Good morning golfers,

Are you ready for a crazy few weeks here at Rochester & Cobham? We've already had 4 men's competitions in the last 12 days and have a further 11 over the next month and a half! And when you add 9 Ladies competitions and 21 club matches across the men's, ladies and vets sections, you are in for a busy time! So make sure you're well equipped, well stocked and your golf game is sharp so you stand the best chance of winning!

Club crested clothing for club matches

We have noticed several players not dressed in club colours when representing the club in matches. It really gives a positive edge when teams turn up here to play Rochester and Cobham and see all of our team dressed in matching team colours. It is a privelege to play for Rochester and Cobham and look the part, and we want to help as we understand the cost involved in playing for your club.

Therefore we will be offering a 5% discount on all club shirt and jumper purchases when representing the club this year. We are currently putting an order together for white club crested shirts and green club crested jumpers, so if you are representing the club this summer and need a club shirt or jumper please contact us as soon as possible to add your sizes to the order. Due to the costs involved in embroidering a crest onto a garment, manufacturers require a minimum order of at least 3 shirts, or 6 jumpers. As a result this can sometimes mean a long wait for an order if we don't already have the minimum requirement. So we strongly recommend placing your order with us as soon as possible to avoid a potentially long wait, and subsequently not having your shirt or jumper in time for a match.

Pro-Am

We now have over 18 teams registered for this year's Pro-Am on Thursday 3rd July! If you wish to enter a team please print off and fill in your entry form by clicking here, or alternatively register your details with us in the pro shop. We have VIP entries and individual hole sponsorship available. Contact us in the pro shop for more details.  

Grip upgrades

It has been great to see so many players taking on our advice this winter and upgrading their grips and equipment for this season. It will be interesting to see your improvements this summer as a result. We are constantly re-gripping player's putters to a Superstroke, and you may have noticed the amount of players using them at the Masters. Jordan Spieth, who finished in a tie for 2nd, was using a Superstroke, along with another 3 players that finished in the top 25. In fact two of those also finished inside the top 10! You may also remember last summer, Jason Dufner winning the PGA Championship, the last major of the year. Since Jason switched to a Superstroke he finished runner up in a major in 2011, had two tour wins in 2012, resulting in Tour Earnings of $4.8 million that year, and then his famous win at the PGA Championship last year. These guys get new equipment thrown at them all the time and always have something new to try. However they stick with the Superstroke grip year after year because it is the best grip on the market!

If you haven't tried a Superstroke before, why not have a go next time you are in the shop. We have a couple on display in our grip bar ready for you to have a try. We have plenty of stock of Superstroke's at the moment in a variety of sizes and colours so why not make the change and see the difference to your game!

Shoe Trade In - Treat yourself to a new pair of FootJoy DryJoys or FootJoy Contour Casuals and if you trade in a pair of your old shoes we will give you up to £20 OFF a new pair! Simples!

Battery Trade In - Why not take advantage of £25 OFF when you trade in your old battery with us? A new lithium battery is extremely light, very reliable and comes with a 5 year warranty. Lithium battery's last 5 times longer than a standard lead acid battery and charge up in a much shorter time. The trade in is also available on any new Motocaddy Lithium Trolley so if you're thinking of changing your trolley or battery this year, now is the time!

New TaylorMade Tour Preferred Wedges! - We now have in stock the beautiful new Tour Preferred wedges from TaylorMade, pictured right.

TaylorMade fitting day!

Slots are filling up for the TaylorMade fitting day on Saturday 10th May. Why not come and try the SLDR and JetSpeed range of woods, or even the new Tour Preferred Wedges. Get your name down soon to avoid disappointment! To book your appointment please call the pro shop on 01474 823658 or alternatively click here to request your fitting.

FlightScope - LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE!

We are now operating a reserve list for FlightScope fittings and lessons between Monday 28th April and Friday 9th May, as, due to popular demand, all appointments are fully booked. This is a great opportunity to learn so much more about your golf game so if you are interested in trying out the FlightScope please contact us as soon as possible so we can put you on our reserve list. Click here to be put on the reserve list.

All lessons with FlightScope are at no extra charge, however a custom fit with FlightScope will cost: £50 for a full fitting, or £25 for a driver, fairway wood or iron fitting. This cost will be discounted off any purchases following your fitting.

Only the brave need apply!

“On a very warm, spring-like Wednesday morning last week the Captain and I began what we hope to be a successful 7 match season. Our first opponents, Dr John Grace and Bob Davidson, have over the years, thankfully, been regular challengers and only last year were convincing winners. So would history repeat itself?

Well, after 3 holes the match was locked at all square. This was a back nine start so going down 13 the Captain thumped a drive and a short iron into around 20ft. A 2 putt followed, a nett birdie, and a 1 up lead. This ignited a Captain/ Pro charge like no other with wins at 14,16 and 18. A chip in nett eagle at the 1st by the Captain and an eagle on the 3rd by myself sealed our first victory 7 & 6!

Thanks again to Bob and John who were great company as always. I look forward to next year and a potential rematch!

Our next victims, sorry challengers, will be Nick Gray and Bob Dench on the 18th May. A vibrant chatty couple that know each other's games very well, so a stern test on the horizon I'm sure.

So will the unbeaten run continue?”

We have only one challenge left unfilled, on Sunday 14th September, at 8am

Course Update - G.U.R.

Until further notice, all new turfing around the renovated bunkers on holes 5 through to 11, have been designated GUR, and are marked accordingly. Relief MAY be taken under Rule 25-1. Local Rule 2 (that says relief must be taken in GUR) is temporarily suspended until further notice.

All bunkers are now in play with the exception of the new fairway bunkers on the 1st hole.

Winter rules - We have noticed some confusion still regarding winter rules. Although we have now gone back to the summer tees we are continuing with winter rules until further notice.

Drury Challenge Cup – Good Friday saw 155 players competing in tough, windy conditions, and the overall winner, with 38 points after countback, was Mo Velamati.

Wood Cup – On Saturday was again a brilliant showing, with 148 players, who, like the day before, battled difficult conditions but a tremendous score of 42 points by the father-son combination of Clive and Michael Puddy took the winning prize!

And here are some more details about some big competitions coming up over the next fortnight:

• Saturday 26th April: Atkin Challenge Cup – The entry list is still open for this Saturday’s competition, with now only a few spaces left.
• Saturday 3rd May: Darnley Challenge Cup – The entry list will open at 6:30am on Saturday 26th April.
• Wednesday 7th May: Mid Week Stableford

Colegate has top 5 finish!

Jack Colegate, pictured right, finished tied 5th last week in the first EuroPro Tour event of the season, held on the Brabazon course at the Belfry. Shooting rounds of 73, 70, 72 Jack finished on level par, 4 shots behind eventual winner, William Harrold. Matt Haines, competing through an invite, finished tied 20th on +2.

Junior coaching dates confirmed 

“On Saturday I held the first of my Junior coaching lessons. It was a fun filled hour which, I have to admit, I think I enjoyed just as much as the kids! It’s great to see so much enthusiasm and energy. I'm not sure I've seen 200 golf balls hit so fast! It’s fantastic to watch and reminds me of when I first started playing.”

We have 4 juniors so far for next week’s session, so if any members have grand-children or friends between the ages 5 - 9 looking to get in to golf, please let me know or bring them along next Saturday, 1-2 pm.

Here are the dates going forward for the next couple of months: 

• Saturday 26th April: 1-2pm
• Saturday 3rd May: 1-2pm 
• Saturday 17th May: 1-2pm 
• Saturday 31st May: 1-2pm 
• Saturday 7th June: 1-2pm 
• Saturday 14th June: 1-2pm 
• Saturday 21st June: 1-2pm 
• Saturday 28th June: 1-2pm 

All sessions will cost £10 per person. For safety reasons I can only coach a maximum of 8 juniors per session, so spaces will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Please contact the pro shop on 01474823658 or click here to book each individual session. Golf clubs can be provided, but please contact us in advance so we can make sure all equipment is available for the day.