In case you missed it there was an unusual and rare event that happened last week which clearly sent reverberations amongst the Gods! And boy were they not happy!
Hard on the heels of the rub your eyes in disbelief sighting more unique than Elvis riding Red Rum being chased by Nessie of me actually golfing came my second excursion onto a golf course! But what clearly upset the apple cart this time was that my sojourn onto the fairways of frustration also required 2 consecutive days away from work! "WHIT!!?" I hear you cry, muffled only by tuts, pffts, and hmmphs of disdain!
But don`t worry because Zeus clearly heard the murmurs and as I set off on my journey south (No, not the Ex X Factor boy band!) and it became apparent that I wasn`t just popping to Asda, the Greek Weather God tried his best to flush me back to the Port! When I say I headed south basically that meant making the trip back to Glasgow to my old Club, Eastwood, where I had been invited to take part in an annual match that I had been part of for the last 7 years! And pretty much without fail that particular Sunday was always one of the worst, wettest & wildest days you could imagine! Sufficed to say it didn`t break from tradition!
The weather tone was set by the journey I made on Saturday evening and you certainly don`t need a Sat Nav to know you are heading in the correct direction when trying to get to Glasgow! More like a barometer! Having set off in brilliant crisp blue skies I felt the 148 mile drive was more like Captain Nemos journey to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea! I think I managed to make it at least 135 miles dry and I`ve summarised the journey in a nice picture montage!!
But I made it in one piece and after a nice dinner with friends on the Saturday night it was all systems go for the match on Sunday. The Generation Day Trophy is just that, a coming together of generations where 10 `Auld Yins` take on a team of 10 `Young Uns`! Now, whilst Zeus perhaps had a hand in my physical journey to the match it seems that Old Father Time had a hand in my biological journey as for the first time I was "promoted", transferred, papped, dumped, shunted, culled from the Young Team to join the Old Team!! Hmmph!
Every year a new Captain of either side is elected and it is their duty to come up with a theme for their respective team. This year saw The `Auld` Indian Chiefs take on the younger (but not that much younger!!) WWE Wrestlers! You are maybe already getting the vibe, but this is very much a fun and sociable day, and everything is more fun and sociable when you add some adult ambernectar and this day certainly has plenty of that!! Probably only the fact that we are wetter inside than anything outside has to throw at us is the main reason it`s so much fun!!
Given that we all arrive suited & booted with official ties, the day starts quite sensibly, but quickly add the tradition that you have to have had 3 `Large One`s` before you tee off kinda sets the tone for the day!
A brief synopsis of the day saw the Young Team triumph 3-2, I managed to win my match for my new old team and I did my best to prove that I`m still one of the young bucks by being the last man standing! (However now you know why I needed that second consecutive day off!!)
We also got a glimpse of why Asian Golf is fast becoming a golfing superpower!! Check out the video of their latest wonder kid!
The battle is about to commence here at Portlethen as Club Championship Qualifying took place last weekend. It was the race to make the top 16 Scratch Scores over 36 holes then the top 16 Handicap scores also were decided to make up the Handicap Championship draw. Saturday's better weather certainly produced the best scores and Sundays testing conditions caught out a few of the potential contenders.
Leading the way from the very get go on Saturday was Ben Murray who in the first game out posted a superb 6 under par 66! The closest anyone got to that all day was the 70`s from Robbie Murdoch & Graham Innes. On Sunday only a handful of players bettered their Saturday score, with many going much higher, and at close of play the Qualifying Mark stood at 158. Lewis Gordon sneaked into that spot, courtesy of being one of the few who scored better on Sunday, which meant he edged a 3 man card playoff. Robbie Murdoch also benefited from a card playoff to be top qualifier and therefore become the No.1 seed.
Saturday 16th May, Club Champ Qual Rd1
Div 1 (10 or Below)
1st: Ben Murray = 66(1) - 65
2nd: Paul Morrison = 72(6) - 66
3rd: Robbie Murdoch = 70(1) - 69
Div 2 (11-15)
1st: John Cormack = 85(15) - 70
2nd: Bill Daniel = 84(13) - 71
3rd: Ray Summers = 82(11) - 71
Div 3 (16 & Above)
1st: Russell Prosser = 86(16) - 70
2nd: Mark Clubb = 92(21) - 71
3rd: Grant Chalmers = 90(19) - 71
Sunday 17th May, Club Champ Qual Rd2
Div 1 (10 or Below)
1st: Martin Garvie = 73(4) - 69
2nd: Steven Wallace = 74(5) - 69
3rd: Dylan Smith = 73(2) - 71
Div 2 (11-15)
1st: Brian Dobson = 83(13) - 70
2nd: Duncan Livingstone = 86(14) - 72
3rd: Graham Donovan = 87(13) - 74
Div 3 (16 & Above)
1st: Gordon Duff = 93(21) - 72
2nd: Brian Alves = 91(17) - 74
3rd: Rob Anderson = 91(17) - 74
WED WALK ON STABLEFORD,Wednesday 13th May
Division 1 (10 & BELOW)
1st: David Fleming = 40 Points
2nd: Steven Wallace = 40 Points
3rd: Derek Craigie = 38 Points
Division 2 (11-15) (£28)
1st: James Bruce = 40 Points
2nd: Mark Will = 37 Points
3rd: Thomas D Boyle = 36 Points
Division 3 (16 & ABOVE)
1st: Gregory Wolverson = 41 Points
2nd: James Tole = 39 Points
3rd: Norman McBain = 36 Points
Steven Wallace has obviously hit form at a good time and is now starting to reap the benefits of the lessons that he has been having recently and on top of a few nice pay outs in the Sweeps he has also shaved a full stroke off of his handicap. It was another pleasing weekend, as I saw many of the people who have recently had some instruction or club fitting advice record some notable success! No less than 5 of those people reduced their playing handicaps by at least a stroke! 3 of whom had had lessons that week!
Rama Maganti recorded his first medal score that didn`t see his handicap go up in over 8 months and in the process reduced it by 1.2 strokes! Russell Prosser who, since signing up for my "Game Improvement Package" has done just that and reduced his handicap by 2 strokes in 2 weeks, and in the process he won his Division on Saturday! Grant Chalmers shaved another stroke off of his handicap following his investment in a new set of fitted irons.
Whilst over in the Ladies Section Alison Bruce, another to have a short series of lessons, took 2 strokes off her handicap on Monday in the Ladies Walk On Medal which Aileen will fill you in on in the Ladies Locker Room Section.
But, as I mentioned it was the Club Championship that took centre stage and the match ups have now been drawn. The players were Seeded based on their Qualifying position and it has brought about some intriguing first round ties.
These matchplay competitions bring me back nicely to The Cappro Cup Qualifying. Saturday was the 3rd round of Qualifying and there was more movement in the top 4 spots in all categories. Here are the automatic qualifying spots as it stands and you can click here for the Full Standings. With the winner and runner up in the Championship gaining automatic entry it`ll be interesting to see who prevails in that tournament.
Click here to see full results.
"All the Golfing Gossip from the Powder Room" by Aileen McVey - The Pro Shops 1st Lady
Well with gents Club Championship on, us ladies were ousted to find other things to do. 9 of the Ladies Section went to play at nearby Peterculter. I decided to travel a little further a field and at the same time ramp up my training for my upcoming charity cycle. So I did the 77 mile trip from Stonehaven to Piperdam to meet up with friends for the weekend and was well chuffed with myself. Maybe not so good idea was to try and do the return journey a few days later and got as far as Montrose before the heavens opened! So like a drowned rat I plonked myself and my bike on a train!
There was more re-jigging of the Ladies golfing days as the Walk On Medal had to be moved to Monday but I`m sure Alison Bruce wasn`t complaining as she had a fantastic score following all the Lessons she has had from Stuart.
Ladies Walk On Medal , Monday 18th May
Silver
1st: Barbara Watt - 35 Points
2nd: Linda Craik - 34 Points
3rd: Isobel Murray - 31 Points
Bronze
1st: Alison Bruce - 41 Points
2nd: Kathleen Johnston - 38
3rd: Liz Groves - 35 Points
Remember, all my cycling isn`t just for my own good health, I`m looking for as much support towards my Charity Cycle as possible and I now have a Collection Tin in the Shop so any loose change would be gratefully received.
"All the Seniors Scandal" by Phil Dear - Senior Captain
It was our fault the Ladies had to move to Monday! We took over Tuesday to host the Central Aberdeen District Seniors. In total there were 114 players with 105 of them being visitors to Portlethen. And it was one of those visitors, Mr J Fowlie, from Deeside who posted the lowest stableford score that day of 40 Points. That also won his Division (H`Cap 20-28) with Portlethens own Peter Somerville sneaking into 3rd place and the money with 37 Points. In the other Divisions Mr I Pyper (Newburgh) won the 0-14 Section with 38 Points, while Mr R Duncan (Kings Links) won the 15-19 Section also with 38 Points. Alistair Fergus from Portlethen managed to also grab a third place finish with 36 Points.
Highlight of the day though was the Hole In One on the 12th by Mike Moyles from Old Meldrum. I think Mike was happier that because he was last match out he only had to buy 1 bottle of whiskey rather than supply the whole field with a drink!!
Unfortunately on Monday there were more visitors toasting success at the expense of Portlethen when the Seniors lost at Home to Newburgh GC by the score of 6 - 2! Fortunately it`s only half time in this two legged match so hopefully we can overturn that deficit on their own patch!
The Junior Pennant Team were on their travels this Sunday to Inverallochy and thankfully, unlike the last game, they didn`t get soaked to the skin! This was also a blessing as the Kids were resplendent in their brand new Team Uniform which has very kindly been sponsored by Belmar. I think the new clobber inspired the gang team to play as well as they looked and they came away with an impressive win by 3 points to 2. Apparently the 1st time Inverallochy have lost a home Pennant Match in the 6 years that they have been in the Competition!
"Neils Greens are making him feel Sadler!"
I think I`m going to blame Stuart and his obvious Love/Hate relationship with Zeus for the frustrating weather we are having to put up with too! Our attempts to get the course and ultimately the greens in tip top condition are not being helped by still battling ground frosts in the morning, far too much rain for anyone`s liking and unusually cold temperature. Trust me when I say that the person who`s least happy with the overall standard of the putting surfaces is me! My plight has not been helped by the fact that our Turf Iron has been out of action due to a faulty solenoid and then the wrong replacement part was sent! Grrrr! With a little help from Mother Nature we will get them right, that's a promise.
But there has been some good news on the mechanical front! We have recently made a couple of new additions to the Greenkeeping Team. Starting this week, and just in the nick of time for our Turf Iron is Sean who comes from a Mechanics background and will provide invaluable help with the up keep and maintenance of our machinery. He will also provide a very welcome extra pair of hands to help with the tidying of the course, range and clubhouse areas.
This is definitely a good weekend if you are at a loose end!
Remember we have Elvis here at the Club on Saturday night (23rd) and if you`re not `All Shook Up` on Sunday morning then why not enter your Team of 4 in the Portlethen Texas Scramble on the 24th.
There are lots of players benefitting from the solid, expert and professional advice that is available to you all on your doorstep. So don`t get left behind, and as I mentioned last week some of the key things to playing well and scoring better on the course could come down to just having more confidence in your distance awareness. Why not take advantage of a couple of my services that you simply can`t get ANYWHERE ELSE and definitely can`t get from any online supplier!
Knowing YOUR Yardage:
As I`ve constantly mentioned in previous Newsletters I have the Technology to give you this info. in the form of my Flightscope Radar. But the truth of the matter is it wasn`t really portable or practical enough for the logistics of the Portlethen Driving Range. But have no fear because I have invested in the very latest Camera driven Launch Monitor. The GC2 with HMT (Head Measuring Technology) now gives me, but more importantly you, the best kit to get the best feedback. It will be a big part of my Club Fitting and Tuition Sessions but right now I`m offering you guess the chance to get your game "Dialled In" starting wioth knowing how far you hit each club. This `Distance Gapping` Session does two distinct things for you. It gives you peace of mind that you know how far you hit each club, and it also highlights if there are any significant GAPS or CLUSTERS in your Set.
Book You Gapping Session Today - ONLY £20!
Knowing THE Yardage
Knowing how far you hit each club is a start, now all you need to know is the ACTUAL Distance you have left to hit. For that there are many forms of Measuring Device on the market. There are Lasers which accurately pin point the target you are shooting at with a very easy `Point & Press` function. Then there are handheld Units that give you a visual arial display of the hole, all is hazards and features as well as the front, middle and back distances of the green. Then finally the most convenient and popular just now is the watch/wrist mounted device. The information is more basic due to the size of the display but it is every bit as accurate and you know how far you are away from the front middle or in most cases the best yardage to use is the back edge of the green from anywhere on the course just by having a quick glance at your wrist!
We have just taken delivery of all the latest models of laser, unit & watch styles from Golfbuddy, Garmin & Nikon. So why not take one for a test drive and see the confidence that KNOWING THE EXACT YARDAGE can have on your game. I`ll put money on most of the good players will be relying on something like that in this week`s Champ Qualifiers.
Book you Golfbuddy Test Drive Today - FOC!
Although have a quick peek at this week`s video and you might see that knowing your lay up yardage better might have help! But good players can escape from any awkward situation!.....can`t they!?
As I`m sure many of you will know by now a large part of what I am trying to offer is the ability to make you perform better. We have the very best Green Grass Trial & Fitting Service you`ll find in the area. To reinforce that Service for the next Month I will be adding some incredible value to that service by offering not only FREE Fitting on Equipment* Purchases but also a Performance Enhancing Lesson ABSOLUTELY FREE as well! For more details of my Complete Equipment Solution then keep reading!
*On Featured Brands/Products
But I`m confident that I can help you guys Improve so much so that I`m going to introduce the following Promotion.
My search is on to find the "GAME IMPROVEMENT CHAMPION!"
Here`s how you qualify to be I the running for this Award.
For the Months of May & June I will be offering this exclusive Lesson Package.
"The Game Changer" - 4 x 45 Minute Lessons
Lesson 1 - Full Swing Analysis
Lesson 2 - Pitching & Chipping
Lesson 3 - Bunkers
Lesson 4 - Putting
ONLY £120! (That`s A £20 Saving!)**
**Top Up Lessons will be given at the equivalent reduced individual price!
Everyone who signs up for this Package will have their Handicap Progress recorded until the end of August (Lessons are recommended to be taken over the maximum of 2 week intervals and are only Valid until the end of this period) The Player who achieves the BIGGEST PERCENTAGE IMPROVEMENT on their Handicap will be crowned my "GAME IMPROVEMENT CHAMPION" and receive a Commemorative Sweater, Certificate and an All-Expenses Paid Away Golf Day with myself. (If the Promotion attracts enough interest I will offer 2 Runners-Up Prizes to join the All-Expenses Paid Away Golf Day with myself)
That lasting improvement to your Golf Game is just one Click away! Book your first session up today!
