Stuart Wilson

Hello Golfers,

It's taken many years but following the weekend`s events the Belmonte Pizzaria can no longer claim to be the most popular Italian in Carnoustie!

Pro's News

That accolade and also that of 'The Champion Golfer Of The Year!' now belong to Francesco Molinari! Bellissimo!

The young Italian put on a faultless weekend display and deservedly claimed The Open Championship.

But aptly as the figurative dust settles on the famous powdered & parched fairways of the 'Craws Nest' Links here's my synopsis of what we learned at this year`s Open Championship!

• The R&A showed their American Counterparts exactly how you set up and execute a Major Championship test
• That Course Set Up, with just the right amount of input from Mother Nature, put the 'Bombers' in their place and allowed the 'Plotters' to rise to the top as it should be
• You clearly DON'T need to play 2 weeks of Links Style Golf to get your game attuned to playing in The Open Championship
• The only thing cut tighter than the Carnoustie Fairways was Jordan Spieth's sideburns!
• If Eddie Pepperell had sunk as many putts as pints then he might have been the Champ!
• Darren Clarke was happy to see Jhonatton Vegas arrive in a Helicopter on Thursday as it meant he wouldn't be the biggest Chopper the fans would see that week!
• Bernhard Langer is as good an advert for Sanatogen as any!
• Molinari is as classy off the Course as he is on it!
• And, not to steal the limelight away from Francesco's achievement, but Tiger's Back and proved he definitely has the game to win another Major!

I love the Open and this year`s serving was another great Championship! I'll admit I was fearful at the outset when players were lashing it on to 400 yard Par 4's and taking Driver at every opportunity, but I'm glad that game plan backfired on a few and the true Links & Open test was conquered by a more skilful & methodical approach. As the cliché says 'the game of golf was the winner!'

Isn't it refreshing to be talking about the quality of the winner and performances instead of rules controversies and crazy course set ups!! Take note America!

Tour News

The one 'highlight' I haven't mentioned from last week yet was the fantastic performance of young Amateur, Sam Locke, who claimed the Silver Medal for Low Amateur at The Open.

This great showing and the exposure it has given Sam also brought about a significant decision regarding his career and he has just announced that he will be making the switch to the Professional Ranks immediately rather than play another Season at Amateur and hope to get into the Walker Cup.

I truly hope Sam goes on to have a fantastic and successful Career, but history has proven that winning The Silver Medal is no guarantee of that!

Just a quick glimpse back over the last 20 years highlights how few of the names have gone on to have recognisable careers. Matts Fitzpatrick in 2013 is the last notable, Tom Lewis (2011), Matteo Mannassero (2009) and Chris Wood (2008) to a lesser extent. Rory McIlroy in 2007 is the obvious stand out name but you then have to go all the way back to 1998 and a certain Justin Rose....but we all know what a tough, arduous and long road that sent Justin down before he 'arrived' on the world stage of golf again!

Good luck Sam, he certainly has a great Team around him.

Open Sweepstake - RESULTS

Speaking of latecomers to the party, Graham Innes only won the Open Sweepstake when he decided to have another couple of 'punts' on the unclaimed squares late on. It paid dividends as his £20 investment (4 squares) just netted him the £100 top prize!

1st: Francesco Molinari - Graham Innes - £100
2nd=: Justin Rose - Ian Riach - £50
2nd=: Rory McIlroy - Tony Lee - £50
2nd=: Kevin Kisner - Sandy Duff - £50
2nd=: Xander Schauffele - Gordon Gibb - £50

Other Prizes:

Best Score
RD1: Kevin Kisner(65) - Sandy Duff - £20
RD2: Tommy Fleetwood(65) - Alex Garrow - £20
RD3: Justin Rose(64) - Ian Riach - £20
RD4: Eddie Pepperell(67) - Gary Pacitti - £20

Worst Score
RD1: Darren Clarke(82)- Mark Brake - £7
RD1: Masanori Kobayashi(82)- Lynn McDougall - £7
RD1: Tom Curtis(82)- Gordon Gibb - £7
RD2: Darren Clarke(83)- Mark Brake - £20
RD3: Luke List(77) - Barbara Watt - £10
RD3: Beau Hossler77) - Ian Davidson - £10
RD4: Zander Lombard(82) - Marjorie Davidson - £20

Low Amateur: Sam Locke - John Clarke - £20
Top Brit: Rory McIlroy - Tony Lee - £10
Justin Rose - Ian Riach - £10
Top Senior: Bernhard Langer - Archie Murdoch - £20

Lucky Dip Winners: Robbie Murdoch, Brian Wood, Dave Fleming & Alison Bruce - 1 Dozen TaylorMade TP5 Balls

Improving Your Game

I took an interesting delve into some of The Open Stats and discovered this: Molinari had 7 less Putts than Tiger for the week! So it just goes to show the 'difference maker' when it comes to scoring better.

Success Stories

You may remember last week I highlighted the noticeable difference I was able to make to a golfers Putting during a Putter Fitting Session by adjusting the characteristics of their current putter to suit their technique. I also mentioned how I'd be really interested to see how that person got on when they used their newly spec' putter and stroke 'in battle.'

Well I'm delighted to say that the very next Saturday Comp Iain Watson went out and shot a Nett 67 and reduced his handicap by a whole stroke!

Iain was kind enough to pop his head in after his round to thank me, and in his own words; “putted so much better! Apart from one 3 putt from distance my pace & line were much better and I holed more than I have in a long time. Thank you!”

Complete Putting Solution

Hopefully success stories like above and of the previous weeks are evidence enough that what we offer Can & WILL make a difference!?

So here is a reminder of what we will ensure you get:

• The Correct Head Style to suit your Stroke.
• The Correct Length to suit your Set Up
• The Correct Lie to suit your Set Up
• The Correct Grip Style to suit your Feel & Technique
• The Correct Insert Material to suit your Feel

Click Here to book a putter fitting.

Competition News

In fact it wasn`t that long ago that the ‘Low Man’ from last week`s Competitions, Jean Marie Prieur, had come for a Putting Lesson. I think it`s fair to say that following his Nett 64 on Wednesday 18th that he clearly holed his fair share of putts…unless he had Francesco Molinari playing for him!?

Wednesday Walk On
Division 1

1 Dylan Mitchell 74 (7) - 67

2 Graham Smith 76 (8) - 68

3 Stephen Cook 71 (3) - 68

Division 2

1 Alan Simpson 79 (13) - 66

2 Alejandro Correa 79 (12) - 67

3 Neil Marr 83 (15) - 68

Division 3

1 Jean-Marie Prieur 84 (20) - 64

2 John Telfer 82 18c (18) - 64

3 Paul Dallas 84 17c (17) - 67

Saturday
Division 1

1 Gary Lochhead 67 (0) - 67

2 Robbie Murdoch 69 (2) - 67

3 Nick Mackie 74 (6) - 68

Division 2

1 Iain Watson 81 (14) - 67

2 George Handsley 83 (14) - 69

3 David J Allison 82 (13) - 69

Division 3

1 Stanley Lenort 86 (18) - 68

2 Gavin Kirton 87 (17) - 70

3 Kris Hunter 87 (16) - 71

Club News

Whilst these guys can take pleasure in their full round scores, we had someone who got a huge amount of satisfaction from just 1 shot!

On Tuesday Jake Legge, playing alongside Jim Christie in a Seniors Match against Peter Somerville & Jeff Capstick, managed to play the 11th & 12th holes in 4 strokes thanks to a Hole In One at 12!

That ‘Ace’ was also the final nail in the coffin (figuratively before anyone starts buying wreaths!!!) of Pete & Jeff as Jake & Jim closed out the match in the most spectacular fashion!

All it took was one sweetly struck swish from Jake`s TaylorMade M2 6-Iron. News of his great shot even reached the P&J so keep an eye out for a feature there too.

What A Jake Ace!

Product Spotlight

The final Leaderboard must`ve left the Bosses & Marketing Team at TaylorMade rubbing their hands with glee with the fact that all bar one (No, not the new drinking hole in Aberdeen), everyone except Kevin Kisner in the Top 6 Players was using a TaylorMade M-Series Driver…and they weren`t all paid to play it! Especially ‘The Champion Golfer Of The Year!’

These Clubs really do work WHEN PROPERLY FITTED and right now TaylorMade are packing in some great Added Value with the promise of a Dozen TP5 Balls with any M Series wood purchased. So don`t delay, book your Fitting today.

A NEW product to hit the market is the latest PING Irons.

They have freshened up the look, feel, forgiveness and all round performance of their i-Series Iron with the new i210 Iron – Which comes with the ‘Oh So American’ Slogan…feels as soft as butter! These are a classy looking irons and essentially aimed at the Mid to Low Handicap Player.

But if you`re looking for more of a ‘Performance Packed’ Iron that doesn`t sacrifice ‘Looks’ then their new G500 Iron is probably more for you. On the back of their successful G700 Model, and in the same vein as TaylorMade’s P790, Titleist’s AP3, PING`s new G500 Iron has incredibly fast Ball Speeds but with a sleek traditional look.

Why not come along and either trial or be fitted to see which model will best enhance your performance.

Book a fitting By Clicking Here.

Summer SALE-Stice

Remember also about the current products too!

Continuing In-store is my:

Summer SALE-Stice!

“My Very Own Daylight Savings!”

• £10 OFF All Shirts!
• £10 OFF All Trousers!
• All Galvin Green Outerwear £30 OFF or Buy 1 Get 1 HALF PRICE! (2nd Garment Can Be A Shirt – Cheapest Item Half Price)

• Up To 50% OFF Selected Shoes!
• Selected NEW & USED Drivers & Fairways @ ROCK BOTTOM PRICES!

Danger!

Are you the type of golfer who considers the danger ahead of you and plans accordingly, or do you pull a driver from the bag on every par-4 and par-5 without a blink? If you’re the latter then you need to read on.

Consider the danger
You hear pros talk a lot about the ‘smart shot’ in their post-round interviews. If you’re on the tee and there’s a bunker, ditch or other hazard around the distance that your driver or fairway wood normally flies, then make sure you change club to one that takes the trouble out of play, as displayed in this graphic. While you’ll have a slightly longer shot to the green, you’ll greatly reduce the chance of a big number.

Know your numbers
Of course, key to all of this is knowing how far each of your woods carries. If you’re looking to add more distance and control to your game, come and test the TaylorMade M4 driver, M4 fairway and M4 hybrid. If you have a fitting we can hit all three in a range of different specifications until we find your ideal set-up for the course.

watch our review >

Which model is best for you?

It goes without saying that each brand has several iron models in its range because each one offers something different. This is where tapping into our expertise can be really useful. During a fitting we can explain the pros and cons of each iron set and help you to discover the model that is perfect for your game.

Wilson Staff C300 iron

If you’re looking to upgrade to a more workable iron as your handicap gets lower, you shouldn’t overlook the Wilson Staff C300 model. During a fitting we can test it in multiple shafts and against more forgiving irons like the D300 or more compact irons like the C300 Forged to see which look, feel and ball flight you prefer.

Wilson Staff D300 iron

If you’re seeking more distance and forgiveness, we think you’ll be drawn to the Wilson Staff D300 iron, which has a larger headshape and powerful face. During testing we can look at your consistency and yardages with this and other heads and shafts to ensure you leave with a set that’s ideal for your game.

explore Wilson Staff's range >

Spotlight: Callaway Chrome Soft TruVis

If you were a fan of the previous generation TruVis, which helped to increase focus and visibility by maximising your view of the golf ball, then you're going to love this.

The new and improved 2018 Chrome Soft has greater ball speed and reduced long-game spin compared to last year's model, increasing distance throughout the bag. Couple this with two TruVis colour options (white/red and yellow/black) and you have a ball that will be going in a lot of golf bags this summer.

watch our video >

Video of the Week

In our final Tips from the Tour video, we take a look at how to play out of the bunker when your ball is plugged. Remember these few simple tips and you'll be getting up-and-down in no time.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's update.
We hope to see you soon
Stuart

Portlethen Golf Club
Badentoy Road
Portlethen
AB12 4YA

Phone: 01224 782571

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