Welcome to this week’s newsletter. Well, we are into week three of the lockdown and I hope you are all continuing to stay safe and keeping yourself busy. I myself have been keeping busy with PGA admin stuff and trying to keep Emma topped up with tea and biscuits. Enjoy the rest of the newsletter and keep safe!
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You will all be glad to know that the courses are looking great and Malloy and Max are keeping the courses in great condition for our return. I have put a selection of photos below for you to see just how good it looks. As for Malloy and Max, they have been greeted by some wonderful mornings during the lockdown. Having spoken to Malloy, I asked him about what it's like tending to a golf course with no golfers on it. In previous emails, I did mention how it must be a greenkeeper's dream tending a course with no golfers on it and Malloy agreed. Speaking to him yesterday though he mentioned how lonely the course feels at the moment. Malloy and Malcolm set their daily routines by the people they see on the course and times they regularly go out. So, Phil T, he really misses you. Seeing you march down the 1st is their starting point to the day. They are looking forward to seeing you back to start their day's works, as am I mine. |
The 100+ Club has had its monthly draw for the winners in March and here are the results, alongside a short message for the 100+ Club committee.
Despite being ‘in purdah’ the 100+ Club continues and the March winners are: - Richard Pinder - £285
- Ian Brooker - £215
- Mike Mills - £145
- David McFerren - £75
There are still a few numbers left and if applying to join is something you have been meaning to do but never found the time, maybe now is your chance. You can download an application form from the ‘Information’ part of the members' website and following the ‘100 Plus Club’ link. For those of you who maybe don’t know what the 100+ Club is all about, the object of The Club is to raise funds to be expended within Littlestone Golf Club Ltd to cover purchases and/or improvements for both the Championship and Warren facilities. It has paid for things like the Woo Loo, practice net and other bits associated with both courses. It’s a great way of raising funds for club projects and I ask you all to support the initiative especially in these times as we put new projects together to go forward into the future of Littlestone golf club. lick here for an application form.
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Usually, this is one of the most exciting weeks of the year as the golfing world tunes in to watch the world’s best tackle Augusta National in search of one of the weirdest (but greatest) prizes in professional sport – the Green Jacket. So, this week’s newsletter is going to be a little biased towards the Masters with our brand new Masters Quiz and a very special Video of the Week (this really is a must-watch!), not to mention this week's challenge. But for now, here are some of our favourite Masters memories.
That Tiger Chip-In (2005) You will have all seen the clip. Tiger Woods, dressed in his statement Sunday red, found himself left of the 16th green with what looks like a pretty simple chip. However, what TV doesn’t show is the huge slope towards the water. So, not only does Tiger aim 20 foot left of the hole but he also purposefully hits his chip long, allowing gravity to do the rest. From here, two things stand out. First, the ball slowly trickling back down the slope towards the centre of the hole only to stop right on the edge for a couple of seconds, before eventually falling into the cup for a birdie. Second, the wild celebrations between Tiger and his caddie, the euphoria of the crowd and the rather over-excited commentator. What a shot! Watch the clip here.
Faldo Overcomes Norman (1996) Nick Faldo won his third Green Jacket and final Major title at the 1996 Masters, but was dealt a huge helping hand from final-round playing partner Greg Norman. The Shark (Norman) led the field from the first round and never gave anyone else a sniff, heading into the final round six shots clear of Faldo. A bogey at the opening hole was quickly put right with a birdie at the second. Unfortunately for Norman, he went on to drop six shots over his next nine holes, with a double-bogey at the short par-3 12th seeing him relinquish the lead for the first time in over three rounds of golf.
Whilst The Shark was seemingly falling apart, Faldo painted a picture of complete confidence. The Englishman shot a five-under-par 67 to win by five, beating his playing partner by 11 shots on that final round!
There are so many iconic moments to choose from so let us know what stands out for you by sending us a message here.
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For those of you who were good enough to join me last Friday in the 2nd of our Littlestone Quiz nights, I thank you for taking part and being a part of what I am trying to do. It isn’t a perfect format, I know that, so I am trying something different this week to try and help more people get their answers in quicker. I have set-up a WhatsApp group to allow people to send their answers to me via that format. So, if you would like to be added into the quiz group just email me with your name and mobile telephone number and I will add you to the group. You will, of course, have to have the WhatsApp App for this to work. If you need any help with that just let me know and I can assist you. It seemed that last week, the people who watch from the beginning Live have their answers coming in first. I have no idea why but hey ho let’s see if this works. This week I will be taking you through an Easter and Masters themed quiz, alongside some general knowledge questions. I will, of course, be doing my cocktail masterclass again, with this week’s cocktail being another favourite of mine. Last week's Hemmingway stirred a wee bit of a storm so here are the ingredients for you. The ingredients are as follows: - Pink champagne - preferably Laurent Perrier or Aldis Monsigny Pink is very good
- Amber rum - I like to use Havana Club 7 YO
- Solerno Blood orange liquor
- Mint leaves
- Soft brown sugar muscovado
- Juice of one lime
- 2 dashes of angostura bitters
- One very large glass
The Littlestone Live Facebook page can be accessed from here.
Look forward to welcoming you Friday!!! |
One of my first memories of golf is how much I loved playing in the fields as a kid. I started golf when I was 8 years old playing in the school fields we had at the bottom of the Cul de Sac where we lived. I have very fond memories of Bath Springs, playing cricket in the street, having apple fights in the orchards behind our house and most of all being introduced to golf by my best friend at the time John Miller. John and I were very competitive children and we loved our sport, of any kind. The main difference between us, looking back now, is that we were suited to different formats of sport. John needed to be part of a team and he went on to be a successful rugby player. I, on the other hand, took to golf and loved playing in isolation, making courses up in my head and quite often getting it very wrong. You can see from the photo below, my golfing playground as a kid. |
| The Bath Springs International Course
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Number one circled, was our house on Bath Springs with the orchards behind the house and the road leading down to the fields at the bottom. I used to follow the lines 1, 2 and 3 on the photograph. Looking at it now, it really has made me realise how tight it really was hitting along those lines. I am sure that’s why I am so straight now! I had to be in those days. Circled 2 is where we moved to when I was 12 and I used to then play my own course from our back garden. Following these lines back the other way. I have to be honest and come clean I did smash a window in the school once, which I never admitted to. But in my defence, it was an awesome stinger. The fields had a long jump pit in the top corner and that is where I fell in love with bunker play. I am sure even to this day, Mr Mawdsley the school caretaker, couldn’t figure out why every time he filled the pit, it was empty a week later. It’s here though, where I became a great bunker player and where I learned to love the sand and play the shots with all the clubs I had, which wasn’t many. So in the early days, I had to be straight and I drilled in bunker play, much to the caretaker's annoyance. I am convinced that’s why I am so straight now and my bunker play is so natural. |
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I like to keep things very simple in my game and in bunkers in particular. In this video, I will take you through my own bunker method and how easy these shots really are. It really is simple, it has to be, it’s the only shot in golf where you don’t actually hit the ball. Click here to view the video.
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In last week’s intro section, you saw James Wright my new assistant, talk a wee bit about himself, his game and what Littlestone means to him. I thought I would extend that a bit further. In this video, Mark Collins, another of my assistants, takes you through one of his most memorable golfing moments in his life. With Mark being a former international and county champion, it’s a novel insight to an elite player's thought processes under pressure. Thank you to Mark for doing this. Click here to view the video.
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Some of you may have joined me using the TrackMan launch monitor in the past and I just wanted to give you a bit of information on what it is and how it can benefit your game. |
TrackMan was created in 2003 by golfers Klaus (CEO) and Morten Eldrup-Jorgensen and radar engineer Fredrik Tuxen (CTO). Tuxen worked with the tracking of bullets and missiles using Doppler radar. The Jorgensen brothers contacted him to see if the technology could be used to track golf balls. Today, TrackMan is a world leader in ball flight and club data measurement and the company is considered to have set the industry standards for accuracy in golf, revolutionized the ball flight laws and raised the general understanding of the golf swing. |
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Here are a few examples of what it is all about and what exactly the TrackMan launch monitor tracks. Click Here. TrackMan vouchers at Littlestone
When we get back to the golf course, I will be selling Combine Test vouchers for anyone who wants to take the test. You can buy them when the club re-opens again or you can reserve as many as you like for the duration of 2020. These vouchers are priced at £35 each or you can buy a 10 pack for £300. The Combine Test takes around about 45 minutes and will give you all the information you need to really improve. Just let me know by email or phone if you would like to take advantage of this great offer. Click here to find out exactly what a Combine Test is and how it can help YOUR GAME NOW.
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Here's a short video for you to all appreciate with the sound nice and high. The sky larks are back on the course and the mating calls sound all around the course. Click here to experience the wonderful chorus. |
| Spring Blooms
| As promised earlier, here are a couple of my favourite photos of the course from this week for you all to take a look at. |
| Looking North East
| Stay safe everyone and I look forward to seeing you on Friday for the quiz and cocktail hour!
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Masters edition
As we promised in last week's newsletter, our Quiz of the Week is here. It's meant to be a bit of fun and a chance for you to see how good your golfing knowledge is - although, we all know how competitive we can be! So, as it was supposed to be Masters week, we're kicking things off with a very special Masters edition. Good luck and make sure you come back to test yourself again next week.
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