Happy New Year to everyone and I hope that you had a good Christmas and you got all the golfing gifts you were after. All you need now is a break in the weather to use them. 

Someone who has wasted no time in getting off to a good start this year is Kiyoko McLellan who has already recorded a hole in one on the 7th on New Years Day. Kiyoko hit a cracking 3 wood which was witnessed by Viv Dondi. Well done Kiyoko.

It's probably the most economically sound day to get a hole in one as the clubhouse is shut and even it it wasn't most people don't feel like drinking anyway.


Changes in the Pro Shop 

Don't worry we're are not changing staff just yet, I hope, but we will be introducing a couple of new brands in 2016, or in some cases re-introducing. 

I will continue to stock Mizuno, Titleist, PING and Cleveland wedges but I'm also stocking Callaway and Yonex this year. There will be a big emphasis this year on custom fitting, and I've invested in a launch monitor to give more accurate ball flight information. This will arrive early next month, so watch this space.

In the mean-time, if you would like to arrange a fitting with one of our PGA Professionals, click here to get in touch, or come and have a chat with us in the pro shop.

You will also notice a couple of changes to the halfway house with a new coffee machine arriving next week, with proper beans and everything, and in spring there will be a cold drinks machine installed too.


 

A message from our affiliate golf fitness provider:

Happy New Year to you all, I hope the festive season was nice to you?

The days are dark, it's wet and cold, but that doesn't mean you have to stop improving your golf. Now is the time to focus on stretching and technique which can be done in the warmth inside, or better still focus on your strength training.

If you are outside and still playing, make sure that you warm up correctly, increasing blood flow and mobilising your joints is so important, and even more so now its colder. And don't be afraid to take 10 minutes extra during your game to 're-warm up' if you are starting to feel the cold.


Lower Back & Leg Swing Warm Up 

- Laying face down and keeping hands on the floor, gently swing your top leg either side of your body. 
- Repeat this 10-15 times each leg, and this can be done a total of 2-3 times before hitting that first tee. 
- Remain in control of the movement at all times, and gently increase movement as your back and hips start to warm up.

Contact myself if you are interested in receiving more information on the above warm ups and strength training.

Ben Capper 
Head Coach, Spartans & PGA Professional Sarah Smith's Personal Trainer.


 

Over the next few weeks, Aaron, Sarah and I will be going through various check points and exercises to get you back into the swing of things for the start of the season. For the first few weeks we will go through the fundamentals which is something that is overlooked when fine tuning the swing throughout the winter months. Most tour Pro's will probably work on the basics through the winter rather than a complete swing overhaul. 

I remember over 10 years ago when the Faldo junior series started, I taught a young lad from Gogs who won the regional section and went to the finals in Devon at Saunton. They got to meet Faldo as he came round giving them all tips and he did a Q and A session afterwards. One question asked was what do you work on through the off season... Faldo was renowned as been a tinkerer, but he said that apart from two major changes which were well reported, all he used to work on with Leadbetter was the set up and how that affected his swing. He knew that if he got this right, the rest of the swing would flow.


To start off with this week I will take you through the role and importance of the grips and a couple of check points. The grip and club face alignment are the two most important things to get right at address that will affect the starting point of the ball and the sidespin through the air. If you get the grip wrong and hold it too weak, i.e to the left of the grip, you will slice and vice versa if you hold it to the right of the grip. 

As you can see from the photo, the V's should point to the right shoulder. A lot of people follow the line or logo on the grip and hold it too straight down the grip. This will encourage the club face to be open at impact, and as people react to the ball flight they will come over the top of it and it will lead to a slice or pull. If you have a neutral grip, every time your club returns to impact, the face will be square thus not having to make compensations for an incorrect grip.

   

The second and often forgotten function of the grip is support. This mainly occurs at the top of the back swing though a correct grip will also allow you to hinge properly. 

As you can see from the photo, my left thumb sits underneath the shaft. If this wasn't the case I would lose control of the club at the top and have to re-grip it on the way down.

I hope this helps, next week Aaron will talk you through the importance of good alignment and how to do it constantly.

Click here to let us know how you get on, or if you need any further advice.



Junior Coaching - Starting this week!

Late in 2015, we announced the launch of our Junior Coaching 6 week prgramme here at Saffron Walden. The first of these sessions will take place this Saturday and Sunday, with sessions running at 9am, 10am, 11am & 12 noon on Saturday, and an extra session has been added on Sunday due to a hugely positive response, so will run at 10am & 11:15am.

Click here to find out more about these sessions.

Book now in the pro shop to secure your place, or click here to get in touch.