The Open
What a week I've been having. After a very busy few months at the club, I've taken this week off to go and watch the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon. Not only has it been brilliant to watch the world's best up close - wow their ball striking is on another level - but I've even managed to have a few photos along the way too. See how many of these you can recognise...
These two photos were taken on Tuesday, after one of the practice days at Troon. First we have leftie Phil Mickelson who, at the time of writing this, leads The Open after a brilliant first round 63. Whilst out having dinner he was sitting at the table next to us and certainly didn't shy away from having a selfie with the ladies. In the other photo above you will see world number one Jason Day. It was great to meet the world's best player - not bad for an evening's work!
I wasn't finished there. Over the next couple of days I was lucky enough to meet golfing legend and hall of famer, Gary Player. It was a real honour to meet a true superstar, who was still hitting it great at 80. Now many of you won't recognise the people in the final photo - Gary Edwin and Rod Pampling. Edwin is one of the most iconic coaches in the world, focusing on the 'right-sided swing', whilst Rod is a professional golfer who has been on tour for quite some time.
What ball are you using?
So, you want to hit the ball higher, straighter and longer; what do you do? There are various options:
Get custom fitted for a new set of clubs in the shop
Have a course of lessons with one of our PGA professionals
Make sure you're using the correct ball for your game
I've spoken to you before about the importance of coaching and custom fitting, so I'm not going to go over this again (yet!). But it is the last of the aforementioned points that I want to briefly focus on this week.
The golf ball is the only piece of equipment that you use for every single shot (duh!), so why do so many of you neglect to consider whether the one you're using is best for your game?
It's exactly the same principle as club fitting. Jon will see different results from Greg, and Greg will see different results from Alex. It's all about finding the right equipment to benefit your game. Just because your playing partner reckons that Tour Balatas are the best balls since sliced bread, doesn't mean that they're going to give you results.
We've got plenty of different options available for you in the shop
So stop getting any old ball out of your bag, or using those scuffed ones you found in the bushes; instead, come and speak to a member of the team about which ball would best suit your game. If you're someone who wants to see the numbers by trying out each ball, then get in touch here to request a fitting.
Playing the correct ball is a cost-effective way of you improving your handicap!
Why wouldn't you want to help yourself?
