Jack Heginbotham

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to this week's newsletter, bringing you all the latest news and events from here at Long Ashton GC. We hope you're having a great week on and off the golf course.

Enjoy this week's read.

Pro's news

Professional Shop Day

We would like to thank all the members that took part in our Professional Shop Golf day on Saturday, 22 June. We hope you all enjoyed the day and the glorious weather on offer as seen from the pictures below.

A big thank you to the greenkeeping team for their efforts, I think we can all agree that the course was in fantastic condition as usual. Also, big thanks to the catering staff for looking after all the players during the unexpected heat.

There was some fantastic golf played throughout the day and quite a few unbelievable winning shots for closest to the pin’s prizes. The results were as follows:

Prize Winners:
1st – Mark Shore & Robbie Park; 54 points
2nd – Nick Taylor & Sam Jones; 51 points
3rd – Bethan Popel & Richard Wood; 50 points
4th – Nick Ring & Matthew Morris; 49 points
5th – Julian Bloomfield & Andy Ball; 49 points
6th – Cliff Reed & Milan Reed; 48 points
7th – Neil Wookey & Andrew Webb; 48 points

Longest Drive:
Men’s – Damien Reed
Ladies – Bethan Popel

Nearest the Pins:
1st – Rob Foster
2nd – Robbie Park
3rd – Steve Wivell
4th – Mark Shore
5th – Neil Wookey
6th – Marcus Leigh
7th – Bethan Popel
8th – Alex Davis
9th – Louis Ross

10th – Andy Cox
11th – Doug (Charles) Scott
12th – Martin Reed
13th – Tim Morgan
14th – Bethan Popel
15th – Tom Wright
16th – Mark Webber
17th – Will Lewis
18th – Bethan Popel

Prize vouchers, nearest the pin and longest drive prizes, are available to collect from the Professional Shop.

Fitting news

Callaway Fitting Day

On Wednesday, 24 July we are hosting another Callaway Fitting Day event so you can try out all the current Callaway clubs and Odyssey putters. The event will be running from 1:00pm – 7:00pm and booking is required through the Professional Shop.

To book call us on 01275 392229 or email us at lagcproshop@gmail.com.

How does a fitting day work?

The Essentials - What do you need to bring with you

- Your current set of clubs (full set) - this will allow your Callaway Custom Fitting Specialist to
assess your current set and allow them to see how they are performing for you.

- Golf shoes. - these are always best as you will be hitting balls from an artificial strike mat.

- Glove - (if you wear one)

- Appropriate clothing - you will be using a number of different clubs throughout the
experience so please wear what you feel most comfortable in

Your Appointment Experience

Your appointment will last 30-60 minutes depending on your type of requirements. Please ensure you arrive at least 10 minutes before your fitting, as the timings are exactly as stated above. If you need to cancel your appointment please give us 48 hours’ notice.

All ball flight and club head dynamics are analysed by the Callaway specialists using industry leading launch monitor technology. We look forward to the event and helping you improve your game.

Shop news

Open Championship Sweepstake

After the success of our The Masters sweepstake, we’re making The Open Championship just that little bit more interesting and running a sweepstake competition through the Professional Shop.

This time though there will be an even bigger prize fund up for grabs with a field of 156 and only £2 to enter. Prizes include:

- 1st - £75
- 2nd - £55
- 3rd - £45
- 4th - £35
- 5th - £25
- Overall Best English player - £25
- Worst single round score - £25

Once the tournament is finished the prize monies will be loaded onto your accounts in the Professional Shop. Make sure you enter in time to avoid disappointment.
Good Luck!

Titleist Limited Edition Pro V1 & Pro V1X “The OPEN”

Limited Edition for the 2019 Open Championship. Each ball has a special play number of 1 and features the Claret Jug logo. Pro V1 / Pro V1x - £42 per dozen.

Hurry, whilst stocks last!

Greenkeepers news

Did you know?

The hole should be 4 ¼ “(107.95mm) in diameter and the artificial liner (cup) should be set no less than 1” (25.4mm) below the putting surface, leaving a natural layer (soil/sand although this can be painted) between the cup and the putting surface.

Legally the hole/flag can be positioned anywhere on the green (ideally on a yard diameter of flat surface), even a 1” (25.4mm) from the edge of the green if you like but you wouldn’t be very popular. There is only a recommendation that it should be no less than an average flag length (7 feet/ 2100mm) in from the edge.

One of the biggest complaints when putts don’t go in, is... “THE HOLE IS CROWNED”

Q. What is a crowned hole?

A. The hole reduces in size where golfers stand too close to the hole, creating an indentation around the hole (especially when surfaces are soft), leaving the edge of the hole above the indentation/hollow created by the golf shoe.

This can only be rectified by changing the hole or re-setting the hole each day with a stanmore (a metal jig that is set to the correct parameters). Here at Long Ashton GC, the hole is re-set after cutting every day, if the hole is not being changed on that day.

This week I measured the hole diameter before cutting and after a day’s play, Incredibly, the hole had decreased in size by 1/4 “ (6mm), even after many years in the industry, this amazed me. The photo below shows a before and after of the hole diameter:

Best practice is not to stand too close to the hole when retrieving your golf ball, this is the only way to eliminate this problem.

So, if you play at the back of a full field in a competition on a wet day, one, the hole is most likely to be slightly crowned, two, there is a good possibility that you are putting to a hole that is slightly smaller than it was at the start of the day..... Sadly, the hole could not be set or re-cut during a competition as it would be deemed to be changing the nature of the course, pretty much like the greens growing through the day.

All or nothing

Playing a par-3 over water is as much a mental test as anything else. After all, if it was just light rough between you and the green, would you still hit panic mode? Of course not, so what can you do to keep the nerves at bay and ensure your ball sails safely over the drink?

Stay calm and don't panic!

The biggest obstacle to overcome when playing over water is not actually the H2O, but rather your own mental barrier. Here's our advice:

Focus on a point behind the green that is in line with the flag. This can be a tree, branch, it could even be a leaf – anything just so long as it pulls your eye-line away from the wet stuff and closer to the pin
Stay relaxed. You have hit the ball a million times before so there is no need to panic now
Stick to your pre-shot routine. This is the best way to stay in the moment and make your next shot seem like any other

These tips will have you relishing those watery par-3s but if you find yourself still struggling with some of the tougher shots in golf, then speak to a member of the team about a lesson so we can iron out any kinks in your game.

send us a message >

Lost your groove?

Much like the tyres on your car, there comes a time when the grooves on your wedges have worn away so much that they need replacing. This process occurs slowly over time and is something that you might not notice at first glance, but when the wear becomes apparent it can have serious consequences on your game.

Fresh vs worn grooves

It might seem a little extreme, but the graphic above illustrates the impact worn grooves can have on shots into greens - a lower ball flight that rolls out farther compared to a wedge with fresh grooves.

Yes, you might be able to adapt by pitching the ball shorter and letting it roll out, but when you don't have much green to work with or are playing a delicate shot worn grooves will be of no use.

What do we suggest?

If dirt, grit and water have visibly harmed your wedge face, it’s time to get your groove back with a new wedge set-up.

One model that we'd certainly recommend trying is Vokey's SM7 wedge. These feature a unique face texture that produce more consistent groove edges for maximum spin and control around the greens.

Vokey wedges are trusted by some of the world's best golfers, including Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, so you can guarantee they'll add performance to your game.

find out more >

Video of the Week

In the second of this three-part series, putting instructor Phil Kenyon explains how to read greens using more than just your eyes. Have you ever tried this?

I hope you enjoyed my newsletter. If you need anymore help or advice please reply to this newsletter or contact myself or one of the team in the shop. We'll be delighted to help.

Long Ashton Golf Club
Clarken Coombe
Bristol
BS41 9DW

Phone: 01275 392229

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