Course Update
Well, what a wet start to 2016. The golfing gods wanted an extended Christmas holiday and opened up the heavens! The course has taken a battering this week so play has been suspended since last Tuesday.
Conditions have got so bad that Barry and the boys haven't been able to take their machinery out on the course for fear of causing more damage. The only life that's been seen on the golf course this week is deer and rabbits. They've been having a ball, enjoying the silence and not missing all the shouts of fore!
Hopefully the wet stuff will stay away for a while so that normal service can be resumed, golf balls can once again be lost and ball sales go up!
KNOCKOUT COMPETITIONS
As the course was closed last weekend, the 'play by' dates for the next rounds have been extended. The next round of the Russell Foursomes & Five Club has been extended to 31st January. Please play your matches as soon as possible, even if this means playing on frost greens. Frost greens in play will not be an acceptable reason for one half of the draw to cry off. If a match has been scheduled and one player / one pair refuse to play because of frost greens, the player / pair willing to play, will be put through to the next round.
MONTHLY STABLEFORD
If the competition is unable to go ahead this Sunday, ALL bookings will automatically move to the following week (Sunday 24th January). Please contact us if you wish to cancel or amend your tee time.
MID WEEK MEDAL
The Mid Week medal that was due to take place on Wednesday 6th January, has been re-scheduled for Wednesday 27th January.
Extended January Sale
Forget about travelling all the way to Bluewater to go bargain hunting; you're only going to get stuck in traffic, spend hours searching for a parking space and have people push and bump into you. Much nicer to wander, unmolested, into your favourite ProShop.
We've gone big this year with huge savings across the shop. Up to 40% off all clothing, up to 40% off men's & ladies golf shoes, 25% off all golf bags & 30% off all hardware. So there's bound to be that hidden gem you have been looking for.
The big spenders of last weekend were, Ray Pooley, who took advantage and picked up the NEW TaylorMade M1 driver which normally sells for £399.95 and Joe Phillips, he came in and revamped his wardrobe ready for warmer climes!
The GOOD NEWS is due to the adverse weather conditions and Mr Aughterlony's kind heart, the sale period has been extended for a further week and will now finish on Sunday 24th January. Giving each member ample time to bag themselves a deal.
Callaway Launch
Yes that's right Callaway are making a return to R&CPGC and it's creating a huge buzz amongst myself, Jerry and Rob; we've had a couple of drivers & a fairway wood arrive and I have to say they are a great looking club. I cannot wait to hit them. We also have a fitting cart coming in, so if you have been toying with the idea of changing your driver, woods, or irons, this could be the perfect time. Think of it as divine intervention! We will be waiting by the door for the UPS man to arrive with a box full of goodies ready to unpack so members can try them, but the real question is...who will be the first?
As part of the Callaway launch I've taken the opportunity to reserve 5 fitting slots at the newly refurbished fitting centre in Chessington. On Thursday, 25th February I'd like 4 members to join me for a fitting. So if you're serious about updating your equipment then this might be an ideal opportunity to get fitted by the best. To reserve a slot please contact me as soon as possible.
Appointment times as follows:
8:00 - 9:30am
9 -30 - 11:00am
1:30 - 3:00pm
3:00 - 4:30pm
5:00 - 6:30pm
Uphill Lie
Awkward lies are a common occurrence on the golf course and they are something you can't practice on the driving range so to give you a helping hand we will give you a couple of hints how to play them effectively. This week we will be looking at the uphill lie.
A few things to consider when faced with the uphill lie. Firstly the launch angle of the ball will be increased due to the angle of the slope; therefore the ball will fly higher and shorter than normal for the club being used. During the swing it will be difficult to achieve the normal transfer of weight and clearance of the body in the downswing which in turn will lead to the arms, hands and club becoming more active through the impact zone resulting in the tendency for the clubface to be closed at impact. The closed clubface at impact will result in a ball flight that curves to the left in the air.
Club selection
Due to the extra height created by the slope a stronger lofted club than normal will be required to reach the target. The severity of the slope will dictate how much stronger the loft will need to be to reach the desired target.
Aim
Due to the tendency for the ball flight to curve to the left the aim should be to the right of target. The amount will be dependent on the severity of the slope and the club being used. The body will take up its normal parallel alignment to the aim of the clubface.
Posture, Stance & Ball Position.
Ideally, we would like the player to recreate the same body position relative to the slope as they would use on a normal lie; the same relationship between the spine angle and the slope as there would be between the spine angle and the level ground. To achieve this, more weight will need to be distributed towards the right foot (lower foot). How much is dependent on the severity of the slope. The ball position will remain constant to the sternum.
These changes will encourage the club head to follow the contour of the slope and help create an angle of approach similar to that used for a normal lie.
How some Better Players may approach the uphill lie
Some better players will try to improve their control of the ball by keeping the trajectory down and the ball flight straighter off an uphill lie. The changes that may be applied to hit the shot include:
Aim: significantly less to the right of the target than normal approach to this lie described above. Hold a little lower down the grip and firmer pressure. Aim the body parallel to the clubface or in some cases a little open to the clubface aim. Weight needs to favour the left foot more and the knee of the left leg will be more flexed than that of the right leg , to enable the player to lean into the slope.
The hands will remain opposite the left thigh and will be slightly closer to it due to the extra flex of the left knee. Move the ball slightly back in the stance, more in the line with or slightly behind the sternum. Due to the weight distribution and ball position, the angle of approach will be steeper, the club will be de-lofted and the follow through is likely to be shorter than normal. In order to keep the ball flight low the player will need to keep their swing speed under control.
That's this week's tips. I hope it helps you out on the course, check in next week where we will be explaining how to play off a downhill lie.
