Well the people have voted and the result is a unanimous "YES!"

If you think you are reading an old Newsletter about the Independence Vote and I`ve got it wrong then have no fear! This has nothing to do with the September 18th! Instead I`m talking about September 26th (27th & 28th!), the question, did Scotland do a good job of hosting the Ryder Cup!?

This time there was absolutely no division in the Country, it was a unanimous "YES". Scotland put on a show every bit as good as that provided by the 24 gladiatorial golfers who took to the glorious Gleneagles grasslands. The weather was kind, and showcased Scotland and Perthshire`s fabulous scenery, views and countryside in a way that Tourist Boards, Holiday Companies and Travel Programs dream of! The PGA Centenary Course, whilst not everyone`s favourite, looked spectacular in its presentation that was further enhanced by the tens of thousands of spectators that framed the fairways and greens. This, of course was how it looked on TV but I can speak from first hand experience too as I enjoyed seeing it in the flesh for the 3 Practice Days in the company of some lucky Eastwood Members, but I`ll touch on that again later. 

But like a duel at dawn the Ryder Cup always and inevitably provides heroes & villains, winners & losers and happiness & heartache. This years was no different, so with the dust now settling and the usual fallout (literally in some cases), reaction and post mortem going on, here is my tuppence worth, and that`s all it is pretty much worth, on the events at Gleneagles. Check out my video of the week here:

The result is pretty much what everyone expected but take nothing away from how well the Europeans played! On that note Paul McGinley did a fantastic job as Captain and got it pretty much spot on! On the flip side, everyone is ganging up on Tom Watson! But let's think about this for a second. The nature of the match means 1 Team WILL win and therefore 1 Team will lose. The winning Captain will get the plaudits for doing it right and the losing Captain will get slaughtered for doing it wrong. I`m not naïve enough to think that how they go about things, the atmosphere they create for the players and the choices they make won`t and don`t have any influence on the outcome but at the end of the day it`s the players who play and that form dictates the outcome. McGinleys men won comfortably in the end largely because of the Foursomes and it could have been a very different outcome if the Americans were allowed to hit their own ball given that they won every session when they were allowed to do just that, which might lead some to say you that McGinley made mistakes in his Fourball selections!? Not unleashing the birdie machine that is Victor Dubuisson to play his own ball on Saturday morning was potentially a mistake!? Partnering an out of form Poulter with Gallacher was definitely a mistake!?

Which gets me nicely to my next observation. Can we all now get over the hype of Ian Poulter being "Mr Ryder Cup!" My friends (and anyone willing to listen) will know my feelings on this subject already but it really boils me the way the media hail this guy! Banging your chest and having over zealous celebrations for the odd flash of brilliance does not make you "Mr Ryder Cup" or "The Postman!"(please!!) But I`m sure people will say "look at his record!" well trust me, I have! In singles he`s beaten 2004 Chris Riley (exactly!!), 2008 Steve Stricker playing @ #9, 2010 Matt Kuchar, 2012 Webb Simpson (Ok, good scalp as he was the reigning US Open Champ) and 2014 halved with Webb Simpson, easily the Yanks worst player last week and also playing @ #9. In pairs combat his partners have been Darren Clarke (2004 - L1), Justin Rose (2008 & 2012 - W4 L1), Graeme McDowell (2008 - W1), Luke Donald (2010 - W1), Martin Kaymer (2010 - W1), Rory McIlroy (2012 & 2014 - W1 H1) all of these occasions he was paired with a better player, and in many of these occasions it was his partner who kept them in the match before the odd flash of inspiration from Poulter! Twice "Mr Ryder Cup" has been deployed to look after a Rookie, his record there (L2 - Ross Fisher 2010 & Steven Gallacher 2014) If any European in the last handful of matches can lay claim to a title then surely it is Justin Rose!? His record (P14 - W9 H2 L3) All 3 loses have been at Foursomes, one of which was his first ever Ryder Cup match in 2008. For his 3 Singles matches he`s played at #4 and beaten Phil Mickelson twice whilst halving with Hunter Mahan after being 4 down with 11 to play! He displays passion but with respect, he talks confidently but with respect and his play is exquisite and reliable! (I doubt you`d see Rose attempting a driver shot off the deck over water when your partner is clearly nervous and struggling!?) All in all Justin is class in a glass.

On which note! Patrick Reed! Who clearly is not! Ever Ryder Cup throws up a Yank you`d just never tire of punching!! From 1991, Corey Pavin was that guy! Then came Scott Hoch in 97 & 2002, 1999 was probably just the whole Team AND their wives when they wore those hideous Sunday Singles Shirts and did Riverdance all over Olazabals line when he still had to putt! 2004 & 2006 saw Chris Di Marco try his best despite the fact they had absolutely nothing to shout about those record breaking years, then 2008 exposed us to Boo Weekly! (Really, that`s a name!? They would`ve been as well calling him the Ghosty Gazette!) Then came Jeff Overton (Overzealous more like!) in 2010 and Keegan Bradley when he had a game to crow about in 2012! That baton was past this year to Patrick Reed, and the moment he pressed that baton firmly to his lips on the 7th green last Sunday he became public enemy number 1! Patrick neither has class in his glass or a protein shake either by the looks of him! I guess the reason he skied his 3 wood which only just made the fairway on Saturday morning was because his swing got caught on the strap of his sports bra! And as for that thing he wears round his neck, has no one told him that gastric bands need to be fitted internally!? There is no doubt he is a precocious talent right now, but predictions of him being a future Major Champion are dangerously optimistic, especially considering that players with proven and sustained talent are struggling to claim one of golf`s Majors! I`d list Garcia, Stenson, Fowler and perhaps Kuchar in that category. Then I`d put Speith, Dubuisson and Jason Day in the same group as Reed, then add in the guys who already have won Majors and are still at the peak of their game then I`d say it`s almost impossible to predict if Postman Pat will deliver a Major in his career! It`s not the first time that an American has burst on to the scene, had a good Ryder Cup debut then disappeared off the face of the planet. Do you remember these names?

1991 - Wayne Levi 
2006 - Vaughn Taylor, JJ Henry & Brett Wetterich (albeit none of these guys had a good Ryder Cup!) 
2008 - Anthony Kim

One guy who has certainly "been there, done that" when it comes to both the Ryder Cup and winning Majors is Phil Mickelson who made his Ryder Cup debut some 19 years ago! That means he`s now played in 9 matches, but he`s only been on the winning Team twice in that time! Twice is the same amount of times Tom Watson has been Captain, twice is the same amount of times that Tom Watson has played in the Ryder Cup since 1983(the year that some people would say that marked the start of these matches being competitive!) So, in 16 matches since 1983 the record reads Europe Won 10, USA Won 5, Tied 1 (1989 - Europe retained the Cup!) Phil, however has been getting a lot of criticism for giving his honest appraisal of how he felt Tom Watson`s Captaincy was during ANOTHER defeat.

The USA as a Nation are brought up to be winners, Phil IS a Champion and a multiple winner, he and his Nation were just beaten again in a Match that Phil himself was only allowed to 3/5th`s help! (Hunter Mahan, a Wildcard played more games than Phil!) He delivered 2 out of 3 points for his Team, on what level do people expect him to think the result was a success or his Captain did a great job? Whilst it maybe came across as personal I honestly think his comments and opinion were more directed at the PGA of America and a criticism of their Ryder Cup process than simply just an attack on Tom Watson. Phil has recently experienced a well documented formula, structure and blueprint that worked for the US in 2008 which was essentially crumpled up and "thrown in the trash" in 2010, 12 & 14 and they`ve lost every single time since! Whilst seeing the Europeans sticking to (with the exception of "I`ll do it my way by Sir Nick Faldo 2008" ironically) their own "Recipe for Success" and winning 6 of the last 7 since the match was moved to the even years.

To add some balance to Tom`s predicament, strategy or no strategy. Good decisions or bad. His tenure wasn`t exactly helped by the fact that 3 of his best players had to pull out of the Team for one reason or another. That essentially meant that he was really left with the scraps when it came to picking Wildcards.

But enough of opinion, lets get back to facts:

Europe have the better players (3 of the Worlds Top 5 Ranked golfers, USA have 1) 
We won the Ryder Cup! 
Gleneagles & Scotland did a great job! 
Tom Watson clearly watches A LOT of other sport (he certainly knows all the terminology!) 
Tom Watson is still a Legend of the game. 
And we all still want to punch Patrick Reed! 
I`m not Poulters biggest fan! 
I`ve got a little carried away with my Ryder Cup research!!

As I mentioned earlier, and as many of you will remember, I ran a Prize Draw for the chance to be my guest for an all expenses day out at 1 of the 3 Practice Days at this years Ryder Cup. So on Tuesday the King and I (that`s me & Iain in case you were wondering!) set of from Queen St station at 7.42 for the first day. The weather was bright & beautiful, the golf was quality & fun, whilst the food was high in value and low in taste! A Bacon Cob(?), after eating it I assumed it must`ve been a misprint on the board and they meant Con!! Fish & Chips in a matchbox, where the fish & chips tasted like cardboard and the cardboard tasted a wee bit like fish & chips!! But for £10 what were you expecting!? Certainly not change!! 

 

As a non Beer drinker I`m told there is nothing like a cold, crisp pint and these certainly were nothing like a cold, crisp pint!! But for £5 what were you expecting!? Certainly not change!!

We got to see the Teams warming up on the Practice Area before they played and we also managed to get into the stand behind the first Tee to watch them do just that.

Like a European Ryder Cup Skipper I had a plan and I was sticking to it, so Wednesday followed the same blueprint! But this time I shuffled my pack and brought in Marcus Rafferty for the second days play! 7.42 it was again, the weather again was bright & beautiful, the golf was equally as quality & fun as the day before, and the food was still as high in value and low in taste! Instead of Fish & Chips in a matchbox, where the fish & chips tasted like cardboard and the cardboard tasted a wee bit like fish & chips, we opted for the Angus Burger, fries & onion rings!! And it was completely different, this time the Burger, fries & onion rings tasted like cardboard and the cardboard tasted a wee bit like Burger, fries & onion rings! But for £10 what were you expecting!? Certainly not change!!

   

The golf was done and dusted by 1.45pm but that didn`t stop Marcus and I needing to get a merry march on to make the 6.42 train home from Gleneagles! Let's just say the entertainment and refreshments in the Spectators Village kept our interest. 

   

My Final day at the event and I had to bring in some experience, this time in the shape of Iain Hamilton. But whilst the personnel changed again, my strategy didn`t waiver! 7.42 it was again, I was starting to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day!! The weather again was bright & beautiful, the golf was equally as quality & fun as the day before and the day before that, and the food was still as high in value and low in taste! Instead of buying anything we just ate the cardboard that was thrown in the bin, it tasted a little like the food that tasted like cardboard that had already been in it and it didn`t cost anything! What was the worst we could get by eating straight from the garbage!? Certainly not change!! 

 

The golf again finished quite early but that was only because the Opening Ceremony was about to take place! Iain and I joined the crowd as we waded forward slowly like a herd of bison heading for the waterhole! But like going to any huge scale live event you end up watching the blooming thing on a big telly, then think to yourself "I could be at home watching this on my telly!!"………….although there is always someone who tries to remind you that "aye, but money can`t buy the live atmosphere!", yeah but it can buy Burger & chips, a bacon AND I`d get change!!

I think (and hope) that all the guys enjoyed their day at Gleneagles, I know I did. And it did set up the next 3 match days perfectly for watching the drama unfold in the comfort of my own home.

Some more people enjoyed the benefit of another Ryder Cup Draw that I held. This time a Lucky Dip Sweepstake. Each sealed envelope stood a chance of winning shop credit for either, Correct Final Score, Top European Points Scorer, Top USA Points Scorer and Winning Captain. Here are the results.

RYDER CUP SWEEPSTAKE

Correct Final Score: 16 ½ - 11 ½ Europe - David Wark - £80 Credit
Top European Points Scorer: Justin Rose - Howard crooks - £60
Top USA Points Scorer: Patrick Reed - Barry Keenan - £60
Winning Captain: Paul McGinley - Grant McDowell - £40

 

Back at Eastwood life was going on as normal. The Midweek and Optional Medals went ahead on Thursday, Saturday & Sunday and for many these results were more important than the Party in Perthshire!

RESULTS:

Thursday Medal

DIV 1
1st: Robin McGuire 75(12) - 63
2nd: John Hopkins 82(12) - 70
3rd: John Marszol 76(5) - 71

DIV 2
1st: Dougie Jamieson 89(18) - 71
2nd: Craig Osborne 87(15) - 72
3rd: Roddy MacKenzie 98(25) - 73 

  

   

Saturday Optional Medal

DIV 1
1st: David Lyon 79(13) - 66
2nd: Scott Sutherland 79(12) - 67
3rd: Gary Faulds 77(9) - 68

DIV 2
1st: Andrew Higton 95(26) - 69
2nd: David Flower 91(21) - 70
3rd: Tom Collins 95(22) - 73 ]

Sunday Stableford

DIV 1

1st: Phil Sherwood 41 Points
2nd: Glen Malcolm 38 Points
3rd: Ryan Espie 36 Points 

  

It was good to see Phil Sherwood score so low on Sunday. Just reward for Phil who took the decision to invest in his game this year. New fitted Irons were complimented with a few tweaks to his swing in lessons then he also invested in some On Course advice where we spent some time playing a round and discussing his hole strategy, game plan, shot choices and mental approach. By the looks of that score Phil was able to cut out the few bad holes that were typically spoiling his play!

The best way to enjoy this game is to play better! That`s where I come in. I`m here to help you get the most fun out of your leisure time! It doesn`t matter how good you are, how often you play or even your stage in life! I can make you enjoy your game better.

Look at Charlie Evans, he came to me wanting to improve. He wasn`t hitting the ball well, he had lost a lot of distance all of which he had just resigned to old age! But a little encouragement from me, some video footage to endorse what I was advising and Charlie was moving and striking the ball well again. This allowed him to pick up some 10 to 15 yards on his 8 iron alone!

Have a quick look at what Charlie achieved in under 40 minutes - 
Each picture contains the Before(Left) & After(Right) 

 

  

    6.



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Members Birthdays This Week

6th - Drew Livingston and Jack Paterson 
7th - James McMillan
8th - David Lyon, Graeme Bruce and David Stafford
9th - James Pritchard and William Black
10th - John Knox, John Shearer and Luca Valentini