Hola Amigos,

Well you've got me this week. We are having a lovely time enjoying the sunshine in Spain, even with a couple of trips to the hospital for anaphylaxis treatment. Don't ask.

 

So it's official, Chris Wood has made the Ryder Cup team. Brilliant stuff and having just recently got married he will return to action in Switzerland in a couple of weeks' time. Chris and I know Hazeltine well having been there for the USPGA Championships in 2009 and over the next month or so we will be preparing to get his game into tip top shape for what will be an amazing Ryder Cup.

Short game has been the main emphasis and I have been watching it gradually improve over the summer. When we started working on pitching in the Spring, he was out of sorts but with a real key emphasis to improvement and practice, this is now coming strong.

As ever it's going to be an exciting Ryder Cup and on American soil will be tremendously difficult to get a result. I can guarantee that Chris will be ready and will fight for every single point.




Seniors Stableford - Friday, 20 August 

1st - Mike Innes - 40pts, 2nd - Peter Bell - 36pts, 3rd - Andrew Bartlett - 34pts 


August Medal - Saturday, 13 August 

1st - Ian Hayward 78 - 07 = 71, 2nd - Jon Mitchell - 78 - 07 = 71 - lost on countback, 3rd - Richard Goldberg - 76 - 04 = 72 

Some great scoring chaps, well played. 

This week our assistant Nick steps into the limelight and here's his weekly round up.


 

Hi everyone,

Just reminding all customers that we currently have reduced shoes, Scotty Cameron putters and bags in store in our mid season sale. 

A big congratulations to Ebonie Lewis for finishing 3rd and Emily Toy for finishing 5th in the English ladies amateur strokeplay championship last week. It is great to see a few of Paul's students play well in such a prestigious event. In addition we would like to thank all of the members for their support during this tournament, the standard of golf was incredible with the winning score from Emily Price (Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club) being -7 under par. 

This week will be our 'course maintenance week' where Matt Hawker and his team will be scarifying the greens and improving the course so that it is in the best condition for general play over the winter 

Nick


Now time for a little instructional...

 

Looking For Extra Distance? 

The way that you hold the club can be the key to not only hitting straight shots but producing maximum lag and club head speed. 

One of the biggest faults I see during lessons is the way that the club is positioned in the left hand. Many players tend to hold the club too much into the palm of the hand, and although this feels secure and strong (like a baseball bat), it can inhibit the correct hinging and cocking of the wrist.

The key is to hold the club in the fingers. This would be against many teaching manuals and instructionals but would help 99% of my pupils to gain extra distance and a feeling of striking the ball with ease.

The last three fingers of the left hand should be wrapped around the butt end of the club securely. Unless you regularly play the guitar, these fingers will tend to be redundant and therefore weak in strength. Hold on reasonably tight and feel as if they are firm during the backswing, whilst pulling down into the ball and into the follow through. Even if the right hand lets go of the club, the left will guide the club through impact. You never see a professional right handed player let go with their left hand. It needs to be secure to pull the club all the way through the ball.

   

I don't mind a strong left hand grip. This means there may be three knuckles on view on the back of the left hand when you glance down to look at the grip. Many of the top players have what we call a strong left hand grip these days, it's a modern look. The strong grip tends to create more of a cupped look in the left wrist at address which in turn will give more of an angled hinge as you cock the wrists on the backswing. We see a lot of over-swings on the men's and ladies tours these days, many a time caused by strong left hand grips. The extra swing can delay the uncocking of the wrists and produce an extra snap or whip into the ball giving the player those extra few valuable yards.

With a firmer/tighter left hand, it is easier to hold onto the club-face position through impact, helping to keep the face square and aiming at the target.

If a player tries the extra length, hinge and cock on the backswing, but doesn't hold onto the club tight enough with the left, they will experience some serious inconsistencies. Therefore a firm left hand is a must with this technique.

Another important point to note is that the right hand is simply 'on for the ride'. Resist temptation to overuse it during the backswing and downswing. Just let the right wrist hinge to the top and resist unhinging until you absolutely have too just before impact.

This tip will also apply to any other shot, including chipping, pitching and bunkers. Putting is another issue altogether (that's next week).

If you are struggling with any aspect of your game and would like to arrange a lesson, please click here to get in touch, or come and have a chat with us in the pro shop.

Thanks for reading, have a great week. 

Paul, Caren, Andy and Nick