Author: Richard Booth

Thank you so much to those of you who have kindly added money onto your Pro Shop accounts since last week’s newsletter. I’m very touched by the support and it certainly helps with cashflow.

If you like to do the same, please email me and I will send you my bank details so that you can transfer the amount of money that you are comfortable with. Plus I’ll add 10% in value to it. So transfer £50 and I will credit your account with £55 etc. This is the last time that I will mention this offer.

I don’t think it’s appropriate to go into too many details here but the administrators of the club have also been very supportive during these difficult times caused by Covid-19. They have proactively contacted me and pledged help financially to counteract the loss of earnings at the time of year that is traditionally a Club Pro’s busiest. It has made me feel really valued and highlights once again, what a special golf club I have the good fortune to work at. Thank you.

Coaching Video

This week’s video is looking at getting into a good post impact follow through position. It’s like many things in life and requires us to start with the end in mind. Click on the embedded YouTube link below to watch. Please note that last week’s video link didn’t work so hopefully this one will…… 🤞

Photos

I appreciate I run the risk of being accused of rubbing your noses in it here but below are some photos of the course looking in fine fettle when I popped down to the club last week. Russell and Dave are doing lots of work to ensure that when we return to WA15 0NU, it will most definitely be worth waiting for!

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That’s all for this week so stay safe and well until next time.

Fantastic to hear that Robert Spark is out of Wythenshawe hospital and back at home to complete his recovery. He and Barbara sent out a lovely email to the members this morning explaining this and thanking everyone for all their lovely messages of support.

The Masters

So the Masters would have just finished on Sunday had things been going according to the pre Covid-19 plan. This means it’s just over a year since Tiger Woods had his first major victory since 2008. He always divides opinion but you’ve a chance to re-live this incredible chapter of one of the world’s great sporting icons as it’s being shown on BBC iPlayer for the next year or so. It might just help fill in a small part of that golfing void in your life!

Rory McIlroy is looking forward to a Masters in November as the change of timing might be just what he needs to win the event for the first time and complete his career grand slam. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for the four time major winner!

Support

Thanks for the encouraging words that have been sent my way on the back of the lockdown playing havoc with the golf trade, even more so following a pretty lousy winter.

If you’d like to help financially, I am running an offer – if you top up your Pro Shop account with credit I will add an additional 10% to it. This will run until lockdown finishes. So for example, if you pay me £50, you’ll account will be credited with £55 or pay me £100 and get £110 worth of credit. You can then spend this credit on products or lessons when things get back to normal.

If you’d like to do this and support the Pro Shop, please email me on richardsboothuk@gmail.com and I will send you my bank details so that you can do a bank transfer. Thank you.

Instructional Video

Following on from last week’s posture video, here is a brand new video discussing things to work on when playing short chip shots. Hope you like it!

That’s all for this week’s missive so until next time, stay safe and well.

Hi everyone.

I hope you are staying well and not getting on the nerves too much of your nearest and dearest. That of course would be impossible for me to do but the people I live with are having their moments of pushing my buttons!!

Weekly Video

I am going to start a weekly video that I will include in this newsletter and in fact I recorded one yesterday (with umpteen takes!!) on posture. However it was rubbish on several levels – the backdrop, the content and my very wooden delivery. So that has been hastily deleted and I will be trying to up my game for next week!

I re-visited my YouTube channel which if it was a real thing would definitely have collected dust and probably a few cobwebs and noticed that I actually did a video on posture a few years ago. Although it isn’t perfect, I think the content and delivery are well worth a look.

Posture is not the most exciting thing to work on I appreciate but it’s something you can do at the moment with just a mirror, whilst you are unable to get to the course. Plus in my opinion, progress in this area can be as simple as improving your awareness of how you think you are standing at address versus how you are actually standing.

Please have a look (it’s less than two minutes long) and I welcome any helpful feedback from you. For the record, helpful does not mean explaining how the last few years haven’t been kind to me!! Also if you have any ideas for topics that I might cover in future videos, please drop me an email

Lifting Our Spirits.

Thanks to David Cranmer for sending me the note below.

The first thing I’m going to do when my golf resumes is go straight to my nearest course, walk onto the first tee, peg up my ball and take a moment to appreciate being back in my happy place before I hit my shot.

The second thing I am going to do is hit a provisional…!!

If you have any photos stories or jokes that are suitable for this esteemed publication, please send them to me so that we can have a little bit of cheer during these difficult times.

Stay well and our thoughts are with any of the membership who are directly or indirectly affected by Covid-19.

Welcome everyone to the golf newsletter with no golf to talk about!!

I’m on day eight of being at home following the closure of the golf course, clubhouse and Pro Shop last week. Chez Booth, all is going (reasonably 😉) well and a bit of a routine has been established with a couple of dog walks each day for our miniature dachshund Buddy and Joe Wicks’ morning workout at 0900.

So overall lockdown life is going well albeit very different to our normal existence. My wife Elizabeth is still able to carry on with her job for GlaxoSmithKline and so we all try and give her space to be able to do her emails and phone & conference calls in peace.

I also have work to do speaking to my accountants and trying to plan for how the government’s initiatives will help with paying Phil his wages and for my loss of income being self employed. I also pop down to the club every few days to collect and distribute the post and catch up on some other things.

At the Club

When I have been at the club, it’s strange experience. There obviously aren’t any golfers out there which makes the course look so inviting – the prospect of popping out there for a few holes is very tempting! Russell and Dave are still working tirelessly on the course without any let up. They’ve been sanding the greens to improve their drainage and ensuring the 1st and 2nd greens will be in good shape when we all return to the club in the future.

I’ve also bumped into Ben and his wife Cat (if you can bump into someone from two metres away that is!) and they too are busy – looking after their daughters and like many of us, trying to catch up on all those little jobs at home that have been in need of completion for some time!

Captains’ Drive In

Saturday was due to be the Captains’ Drive In. Jonny Yates and Irene kirk were obviously unable to do the honours but wrote a nice note to the members instead, which was sent out by email.

Irene re-created the occasion in her garden and apparently Jonny performed a “Captain’s Putt-In” at home which successfully struck his target. Please note, we don’t have any witnesses to substantiate this claim!!

Closing Words

I understand some of the members and their family members are battling the virus so our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.

For those of us who are fortunate enough to still be fit and well, stay safe and I’ll be back in touch again soon.

Following the announcement yesterday evening from the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the golf course, clubhouse and the Pro Shop are now closed to try and halt the spread of Covid-19. As things stand, our hardworking greenkeepers Russell and Dave will continue working to keep on top of the course . It looks like the situation will be reviewed in three weeks time.

It is a completely understandable decision by the government and backed up by England Golf but it is frustrating isn’t it? We’ve had a lousy winter and the course is now starting to dry up but we’re not allowed to use it! In the grand scheme of things, it just doesn’t matter though does it? The main thing is simply that people stay well. With that in mind, I send my best wishes to all the membership and their families at this difficult time. Stay safe!

Competition Results

The men’s winter season ending Bogey Final took place on Saturday. Well played David Swale who was the winner on level. Charlie Hindle had the same score but lost out on account of a card play off.

In the ladies nine hole stableford on Thursday, twenty ladies took part. Well done to Anne Webster who was the winner with 17 points whilst Gillian Healey finished in second place, just one point behind Anne. Congratulations also to Mandy Gilbert for winning the 18 hole stableford with 32 points.

Sadly there are no photos of the winners from any of the above competitions as presentations have had to be put on the backburner.

So that’s it for now

Please look after yourselves and I’ll be in touch again when I have some news / updates. Once this is all over, we can look forward to playing golf again on our lovely golf course and when we do, I think we’ll all appreciate it just that little bit more…

Well as you know things are changing by the day if not by the hour with the current pandemic. Please click here for details of the club’s Coronavirus Policy, which is accurate at the time of writing.

Competition Results

The Captain’s Finale took place on Sunday. The format was teams of four with the best two scores from four counting. It was played over nine holes. It was also an opportunity for some “Greenkeepers’ Revenge” as they scattered random objects around the holes and at other points around the course to make things even trickier than usual for the players!!

The winners were the Freda & Ian Hunt and Min & Andrew Fishwick who won with an excellent 46 stableford points. Barbara & Robert Spark and Tracey & Keith Thompson were four points behind in second place.

Well done to Kathleen McNairney for winning Thursday’s 18 hole stableford competition with 32 points. Louise Gerald finished in second place.

Barbara Spark came out on top of the three way card play off to win the nine hole stableford with 14 points meaning Anne Webster and Clare Withey were beaten into joint second place.

Putting Competition

The gentleman captain Chris Wood hosted another fun putting competition on Saturday followed, as you’d expect in true Hale fashion, by lunch. The winner of the nine hole prize was Richard Dyson and the winner of the closest to the hole for the long putt was John Bacon.

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Competition Results

Congratulations go to Robert Spark and Peter Wolfenden for winning the Chicken Run on Saturday with 32 points. It was a stableford foursomes with a 0845 shotgun start. John Moss and Tony Sampson were a point off the pace to take second spot.

Not many played in the ladies 18 hole stableford on Thursday but even with a full field Mandy Gilbert would have taken some beating – she scored 38 points so well played Mandy! Gwynneth Bramwell was second with 33 points.

Vicky Wells and Jane Perks both scored 15 points in the nine hole stableford but Vicky fared better in the card play off to win the competition.

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Golf Access

On school term time Mondays, we are running an initiative called Golf Access. We start on the 16/3/20. This is a fun and structured way to get junior golfers onto the golf course. The children will tee off from approx 1615 to 1730 and will play from the forward tees or adult tees depending on their ability. Those from the forward tees will play three, six or nine holes again depending on their experience. Please click here and here for more details of the two programmes.

Please can you help?

Please would you be willing to volunteer and guide a junior group or two round? If can do every session then great. If you can only do occasional sessions that would be a big help to. Please contact me to find out more and do your bit to help the future of your club and the game of golf.

Competition Results

Unfortunately the weather took it’s toll gain on Thursday and the ladies competition was cancelled.

The men’s nine hole stableford did take place on Saturday although the turnout was limited with just six players taking part. No matter as Adam Hyde played very nicely to score 21 points and win. That man Bill Dixon was high on the leader board again finishing second this time with 20 points.

Talking of Bill, my apologies I neglected to mention last week that he was the winner of the Sharp Trophy. This is presented to the player who has the best four scores out of the six Bogey competitions that run over the winter. Bill finished the campaign with an excellent aggregate of ten up. Andrew Hay was second with four up and Robert Spark third with three up.

Masters Sweepstake

You know the season is nearly upon us when I announce that the Pro Shop Masters Sweepstake is up and running! The Masters runs from the 9th – 12th April this year. Numbers for the sweepstake cost £4 for one or three for £10. As the Masters is a small field of only 87 players, they will sell fast so please pop into the shop so that you can take part. Prizes in the form of Pro Shop credit are available for the first and second place overall and also for the best and worst score on each of the four tournament days.

Photos

The scoring in Saturday’s Bogey 6 was exceptional. Sadly it had to be nine winter greens but it didn’t seem to bother Bill Dixon who romped home with a score of nine up… and no that’s not a typo! Bill’s on a hot streak at the moment so keep it up sir and congratulations!

Ian Macklin was second with seven up and spare a thought for Tony Sampson who also scored seven up and didn’t even get in the prizes as he was beaten by Ian on a card play off.

Clothing Sale

We have plenty of men’s and ladies’ winter golf clothing in the sale. It’s all at least 30% off so please pop in and grab a bargain – because at this rate the winter conditions may continue until August!!

Well still the lousy weather continues but we’re still here….. awaiting patiently the fabulous summer which is bound to come our way!
Unfortunately yesterday’s ladies competition was rained off but fingers crossed the final Bogey of the men’s winter campaign will be able to take place tomorrow.

Results

Congratulations to Wendy Jenkins for winning the nine hole stableford on the 13th February with a very creditable 21 points. Second place went to Vanessa Veitch who scored 19 points.

The previous Thursday, Jane Perks played very nicely to score 20 points and win the nine hole stableford. Vicky Chamberlain was second with 18 points.

Three players battled round to finish level in Bogey 5 which took place on Saturday 8th February. The card play off went in Bill Dixon’s favour and bothers Peter and Andy Veitch finished second and third respectively.

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