So whilst driving home the other night on the A90, I saw a sign about the `Dolphin Watch` and instantly thought "what`s the porpoise of that!? I know they are meant to be intelligent creatures but I`m pretty sure they can`t tell the time! Plus even if they could get a watch to strap on to their flipper, I don`t think they can turn their head and lift their fin enough to be able to see the where the clock face is!!?"
Another thing that made me question how intelligent these aquatic animals really are is their decision to venture anywhere near Torry! I had only been here a few weeks when I learned that!! But word on the street that the local girls got quite excited when they heard that the appearance of the dolphins off the coast line was going to bring an influx of new sea men to the area.
The Dolphins are putting their superior intellect to good use though, as a few have been seen salvaging old rusty shopping trollies from the Torry waters and re-claiming their £1`s from Asda!
With all this talk of Trolleys, I was interested to hear that despite this unique spectacle happening off the local shores that the residents weren`t trying to profit from the occasion and there was no charge in the Torry Battery! So I`m taking the opportunity to offer them the option to Trade-In & Trade-Up to a new Lithium Torry Battery and save £25!!
There were certainly plenty sights and interesting wildlife to see lurking around the Golf Club last weekend! Without doubt it was the best weekend of weather we`ve had here since I started and it couldn`t have been more of a contrast to the previous Saturday. Then, on Saturday 11th, we had to abandon and then cancel the April Medal because of flooding! This week the only thing we were soaking in was sunshine! Wall to wall blue sky in fact! And much like the Torry Battery, there were some unusual sights to feats your eyes on!
There were so many grown men in cargo shorts that I thought it was a reunion of the `It `Aint Half Hot Mum!` Cast!!.....Lovely Boys!! There was so much `Creaming Up` that it could`ve been mistaken for the extras in `Boogie Nights!` And it also triggered the male golfers 
in built desire to dress camper than Julian Clary at Christmas!! Stuart McLaughlin even gave me a sneaky peak of his matching socks & pants but assured me he had got permission from his wife to wear her underwear! Although I think what he really needed was to borrow some of the boys suncream because the next time I saw him his face matched his trousers and he looked like he had been `dookin fur chips!!`
The only Black spot on the day were the Tee Positions for with the golf course, and subsequently the players abilities, being stretched to the limit. `The Tips` here at Portlethen measure a substantial 6663 Yards and I know some of you definitely think it is devilishly difficult! I also know that many of you think this course set up favours all the low handicaps but as you`ll see from the Results all the best scores came from Category 2 and above, with the low scores of the day coming in Div 2 & 3! As I touched on last week, Michael Hay had 1 lesson from me and proceeded to immediately reduce his handicap by a stroke, well one weekend and 2 medals later (and still only 1 lesson) Michael has now reduced his Handicap by a further 3 strokes and is now down to 15 (and not to mention several pounds better off, so in many respects that lesson has paid for itself!!)
WED WALK ON
Wednesday 15th April `15
Division 1 (10 & BELOW)
1st: Andrew Tremain = 37 Points
2nd: Alan Simpson = 36 Points
3rd: Johnny Montgomerie = 35 Points ACB
Division 2 (11-15)
1st: Mark McDonald = 38 Points ACB
2nd: Imran Sheikh = 38 Points
3rd: Mark Will = 37 Points
Division 3 (16 & ABOVE)
1st: Ron Fraser = 37 Points
2nd: Jonathan Payne = 36 Points
3rd: Jim Tole = 35 Points
APRIL MEDAL
Saturday 18th APRIL`15
Division 1 (10 & BELOW)
1st: Andrew Cordiner = 73(6) - 67
2nd: Stan Forbes = 76(8) - 68 (ACB)
3rd: Keith Allan = 74(6) - 68
Division 2 (11-15)
1st: Gary Chalmers = 79(14) - 65
2nd: Ian Logie = 78(11) - 67
3rd: Brian Kiloh = 80(12) - 68
Division 3 (16 & ABOVE)
1st: Michael Hay = 82(18) - 64
2nd: Ian Riach = 87(18) - 69 (ACB)
3rd: Rob Anderson = 86(17) - 69
SUN WALK ON
Sunday 19th April `15
Division 1 (10 & BELOW)
1st: Ryan Penny = 70(2) - 68
2nd: Martin Shand = 74(5) - 69
3rd: Ian Logie = 80(10) - 70
Division 2 (11-15)
1st: Mitchell Legge = 84(15) - 69
2nd: Peter Clark = 83(12) - 71
3rd: George Smith = 83(11) - 72 ACB
Division 3 (16 & ABOVE)
1st: Craig Samson = 87(19) - 68 ACB
2nd: Grant Chalmers = 88(20) - 68
3rd: Michael Hay = 85(16) - 69
Saturdays April Medal was also the 1st Qualifier for The Cappro Cup. There has been a reasonably good reaction to the event but as you can see from the standings there is definitely room for more participants in a couple of Categories! This really is a great event to be involved in come the end of the season but even the fun and challenge of being involved in the jostling for places throughout the Qualifying Campaign adds a new interest in how your score rated that day. Here is a reminder of the Tournament and also a look at the early pace setters!
Here`s how the CAPPRO CUP Qualifying works:
5 To Join The Qualifying Race - You can enter anytime but your Points only start accruing from then.
Points Awarded for the Gents April to September Monthly Medals + Club Champ Qual Rd1, Belmar Stableford Rd1, Galvin Cup Rd1 & Golf Plus Quaich (10 Comps In Total)
Points Are Awarded On A "10 Points For 1st Place Down To 1 Point For 10th Place" Sliding Scale - NOTE: These Points Are Awarded ONLY To The Top 10 Players Per Category IN The Qualifying, Not Necessarily The Top 10 Scores Of The Day!
You Qualify In Your Handicap Categories (Cat 1: 5 & Below, Cat 2: 6 -12, Cat 3: 13 - 18, Cat 4: 19 - 28)
Top 4 From Each Handicap Category Qualify Automatically
The Club Champion & Runner Up Qualify Automatically
Plus 6 Captains Wildcards
The weekend of the Match consists of:
Team Uniforms
Breakfast & Lunch on Saturday
On Course Hospitality & Goodies
Saturday: 6 Morning Fourballs & 6 Afternoon Greensomes
Sunday: 12 Singles Matches
Lots of Laughs & Goading
Great Friendships Made
CLICK HERE to see the latest Cappro Cup Standings.
As well as the Strokeplay Season reaching feverpitch the Doubles Matchplay is up and running now as well. On Tuesday Dino and I had the onerous task of doing the draws which are now posted on the main gents noticeboard. As there are lots of matches to be played, and quite a few Preliminary rounds, we ask all the competitors to make the effort to arrange games as soon as is possible between the 4`s.
As you are all very aware of I`m sure (and I`m learning extremely fast) but there are `hunners`, `thoosands`, maybe even `gazillions`, but certainly lots of Competitions played during a typical week at Portlethen across the various different golfing sections. So in an attempt to bring you the very latest and up to date `News & Headlines` (aka - the Results) I have recruited the very best journalistic and reporting talent that a bag of Joob-Joobs and a Highland Toffee can buy! Starting now there will be sections covering the Seniors, Ladies & Juniors Competitions, News and developments.
Let`s start with our more, ahem, experienced portion of the Membership….The Seniors! Like a good wine they get better with age, but on the flip side many would say that when they reach that age they like a good wine (from the moan vineyards!) So what better way to report their goings on than in their own Agony Uncle Column via one of their own so I`ve christened this section….
"Dear Phil, ever since retiring I`ve found myself struggling to get it up!"
Phil Says: "Have you tried a higher Teepeg, a Driver with more loft or using your 5 Wood instead!? If none of those work perhaps a visit to see your local GP (Golf Pro) is worthwhile!"
Senior Stableford - Thursday 16th April
1st: Graeme Smith - 41 points
2nd: Bob Stark - 38 Points
3rd: George Fenton - 38 Points
4th: - Dave Ritchie - 38 Points
5th: Charlie Myles - 37 Points
The Senior Section will also be away representing Portlethen in the CADS League at Huntly next Tuesday 28th April. Here are the Terrific Ten selected to go hunting in Huntly!
Phil Dear(stalker), Walter(PPK) Burness, (General)George Donaldson, (Private)I. Anderson, Charlie Kellys(Heroes), (Brigadier)Bob Fraser, (Bullseye)Brian Johnston, (Deadly)Doug McGregor, Lt Col Brian McMillan & Sergeant Somerville(Peter)
Who better to bring you all things female than the Pro Shops `First Lady`! So all I`m going to say is McVey for Aileen and her…..
It`s been a busy time for the Ladies of late, hot on the heels of last weeks Fashion Show the girls swapped the catwalk for the fairways again on Saturday in the Stableford Comp.
RESULTS: Ladies Sat Stableford - 18th April `15
Div 1 (20 & Below)
1st: Catherine Craig - 37 Points
2nd: Linda Craik - 34 Points
3rd: Isabel Murray - 33 Points
Div 2 (21 & Above)
1st: Marjorie Davidson - 36 Points
2nd: Julie Brimble - 33 Points
3rd: Pat Penfold - 29 Points
It`s been a busy time for me of late too, and while I know I need to get on my bike with my golf I REALLY need to get on my bike as I`ve signed up to do the "Ride The North" Cycle Challenge. It`s a 2 Day event cycling from Inverness to Elgin and then Elgin to Stonehaven!! The total journey covers 174 Miles and over the weekend of Fri 28th & Sat 29th August so I need to pick up the pass of my training!
I decided to do this now that I`ve hit the BIG 50 (I know I don`t look a day over 30!) and wanted to challenge myself to prove that I`m not over the hill so I ironically chose to try and get over a hill!! As well as for my own personal achievement I will be raising money for The Sandpiper Trust. The aim of the Sandpiper Trust is to help save lives in Scotland by improving immediate care especially in the remote and rural areas, through the provision of appropriate standardised and uniform medical equipment, known as Sandpiper Bags, for use by specially trained GPs, community nurses, paramedics and A&E Consultants, all of whom operate on a voluntary basis. I will have a Sponsor Sheet in the Shop so any support for my endeavours will be much appreciated!
Last of the new sections I`ve handed over to my new PGA recruit. Kamran Zeynalov is now coming to the end of his PGA Training and will be getting stuck into the Junior Developement here at Portlethen so I thought what better time to introduce….
These last few days I thought I was a kid again, not because I was out enjoying the sunshine on the Easter Hoilidays but more because I felt like I was back at school!! I have been studying hard for my PGA Exams which I sat earlier this week. It`s now just a waiting game to see how my results turn out. In the meantime I`ll be turning my attention to playing a little bit more golf but more importantly setting up the structure to my Junior Development Program and ultimately how that will fit in with The Junior Academy we are striving to create here at Portlethen.
The kids have been getting back into the swing of things over their 2 week Easter Break and the 9 & hole Competitions have allowed them to get back playing some golf after the Winter. Because of the lack of action during the Off Season the 4 Winter Eclectic Competitions were all held during the holidays. Whilst the title was a little out of place it did give the Boys and girls some really good opportunities to work on their Handicaps, with a few of the gang taking full advantage!
We had a Nett 56 from Keiran Webster & a Nett 60 from Brandon Simpson to name a couple of outstanding performances. Brandon in particular has strung quite a few good rounds together and has reduced his Handicap from 21 to 14 in only 7 Medals!
The Saturday Group Get togethers for any Junior wanting to try golf start again this Saturday 25th April. The first 3 Sessions are FREE to all! There after they are Free to Portlethen Junior Members or £20 for Non Members for the remainder of the Season. If you, your children or children you may know are interested then simply come along and register on Saturday at 2.30pm.
Details of my Coaching Groups, Klasses & Kamps will be available soon for those Kids who really want to see their games improve.
The Course continues its progress as we try and get it into peak condition as early as possible. It`s been mentioned already how great Saturdays weather was, but Saturday is a great example of the challenges Neil and the guys still face in their efforts to prepare the course. Not only on a day to day basis but with the season ahead. Whilst it was obvious that Saturday was going to be a cracker of a day those of you up and about at the crack of dawn would`ve witnessed a substantial surface frost. I had to scrape my car windows to get here and there was a heavy white frost on the ground when I arrived at the Course. Now, this was thankfully only a surface frost and the Greenstaff were still able to cut and prep the greens however it highlights how cold it is still getting at night and also how big a variance in temperature there is between the low point at night and the high point during the day.
Taking this into account you can hopefully appreciate that the growing conditions for the grass still aren`t at their best. This is where the Greenkeepers experience and acumen come in! Knowing how much, or how far they can stress the plant. Cutting the Greens grass to low or too often can destroy them irreparably! So at the moment the routine for the greens is they get Cut every second day and Rolled the days in between. As things heat up this will eventually change to see them cut AND rolled everyday.
If you`ve never seen the greens being rolled it`s quite a funny sight as the little machine is like a cross between a mechanical crab and something off a Space Invaders Game as it buzzes side to side unlike most greens machines that drive forward and back! Check out the Video right. (I think Jack hates the sight of me because it`s always him I seem to catch on the machinery!!)
LAST FEW DAYS OF MY SHOE & BATTERY TRADE-INS!
75% lighter than lead acid equivalent*
1/3 the size of lead acid equivalent*
Charges from empty in under 4.5 hours
Advanced BMS system constantly optimises performance and life
Comes with specialised high performance charger
Lifetime 5 times longer than equivalent lead acid*
Five year limited warranty** (Battery only - Charger 2 Years)
So that means the benefits are:
- They are easier for you to carry and lift on & off the trolley, in & out the car or to & from the Clubhouse.
- Less strain being put on the Trolleys mechanics, less weight to pull, more efficient use of power.
- You only need to charge what you use and wont effect the lifespan of the battery.
- They last much longer (Again piece of mind!)
Add to that the fact that a good Lead Acid Battery will cost £70-£80 and only have a 12 month warranty, the matching Charger will be approximately £50-£60 and again only have 1 Year Warranty. You could get really unlucky and have to renew either or both a few times over a 5 Year period! So all of a sudden the £199 for both a new battery and charger PLUS all those benefits is pretty good value for money!
BUT what if I told you I could make that even better value! Would you be more interested then? Well I will soon be running a "Battery Trade-In" Promotion where you can get £25 OFF The price of a new Litepower or Motocaddy Lithium Battery & Charger, or £25 OFF the cost of a new Motocaddy Lithium Powered Trolley when you hand in an Old Battery (it doesn`t even need to work!!....but it does need to be a Trolley Battery)
So now I`ve got your Trolley & Clubs around the Course more efficiently I`m turning my attention to YOU. Why not take advantage of my SHOE TRADE-IN Offer and get yourself a pair of fantastic, comfortable and top of the range Shoes from either FootJoy or a adidas* In the FootJoy Range you can save up to £20 OFF the price of the following models simply for giving me a pair of your oldy, moldy, smelly golf wellies!
FJ DryJoy Tour - £20 OFF- FJ DryJoy Casuals - £20 OFF
- FJ Contour - £10 OFF
- FJ Contour Casuals - £10 OFF
And in the adidas Range you can save up to £10 OFF the price of the following models simply for giving me a pair of your oldy, moldy, smelly golf wellies!
adidas Adicross Gripmore - £20 OFF
adidas Tour 360 - £10 OFF
adidas Tour Traxion TR - £10 OFF
If you think you know of other Members (or golfers!) who would like to receive this then I'd appreciate if you forward it to them and encourage them to subscribe using the relevant link! Once in the database you/they will then be able to receive regular contact (oh no I hear you cry, not daily doses of his pathetic patter!!) through my Broadcast Messages that go straight to your email. I also have my SWING Studio Facebook page where I post and Tweet daily with anything from course updates to shop promotions! So why not like my FB Page or Follow Me on Twitter by clicking the links below.
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Now while these are great communication vehicles for me, the Newsletter/Website especially can offer a great Tool for you to get your message out there as well! As you can see if you scroll down there are a few "ADVERTISING BANNER" opportunities that provide great exposure to my ever growing database. So if you have a Company, Brand or Product that you'd like to Advertise then contact me here and I'll happily talk you through the Advertising options.
