25th
July 2008
Greetings from Duncan and the Team at Hele Park,
The Open
Wow! What an Open. It was fantastic to watch
the players being tested on such a good course
in tricky conditions. I admired the way it
brought out the skills of the better players.
This was one competition where the longest
driving players needed imagination. It wasn't
surprising to me to see John Daly finishing
last, 29 over par after just two rounds. A
lesson for all of us is Padraig's course management
technique which was the decisive factor. The
17th hole, where runner up Ian Poulter played
a driver every day, finishing over par on the
hole overall showed that Padraig's use of the
5 wood off the 17th tee after the first day
was inspired. With his driver Padraig bogeyed
the hole and then changed to his 5 wood scoring
one birdie and two eagles. You can see how
that hole alone could have changed the outcome.
My money was on Ian Poulter (literally, at
50-1) so I can't help feeling a little disappointed......
To celebrate Padraig's win with Wilson equipment,
Wilson are now offering a free wedge with any
custom fit order. In our Club Room we have the
Pi7s, Ci7s and the Di7s in stock as well as Padraig's
now legendary Fybrid 5 wood.
Demo Week
This next week is Demo Week. If you have ever
wanted to try a set of Callaway or Titleist
irons we have a set of ladies' Big Bertha irons
to try, a set of men's Big Bertha irons and
4 sets of Titleist AP1s with different shaft
flexes. Just ring us and reserve a set for
the next time you are out on the course.
Charity Day
Our thanks to the local businesses and members
who supported our Charity Day last weekend
raising some £1,500 towards the Captains'
Charities. AC Metters Decorating Ltd, Adrian
Metters, Teresa Metters and Tony Davis scored
88 points in the 4BBB stableford to take first
prize. Wendy's Little Boys (I didn't name us!)
came second - Sam Wallace, Chris Ralph and
me - with 85 points. The team from Pro Form
- Mark Harbron, James Harbron and Dave Crabb
were just one point behind us with 84 points.
Seniors' & Lady
Vets' Charity Day
For the first time the Seniors' & Lady Vets
joined forces to raise funds for the Captains'
Charities. Playing an individual stableford over
9 holes they were under orders to wear something
pink. Alan Radford took this to heart, as you
can see from the picture, and Malcolm Asker was
a vision in pink. It was great to see everyone
enjoying themselves in the sunshine and I did
sneak a beefburger from the barbecue afterwards.
Win One Of
5 Pairs Of FootJoy ReelFit™ Shoes
All you have to do is click here and answer the
question: Which shoe has been the No. 1 shoe
at The Open Championship for 29 years running?” It’s
as easy as that! (*106 participating shops
across the UK).
The ReelFit™ shoe does
not use a conventional lacing system. Instead
it has an internal BOA lacing system which
holds the foot tight into the heel of the shoe.
Compared to traditional lacing, which loosens
over time, this snug fit will last the duration
of your round giving you greater stability
from shot to shot. Click here to find out more
about BOA Technology.
The Best ‘Ball & Bag’ Deal
Ever
Did you ever think that you could pick up a £45
Golf Bag for £10? Well, I am promoting
a fantastic Strata deal in the shop at the moment
where if you buy 1 dozen NEW Strata Professional
Golf Balls (£23.99) you will get a Strata
Flip Stand Bag for ONLY £10 (normally £44.99)!
Click here to order your golf balls and bag.
I Want To Know What You Think About This New
Ball
The Strata Professional is a two piece golf ball
with a thin outer cover which gives it exceptional
feel and spin around the greens. It is VERY long
and VERY soft and I would say that it’s
one of the best performance two-piece balls on
the market. If you’ve played this ball,
and you would like to share your comments, click
here.
All of us would benefit from rethinking our course
strategy, since golf psychology is such a fundamental
part of how the game turns out. Scroll down to
read my tips on when to play it safe and when
to take risks. I also invite you this week to
consider whether your set of irons is still suitable
for your level of golf. I finally discuss how
technology has improved wedges, offering us an
opportunity to enhance our game. Come and have
a chat with me in the shop if you are interested
in upgrading your equipment or game plan.
Regards,
Duncan and the Hele Park Team
Step Up & Play The
Course
Pressure on the course often causes us to change
our game plan or abandon it altogether.
Think how many times you’ve gone to pieces
after making just one mistake. Why can’t
you put your mistake behind you?
A good piece of advice for
the golf course – when
things are going wrong it’s time to play
safe. If you’re under pressure it’s
time to play shots you know you can pull off.
So be prepared to:
1. Play safe; find the fairway;
2. Lay up short of the green to a distance where
you feel confident to attack the pin from,
3. Don’t try anything that you can’t
accomplish,
4. When you’re setting up to the ball bear
in mind your shape of shot on the day & aim
accordingly
5. Remember to take heed of the hole’s
stroke index – e.g. do you have a free
shot here
Mastering your course management
is as important as spending time out on the
range. A playing lesson is one of the most
effective ways in which to do this – for
those of you interested, click here to email
me.
SPLIT PERSONALITY ON THE
COURSE – THINK
ABOUT YOUR ABILITIES BEFORE TEEING OFF…
Depending on the realistic assessment of your
own abilities, the challenge ahead of you changes
several times on a single hole.
If you were playing the 18th at Royal Birkdale,
home of the 2008 Open Championship, ! as an amateur,
you should treat it as a Par 5 (the Pros play
it as a Par 4).
A 3-wood off the tee would offer control, and
hopefully get you over the first bunker onto
quite a large landing area.
A hybrid to within 90 yards of the green would
then leave you a nice 9 iron or wedge onto the
middle of the green.
Of course, you could have taken a Driver off
the tee, risking a wayward shot into the rough
on the right.
An attempt to then hit the
green with a second (or third if you’ve
had to drop) would then leave the risky task
of having to clear the bunkers at the mouth
of the green with a big shot.
Playing Within Yourself
Most of us would have started
off playing with a set of Irons that offered
the greatest in “Forgiveness”, “Distance” and “Accuracy”.
This was perfect back then but to a large extent,
your Irons were in charge!
If you have reached the level
in your game where greater shot making variability
and “feel&rd!
quo; are the priority then you need to consider
a set of Players Irons. To see if you are ready
for an Iron upgrade read the blue box (left).
Then for some great examples from Callaway, read
below.
When it comes to having the greatest level of
control, there is no substitute for having your
Irons correctly fitted to your specific needs.
Progressing into a set of
Players Irons shouldn’t
be a rushed decision so if you feel ready to
take control of your game, then come talk to
me or click here to book a fitting.
Callaway X-Forged and Tour X-20 Irons
Forged from a soft carbon steel and featuring
a progressive CG placement from low in the
long Irons (for ease of launch) to higher in
the scoring Irons (for improved ball control),
the Callaway ! X-Forged Irons will offer the
skilled player greater feel and ball flight
control where they need it the most.
For a set of Irons with great feel and workability,
yet the ease of use of a game improvement Iron,
the Callaway X-20 Irons are well worth trying.
Compared to the X-Forged Irons, the undercut
channel design helps positions the CG low in
the head for higher launch and enlarges the sweet
spot to keep you in play on the occasional off-centre
shot.
The Lagalites Of Wedges - For Now!
In the past few years, wedges
have come under fire from the USGA and the
R&A. However,
unlike the illegal driver saga, it will not affect
any of us for a long time still. The only people
it will affect in the near future, are the professional
players, who will have to work a bit harder to
get closer to pins from out of the rough.
Despite this debate, today’s wedges are
great game improvement clubs as they feature
more grip an! d a softer feel that will enhance
any player’s game no matter what level
of skill they have.
How many of you actually
know how spin is generated from your wedges?
Well firstly, the grooves on the clubface create
an area of displacement which channels dirt
and water away from the ball during impact.
Today’s wedges feature deep U-grooves.
These grooves give you a greater area of impact
on the ball giving you better control and the
ability to create spin from the rough.
Wedges of today also feature milled faces -
a process th! at creates a smoother, more consistent
face and creates slightly sharper edges on the
grooves. This helps to add extra grip on the
ball for more stop on short chip shots.
Another great advantage of
today’s wedges,
are the materials used. Chrome-plated wedges
have been replaced by either an oil can finish
or a gunmetal finish, which produce less glare,
especially when in bunkers. The oil can finish
also tends to rust, adding more grip to face.
The soft Nickel finish combines with the U-groove
to produce ultra-high spin levels.
Come speak to me if you have more questions
about groove design, and which material suits
you best, or click on the wedge image to book
a fitting.
The V-groove was the standard
groove until about 30 years ago, when the Square-groove
was invented. The U-groove was then created
due to the Square-groove’s
sharp edges which ripped the soft balata cover
on golf balls. Current wedges that feature U-grooves
might be banned on the professional tours by
2009 due to exceeding groove width and decreasing
distance between grooves. However, this will
only affect us by earliest 2019.
Hele Park Golf Centre Scorecard
17 July 2008
Midweek Mixed
Individual Stableford
All Day
1st: Alexis Lopez (13) 45 points
2nd: Eve Nutley (29) 42 points
3rd: Ben Wilson (11) 42 points
19 July 2008
Charity Day
Better Ball Stableford
All Day - Raising monies for bibic & the
Alzheimer's Society
1st: AC Metters Decorating Ltd 88 points
2nd: Wendy's Little Boys 85 points
3rd: Pro Form Ltd 84 points
22 July 2008
Seniors' & Lady Vets' Charity Day
Individual Stableford
All Day
Lady Vets
1st: Pat Swindells (17) 18 points
2nd: Tricia Underwood (12) 18 points
3rd: Gina Royffe (15) 17 points
22 July 2008
Seniors' & Lady Vets' Charity Day
Individual Stableford
All Day
Seniors
1st: John K Williams (12) 21 points
2nd: Ernie Warner (9) 20 points
3rd: Bob Tarry (12) 20 points
23 July 2008
Ladies' Morning
Individual Stableford
All Day
1st: Anne Harris (36) 45 points
2nd: Sue Jessop (36) 36 points
3rd: Ann Scofield (21) 33 points
Callaway Golf
Callaway FT-Irons feature Callaway patented
Tunite alloy cradles which transfer the bulk
of the weight to the perimeter of the clubhead
producing a larger sweetspot. This combined with
a TPU rubber insert dampens vibrations and provides
a solid feel to each shot.
BOA FJ
BOA Technology uses 49 strands of aircraft grade
steel to form a single cable, which when tightened,
pulls the foot down and into the back of the
shoe. The net result is custom-like fit which
eliminates pressure points and provides the ultimate
stable hitting platform, coupled with the finest
leather and 100% waterproofness.
Events
GOLF SCHEDULE
Saturday 26 July
Men’s Invitation Day
Sunday 27 July
Mixed Section Stableford – Book Own Times
Tuesday 29 July
Seniors’ Friendly (H) The Warren
Wednesday 30 July
Ladies’ Morning Extra Medal
Thursday 31 July
Men’s Friendly (A) Torquay
Mixed Section Stableford – Book Own Times
Saturday 2 August
Men’s August Medals
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