Ping Demo Day

It was a wet and dull Autumnal Monday but that didn't bother us at R&CPGC because we had Morgan Darnell and his fitting van pay us a visit and with 12 fittings to work through, Morgan & myself were going to have a busy afternoon.

First up I had Rob Coveney, he was looking at the new i irons,  we went through the process of finding the correct lie angle and shaft spec. In doing so we found a far more forgiving set of clubs with the added bonus of some extra yardage. Soon after we took a look at wedges and in particular the Glide  which are focused on helping golfers play the controlled wedge shot with ease. Each wedge comes fitted with a longer grip than standard to make controlling those fiddly 50 yarders much easier. Unique markings down the full length of the grip signal where to hold the club to achieve consistent distance control.

Soon after was Chris Hassell who was looking at upgrading the big stick to a G30 and after several minutes on the Trackman, Morgan found the perfect combination of loft, head type & shaft flex to enable Chris to hit the ball on average 15 yards longer than his current driver, he even managed to knock a couple 15 yards past that...30 yards longer! Woah!

Not long after Chris we had David Ford who was looking at a new set of irons, in particular the S55's but putting his product knowledge to the test Morgan tried him on the new i series irons and David found them to be more forgiving.Watch out! A more consistent Mr Ford next year would spell danger for the entire membership for sure.

 Monthly Medal & Steward's Bowl

Well, Saturday showed that Autumn is very much on its way, if not, it's already here with a thick blanket of fog and just in time for the Monthly Medal & Steward's Bowl. As the morning progressed the fog was getting thicker and vision was getting more and more impaired, the competition was in danger of being called off but luckily it started to lift and by lunchtime normal service was resumed and everybody was far happier knowing where to look in the rough for that errant drive!

However, the fog was no bother for Paul Gray, after he returned a nett 67; a gross 75 which also happens to be his lowest round at R&CPGC. Paul's handicap took a bit of a hit with the 'exceptional scoring rule' after that performance leading a cut from 7.5 to 5.5, a whopping 2 shots! A fantastic effort considering he played the majority of his round in the dense fog, well played Paul!

The fairy tale unfortunately does finish there because Paul didn't go on to win the Monthly Medal & Steward's Bowl because Trevor Swift carded a nett 66 late on in the day, Trevor had the luxury of very little fog during his round not that he would be looking anywhere else other than fairways and greens! Trevor only recently joined the club from Bearsted Golf Club with a handicap of 17 but after just 2 months of being a member at R&CPGC he has seen his handicap tumble to 12, a staggering 5 shots! Well done Trevor keep up the good work, maybe give somebody else a chance next time?

Well Trevor brings the 2015 season to a fantastic conclusion with his fine performance. The next stop is Captains Prize Giving Dinner, which is highlight for me as its always a great reminder of all the incredible golf that has been played over the course of the year!

Well done to everyone who has taken part in some brilliant competitions which have been played throughout the year so far.

Ladies Stableford 

After all the fun in the fog on Saturday, Sunday was a much better prospect for golf and the Ladies Stableford. The sun was shining and the temperatures nearly reached 20 degrees, Summer wasn't going away without a fight! Although there was just the 3 ladies playing I would bet the entire contents of my wallet that the competition was just as fierce as if there was 100 ladies playing! Jennifer Stark-Duce ran out the eventual winner on 34 points pipping Linda Berriman who finished up on 32 points. Well played Jennifer! Both Jennifer & Linda have signed up for our next instalment of Aimpoint Putting Clinic, I can't wait to see what they think of it and how it reflects in their competition scores to come!

Aimpoint Putting Clinic

After hearing about the last Aimpoint Putting Clinic we have had so many people asking questions about it, so much so we have put another date together to give those of you who missed out last time a chance to experience what Nancy, Mollie and myself did. The session was a real eye opener that stunned and shocked us all as to how accurate Aimpoint is, I'm hitting putts down lines I would never consider in a million years which in itself is a tough task after playing on these greens for so many years! Great news the clinic on Saturday, 10 October is now FULLY BOOKED!

Captain & Professional Finale

The final leg of the Captains challenge season was brought to a conclusion on Wednesday, where Keith Hills and Richard Suthers attempted to disrupt our fantastic run of form and become the first team to beat us. I won't bore you with the details but I will say Keith and Richard were determined and battled hard like I'd expect from two great champions. Finding fairways and greens like a couple of seasoned professionals, it was unnerving to watch, thankfully the conversion rate for this good play wasn't getting rewarded, phew! The Captain proceeded to apply pressure to the oppositions missed opportunity's with a few clutch putts... So what happened?!

It's not my style to post the final result... Anyway, why waffle on when a picture says a thousands words!! Thanks again to all our challengers and I hope to have many more next year with Terry Heaver. Can we make it through a 3rd year undefeated? You decide!

       

George Martin Cup

George's (member since 1977) annual competition took place on Wednesday 30th September in great weather and with the course in superb condition. His friends were treated to George's generous hospitality and enjoyed a very tasty lunch following a competitive match with the top six being rewarded with fluid prizes. 

Top of the pile, playing well this year, with 38 points was Keith Dorey, pictured  being presented with the Cup by George. Great day again, enjoyed by all. Well done George and Keith!!