Happy New Year! Certainly this time last week felt like waiting on Christmas Day again so in many ways it does seem like this is ‘2020 Take II’ |
 | | Mike & Marc - Blore The Cobwebs Away | Thankfully we`ve managed to Re-Set, probably back to Default Factory Settings rather than, to our normal expectation of life at Duddingston Golf Club! But anything was better than watching the ‘Buffering Hamster Wheel of Death’ that has been whirring over the last 10 Weeks worth of Lockdown torture! Other than the obvious, there were so many great and enjoyable happenings last week. The weather was unbelievable to the point I was in charge of so many grown men in knee length shorts I thought I was Windsor Davies on the Set of ‘I Ain`t Half Hot Mom!’ The ‘Arrival System’ seemed to work well and it was great to see everyone respect the recommendations of only arriving in time to play. Although I do think the minimum 10 Week layoff and lack of warm up facilities lead to a few ‘iffy’ opening Tee Shots! I thought one 2-Ball had taken Social Distancing to a new extreme when one player almost hit it over the boundary fence to the right of the Practice ground whilst his partner nearly put it in the burn down the left of the 1st Hole – it`s only 2 Metres not 200 you need! The 2-Ball System, whilst not the most sociable, did create a terrific ‘Pace Of Play’ with virtually all Groups scooting round in about 3 Hours! Although the problem with that now, especially with no Bar Facilities, is that guys had to waste another 2 – 3 Hours doing something else before going home, otherwise they`d blow their cover to the missus that Golf usually ‘takes about 5 Hours!’ It was fitting that Marc Blore in his Buggy was in ‘Pole Position’ on Friday @ 7.30am to hit the opening Drive in the ‘Post Lockdown Era’ playing alongside Mike Froude. From then on there wasn`t a spare time for the next 4 & ¾ Days as we opened the Tee Sheet @ 730am through to 7pm every day. And guess what created our first gaps!? Yip, the pesky rain returned! But fortunately it was short lived but much needed. |
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 | 1st Fairway
| Rightly so, there was a lot of really great comments and positive Feedback about the Course condition which was testament to the hard work the John Guthrie, his Team and the band of many Volunteers that bust a gut to get the facility up to the standard that many of you found it in on your return. That standard now becomes the bottom rung of the ‘Ladder of Progress’ and we should all be aiming to help the Club climb even higher up that ladder. That little dousing of rain was much needed as parts of the fairways, and the high spots in particular, were starting to scorch and crack. But I think it`s safe to say everyone was enjoying the added run & distance the ball was getting.......when you hit it straight! It is worth noting that there is always a trade off when it comes to ground conditions. The drier the ground the shorter the course will play – but that always means it will play NARROWER as its easier for the ball to keep skipping 7 running into trouble. Whereas when its wetter the course plays longer but wider! – The ball stops quicker on the ground meaning it won`t reach the trouble as easily. So perhaps bear that in mind when it comes to your ‘Course Strategy’!? A good, straight Hybrid or Long Iron in these really dry conditions will travel as far as a Driver in wet conditions, and your next shot (from the same distance) can also be covered by less Club in the dry conditions. So remember there are always allowances that you can take to Make the Course play wider and less penal again. Another thing I`d encourage you all to remember, which gets back to an earlier point on driving the standard of the Course back upwards, is that you all have a responsibility to leave the Course as you found it (or as you don`t want to find it!) – It`s fantastic to have you all back out playing and firing satisfying and enjoyable shots into the greens – but we can`t stress this enough, PLEASE REPAIR YOUR PITCHMARKS! Especially now the Greens will have softened slightly, if your ball lands on the green from any height higher than half the Pin it will leave an indentation of some sort, so take a few seconds to look for it and repair at least 1 Pitchmark and you`ll have played your part. The same goes for Divots and Bunker prep (especially while the rakes are out of commission) – Thank you! |
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I`m happy to give you some pointers on how to repair your Pitchmark properly, but I`d much rather improve the way you make that Pitchmark in the first place. Many of you have been enquiring about Lessons & Club Fitting so I just wanted to give an update on where we are with that. Until the Club relaxes the restrictions on the Practice Facilities I`m not able to do any Putting, Short Game or Outdoor Sessions. The SW:ING Studio is available and, with the other Stuart now back working certain hours, I have limited availability to Book a Lesson slot there. You can check availability via my Online Lesson Dairy. It`s a similar scenario with Club Fitting, so at the moment I can`t offer Putter, Wedge or Outdoor Fittings. But Indoor Studio sessions are available for Wood & Iron Fittings. |
 | | Fittings |
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