Hi everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying this week's golfing delights.

 

This week saw a lot of activity, starting with Lady Captain's Day!

Paula organised a great event, with help from the ever lovely Derek Kilgallon who was on hand to man the Pimms and treats tent. The day started at 10am, and although it was a little damp in places, everyone had a great time. I saw the lovely tea tables set up by Jayne and her staff and it all looked very nice indeed. 

The winners of the day were Jo Harrison, Dorothy Bastable and Sue Wilson with 72 points, and in second place came Maureen Pomphrey, Paula Keaney and Anne Pope. Many congratulations to you all.

   

Last weekend saw the Men's Club Championships played in good weather, and a field of 90 took part. The cards were printed, the pin position charts ready and the winner of the 36 hole competition was the brilliant James Mitchell. 

1st and Club Champion - James Mitchell 
2nd - James Webber 
3rd - Calum Mortimore

  

Many congratulations to you all.


We also had a weekday medal last Wednesday - Richard Goldberg took top spot with a nett 69 from John Oliver in second with nett 70 and Oli Nevin in third with nett 71. Great golfing guys.


 

So what's coming up? 

- Wednesday, 22 June - Divots V Shirehampton 
- Thursday, 23 June - Gurkha Welfare Day 
- Friday, 24 June - Seniors' Stableford, BDGL second team V The Bristol 
- Saturday, 25 June - Summer Solstice Eclectic Competition - sign up in the spike bar 
- Sunday, 26 June - Ladies' Club Championship 
- Wednesday, 29 June - Weekday Medal 
- Thursday, 30 June - Bristol Irish Golf Society


 

This week saw us continue all the regular things that we do - Andy did his Get Into Golf beginners' sessions as well as Inclusion golf and Belgrave School sessions, and Paul ran the Tri Golf session and Junior Team coaching. I have been liaising on further coaching sessions with schools and I know it's going to be a busy week next week.

On Wednesday we will be running our second tri golf festival of the season, and on Thursday Paul heads to Parson Street Primary School in Bedminster to coach their pupils as part of an initiative to encourage young children to think about their health and activity levels. It's most definitely a privilege to be in such an important role.

We had a bit of a worry when we dragged out our giant inflatable net for the Get Into Golf days coming up in early July and the thing would not inflate. Oh I did worry quite a lot. I mean, how do you find a puncture in anything the size of an elephant? The suggestions ranged from dragging it into a paddling pool to taking it to Weston and dunking it in the sea to find out which area it is bubbling from! However as there really never seems to be much sea, we opted for taking it to a company who fixes these nets as well as bouncy castles and other huge inflatable toys, and I am happy to say that it is now working once again - the fault was in the fan. So we are ready and kitted out for the first excursion which takes us on 9th July to Blaise Castle. 

Please do come along and bring your children or grandchildren to try our giant net, tri golf challenge or putting competition from 10.30am to 2.30pm. We will be stationed at the play area and kitted out in our bright shirts.

This week I am handing over to Andy for his instructional - lead on McGreevy...


Hi everyone,

This week I'd like to help you create some effortless power. People often ask me how they can hit the ball further and seem to expect an answer that involves some big gross movement or long hours in the gym throwing weights around. Although making your body stronger and faster can definitely help, if you don't understand how power is created when we swing, then you'll be going round in circles trying to find the answer.

You might have heard commentators on the TV talking about players generating power from the ground up or using the ground to create power. This is to do with one of Newton's laws of physics which states 'for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'. Therefore when we put pressure or push into the ground we can get a reaction from the ground which we can use to create power. Whether this power be to run, jump or hit a ball it doesn't matter, but there is potential energy there for us to utilise. All top players and quality ball strikers apply this law when they swing the club, which gives the appearance of great power with no effort and a balanced finish. Applying this to your golf swing can be very simple and the following drill will help you to understand how this works.

Creating effortless power is all to do with how you move the pressure in your feet from left to right in your backswing, and then right to left in your downswing. Notice I said pressure, not transferring weight. We're not talking about a big wind up behind the ball where you feel like all your weight is stacked on your right leg (See Pic 1). We're talking about moving pressure from our left foot to our right with no excessive lateral movement (See Pic 2 and 3).

   

To perform this drill will take a lot of concentration and is quite difficult to master. However, once you can perform it well and fully understand the logic behind it, you'll be able to hit your shots consistently further with less effort.

Start by lining up 6 balls on the ground roughly six inches apart. You're going to hit each ball as you walk down the line transferring the pressure in your feet from left to right as you swing back, and then right to left as you swing through.

Click here to watch a video on how to do this.

Start with the club slightly toward the target and your pressure into your left side ready to move into your right as you swing and walk down the line. Notice in the video how I'm lifting my left foot as I swing back to move the pressure into my right foot. A small step to the left initiates the downswing and the pressure moving into my left foot, then as I follow through, I'm onto my right toe to ensure the pressure is all in my left foot. As I do this I'm also keeping my head relatively centred and letting my footwork transfer the pressure from left to right and right to left. Maintaining balance is also key to performing this drill well so start slowly with a small club and build up as you begin to find it easier.

This drill isn't meant to be a quick fix to give you more distance. By performing this drill for 5-10 minutes every time you practice on the range, your awareness of pressure in your feet as you swing as well as your understanding of how to apply this to hit the ball further will increase. If you're serious about improving and spending time practicing, I would certainly give this a go. 

As well as increasing your understanding of how to hit the ball further, this drill is great for sequencing and coordination, as well as preventing you from getting lost looking in the mirror at your perfectly on plane swing that lacks the correct athletic movements such as the one demonstrated here to hit the ball to the best of your ability.

Everyone is capable of getting better at this game, but it's how you invest the time you have when practicing that makes an impact on how good you can be. Following the same practice regime that you've had for the last how many years whilst you've been stuck on the same handicap might not be the best way for you to improve. So challenge yourself with this drill that'll certainly help you to learn more about your swing and stop you going round in circles searching for the 'answer'.

As always if you've tried this out and need some help just pop into the shop and ask, I'm always more than happy to help. 

Andy


Brilliant bit of information for us all there, well done Andy!


 

This week Nick signed his forms ready to start PGA training and he starts the course in a couple of months, which is great news. He is already proving to be a very helpful and valuable member of our team and I know he will be a great help to all of our members.

Finally don't forget we are running a Titleist Fitting Day on July 8th - this is FREE to all attendees and will feature all the latest Titleist equipment. The fitter will have all the different heads and shafts so you will be able to try any combinations you like.

Click here to find out more about what Titleist has to offer.

To book call us on 01275 393031 or click here to reserve a time.

On that note, have a great week 

Caren, Paul, Andy & Nick