It is with deep sadness to inform you that Zoe George passed away on Monday night. Zoe passionately cared about the club and was also a Past Lady Captain. When Zoe wasn't playing golf she liked to take time to ensure the flower beds by the clubhouse and near the stream on the 18th were kept in excellent condition. Zoe will be sadly missed and our thoughts will be with her husband Roger and her family at this very sad time.
Bletchingley GC Reciprocal
Just to remind all the 5 and 7 day members there are 9 reciprocal courses that are available for you to play. If you are interested in booking a round at one of these courses please contact Steve or Michael on 01883 744848 or click here to get in touch.
For more information on the courses and the playing conditions please refer to the main noticeboard.
A Message from our Lady Vice Captain
I would just like to let all the readers know that we are putting together a calendar of Bletchingley scenes for next year. Proceeds going to the chosen charity. We have set up an email account for members to send us their pictures for possible inclusion in the calendar. I look forward to receiving your pictures.
bletchingleycalendar@gmail.com
Regards,
Geraldine Edwards
Please note that any flexible members who wish to compete in club competitions will now have to pay the annual county fees per year. For more information please contact me.
For anyone who is looking for a new way to advertise their business and would like the opportunity to advertise on our weekly newsletter, please contact me on 01883 744848, or click here to get in touch.
Pro's Tip: Fairway Bunkers
It isn't pretty watching most golfers try to hit out of a fairway bunker. The problem is, they use their normal swing. If you drive with your legs on the downswing, like on regular shots from the grass, you sink in the sand and hit behind the ball. That's no way to get to the green.
Focus on two keys:
First, stand tall at address and feel like you keep that height all the way through the shot.
Second, swing a little easier and with less leg action (above). That will help you clip the ball off the top of the sand instead of driving down into it. If you do it right, you'll feel like your arms are swinging past your body through impact. A good swing thought is, More arms, less body.
One last thing on fairway bunkers: Take a club with enough loft to clear the lip in front of you. If there's no lip, take an extra club because you want to swing easier.
Knee Knockers
Down the stretch, the last thing you want is to find yourself uncomfortable over a short putt. In most cases, the yips comes from the golfer decelerating, the putter then strays offline and well, there you have a missed putt!
To prevent this mistake, I like to encourage my students to practice this simple drill designed to help instill better mechanics near the hole. First, place a few golf balls one-to-two feet from the cup on the practice green. Make your normal stance, and then with no backswing, start pushing the ball toward the hole. Hold the finish until the ball is holed.
Get the idea? Good... Now back away and do the same from a distance of three-to-five feet. By ingraining a push-feel, you're training your body to accelerate through the ball. This drill has limited effectiveness from longer distances, since most golfers accelerate from more than 10 feet anyway, but from short range, it's even more imperative to maintain a steady acceleration to produce a steady and straight roll. After all, you aren't trying to lag it, you want to make it! Once you feel comfortable from short range, experiment with putts that are straight, uphill, downhill, and putts that break to the left or right.
After a few 15-minute practice sessions working on this drill, you'll feel much more comfortable and confident over short putts, knowing that your body is trained to accelerate. All you have to do is read the line, pick your spot and make a confident stroke!
TaylorMade Sale
We are currently having a big sale on all TaylorMade clubs currently in stock:
TaylorMade JetSpeed Driver, Was £249 NOW JUST £120
TaylorMade JetSpeed Fairway Wood, Was £189 NOW JUST £100
TaylorMade JetSpeed Hybrid, Was £149 NOW JUST £70
TaylorMade RSi Irons 4-SW, Was £599 NOW JUST £499
TaylorMade SpeedBlade Graphite Irons 4-SW, Was £499 NOW JUST £399
Ryder Cup: Europe captain Darren Clarke relishing challenge
Darren Clarke says winning the Ryder Cup four times as a player will stand him in good stead as he prepares to captain Europe in the United States.
A five-man panel selected 46-year-old Clarke to captain holders Europe in the 2016 competition at Hazeltine.
"It's certainly going to present a few different challenges," Clarke told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek.
"Being part of any Ryder Cup is invaluable. But being part of the winning team is more special." Seve Ballesteros, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam were Europe's captains when Clarke helped win the trophy in 1997, 2002, 2004 and 2006.
"I like to think some of the experiences will stand me in good stead," added the Northern Irishman. "It was learning not just from Seve but from all of them. It's a huge skill to man-manage.
"You've got to try to get the best out of each player - you're there as a team, you're there as a unit.
"You have 12 guys thrown together every couple of years. To figure out what makes each guy tick and how to blend them in with each other is one of the challenges that lies ahead."
Europe have beaten the United States on five of the last six occasions, and Clarke is looking forward to continuing the run of success.
"America is a tough place to go and play but I'm sure whoever makes the team will be well up for the challenge," he said.
"The Americans are smarting and will want to win hard."
Asked about his possible team, Clarke added: "If the team is made up from the majority of the last successful Gleneagles team, I know so many of those guys so well.
"It's a young team so I would expect quite a few of the same guys to be there again.
"I've known those guys a long time, I've played with them in tournaments all over the world so I know a lot of the potential players already."
Bletchingley GC Wedding Fayre!
Join us at Bletchingley Golf Club for one of our wedding open days. Our Wedding Fayre's are a great opportunity to meet the best suppliers in the area as well as giving you the opportunity to discuss your special day with our Professional Wedding Coordinator Evie Perry-Mason. So please join us one of the following dates to see our great venue in all its splendour!
Saturday, 28 February, 11am-4pm
Saturday, 6 June, 11am-4pm
Saturday, 5 September, 11am-4pm
For More Information please call us on 01883 744666 or email us at functions@bletchingleygolf.co.uk
