Just when we thought we had got away with a half decent winter, the heavens opened and a covering of the white stuff appeared. As usual, the whole of the UK came to a complete stand still, the Scandinavians must look at us and laugh!
The snow obviously caused R&CPGC to close for the weekend, meaning the Monthly Stableford on Sunday was cancelled but it has been re-arranged for Sunday 29th January.
As with previous cancelled competitions, anybody who was booked into the original Monthly Stableford will be automatically transferred to the new start sheet at the same time, if you cannot make the new date, please contact the Pro Shop or remove yourself via HowDidIDo.
How To Shape Shots
Most amateur golfers don't really understand why they hit the shot shape that they do and so try to rectify their shape with hints and tips that are basically not related to the cause. So in order to shine some light on it we are going to let you in on the secret to shot shaping.
There are 9 recognised ball flights in golf but for the sake of this article we are going to use the hook as an example; a hook is a shot that starts right of the target and curves to finish left of the target so technically if the ball finishes a foot left of the target that's classed as a hook...I'd be happy with those kinds of hooks!
The first thing we will look at is the swing path which only refers to a shoe box sized area around the golf ball; there are 3 types of swing path which are out to in (where the clubhead comes from outside the ball to inside the ball), in to in (where the clubhead comes from inside the ball to impact then back inside the ball) & in to out (where the clubhead comes from inside the ball to outside the ball). The swing path is only responsible for the initial starting direction so as we are looking at a hook (which starts right of the target) we can assume an in to out swing path is being used because the ball starts right of the target which is the direction the clubhead is travelling in.
The second thing to look at is where the clubface is pointing at impact as this is the main factor to why the ball behaves as it does during its flight.
If the clubface is pointing left it is deemed to be closed
And if it is pointing right it is deemed to be open.
As we have already determined the ball starts right of the target for a hook we can assume that the clubface is pointing left at impact thus creating the big right to left curvature.
So the next time you hit a wayward shot try to link it back to swing path to get the initial starting direction and clubface aim for curvature but remember, these only apply to what's happening at impact. If you would like to know about shot shaping in more detail then Rob or myself will be more than happy to explain it to you!
Hinge Trophy Final Qualifier
Sunday 8th January brought around the Final Qualifying stage of The Hinge Trophy at Littlestone GC where the top 40 players would go through to play at Royal St. Georges GC to battle it out to become The Hinge Trophy Champion 2017. R&CPGC had a strong representation with 5 of our members all taking part consisting of Ricky Hall, Ryan Godwin, Rob Osmond, Mike Bush and Club Champion Shaun Macklin.
Conditions were rather calm for a day deep into winter with the wind not really blowing and the tees pushed way forward. Scoring is what you come to expect from links golf however, the guys had to stay patient and grasp their birdie chances whenever they came along. Such was the quality of the R&CPGC representatives that all the guys made it through to the final! The highest finisher, 1 shot off the pace, was Mike Bush. Can Bushy use his wealth of experience to roll back the years and pull this one out the bag?
Rob Osmond is just 1 shot further back and I’m sure he won’t be giving up on a chance at victory, if Royal St. George's plays anything like I know it can, then Rob’s "rock steady Eddie" approach and filthy short game will put him right into contention.
If you fancy popping along to support, The Final will be taking place on Saturday 28th January, good luck to all 5 of the R&CPGC boys!
Don’t forget we have some fantastic bargains to be had in the shop but due to the bad weather we experienced this weekend and to continue our mission of providing a wonderful service to the R&CPGC members, the sale has been extended until Sunday 29th January. Here’s what’s on offer…
- 50% off ALL Ladies Clothing & Shoes
- 35% off all PING putters
- 25% off all golf shoes
- 25% off all clothing
- 3 For 2 on individual golf lessons
- £10 comeback voucher for every £50 spent
*offers & discounts apply to stock items only
Rob’s Swing Checks
If your golf game has been struggling of late then why not book yourself into 1 of my FREE 15 minute swing checks? There are only 8 of these swing checks left so if would like me to analyse your golf swing using my video software you can contact me direct on robwills93@gmail.com or come into the Pro Shop to book your slot.
