Author: Richard Booth

As Ian Hunt explained in his email to the members on Monday, at that time over 600 nine hole rounds had been played. The tee sheet remains busy and also the only way to get a game at the moment.

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To book a tee time on line you need to have a How Did i Do Passport ID and then sign up to Club V1. Click here to get full instructions on how to do this.

Golf Lessons & Club Fittings

I’m delighted to say that I’m back coaching again. It’s on a 1:1 basis and it has to be outdoors. I’m of course taking all necessary steps to ensure social distancing is adhered to. Club Fittings are also possible on the same basis.

The easiest way to book a lesson is to use my online diary. Click here to schedule a session. You can book up to 10 days in advance. Should you be struggling to find a slot that is convenient for you, then please call me 0161 249 8427 and we can sort something out over the phone. 

Marshalling

The marshalling of the course from Wednesday to Sunday was very well supported by the membership and a great success. It was needed as we transitioned from members of the public being able to walk freely across the course to them having to go back to sticking with the designated footpaths for safety reasons as golf started up again.

On that subject John Moss send me an amusing email telling me about one of his encounters whilst marshalling on Friday evening.

It was change over time and so there were four marshals by the 9th tee when a young man cycled up the new path by the 12 tee. John’s wife Janice politely explained that it was private land and so he couldn’t come up it. The cyclist replied “it’s ok, I’m not coming on the course, I’m just practising my hill climbs!”  As John observed “little did Andy Veitch think that his lovely path would be used for another purpose entirely!” I wonder whether we should develop another income stream and offer a cycling membership from now on…… 😂

So we’re back golfing again which is great news. As I’m sure you know, members are able to play in twos and book up to 48 hours in advance via the Club V1 app. I hope to see you back down here at the club very shortly.

The first out this morning was a belated and much lower key than usual, Captains’ Drive In. Gentleman captain Jonny Yates and lady captain Irene Kirk teed off at 10am and here are the photos to prove it. The first photo shows them setting an excellent example by posing for a socially distanced photo 😂

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Video

Here’s a video explaining a simple but very effective game to improve your putting. It can be played indoors or outdoors. Either way, try sticking with the 50 pence piece as the target. That way, the hole will look much bigger when you get back to it.

Mini Rakes

I can get hold of the portable mini rake attachments as per the photograph below. They attach to the end of one of your golf clubs. They retail at £10 and come in green, blue and pink. Please contact me if you’d like one.

Persimmon

Thank you to Andrew Pendleton for getting in touch from Scotland following last week’s missive. Andrew explained that he received the driver which is pictured below for his birthday back in 1982. This happened to be the same day as the April Medal which he then went on to win, making it a very successful first outing for the club! He told me that he didn’t win many medals at Hale so this was always a special memory for him. The driver was made by the US club maker, Prima.

New Zealand

Helen and Chris Davies have made it back from Auckland in New Zealand. They were working their way round the world when they got stranded there due to the country going into lock-down which apparently was stricter than here in the UK. As Chris explained “fortunately we were staying with with Helen’s sister and husband who live in a great house on the beach in Auckland.” The photos below certainly seem to back that up….

Azaleas

Thanks to Janice Moss for sending in this lovely photo of the azaleas just below the 12th tee.

Rumours

There are all sorts of whispers and rumours going around that golf might be able to start up again shortly. We at the club are not sure when that will be or what it will look like at this stage but it gives us a little optimism. Let’s hope when it does this great weather continues….. 🤞

Video

This week’s instruction video is the second and final part of my in depth look at the grip. If you didn’t see the first one, it’s worth taking a look at that first by clicking here to visit my YouTube channel.

Pro-Am Cancelled

We have taken the decision to cancel this year’s Pro Am which was scheduled for Sat 11th July. All things being equal, it will take place again in the summer of 2021. 

We have decided for various reasons that this would be the best course of action. Some of those reasons are as follows:

1. You, the members, have not been able to play the course much this year after a lousy winter and then Covid-19 and so it seems unfair to be asking for money from you to play the course on a Saturday in July.

2. If we are able to start competitions again, that Saturday might be a useful one for staging a club event to “help catch up”.

3. The clubhouse might still be closed.

4. Asking people to travel especially for the Pro Am from across Cheshire, does not seem appropriate in these times.

Photo

I love this photo from the cover of the April 1961 Golf Digest, which featured in their most recent publication. It’s an early high speed photo showing the compression of a golf ball by a wood. Those persimmon headed woods were hard work weren’t they? Thank goodness for modern day over sized titanium drivers which make the game so easy…. 😂

Golf Grip 101

This week’s video takes an in depth look at how to grip the club properly. It’s the first of two videos – the second will be part of next week’s missive. I hope the two together will serve as a useful reference for members and my pupils to check that what they’re doing either now or in the future is correct. Please have a watch and I hope you learn something new or simply confirm that you are already holding the club in the right way.

Member Watch…

Although it’s lockdown, I’ve still managed to bump into (from a social distance of course) some of the members of late…

I’ve seen Jez Allen, Paul Simpson and Andrew Page at Altrincham Market. Tarik Rashid, David Gill and Graham Jones whilst out on a run with one or both of my daughters. Colin Broadbent as he cycled past my house. Ian & Freda Hunt and Claire & Peter Hindle whilst dog walking and Dr Tom Earnshaw doing the weekly shop in Tescos. I obviously hope to see a lot more of you sooner rather than later but we’ll just have to see how things pan out.

Twitter

If you are on Twitter, please make sure that you are following myself, the official Hale GC Greens account and also assistant green-keeper Dave Taylor on the platform to keep up to date with what’s happening at the club. The respective handles are:

@rboothgolf
@halegcgreens
@murciadreams

Light Relief

Thanks to Ian Hunt for sending me the below to include as a bit of light relief in this week’s newsletter. If you have anything similar then please forward them on to me so that I can share in future dispatches.

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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