a cross to bear!! But regardless you can certainly see and feel a change in the seasons. There is a distinct drop in temperature even on the drier days and another tell-tale sign that we are moving into autumn is that the "fitba" season has started again. It`s less than a fortnight in and already the controversy is rife! Celtic are into the final knockout stage of the Champions League Qualifiers courtesy of the "Our keeper wisnae ready" rule! 6 - 1 down with only a handful of minutes in the Tie having lost 4 - 1 in the away leg and were 2 - 0 nil down in the home fixture, Legia Warsaw bring on an ineligible player! Result overturned and Celtic go through!! Warsaw must feel like they`ve just shot a new course record around Augusta to make the Cut at the Masters but forgot to sign their Scorecard!!! It just goes to show the power of admin in sport.
Two of Scotland`s biggest football clubs are battling it out in lower leagues this season, not because the team was so bad that they ended up there. No, they are there because the people tasked with running the off-field business responsibilities couldn`t and didn`t do their job properly. A few big name clubs down south have suffered the same ignominy.
Dotting the i`s and crossing the t`s is just as important in golf and can be equally as costly for some when it`s missed out! A couple of high profile administration errors cost some well known players either lots of money or even bigger achievements! Something not too dissimilar to my Legia analogy actually happened to Padraig Harrington back in 2000. As a very young newcomer to the European Tour, Padraig courtesy of a course record 64, had stormed to a 5 stroke lead with 1 round to play in the Benson & Hedges International Open held at the Belfry. Whilst on the range the next morning he was given the terrible news that he was to be disqualified for an admin error with his FIRST ROUND scorecard! It transpired that his playing partner Michael Campbell had signed Padraigs Scorecard TWICE meaning Harrington had never endorsed his own score deeming that score invalid. The worst thing about this whole incident is that the mistake was only noticed because the Belfry Hotel had asked if they could get all the scorecards from the potential winners that day to frame them for display in the hotel. In doing so it was noticed that both signatures on Padraigs 1st round card were the same and neither of them were his!!
Fortunately for Harrington it was only a minor setback in his career and he went on to win many more tournaments including 3 Majors as well as appear in 5 Ryder Cups. However, someone who wasn`t as fortunate to taste that level of success had his shot at glory thwarted also by the evil admin elves! This time it was Mark Roe, now more famously recognised as a Sky Sports commentator. Back in 2003 Mark Roe was probably at the peak of his Career and in the July of that year found himself only 2 shots off the lead as he completed his 3rd round of the Open Championship. But then disaster struck. Having checked AND SIGNED their scorecards both Roe and playing partner Jesper Parnevik left the scorer's tent looking forward to the prospect of a final round in the Open with a chance to win. However, what they hadn`t realised was before the round they had forgotten to swap scorecards meaning both had signed and endorsed wrong scores!! Again, disqualification!
There is a lot of responsibility put on the player to adhere and carry out all the "admin" elements of completing a scorecard properly to ensure your score counts. I`m sure many of you who regularly play in the competitions notice names at the foot of the results page that have been DQ`d for simple and silly little things like "No Signature", "No Handicap" or worst still "No Card Returned!". These little misdemeanours however are picked up by people who give up their own time to process and run competitions and while they appreciate that many of these things are simply oversights there are other parts of the "Playing In Medals Process" that, if missed out, add significant and unnecessary time to that given up by these volunteers when processing the results. So I just want to quickly go through the Do`s & Don`ts on a Medal Day.
Swipe In Computer In Clubhouse Prior To Round
Enter Name On Sheet In Pro Shop Regardless Of Whether You Are Paying Into The Sweep/Two`s Or Not (For Handicap Cards Also Require To Do This)
Enter Score Or Non Return Into Computer
Player (+ H/Cap)& Marker Signature On Scorecard
Return Scorecard Into Box Beneath Computer Regardless Of Score Or Non Return
The Number Of Scorecards Returned, Scores In Computer & Names On Pro Shop Entry Sheet Should All Match - If They Do Then The M&H Volunteer Can Check The Winning Scorecards For Discrepancies & Push The Button To Print Results. However If You Don`t The M&H Volunteers Need To Go Through Every Single Card And Cross Reference With Both The Entry Sheet And Computer Scores.
Every score has an impact on the CSS for that day so please just take a few moments out of your day to help save a lot of time out of someone else`s.
Saturday got us back on the Strokeplay bandwagon with the August Medal. As seems to be the norm for Saturdays recently it was raining which resulted in many of the entrants dropping like flies, whilst those hardy enough ended up more like drowned rats! The difficulty on Saturday was keeping your scorecard dry enough and in one piece to return anything never mind a score but with the help of dry substitutes there were some good scores in extremely testing conditions.
Div 1 proved how difficult the weather was making the course play with 76 being the lowest gross. The best nett went to our Club Champion Graeme Smyth 79(6) - 73 with Frank Taggart 76(3) - 73 the aforementioned lowest gross in 2nd. Colin Farquhar 80(6) - 74 struggled more with the greens than the weather to claim 3rd. His 13/18 Greens in regulation was particularly impressive and very pleasing to hear given that Colin has had 2 Lessons recently working on the consistency and control of his long game.
Div 2 saw the lowest score by a long chalk with Graeme May 82(15) - 67 leading the way by some 4 strokes over anyone else in the field and an impressive 6 below the CSS that day. A further 2 strokes off his Handicap is again great encouragement and reward that his investment in coaching is paying dividends. Stephen Murray 84(13) - 71 will also be pleased with his days work to finish 2nd and Marc Rossi 88(15) - 73 also sneaked another stroke off his handicap in finishing 3rd and again is getting encouraging payback from his Instruction and Equipment investment he made at the beginning of this year.
Div 3 saw Gary McKenzie 91(19) - 72, another pupil going through a Coaching program chip another stroke off his handicap, and by the sounds of it the round could`ve been so much lower. James "Jinky" McMillan 93(20) - 73 chose one of the worst days to complete the full 18 holes but I`m sure he`s glad he did after securing 2nd place. That left Craig Paterson 98(24) - 74 in 3rd, who also will take confidence with that result as a sign of improvement following his recent course of Lessons.
On top of all this there were more Cappro Cup points to be dished out and with a reduced field and a few notables missing there were some significant moves from the likes of Stevie Smith who is now within touching distance of that automatic Top 4 in Div 1. The same too can be said of Gary Potts and Gary McKenzie who also gave their chances of qualifying on merit a great boost. Jinky McMillan made the most significant move as he climbed into the automatic spots as he leap frogged Keith Robb into 4th in Div 4. A few more passed Keith on his way down as he slipped from 4th to 8th. Perhaps the biggest loser was David Wark. He didn`t play and fell from top spot in Div 2 to 5th and now needs some good points over the remaining 2 Qualifiers (this weekend's Autumn Meeting & Sept medal on Sat 6th Sept) to secure an automatic spot.
Keeping on the Team theme things didn`t improve much weather wise on Sunday but perhaps they played into Eastwoods hands!? The guys who have been representing the Club (Frank Taggart, Colin Farquhar, Drew Fraser & Tom Brodie) in the County Cup Interclub Team Knockout have just secured a place in the Final v Mar Hall which will be played at a neutral venue which has still to be decided on Sunday 7th September. The guys got there by beating Ranfurly Castle 3 - 1 in the Semi`s.
I've a couple of apologies to make from last week's Newsletter! It was running a bit late for dispatch so I didn't have time to amend the errors but there were a couple of guys who didn't get their moment in the sun for winning some of the Pros Day on course challenges! So sorry to Stephen Senior (Longest Retro Drive @ 10th AM) and Neal Peggs (Longest Gents Drive @ 14th AM) Here are their pics!
It`s getting ever closer to the Finale of the "Gallop To Gleneagles" and you can see how eager many guys are to either get on Captain McGinleys Team or impress enough for a pick. Our best Home hope, Stephen Gallacher, made the bold decision to stay in the US and compete in the Wyndam Championship. His reason for playing there was because that event carried more World Ranking Points than the European event. Unfortunately Stephens's decision back fired as he failed to make the Halfway Cut. But there was some great Scottish success in that European event. In the inaugural Danish Open Marc Warren got his recent run of excellent form bacon track with a much deserved win. Fresh from finishing 3rd at the Scottish Open and T15th at the USPGA Marc swept to a comfortable 2 stroke win in Denmark where he seemed to Copenhagen well in the blustery conditions. If only it was Gallacher who was on that run of form then I`m sure his place on the Ryder Cup would`ve been all but assured! It`s all down to the next 2 events and I`m sure they`ll be bouncing at the Czech Masters and many hoping for a pizza the action come the Italian Open.
Remember there is still time for you to claim your spot at this year's once in a lifetime showpiece.
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.
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.
Remember you can keep up to speed with all Shop, Course and Club news by following me on either Facebook or Twitter. Simply follow the links below.
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DRIVER FITTING
Specification Fitting & Set Up Only (Make & Model already established) FREE
*Includes Flightscope Radar Fitting - 30 Minutes
Full Fitting Experience (Requirements Unknown) - £30
*Includes Flightscope Radar Fitting, Analyse current Driver, Trial New Driver options, custom fit to players Spec. - 60 Minutes (£15 Comes off purchase price - £15 given back as Shop Voucher for future/additional purchase)
IRON FITTING
Specification Fitting & Set Up Only (Make & Model already established) FREE
*Includes Flightscope Radar Fitting - 30 Minutes
Full Fitting Experience (Requirements Unknown) - £30
*Includes Flightscope Radar Fitting, Analyse current Irons, Trial New Iron options, custom fit to players Spec. - 60 Minutes (£15 Comes off purchase price - £15 given back as Shop Voucher for future/additional purchase)
PUTTER FITTING
Specification Fitting & Set Up Only (Make & Model already established) FREE
*Includes Tomi Putting Analyser Fitting - 30 Minutes
Full Fitting Experience (Requirements Unknown) - £30
*Includes Tomi Putting Analyser Fitting, Analyse current Putter, Trial New Putter options, custom fit to players Spec. - 60 Minutes (£15 Comes off purchase price - £15 given back as Shop Voucher for future/additional purchase)
FULL BAG FITTING
Specification Fitting & Set Up Only (Make & Model already established) - £30
*Includes Flightscope Radar & Tomi Putting Analyser Fitting - 60 Minutes
(£15 Comes off purchase price - £15 given back as Shop Voucher for future/additional purchase)
Full Fitting Experience (Requirements Unknown) - £50 £50
*Includes Tomi Putting Analyser Fitting, Analyse current Putter, Trial New Putter options, custom fit to players Spec. - 120 Minutes (£30 Comes off purchase price - £20 given back as Shop Voucher for future/additional purchase)
To book a lesson or fitting, click here
Members Birthdays This Week
22nd - Ken Hunter, Ross Morin and Blair Buchan
23rd - Gavin Cross, John McGhee and Mark Thomson
25th - Adam Gray, Cameron MacIntyre and Alan Murray
26th - Angus Gillon and George Neilson
27th - George Weir
28th - Bob Hutcheon, Kenny Peberdy and Charles Campbell
29th - Ronnie Livingston
