The Open returns to St Andrews
It only seems five minutes ago that Luffenham Heath was one of 13 regional qualifying venues to get this years Open Championship qualification under way! Well 3 and half weeks have now passed and we are already in to the second round at St Andrews.
So we all ask that same question building up to a major championship, who is going to win? Golf is as competitive now, arguably more so than it ever has been. Put the names of the top 50 golfers in the world in a hat and any name drawn realistically has a chance every time.
Rory McIlroy will be kicking himself (if he was able too!!) at this moment in time, as St Andrews is set up for a player of his ball striking and driving calibre. As defending champion of the claret jug, he must have been favourite to securely defend it? Having said that, Jordan Spieth, chasing 3 in a row is enough incentive to find it difficult to see past him.
With the greens at St Andrews being so vast, you really fancy a good putter to shine and Jordan Spieth is one of the greatest putters I have ever seen, even at his young age. Never have I seen anyone so consistently hole putts from within 25feet, which places much less strain on his long game.
Dustin Johnson or Justin Rose could both do well, or could that once golfing great Tiger Woods miraculously perform for four days and get back to where he should be. There are some many names we could mention that I could go on forever. But hopefully, we have four great days of golf and viewing at the home of golf.
Lower your scores quickly
With this week's Open Championship in mind, pay close attention how good the players are on and around the greens. You see many different techniques adopted in their golf swings all achieving various ball flights, trajectories, distance etc. But one thing stands out with the better players is their ability to recover from an undesirable situation.
We can all look back at and remember Tiger Woods chip in on the 16th at Augusta in the 2005 Masters. How he pitched it on the one and only blade of grass to produce the reaction on the ball that never looked anywhere else than in the hole. This just shows the ability to turn a par/bogey into a birdie, with the ability and trust in the short game.
Putting well is the greatest way to lower your scores quickly. Think back to your last round and add up how many putts you had, and how many you could and should have holed and you start to understand the picture.
Putting is mostly down to personal preference and feel, but there are strokes and styles to suit each individual. Very rarely, especially at St Andrews this week, will you see two groups back to back with the same putting style. Look at Jordan Spieth for example, adopting the left below right with a larger Superstroke putter grip, who is one the finest putters of all time.
With this in mind, we can help improve your putting and consequently lower your scores. This even extends to the putter you use. A putter that is too long or too shot will affect the way the head sits on the ground and how you strike the ball. A poor strike will lack the distance over a long putt and also affect the accuracy of the agonising 3 foot putts. Putter grip itself plays a big part, with the Superstroke putter grips dominating the market, which you will see at The Open this week.
Having a grip that is too thin, can often cause too much wrist action leading to inconsistent distance control and lack of control of the clubhead. So if you are wondering your current set up of your putter is correct, then pop in and see us and well help you to improve your putting.
Ladies Captain's Day - Friday, 10 July
1st L Hallett, J Dryden & H Macleod Smith - 92Pts
2nd S Watson, Y Howie & M York - 89Pts
3rd V Powell, F Sharman & S Carr - 88Pts
Gents Captain's Day - Saturday, 11 July
1st P Browning, R Lightowler & P Van Herrewege - 82Pts
2nd B Petrie, G Petrie & C Petrie - 81Pts
3rd D Hope, J Sellicks & J Maziak - 78Pts
Strawberry Challenge - Sunday, 12 July
1st L Brookes & M Padley - 48Pts 2nd G Greenless & H Argo - 41Pts
Kingdon Cup - Monday, 13 July
Playoff to be played between G Reekie, M Desforges, S Sibsey & J Green
Ladies Stableford - Tuesday, 14 July
Silver Winner - J Welford 37Pts / Bronze Winner - J Harbot 33Pts
Tuesday Night Stableford - Tuesday, 14 July
N Wedge 38Pts, C Petrie 36Pts, A Fitt 35Pts, G Williams 35Pts