Welcome to the first newsletter of 2018,

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

This week we have our January sale, rescheduled cross country and a Christmas surprise for the ladies.

Enjoy this week's read.

A word from the General Manager…

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year from all of the team at Cottesmore. We appreciate that modern life comes with its complications but we endeavour to ensure that your time spent at Cottesmore gives you the opportunity to relax and enjoy the game of golf with good friends.

We look forward to seeing you out there in 2018!

“The most important shot in golf is the next one.” – Ben Hogan.

Word from the Pro…

Firstly, I would like to wish you all a very happy new year and I hope it is full of great golf and good times.

I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions and would much rather set myself goals that are achievable but make me work. Here is a little example of how to set goals that will reduce your scores and make your game more enjoyable.

Goals have to S.M.A.R.T.

Specific

Be as specific as you can be about what you want to achieve e.g.
“I am an 8 handicap” (one year)
“I am the club champion” (one-year)
“My putting average is 29” (3 month short-term), which is better than “lower my putts per round”.
“My fairways hit is 70%”, (3 month short-term), which is better than “hit more fairways”.

Measurable

With both your long and short-term goals, you should be able to measure where you are in relation to it. If you feel like you are seeing results and getting closer to your goals then you’ll get even more drive. Alternatively, if you’re not making the progress you would like, you’ll need to adjust your plan. I’d recommend a regular weekly check-in for your short-term goals.

Attainable

Is your goal realistic considering your current ability and other priorities and time commitments? Is it definitely something you think is achievable? E.g. if your goal is to consistently break 80 this year and you’re currently a 28 handicap with a full time job, you might want to rethink. A more attainable goal would be to break 90 this year, and 80 next year.

Relevant

Is this something you really want to do? Is it going to help you get to where you ultimately want to be? An example of an irrelevant goal might be to improve your driving when your fairways hit number is 70% and your putting average is 36 putts per round. A goal relating to your putting is much more relevant to improving your overall performance. You need to be choosing a goal that is going to have the most impact on you achieving your long-term goal and spending 70% of your time working on that for a fixed period of time.

Timely

There needs to be a sense of urgency, or your actions to make the goal a reality will undoubtedly be delayed. For example, making an average of 29 putts per round your target for 12 weeks time. Try to set yourself practice times at the beginning of each week, so you know exactly how many hours you’ll get to spend. E.g. I’m going to practice 3 times on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday straight after work and I’ll be working 70% on my short game”.

I suggest you write your goals down and keep them in your golf bag so you are reminded what you are working towards.

Good Luck!

Play top courses in our Swing Studio...

This time of year can be very frustrating for golfers especially with course closures etc. So, how about having a round of golf indoors in our state of the art swing studio? You can play Wentworth, Merion, Oakmont plus many, many more. If you haven’t seen it or are unsure what I am talking about, pop in the pro shop and ask us for details.

You will not be disappointed!

Our January SALE is now underway!

Almost all items are in the sale including 20% OFF all Under Armour clothing and headwear, 10% OFF all bags, a huge shoe sale and up to 50% OFF golf clubs.

Can you make the new date?

Unfortunately we had to make the tough decision to rearrange the Cross country to Saturday 20th January.

If you were signed up for the original date could you please contact Paul Young ASAP to let him know whether you can make the new date? His email address is cottesmore.captain@gmail.com.

Vets news…

Our AGM and Captain’s Lunch is on Tuesday 30th January, so please sign up for this on the noticeboard or enter on the website here (after Friday this week). The AGM gives us all a chance to meet both old and new Vet members who play on the Griffin and Phoenix courses.

I could not have asked for a better Christmas present

If you have been following my letters during 2017, you will know that with the help of the Ladies Section I have been fund raising for Canine Partners, a charity who train dogs to partner and assist disabled people.

A few months ago, the Section, along with CHLOES (a Horsham based charity who have also been supporting Canine Partners following the recommendation of one of our lady members, Pauline Kirkman) gave £5000 to Canine Partners to purchase and fund the training of a new puppy.