Callaway
I got a great initial response for the Callaway Trial day on Friday, 10 March, with three spaces going almost instantaneously. The day starts at 1pm and to secure your spot please drop me an email stuart2104@gmail.com or ring the shop on 02084 605540.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Sophie Bargeron who had a tremendous win in a recent inter-collegiate tournament the Barton Invitational in Kiawah Island winning by two strokes after firing rounds of 72 and 76 for a four-over-par 148 total.
It was her first collegiate title and Sophie's fine performance also helped her college Armstrong State win the team title by five strokes too!
Rules Evenings
Two rules evenings were held in February with over 60 members taking the opportunity to brush up on their knowledge of the Rules of Golf and their application. If you missed the evenings and would like to test yourself, you can do so by clicking here.
A new season and a new set of irons for Steve Young
Steve Young has been using a set of PING G20 irons for the past few years and decided it was time to update them. Many golfers would be tempted to purchase the updated version off the shelf but he thought he would get the benefit of coming to see us for a fitting.
Steve brought his current irons in and we assessed them in terms of length, lie angle and shaft type, as well as recording the ball flight data using our launch monitor.
The next step was to test several new heads to see what improvements were available. First up was the PING G (the newest generation of Steve's current set). Steve liked the look and feel whilst hitting them so we looked at the data.
Steve's original PING G20 irons had an average ball speed of 99mph with a maximum of 102 mph. The G version produced an average of 101 mph with a maximum of 103 mph (so a small improvement in both parameters).
You could be forgiven for thinking we would stop there, however in the fitting studio we have a huge selection to choose from and set about testing other models we thought would suit.
The new TaylorMade M2 iron produced the most impressive results in Steve's hand, a huge jump in both maximum ball speed (107mph) and even more impressive average (104mph), which was faster than the best from his current irons!
Steve really liked the look and feel of these clubs which needed one last tweak. The ball was drawing a few yards left of target typically so we changed the lie angle a couple of degrees flatter (a concept known as Face Plane Tilt) and instantly reaped the rewards with much straighter shot.
Watch out for this man in the competition results!
FootJoy Pro SL
The long awaited arrival of the new Pro SL golf shoe from FootJoy. The question I have been asked already is about the sole unit, all the tests say that this soft spike works better than conventional soft spikes or studs in all conditions.
Don't take my word for it, this is what Adam Scott said about the shoe "I tested Pro/SL initially in the very dry, hard conditions of Chambers Bay then in the soft, wet conditions at St. Andrews and the traction was fantastic on both surfaces," said Scott. "I also felt like my feet had more surface contact with the ground and for a longer time during my swing, so competing in this shoe is a no-brainer."
ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth
Lake Karrinyup CC in Perth, Australia will host a new event this week as many top player's line up for the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth. The event will combine 54 holes of strokeplay with a knockout matchplay format on the final day.
There will be a regular cut after 36 holes of strokeplay at Lake Karrinyup, reducing the 156-man field to the top 65 and ties. Then, after the third round, the field will be further reduced to just 24. If there is a tie for 24th through 54 holes, a sudden-death playoff will reduce the field to 24 exactly. Then, on the fourth day a six-hole matchplay format will be used to further whittle down the numbers until only two are left and, eventually, a winner is determined.
Any match tied after six holes will be decided at a, purpose-built, 100-yard "Knockout Hole" just by the 18th green. If a winner is not established the first time the hole is played, it will be played again with the victor established via "nearest the pin."
A number of top players have made the journey to Australia to compete in this innovative event. 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen is in the field, as is Thorbjorn Olesen, both of whom have won tournaments at Lake Karrinyup in the past. Alex Noren of Sweden is the top-ranked player in the field and he is looking forward to a new challenge.
"Obviously it's going to be pretty tough if a guy is leading by a lot and loses in the first match, but when we're all here that's what is expected," he said. "I think everything where the crowd experiences a new way for us pros to play the game is good."
The field for this event will be made up of players from the European, Asian and Australasian Tours.
Lake Karrinyup is one of Australia's top courses. It dates from the 1920s and is characterised by the lush vegetation around the fairways. Eucalyptus and many other towering trees frame the course and a variety of wildlife can be seen around the property. Look out for kangaroos.
Player Watch:
Louis Oosthuizen - If he finds his best game he could outclass the field here. He was third a couple of weeks ago in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Thorbjorn Olesen - The Dane has won on this course before, back in 2014. He won at the end of 2016 in Turkey and played steadily in the Middle East. He's a tenacious competitor and will relish the knockout format if he makes the top-24.
Sam Brazel - He'll be keen to please his home fans and show some of the form that saw him claim victory in Hong Kong last December. He was 12th in Malaysia last week.
Click here to keep an eye on this week's leaderboard.
