New Lady Captain Christine Ross successfully "drove in" on Saturday with a tee shot straight down the middle of the Fairway - With no one purchasing the lucky square for the "Guess the Drive" competition, the bottle of champagne was auctioned off to kick-start Christine's' Charity fundraising. Margaret Barilone just out bid the Captain Richard Toogood, to claim the bottle of champagne for £105 . 

In total £295 was raised for Cancer Research UK. I'm sure I speak for the whole club in wishing Christine the best of luck in her year.

  

  

 

Kieron Davis almost lapped the field on Sunday shooting an unbeatable 44pts in the Gold section of the Stableford competition played on Sunday over the East course. Kieron finished with a birdie on the 18th (no mean feat) to shoot a level par back nine, not bad off 11 handicap (he's now 8). In Kieron's wake was runner-up Don Harrington with 39pts, Peter Wilder took 3rd spot on counback from Jack Smelt both having shot 37pts.

In the Silver division Neville Diffey took the top spot with 39pts from runner-up Malcolm Stonehill who shot 37pts. Simon Philips took third place with 36pts, Upin Datani was fourth 35pts.


 

This week Graeme Kemp-Jones popped in for some guidance and some new wedges.

He felt that his current clubs were not covering the distances he required and was concerned with the vast choice of loft, bounce angle and sole width available when choosing replacements.

During a fitting session, using our launch monitor, we noted that there was a 25 yard gap between Graeme's pitching wedge and his next club (a 52 degree gap wedge), this was far too much when you consider that the typical gap for a PGA tour pro is around 11 to 12 yards. Through testing with our extensive fitting kit, we were able to ensure appropriate and consistent gapping.

The next step was to test Graeme's current wedges on the grass. We noted that his divots were very deep and his shots not as consistent as he would like. This is where choosing the correct wedge is vital. All wedges are built with what is called 'bounce' and finding the correct amount can give a golfer a huge advantage. 

Typically golfers who take deep divots will benefit from having lots of bounce on their wedge and a wide sole to prevent the club digging into the ground, Graeme had been using a 60 degree wedge with only 4 degrees of bounce, he now carries one with 12 degrees.... we are sure his results will back this up...

If you are looking at arranging a fitting or gapping session here at Sundridge Park, click here to get in touch, or come and have a chat with us in the pro shop.


 

For many years I've wanted to attend a course walk with our forrester Terry Gladwell, but for one reason or another I haven't managed it. However last Thursday on a beautiful Autumn morning I joined a group of members on just such an event. Fascinating would be a great word to describe the hour and a half spent with Terry walking on some parts I had seen and some parts even with my wayward driving that I hadn't.

  

We had a tour of the part of the Greenkeepers compound where Terry stores a lot of wood, the vast majority of which is available for purchase whether it is fire wood, beams or your next wooden floor. Terry also talked about the lovely tree that unfortunately had to be cut down on the 13th West. It was a disappointment to many to see this tree come out, but on inspection it was found to be dangerous due to a split in the lower bough. 

As you can see by the size of the stump left it was a pretty substantial specimen estimated at over 70 years old. 

Terry also explained the damage that squirrels do and showed us where we have badgers set. My advice is if you see one of these events advertised book, space is always limited, however it is a very interesting way to find out more about our club.

   

 

Our first Christmas Offer

Now that we have struck November, it's time to announce our first offer to lead us into the festive period. Back by popular demand, we are running our popular Titleist Ball Personalisation Christmas offer. 

We will give you a FREE personalised message on a dozen balls from Titleist's award winning range, which will then be delivered to us in the pro shop FREE of charge.

Click here to find out more or to order yours.


 

There are just three events left of the 2016 European Tour season and they make up the Race to Dubai Final Series. This week, many of the circuit's top players have travelled to Turkey to compete in the Turkish Airlines Open at the Carya Golf & Spa Resort, but a number of others have decided to give the tournament a miss.

Click here to read more.