Welcome To Our New PGA Assistant

February 7th sees Rob Wills join the Pro Shop team.  Rob is a second year PGA student and we are excited to be welcoming him on board.

"Hi I’m Rob Wills and I just wanted to introduce myself because as from 7th February I will be working in the Pro Shop.  Some of you may already have seen my face in the shop as I have been doing a couple of days before my start date so I can be ready for when I start fully.  I've been playing golf for about eight years and I'm currently on my second year of my PGA course.  Outside of golf I am avid football fan.  For my sins I support West Ham, although at the moment this is one of the brighter moments compared to previous seasons!! I'm also a keen snooker and pool player and could despatch Ronnie O’Sullivan all day!

When I saw the job advertised on the PGA website I knew I wanted to be a part of Rochester & Cobham Park GC.  Not only because of its prestige, but also because it is one of my favourite golf courses in Kent.  Not only does it pose a great challenge every time, but it's always fantastically well manicured.

I've previously worked at Woodlands Manor GC, in Sevenoaks, where I have gained experience in the golf industry.  After four years at Woodlands Manor I felt it was the right time to move on in order to further my knowledge and career prospects with help and guidance from Warren.  I look forward to getting to know you all!     

Rob."

The future is now!

Many of you will be aware that throughout last year I was occasionally renting a FlightScope launch monitor.  This is such an asset when custom fitting and really benefits the coaching experience.  The value it brought to every session, whether ensuring the right equipment ended up in the bag, or helping members understand their golf swing, I had to invest in some equipment of my own. 

Having looked at the market I'm going with the GC2 Smart Camera System, combined with an HMT Head Measurement Technology unit.  This is mind blowingly good kit, but what does it do?

When club fitting it takes all the subjectivity out of the equation.  Recording flight, spin and distance, plus the accuracy achieved for each shot, we can highlight this by hitting groups of shots with different clubs to see exactly which one is working best in your hands.  In a coaching situation, the wealth of data captured, demonstrating shaft and club head position throughout the swing, allows me to illustrate in a real and measurable way areas we are looking to change.  Instead of trying to 'remember a feeling and hope we're getting it right', with the GC2 we can see at a glance whether we are hitting the position and work toward a measurable goal.

With that in mind, as soon as I'm back to work after my February holiday (the Club insisted I take some time off, though I'd much prefer to work right through the calendar) I'll be offering some FITTING DAYS where I'll be introducing interested members to the power of this state of the art technology.

Tuesday 10th March & Sunday 15th March I'll be fitting the new TaylorMade ranges, with appointments available at Midday, 1:00 pm & 2:00 pm both days.

Tuesday 24th March I have the PING Demo truck coming in and slots with myself, or Morgan from PING will be available between 2:00 pm & 6:00 pm.

I don't expect these slots to be free for long,  If you're serious about starting the new season with the best you can get, don't delay.  "He who dares wins Rodney!" 

A new feature for this season is my GAPPING SESSION offer.

There are just 9 available in March. Each session will last one hour and cost £40.00. 

Also using the GC2 technology for pin point accuracy, by the end of our session you will have a tag that attaches to your bag showing just how far you hit each club.  That's not a record of how far you've always believed you hit each club, you know, that belief which has you coming up two clubs short all the time.  What you'll have is the actual distance you fly each club, allowing you to hit shots into greens with far greater confidence, which in turn will take a whole lot of pressure off your short game.And because I'm a good egg, we won't just gap your clubs.  I'll spend time talking to you about how different conditions affect flight and how you can use your base knowledge to master anything the Cobham weather throws your way.

There isn't a tour pro on the planet that doesn't have himself 'gapped' pretty much every week.  They know exactly how valuable it is to invest the time, they know the rewards.  Why wouldn't you trouble to do it once a year, maybe even once in a lifetime of playing the golf.  It'll probably take two shots off every round you play, whatever your standard.  Just think how much that could be worth over a year of friendly wagers.

On Thursday 2nd July this year we have our Rochester and Cobham Park Golf Club Pro-Am.

We're very excited to be hosting our Pro-Am for the third year running. It is always a very well supported event, so we look forward to what this years' competition has in store.

The very unique VIP package will include the top pros from the order of merit for the south region, a champagne breakfast, sponsorship advertising opportunities, gifts and much more...

Please click here or on the image to access the entry form.

All entry forms need to be returned to us here in the Pro Shop. This is sure to be a very popular event so it is worthwhile getting your team together and your entry form submitted promptly.

Baptism By Fire!

As part of Rob's induction I gave him a very stiff early challenge.  To help gauge his coaching skills I sent him out to give Pearcy a lesson!!!

Many have tried before and more experienced hands than Rob have been reduced to quivering wrecks after half an hour of such torment.  For a start Pearcy's a leftie, enough to challenge any pro.  That's just the tip of the iceberg though, I'd need a whole newsletter to even begin listing all the other problems.  I have to say the lad looked a bit shell shocked when he came back to the Shop, but to his credit, he wasn't being escorted by men in white coats.

Whilst out there, the lads took the opportunity to hit the new TaylorMade R15 and yes, we do have it in left hand!  Set at neutral Pearcy found it unerringly straight and set to a slight draw found a very pleasing ball flight.  Hard to believe I know, but true none the less.  Rob, up to now a Callaway devotee, felt his heart melt a little and can't wait to take the full range out for a proper workout.  I'll be reporting Rob's journey as he comes home from the dark side.  Well at least I'll be surprised if he doesn't fall in love all over again.

Next Friday, 6th February, Rob will be on the range testing the R15 to destruction (metaphorically I hope).  He would love this to be a chance to meet a few members, so anyone that would like to share his experience and maybe challenge his shot making abilities, meet in the Pro Shop at 10:00 am and see if he really does lose his heart.

If you would like to, take the chance to hit some shots yourself.  You never know, it may turn out to be a double wedding.