Well, just in case you`d forgotten in the last twelve months we were reminded on Sunday night that Britain`s Got Talent! Although I think they need to re-title it BCGT, because it was clearly a Border Collie Got Talent! So now that`s 2 dogs that have won the Talent contest following on from Pudsey. You could say it was nearly 3 but Susan Boyle was only Runner Up the third year!! Which made me think of the finalists over the years and actually it turns out that "Britain`s Got Limited Talent!" We`ve had the illegitimate love children of Andrea Bochelli and Princess Fiona from Shrek in Subo and Paul Potts! Sandwiched in between them (ooft, what a thought!!) was George Sampson, the 14 year old street dancer! I heard Homer was particularly proud that year, oh no, he was a Simpson wasn`t he, D`oh!
If season 1 brought us the Potts then it was season 3 when they came to the Boyle, and the global phenomenon from West Lothian that is SuBo appeared onto our screens like a burst couch! She was the bookies favourite to win that year but had to settle for 2nd, losing out to the Dance Troop called Diversity. The irony now is their victory clearly opened the floodgates to acts like that and now it seems every second audition and every final has had a gang of these junior gymnastic jivers to the point that there is absolutely no diversity at all!! Season 4 was another dancey-acrobatic flock by the name of Spelbound, who basically looked like someone had spray tanned the Von Trap Family!
Surprise surprise, (No Cilla Black didn't win the next year!) but the following seasons saw an opera style singer win again, Jai McDowall, then the first of the canine champions in Ashleigh & Pudsey (I`m pretty sure Pudsey was the dog!?), then low and behold more singers last year in the shape of Collabro, the group who looked like Westlife, sounded like Il Divo and were named after a Mexican Ice Lolly!
I`m pretty sure the Queen is getting a bit fed up of having to watch the same conveyor belt of Singers, Dancers, & Dugs as evidence that Britain`s Got moderate Talent. And just to emphasise that point perhaps the only winner to buck that trend was the shadow theatre act, Attraction, who won BRITAINS Got Talent in 2013 despite being from Hungary!!
But this years winner got us right back on monotonous track with Matisse the sausage stealing, tightrope walking, choreographed Collie! Although it seems that it is more than just their sketch being described as ruff justice, with allegations of stunt double dogs being used! But while most people are thinking that's a bit doggy, I mean dodgy, I`m tending to go with the old adage that surely 2 dogs are better than 1, just ask Hugh Hefner!! And surely if training one performing pooch is good enough to win then the fact that Jules O`Dear, O`Dwyer, can train 2 to do the tricks then they should definitely win. My only gripe is that whilst the Homo sapien who merely shuffled about the stage walks away with a cheque for £250, 000 the dog with all the talent gets a mouthful of dog treats and a ribbon pinned to its fur! But then again Matisse Rosette was always the cheap option.
It`s been a week of controversy with the news that Step Ladder is sepping down, I mean Split Bladder is seeping down, sorry, I meant Sepp Blatter is stepping down as head of FIFA. The world footballing governing body has been shrouded in corruption and controversy some of which it has been discovered stretches way back as far as 1999, from which time it has been quite apparent that every Referee has been bribed and every Match Result fixed for all of Scotlands Qualifying games for ANYTHING since!! I think all these host Nations are scared that the Tartan Army still behave like Wembley `77 and will drink, pillage and invoke prima nocta like some sort of Viking invasion!
Big ginger haired drinking Scots brings me poignantly to the news that Charles Kennedy, the Lib Dem MP, sadly passed away last week. Whilst at only 54 years of age it is a shame he has passed to the afterlife relatively young his lifestyle and penchant for a dram has left his internal organs well preserved, ok maybe not his liver, but the pathologists have advised against a Cremation as they recon he`ll go up like a Christmas Pudding! However if we`re lucky he could still be going come Bonfire Night!
It`s not been the best of weeks for the red headed brigade this week at all with home hero, and second most famous exponent of the auburn afro after Ronald McDonald, Rory McIlroy missing the Cut at the oh so Irishly named Dubai Duty Free Irish Open! I think that name got quite a few of the locals a little disorientated!! "To be sure we got to Dubai in only t`irty minutes but der was no desert at all, it`was freezin and would you believe it was still feckin rainin!!"
The weather certainly played it`s part with scoring conditions over the Royal County Down Links with the winning score falling at only 2 Under Par. That number was posted by 3 players, and following a 3 man playoff this time it was another dog who triumphed, the Great Dane, Soren Kjeldsen claimed his 4th Tour Victory.
The weather seems to have been a theme for most weeks when talking about the Competitions here at Portlethen, but this weekend it was particularly significant again. Not so much on Saturday, but Sunday`s golf was decimated by torrential rain and strong winds.
Christie Cup Stableford
Wednesday 27th May `15
Division 1 (10 & BELOW)
1st: Rob Inkster = 42 Points and 2nd: Mark Leslie = 39 Points
1st in Sweep: Peter Griffiths = 38 Points ACB, 2nd in Sweep: Gary Esson = 38 Points ACB and 3rd in Sweep: John Sims = 38 Points
Pictured here Peter Griffiths and Gary Esson
Division 2 (11-15)
1st: James Bruce = 38 Points, 2nd: David Spence = 37 Points and 3rd: Iain Flett = 36 Points ACB Division 3 (16 & ABOVE)
1st: Johnny Russell = 39 Points ACB, 2nd: Andy Petrie = 39 Points and 3rd: Alex Dowall = 37 Points
Medal / Keltie Trophy Saturday 30th May `15
Division 1 (10 & BELOW)
1st: Ian Logie = 77(8) - 69, 2nd: Iain D Anderson = 78(8) - 70 and 3rd: Lewis Gordon75(5) - 70
3rd In Sweep: Steven Wallace = 75(4) - 71
Pictured above - Ian Logie, Steven Wallace, Ken Jarvie and Grant Munro
Division 2 (11-15)
1st: Gary Lloyd = 79(12) - 67, 2nd: Ken Jarvie = 79(11) - 68 ACB and 3rd: Grant Munro = 79(11) - 68 ACB
Division 3 (16 & ABOVE)
1st: David McGachy = 82(16) - 66, 2nd: Rob Anderson = 84(17) - 67 and 3rd: Steven Campbell = 94(27) - 67
Pictured here Dave McGachy and Rob Anderson
Sunday Walk On Medal Sunday 31st May '15
1st Malcolm Reid = 79(12) - 67
2nd Simon Scouller (pictured) = 92(24) - 68
Again another good week of success stories with more handicap reductions and account balance increases coming from guys who have invested in their improvement and enjoyment. Notably Gary Lloyd and Rob Anderson continuing to lower their handicaps and pick up some well-earned dosh along the way. Both players have taken 2 strokes off their handicaps in as many competitions!
One person who didn`t feature on the results above, but who I`d like to mention is Brian Johnston. Brian narrowly missed out on a Top 3 place but did still record an excellent Nett 67 which won him the Over 50`s Keltie Trophy! I`m pretty sure Brian only just sneaked into the qualifying age by a day or so!!
The reason I am mentioning this is because Brian, who earlier this year had a Lesson from me and had been reading week after week of these success stories, came to me prior to Saturday and apologised for letting ME down as he hadn`t been able to feature in this role of honour!
Well, now with a stroke off his handicap Brian has more than merited a mention. Well Done Brian.
But the main point I`m trying to make here is, well there are two points actually. The first and most important is that if anyone feels bad that you don`t improve it`s ME, I care about my Members. And I especially care about those who have sought out my help and expertise to make them better. And the second point is, sometimes it just takes a little longer to get comfortable with the adjustments, some people need more time than others to see the effect/benefit, and just because it doesn`t happen instantly that isn`t a reason to give up on it. Think back to learning to drive a car. Some get it within a few lessons, others need many more and quite a few attempts to pass their driving test! Even Jenson Button didn`t pass his Driving Test first time around!
If last week I was encouraging you to `Get A Grip` when it came to trusting the Internet for fulfilling your Golfing needs then this week I can prove that at times it`s `Just A Load Of Balls`!! On Wednesday I was asked by a Member to authenticate the quality of balls he had been given as a gift from a non golfer who had got them from the Internet. The Ball in question was the hugely popular and recognizable Titleist Pro V1. The one thing that is fairly unique to a Pro V1 Ball is its colour and texture, even compared to other premium performing balls on the market. You could almost describe it as Off-White and it has an almost tacky texture that gives off that sense of the covers softness. The balls that were given as a gift were persil white to the point they almost gave off a blue tinge! To the touch you could tell they were harder than Mike Tyson with a headache and the "Pro V1" text arrow was neither the same font nor aligned with the centre seem that every genuine Titleist golf ball is. But these are not things you can tell whilst punching in your Credit Card Details on your computer, by the time you can see that they are not the genuine article it`s probably too late! And do you really want/need the hassle of fighting for your money back all to save a few pounds on a maximum £40 Sale!? What made it even worse with these balls was that somehow they had managed to be packed and shipped in the genuine packaging!
The Internet can guarantee only one thing, a perceived lower price! Anything else will require you to suck it and see! Walk through my door and everything connected with a product is as transparent as can be. The quality, the suitability, the availability, the price, and the associated service (and after sales service!)
Here is a wee `For Instance`. During Sundays downpours one of the brave souls who ventured out first thing, only to last 6 holes, came into the shop after. Clearly outwardly drenched I noticed he was wearing a Galvin Green Jacket with looked particularly water laden. He mentioned that he was probably going to look for a new jacket. I asked if his current one was leaking, but he said no, but it was taking on a lot of water. I could`ve jumped on that and tried to sell him either a new Galvin Green Jacket or at the very least a new, less expensive Jacket. Instead, I told him that as the Goretex was still sound the Jacket wouldn`t be classed as faulty, however Galvin Green did offer a Re-Proofing service that would give the Jackets fabric the repellence that it had when new. I can pretty much guarantee that the only person who would let you leave a High Street Store or an Online Site without buying a new jacket would be YOU! And it`s unlikely that in doing so you would`ve still got a solution to your problem!? As I`ve said before, all I sell is Solutions & Results…. (Oh, and maybe some sweeties & juice!!)
Those who know invest their trust in their Pro!
"All the Golfing Gossip from the Powder Room" by Aileen McVey
The Pro Shops 1st Lady
Well, I`m not afraid to say that I swapped my bike for a big ship this week and not had to worry in the slightest what the Portlethen skies had to throw at me as I`ve been on a Cruise. But I`ve been keeping my finger on the pulse with all things female at the Golf Club. There has been some great scores returned and some scores that I`m sure that`ll be quick to be forgotten. I`m just glad they weren`t mine for once.
On Saturday Angie Craig returned a fantastic 85(18) - 67 to be the best score by 5 strokes from Pat Penfold 99(27) - 72. Speaking of 99`s it`s getting a bit hot out on this deck, I might have another Ice Cream Cone!!
On Tuesday again it was Alison Bruce who grabbed the headlines with 94(22) - 72 which was matched by Anne MacLeod = 96(24) - 72
I think the appearance of "Junior Pennant Match" brings out the very worst in Portlethen Weather as that was the 2nd in as many home fixtures that the heavens opened and the course was exposed to some dreadful rainfall. And with the events of match one still to be resolved the descision was taken early to postpone the Junior Match v Hazelhead to avoid the match potentially being abandoned half way through again.
Fortunately Saturdays weather was slightly better and that meant the Hector Day Qualifier went ahead.
Again it was Girl Power as 3 of the top 4 spots went to the girls.
Hector Day Qualifier Sat 30th May
1st: Ashley Wallace = 88(22) - 66, 2nd: Pranav Maganti = 93(24) - 69, 3rd: Lousie Cook = 93(21) - 72 and 4th: Katie Robson = 84(11) - 73
I was especially pleased to see Pranav have a good score as I had given him a lesson only that week, and now he can boast that he has a lower Handicap than his Dad! Maybe his Dad should come to me for lessons instead of Stuart!?
I was also really pleased to see Owen Harper return a good score as he had just been to my Development Class and got a few swing tips just the hour before he teed off! Owen returned a 93(31) - 62 and now has reduced his Handicap to an Official Congu 28 so now he can play in the full competitions.
Well Done Owen!
It was more of the same for the Greenstaff this week. As every effort goes in to getting the course in general and the greens in particular as tip top as possible. A constant application of dressing, brushing, rolling and cutting are ongoing in an attempt to get ahead of these erratic and out of season weather patterns we are experiencing.
There is even more gloom to report for the Seniors Section but worse still it wasn`t even the weather this time! A 6 ½ - 1 ½ defeat away to Peterculter wasn`t exactly our finest hour!
But back on home soil things were looking up, well for a few guys at least! The Thursday SGU Qualifying Medal was a Stableford and it was David Foote - 42 Points who just won by a nose from George Fenton - 41 Points. Also breaking through the 40 Point barrier was Ken Morrish who took third. I`m hoping these guys and many more are all geared up to play in the Portlethen Seniors Open.
Seniors Open Monday 15th June - Book Online or through the Professional Shop now.
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! Click here to book yours.
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