Rob McNicholas

Motocaddy M-Series electric trolley range

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to this week's newsletter from Saffron Walden GC, bringing you the latest news and offers. We hope you're having a great week on and off the golf course.

Enjoy the read.

Pro's news

Happy New Year from the Pro Shop Team

I hope you have all had a nice festive and New Year period and are looking forward to getting back into your golf in 2020. Over the next few weeks the shop will change for the start of the season as the new stock arrives.

We will have the new TaylorMade and Callaway product arriving before the launch dates for anyone wanting to try it over the next week as well as Titleist, PING and Mizuno product to try. We have started to get some new Ecco shoes in and will have FootJoy arriving in February with their clothing and the men’s Peter Millar range. For women we are stocking Rohnisch and that will arrive next month.

Swing Analysis

Over the next couple of months, we will analyse some swings and give some tips to encourage people to get back into the swing of it for the start of the season. I’ve picked out a couple of swings you may recognise that I’ve worked with over the past few weeks to highlight some common things we see this time of year and some trends that are in the modern golf coaching that doesn’t always work and show that one swing does not suit everybody.

I’ve worked with Callum and Josh on and off for a number of years and they would both come under the category of modern athletic golfers. With the new breed of players you see on the tours they generate a lot more speed than players from 20 years ago and as a result, the modern way of coaching has been to try an elite the left side of the golf course for right-handed players as this is the most destructive shot. The posture has become more tilted over the ball to limit lateral movement (a sway) and the club is kept a lot more out in front of the chest to pacify the clubface and prevent over-rotation, this is why it becomes more popular for tour players to hit a gentle fade. The dangers though are the club getting laid off (pointing to the left of target at the top) and then the club getting stuck in an attempt to get back on plane so it can get back to the ball. Common consequences are a low ball flight and particular difficulties with drivers and fairway woods as the angle of attack is steep, the weight is very left-sided and the clubface can be closed. All in all, not a great combination.

You will see from Callum's original video he is very tilted with the weight on the toes and that both him and Josh in their original swings don’t rotate the club excessively on the take away. This leads to the club been a little bit shut at hip height, then they pick it up with the weight stuck on the left side and get into a laid-off position. Josh tries to recover and scoops/ adds loft on the way through leading to an upright finish position and Callum tended to half a hold off fi wish as he can’t really release the club on the way through.

Josh original swing

Callum original set up and swing

The changes we made were in the set up getting a more upright posture which makes it easier to turn, then encouraging the left arm to work more across the chest giving the clubface chance to rotate before they set it up to the top of the backswing in a more neutral position. The result is a higher launch and trajectory which gives more consistency over distance control as well. It also allows them both to draw the ball, a shot they were struggling with beforehand.

One of the main reasons that these faults would have crept into their swings would have been the changes in their postures. This is something that we often see through winter as the muscles take a bit of warming up and people tend to have more layers on. It’s important that the weight is on the balls of the feet not the toes or heels as both will lead to swing problems.

If you need help with your game in 2020, click here and get in touch.

Josh with forearm rotation

Callum after set up and swing changes

Coaching news

Winter Bunker Clinic

A 45-minute session with Sarah

- The clinic is designed for those who are looking to improve their bunker technique throughout the Winter.

- After the session, you will come away feeling more confident that you can get the ball closer to the hole, get out of bunkers more easily, as well as learning how to play out of difficult lies.

Tuesday 4th February, 11:00 - 11:45.

Friday 28th February, 10:15-11:00.

- Open to all handicaps
- Both Men and Women welcome.
- Groups of 4
- Book onto as many sessions as you like!

Just £10.00 for one session!

Book now to secure your place!

Reserve your space now, sarah@smithperformancegolf.co.uk

Short Game Clinic

1 Hour session with Sarah

- It's aimed to improve your chipping and also increas your chances of holing that birdie putt by getting the ball closer to the hole

- You will learn what all your wedges are useful for around the edge of the green and also play some more complicated shots from the dips

Sunday 9th February 2020

12:30 - 1:30

- Open to all handicaps

- Both Men and Women

- Groups of 8 Max

Only £10

Book now to secure your place!

Reserve your space now,

sarah@smithperformancegolf.co.uk

Ready. Set. Go.

Hands up if you’re still feeling stuffed from the excessive (but highly enjoyable) eating over the festive period...

We’re not going to ask anything too strenuous of you this week as we ease our way into the new year so don’t worry! Instead, take a quick look at the image below and see if any of it looks familiar to you.

With a new season upon us and plenty of new products arriving in your local pro shop over the next few months (more on this in the coming weeks), now’s the perfect time to wave goodbye to the old tatty golf shoes, the worn-out gloves in a pile at the bottom of your bag, and the golf balls with more scuff marks than dimples!

If you’re the type of golfer who keeps on top of their equipment then we salute you but if any of the above rings true, pop by the shop this weekend and give your stuff a winter MOT. We’re always here to help.

ask us a question >

A bag for life

Following on from our article above, how many things are you trying to jam into your golf bag before every round? For us, a golf bag is so much more than something to lug your clubs around in; instead, it’s an extension of your locker with a place for everything you might need out on the course.

From lucky charms to hand cream, you name it and there’s a good chance a pro has carried it in their bag – well, their caddy to be more precise!

Whilst a tour bag might not be a realistic option for most club golfers, Mizuno’s BR-DRI cart bag (pictured above) is one that we 100% recommend for anyone wanting a bit more space to house their belongings.

Come down to the pro shop to take a closer look and, whilst you’re here, take a look at the other bags (both stand and cart) that we have available.

explore Mizuno bags >

Product spotlight

PING's G410 Plus driver

Unfortunately, we all miss the fairway from time-to-time (some of us more than others) but the question we'd like to ask you is:

Are you giving yourself the best chance of finding the short stuff?

What we love most about PING's G410 Plus driver is that we can move the weight into a draw, fade or neutral setting to help you fight your common miss. So, if you have a slice we can put this into a draw setting for you to promote a right-to-left ball flight.

find out more here >

Galvin Green Autumn Winter Collection 2019

Video of the Week

To kick start 2020, here's a hilarious video of some of your favourite golfers being impersonated by one of the best in the business. We promise it'll have you in stitches!

I hope you have enjoyed this week's update.
We hope to see you soon
Rob

Saffron Walden Golf Club
Windmill Hill
Saffron Walden
CB10 1BX

Phone: 01799 527728

Visit my website
Visit the club website
Contact me
Your profile

This email was sent to you by Rob McNicholas and is provided as a service for the members and guests of Saffron Walden Golf Club and the customers of the Saffron Walden Golf Club Pro Shop and has been supported and sponsored by advertisers in this mail and by our partner suppliers: Foremost Golf, UK's largest golf retail group, delivering value through expertise for the Club Golfer

® The Crest is a registered trademark of The Professional Golfers’ Association Limited