Hello golfers,

In this week’s newsletter we have a great bag offer in the shop, the Ladies charity for the year is off to a great start and we bring you news of our Callaway Fitting Day.

Enjoy the read.

What side of the fence do you sit on?

It was back to winning ways for Bubba Watson on Sunday and he was class throughout the four days at Riviera; a stark contrast from last year, where poor results were followed by more poor results. I believe it is no coincidence that he resorted back to his trusty Titleist Pro V1 which he has had major success with in the past and then he starts winning again. Having been using the Volvik Vivid balls for only a year, he decided to make the switch back and he is reaping the rewards straight away.

The golf ball in general is a constant talking point in the golfing world because people believe the technological advancements that we see in the balls we buy from our pro shop is ruining the game of golf. The distances the tour pros are hitting are staggering at times and can make a mockery of the shorter courses on both the European and U.S. circuits.

Both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger woods have been quite outspoken on the subject. They would like to see a ball that flies a shorter distance, basically limiting the distance one can hit it. There are some excellent golf courses around the world that have become obsolete in the professional ranks because the courses are too short like Sunningdale, for example.

I, on the other hand, disagree.

I think the professionals of today are much fitter and stronger than those of yesteryear and they also have a better understanding of their golf swings due to technology like Trackman or GC2. Modern golf clubs are just as guilty too.

Larger sweet spots, more forgiveness and thinner faces all add up to increased distance.

I am not even sure if it is a problem. Who doesn’t want to see 600 yard par 5s being eagled and 400 yard par 4s being seen as a risk/reward hole?

What side of the fence do you sit on?

Are you in need of a new bag?

Are you thinking of carrying this year? Are you thinking of switching to a waterproof cart bag? Then why not come and have a look at our extensive range of pencil, carry and cart bags?

Plus, for the next two weeks only we are offering 10% off all bags including sale bags.

The start of something special!

My new clubs have arrived two weeks ago, and I love them. I played my first round Yesterday at Cottesmore since receiving them with Donald Day, Terry Vanhinsbergh and Steve Thomas and shot a 4 under, 68 which was a great start to my life with Callaway.

Junior coaching here at Cottesmore

Children’s Spring Coaching schedule has now been set for the coming months at the award winning Junior Academy at Cottesmore. The 8 Week course is £79 per child with a £10 reduction for siblings.

Click here to view schedule.

Full details at NoSecretToGolf.com
Email Calum on TheGolfAcademy@cottesmoregolf.co.uk to register.

Money raised for a good cause!

Last Tuesday was our Charity Coffee Morning for Heads On, Sussex Partnership NHS foundation Trust!

We were given a great insight to the charity from the team of Lucy, Erin, Steve, Katie and Shelley. I extend my thanks to them for their timea and details of projects and events will be available soon.

We raised £167 from the sale of the donated cakes, made by the ladies. My thanks to the Vets for buying cakes, saving me taking them home! Thank you everyone.

March is just around the corner, and hopefully spring, which will see the return of our qualifying competitions.

Please complete and return your competition sign-up sheet and levy payment.

Helpers needed

I am looking to try and improve the match experience for both our home team players and the visiting team. Cottesmore is an interesting and challenging course for everyone and there are a number of holes where having a ball spotter would be a great help.

If you think you can occasionally spare some time to help out on our home match day’s, please let me know.

Our Team to play East Brighton (away) on March 15th.

Alex Henderson (Capt) partnering Paddy Dowzer
Bill Chaffe partnering Steve Atkins
Paul Cox partnering Wes Lourens
Ron Vance partnering Bob Imrie
Bob Sparks partnering Dave Roberts
Alan Rengger partnering David Haynes
Tom George partnering Andrew Downs
Alex Morrison partnering David Pyrah

Thank you to all of you for signing up early.

A pleasing Sunday!

Sunday's competition pleased me on a few counts; firstly, that it actually took place on the date it's listed in the diary; secondly that the weather held out for us all. It's so much nicer playing golf without the worry of losing appendages through frostbite. It was also nice to play the event without the huge hangover from Captain's Dinner the night before as Trevor had the foresight to move his forward a couple of weeks.

Captain's Dinner was a great success for Lyn & Trevor and if everyone had half as good a time as I did then they went home very happy indeed. Well done guys!

The Chicken Peck was very well attended again this year. We had nineteen teams out on a course which is in great condition considering the pounding it has taken from the weather in recent weeks.

Everyone was a winner on the day, with prizes available for every team and nearest the pins too.

Four nearest the pins were won by:

- Irene Matheson - 7th Ladies
- Alex Burton - 7th Men
- Neil Cockerill - 9th with 2nd Shot
- Ross Davies - 14th with 3rd Shot

I hope you enjoyed your bubbly!

Once again some incredible scramble scores were carded. You had to better 61.3 just to get in to the top six to secure your chicken dinner.

In third place with a score of 59.9 were Barry Peate, Jake Peate, Will Nixon, and Graeme Millan. In second place with a score of 59.6 were Mick Stacey, Donald Day, Graham Snelgrove, and Nigel Powell.

Taking top place and getting a couple of bottles of wine each to go with their chickens with a grand score of 55.6 were Ross Davies, Steve Darlington, Russell Jacob, and Luke Maidment. That's a truly magnificent score.

Royal Marsden Annual Eclectic

Please remember to enter the Royal Marsden Annual Eclectic that will run throughout the season. The one-off entry is £5 and there are over 40 qualifying rounds included. You must enter before you play in your first qualifier and for many this will be either the Hospice Cup or Tea Cup. The closing date is therefore Saturday 17th March.

The fantastic advantage of this competition is that no matter how poorly you may be playing in a competition, you always have the opportunity to improve your overall eclectic score. There is no reason to stop playing if you 'NR' as your card for the eclectic will still qualify. You may just score that elusive birdie on the 17th when you thought all else had gone wrong!

Entry can be made on the PSI or via the Website. Entry fee should be posted in the box in the Gatwick bar near the notice board.

Upcoming Events & Competitions

The Boozer's Scramble is this Sunday and a reminder to all participating that the ladies will be running a charity raffle on the day, so please bring a prize donation if you are able.

March Calendar
03 Mar A Team v Lingfield (Away)
04 Mar Grouse Foursomes
10 Mar Monthly Stableford (Q)
11 Mar Crown League v Hampton Court (Away)
14 Mar Midweek Stableford (Q)
17 Mar A Team v Lingfield (Home)
17 Mar B Team v Ifield (Away)
18 Mar Hospice Cup (Q)
25 Mar Tea Cup (Q)

Sign up for competitions should be made on the website or PSI and entries close two weeks prior to the competition date.

The green keepers shed…

A husband and wife are playing the monthly medal in their local club. The husband is going well until the 13th hole when he pulls his drive left behind the greenkeeper’s shed. When he gets up to his ball he realises the only option is to chip out sideways and try and settle for no worse than a bogey 5.

The wife then pipes up and states “the greenkeeper’s shed has double-doors at each end. If we open the door’s, you’ll have a clear shot at the green.” They open the doors and sure enough the husband has a clear shot at the flag. He takes out his 4 iron and attempts to play a low punch shot through the doors however he makes steep contact and the ball rises and hits the frame of the door and rebounds hitting the wife square on the forehead, killing her instantly.

The next year the widower is going brilliantly in the monthly medal up to the 13th hole when he badly pulls his drive left behind the greenkeeper’s shed. Looking at his lie he realizes to himself that he has no other option but to take his medicine and chip out sideways and try and make a bogey 5. He pulls a club and addresses his ball when his playing partner Johnny points out that “the greenkeeper’s shed has double-doors at each end. If we were to open the doors you would have a clear shot at the green.”

The widower looks at Johnny in disgust and says “did you not hear what happened in this very spot last year? I tried that shot and ended up taking a 7.”