Hello golfers,  

 

An excellent 37points saw Kim Morris take the Ladies Stableford this week in fine style from runner-up Christine Edgar who shot 34pts. The Division Two winner was Rose Yazdani with 31pts with Julia Wright runner-up with 27pts. 

The Nash winner was Christine Edgar.

 

It's been an interesting week as I was invited up to St Ives, Cambridgeshire by FootJoy as part of their Ambassador program to view the 2017 range of shoes. It is an extensive range to say the least, and the market is changing (just as in everything in life) rapidly. It seems only yesterday that FootJoy Classic's with a leather sole and metal spikes was de rigueur, now there are so many combinations of soles and uppers with technology still moving at a pace. 

In the future I believe a lot more emphasis will be on custom fitting shoes, and it has been proven that wearing the right shoes increases speed and efficiency in a swing, needless to say we will be at the forefront of this technology at Sundridge Park.

  

  

After our meeting we were taken for a tour around the factory. The Titleist & FootJoy brands are owned by Acushnet Ltd, and the factory is very large and very impressive. It was particularly interesting to see the custom fit build process for Titleist golf clubs. A few years ago there was just one line for custom build out of five, now there is three out of five, and the attention to detail is astounding with ferrels (the plastic piece near the head of the iron) being weighed individually so the weight of each iron in each set is exact. 

The ball printing department also caught my eye with around 33% of golf balls having a logo or printing on them. It was a very impressive set up from a very impressive company, I look forward to showing you the new product as it arrives in store in the future. 

I had the pleasure of playing some holes later that day with Jeremy Baldwin who works for Acushnet. Jeremy was a former member of Sundridge Park, and if you look at the honours board in the members bar won the Waterford in 1983. 

He gave his best to those that remember him, a lovely man who still has a decent game.


 

Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett will tee it up at Le Golf National in Paris this week, seeking victory in the 100th Open de France over the course that will host the 2018 Ryder Cup. 

A strong field has assembled for the 100th Open de France. Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett headline, but they will face stiff competition from some of Europe's best. BMW PGA champion Chris Wood will tee it up at Le Golf National, as will Lee Westwood, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Martin Kaymer, Matt Fitzpatrick and defending champion Bernd Wiesberger. 

There's been a conflict in the schedules with this year's Open de France clashing with the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. But, as it's the 100th running of the great event and, owing to the fact it's being contested over the 2018 Ryder Cup course, the tournament has been given elevated standing by the European Tour with extra Ryder Cup points on offer. 

The French Open is the oldest national open on continental Europe. It was first contested at La Boulie in 1906 and was won by home player Arnaud Massy. He took his national title three more times, lastly in 1925 when he was 48-years-old. 

The tournament has been a fixture on the European Tour schedule since 1972. It's one of the most prestigious events on the circuit and has been won by Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie, among others. Last year, Austria's Bernd Wiesberger carded a superb final round of 65 to win by three shots from James Morrison of England. 

The course at Le Golf National was designed on flat farmland near the Palace of Versailles. The layout is the work of architect Hubert Chesneau and construction began in 1987. In 1990 the course was open for play. This will be the 24th time the course has been used as the venue for the Open de France. 

L'Albatros Course at Le Golf National will play host to the Ryder Cup in 2018 and the layout has been renovated in preparation for that event and this year's 100th Open de France. A new irrigation and drainage system has been installed while the bunkering and lake edging has been improved.


Player watch: 

Rafa Cabera Bello - The Spaniard has been enjoying a great season and is currently fourth on the Race to Dubai. He was fifth in this event last season. 

Thorbjorn Olesen - The talented Dane had a chance to win last week in Germany but faded to a tie for second with a disappointing final round. He's been on good form on the European Tour this year with five top-10 finishes. He was second in this tournament back in 2011. 

Pablo Larrazabal - He claimed his first European Tour victory in this event back in 2008. He's on solid form and was tied 9th in last week's BMW International Open.

Click here to stay up to date with all of the latest action.