YOU ARE THE REAL STARTING POINT

Greetings from Suzanne

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

A new golfing dimension is on its way, adding a couple of interesting new twists to our favorite pastime. It’s called Powerplay Golf; it’s played at a faster pace than the norm, only has 9 holes per round and – here’s the best part – has two pins per green!Each player will get limited opportunities to shoot at the “Black” flag, which would be placed in a less accessible, and therefore more challenging, part of the green. If a player makes a birdie into that hole, more points are awarded, based on a variation of the popular Stableford system.On the final hole, all of the players can go for the black flag, where a birdie would, in the words of the organizers “Win points galore” and thus possibly win the tournament. On the other hand, failure to make par would spell disaster.Gary Player, a nine-time major winner who will be participating in the inaugural event, described the game’s appeal by thinking back to his days at the Masters, a tournament he won three times: “You are standing in the middle of the 18th fairway at Augusta National tied for the lead. What do you do? Do you go for the pin? If you it hit it right you make birdie and win. If you don’t, you make bogey and lose,” Player said. “Risk versus reward, one of the toughest decisions a champion has to make.”

The first of these events will be held at the home of last year’s Ryder Cup, The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales on May 30, with the winner receiving $163,000.

Hopefully we’ll be able to follow the action on TV but, in the meantime, it’s well worth thinking about the choices that you make when playing to a single flag. When the pin is hidden away do you still aim at it, or do you play it safe and go for the middle of the green?

This is “Course Management 101” and any golfer with a handicap in double figures should be trying for the latter option. If you don’t, have a think about how often that tactic works for you; in all likelihood you’ll improve your score by playing the percentages. Come and talk to us in the shop if you have any questions.

See you on my Lesson T!

Suzanne

YOU ARE THE REAL STARTING POINT

In this series of features I have highlighted just some of the many innovations, introduced by

the leading manufacturers, to improve your golf. To get the most out of your golf game, it has

always been best to ‘fit’ an equipment solution to your game. Today though, each of the leading

manufacturers is also offering an increased number of models with ever greater options to

accommodate different golfers. The designers are trying their hardest to give you the best return

on any investment you make in technology.

Talk to the designers at the manufacturer and you are likely to find a frustration with the marketing

and the way that golfers respond to it. The designers know that any conversation on improvement

(and surely that is why you buy new equipment) starts with the ‘golfer’ and his / her current game

and the changes that can deliver the most improvement and biggest increase in enjoyment.

Don’t respond to an advert or a glamorous looking shaft (or sole design on the rack). Decide that you

want to enjoy your golf more and talk to us. We’ll take the time to work out what equipment technology

will make the biggest difference to your golf game and then work to get the right specification for you.

Interesting isn’t it; Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els are both great golfers who hit the ball a long way

and have a great touch around the greens, yet they both play a different model of golf ball from the

same manufacturer. It’s because they choose the ball that gives them the best result for their games.

I guarantee the same applies to the golfers in your 4-ball.

Finding the best solution for your golf is our job. Talk to me and let’s start the conversation about

improvement with YOU and not a good looking advert

GOLF’S UNWRITTEN RULES #3

Golf has only 34 basic rules. There are however, more than 100 sections and subsections to

these 34 rules, which require over 2000
explanatory paragraphs to guide golfers through their decision making process in any given

scenario.

There are so many of these official rules that it’s almost impossible for an average player to know them all. Not even the Professionals are expected to know all of them – just ask Dustin Johnson.On top of all this there are the ‘unwritten’ rules; things that you can’t read in a book, but rather pick up by watching other golfers, asking questions and playing the game. I’m of course referring to etiquette.

If you’re a relatively inexperienced golfer this is a great place to start. You can always ask for a ruling – nobody will mind – but if you fail to follow the rules of etiquette I can guarantee you won’t be very popular with your playing partners!

If you do have any questions regarding the rules – either written or unwritten – who better to ask than the guys who have made the sport a part of their everyday lives? Come in and ask; I appreciate your enthusiasm. When it comes to the rules of golf, there’s no such thing as a silly question!

YOU ARE THE REAL STARTING POINT

YOU ARE THE REAL STARTING POINT

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