A beautiful autumn day greeted our new lady captain Elaine Lopategui on Saturday as she drove into office from the 1st tee on the West.
Bassey Dunbar had putted out to hand over the reins to Elaine, whereupon the new lady captain was greeted with the traditional guard of honour with a nice Halloween twist this year. With a large gathering of members, Elaine's family and guests cheering her on, a solid blow was struck down the middle. Good luck and enjoy your year Elaine, from everyone at Sundridge Park GC.
The Joyce Fowler foursomes produced a resounding win for
Kim Morris and
Bassey Dunbar with a total of 36pts. This competition is significant because Kim & Bassey now represent the club next year in the Daily Mail Foursomes, I will keep you informed of their progress.
You may notice a new addition to the pro shop ranks. We have an a new assistant who has joined the team this week,
Sam Jones who previously was assistant at East Herts Golf Club.
Sam will be taking over the duties related to the junior section, I'm sure everyone wishes him good luck in his new role at Sundridge Park Golf Club.
Make sure you say hi next time you are here at the club.
- Is a fitting really necessary?
- I love my old driver...
- It works just as well as any of the new stuff...
- The new clubs are all hype....I've heard a few of these comments over the years.
It was out of necessity that
James Bergin came along to the studio for a fitting as he was playing with an illegal driver, a club that he loved and was obviously attached to. Last week he came in for a fitting and added over 10 yards of length compared to his illegal driver.
His old driver topped out at 249, new one 261. No notable change in club head or ball speed but 900 rpm lower backspin gave a much more effective flight and decent angle - plus the new one is more forgiving and has a more suitable shaft for consistency.
Please remember
'custom fitting helps everyone' and I believe I have the best fitters around, so if you're thinking of an early Xmas present for yourself, book a fitting with one of the boys on 0208 460 5540 or
click here to get in touch, and get the most from your game.
The HSBC Champions began life in 2005 as a regular European Tour event but, in 2009, it was elevated to World Golf Championship status. As a result the event now attracts an exceptionally strong field. Jordan Speith and Rory Mcllroy are joined on the start sheet in Shanghai by, amongst others, Ricky Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott.
Phil Mickelson won the first instalment of this competition and, since then, Francesco Molinari, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson have been champions. Last year Bubba Watson won a thrilling tournament via a playoff. He holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole to tie Tim Clark then beat the South African at the first extra hole.
The tournament is being hosted at Sheshan International GC for a third straight season. Designed by Neil Haworth of Nelson & Haworth, the course at Sheshan International makes use of the natural terrain as it winds through valleys and across a deep, water-filled, rock quarry that comes into play on the 16th and 17th holes.
With big money and points up for grabs this week, there's a great chance for European Tour members to make significant strides on the Race to Dubai standings - this event is the second of four tournaments that make up the European Tour's Final Series.
The weather forecast for Shanghai looks a little questionable this week with rain likely on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Player watch: Rory McIlroy - The Northern Irishman played superbly from tee to green in Turkey last week but couldn't find form with the putter. If he can discover a little magic with the flat-stick this week, he'll be tough to beat.
Adam Scott - Just missed out on a playoff for the CIMB Classic last week and looked to be striking the ball beautifully. He's adopted a new "claw grip" putting technique that seems to be highly effective.
Shane Lowry - Looking to join Tiger Woods as the only players to have won back-to-back WGC events. He played well in Turkey to finish eighth and is up to third on the Race to Dubai standings - he'll aim to push on this week.
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