Gareth Hardy

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter. In this week’s mail we have a special Video of the Week with none other than Rory McIlroy, we take a closer look at who will be trying to play their way into Bjorn's Ryder Cup team, and we offer a little advice on how to improve your game.

Enjoy the read.

Pro's news

Hi Folks,

The end of the ‘End of Summer Sale’ is fast approaching so make sure you pop in and grab your last minute bargains. There are still great deals and product to be had, including 20% off Footjoy and Under Armour shoes and as we head into the winter it is essential that you have a waterproof pair of shoes to see you through the wetter months.

Unfortunately the member’s guest day this Sunday was a bit of a wash out. Well done to those who managed to fight the conditions and played the 18. Especially to Gordon Arbuthnott and partner who shot a magnificent 60 to win. Great scoring.

Calum and I were away at the Kerr Investments Order of Merit Pro-am over the weekend. We were lucky to get a lovely sunny day on Saturday which made for great scoring conditions. Calum shot a great round of 5 under par 65 to put him 3 shots off the lead going into the second round. I managed a very average 1 under par 69. Day two brought bad weather and tough scoring conditions and unfortunately Calum couldn’t keep the good scoring going and shot 5 over par 75. I however managed a level par 70. I finished tied 18th with Calum finishing tied 21st. There are three more Order of Merit events to go to finish the season off, hopefully a good finish for us both in The Tartan Tour season.

Hope you have a good week,

Gareth

Coaching corner

Moira came along for a swing check this week. Can you spot which is the better takeaway??? A or B?? Get in touch and book a lesson slot if you feel your takeaway is letting you down during the golf swing. A good takeaway will set you up for the rest of the swing.

If you need help with your game get a lesson booked in by either calling in to the shop on 01292 473904 or stopping in, this can be done in advance or if any early cancelations are available we can let you know. One of our staff will be happy to help.

This years teaching diary times will be as follows and can be subject to change on a weekly basis if Gareth is away playing in a Tartan tour event:

Wednesdays 13:00 – 19:00

Thursdays 13:00-19:00

Fridays 11:00 - 16:00

Sundays 10:30 -12:00

Let’s keep your game going on track for the rest of the season.

Click here and get in touch if you would like to book a lesson.

Competition news

Glove Promotion

Titleist and FootJoy have launched a new glove promotion that I’m sure will be very attractive and get your competitive juices flowing.

On the day of the September monthly medal, 1st September, you have the chance of winning a free glove of your choice. All you have to do is pop in and purchase any one type of FootJoy glove from the shop before your round of golf.

If you then go out and beat your handicap in the competition we will give you a second glove completely free.

Course news

Links News August 2018

After the exceptionally long, hot summer the rain has finally come and the course is starting to get its colour back and the quarry is now getting back to somewhere near normal levels. The lack of growth and poor germination during the summer has left some areas slow to recover with walk off areas between some greens and tees being particularly affected.

An unusually high amount of overseeding is currently underway and it is reckoned that this will be double what was done last year and the results are already clear to see.

Thanks to Keith Carruthers, we have sourced railway sleepers to replace the old, damaged and decaying ones that make up our steps and pathway edgings. By the time you read this, 100 sleepers will have been delivered and ready to use.

A marker post has recently been installed at the 16th and is intended to aid visitors in choosing a safe line from the tee -- similar to the posts at the 4th and 6th. Hopefully this will reduce the number of balls being hit into gorse and onto St Ninians Road.

In addition, we are currently getting quotes for steps, similar to those at the 16th tee, to be positioned adjacent to the 4th tee. Players will then be able to determine if it's safe to play should the game in front forget to ring the bell.

The committee frequently receives correspondence on slow play and while there is no easy, single solution it is hoped that these two initiatives will assist in some way.

Alistair Belford

Links Convenor

Junior Academy

Junior Open

The Junior Open is getting closer and closer and many of you either individually or as groups have already helped out with hole sponsorship so many thanks. But there are still some left so if you would like to help and sponsor a hole please speak to one of us I the shop or please email the secretary’s office.

Members news

Longest Day of Golf Challenge

Well done to Sean Manson and Johnny Macmillan who completed the Macmillan Cancer research longest day of golf challenge.

It was a long tough day for the guys as the weather wasn’t in their favour but they managed it in the end. Well done again guys, an amazing attempt for a great cause.

Product spotlight

Under Armour Autumn Collection

Product spotlight this week is the new Autumn collection from Under Armour.

With some changes in design from previous years and new colours added to the range for this time of year, Under Armour are going from strength to strength and having been at the forefront of golfing apparel across the world, by the looks of the new range, they have no plans of stopping any time soon.

Any chance you get, feel free to pop into the shop and have a look at the new range of clothes and we will get you geared up for the rest of the season.

Rule of the week

Did you get the answer to last week’s rule?

Question:

Mark has pushed a tee shot right off the tee and thinks it might be lost. He hits another ball off the tee but doesn’t call it as a provisional. What happens now?

Answer:

You must clearly declare your intentions of hitting a provisional ball to your playing partners or opponents. If you do not do this, the second ball you hit is immediately in play.

Even if you find the first one, if you have not said you are going to hit a provisional ball, you cannot play the first one, it is deemed to be lost.

Tour news

Just 4 weeks to go

The Ryder Cup is edging ever closer, with a lot of speculation over who will be chosen as one of the four wildcards on both sides of the Atlantic.

There is an expectation that USA Team Captain Jim Furyk will give one of those spots to a resurgent Tiger Woods, who can now be picked on form rather than reputation after experiencing a stellar comeback season. Others vying for a trip to Le Golf National in Paris are Zach Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Kuchar, Kevin Kisner and Tony Finau, providing Furyk with an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

Thomas Bjorn won’t know exactly who has qualified for his European team until September 2, but the big names – Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm – are dead certs. The bigger question lies in the wildcard picks. Ian Poulter has a fearsome Ryder Cup record, having never lost a singles match, and has played himself into good form this season. Paul Casey, Thomas Pieters, Russell Knox and Rafa Cabrera-Bello are all in contention too, not to mention Ryder Cup veterans Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia.

Setting your sights

How many times do you find yourself lining up your shot and thinking "this is about an 8-iron from here to the pin", only to find that you end up 10-15 yards short of the hole? Being able to utilise accurate yardages is a key step to taking your game to the next level, which is why we'd recommend using a GPS device to ensure you always know exactly how far you have left to the pin.

Information at a glance

If you are yet to make the step into GPS assistance, why not try out the Garmin Approach S20? The watch's high-sensitivity GPS receiver gives you the distance data you need to fire away with confidence and hone in on the pin. You'll have distance to the front, back and middle of the green, as well as hazards, doglegs and layups.

watch our review >