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Hello Golfers,

We hope our weekly emails are providing you with a little bit of normality in these difficult times.

We’re well into spring now and it’s been great watching the flowers bloom whilst being in lockdown, partly thanks to the beautiful weather we’ve enjoyed over the past few weeks. Golf courses across the country will certainly be taking full advantage after a tough and wet few months prior.

Stay safe and enjoy the read.

 
Golf's greatest rivalries

USA vs Europe

Ryder Cup. Solheim Cup. PGA Tour vs European Tour. This cross-Atlantic rivalry dates back decades and has provided some of the most dramatic events in golfing history.

You only need to go back as far as last year’s Solheim Cup, where the Europeans won each of the last three games to regain the cup – including a clutch 7-footer on the 18th green in the final match left on the course. We salute you, Suzann Pettersen!

The Americans lead the Solheim Cup 10 to 6, whilst Europe leads 11-8 in the Ryder Cup (since 1979 when it was Europe rather than GB&I). The next contest is due to be played later this year at Whistling Straits in America, and is seemingly one of the few global sporting events not to have been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Would it be the same spectacle without spectators?

With golf being an individual sport 95% of the time for the world’s elite, we thought we’d round things off with a look at how many Majors have been won by golfers from either side of the pond. Some clever folk on Wikipedia has it at 126 European victories compared with USA’s 273. Ouch.

We'll be doing a poll on our website next week so let us know which rivalry stands out for you the most and why by getting in touch here.

 
Did you know?

Fact of the week

According to the Guinness World Records, the longest hole in the world is the 7th hole at Satsuki GC in Japan. It measures a meagre 964 yards and is a par-7!!

Rumour has it that there’s also a hole measuring over 1,000 yards in South Korea, but that hasn’t made it into the records – yet.

 
Pro's news

Strategy at West Herts GC

The 2nd hole is one of the strongest par 4's on the golf course. The hole will be played different depending on the level of golfer. For the strong hitter, avoiding the 2 main fairway bunkers are key! Centre to left side of the fairway give the best angle to attack the green as the contour is from back right to front left.

For the average hitter, plotting your way up the left side of the hole is the safest way to avoid any potential card wreckers early in your round. Avoid the bunkers and keep yourself short of the flag to allow a positive putt.

A handicap par on this hole is always welcomed but with some smart play you may be able to get your round off to a nice start.


2nd Hole
Jacott's Hill
 

Short game series with Dr Noel Rousseau

I hope you enjoy this short game series of videos that I was lucky to film with PGA Professional Dr Noel Rousseau at the Monte Rei Resort in Portugal.

Click here to watch.

Short Game Series
Short Game
 
 
 
It's quiz time

Something a little different for you this week. The European Tour's social media team put this silhouette challenge up a while ago so we thought we'd share it with you too.

Each of the eight golfers below has won on the European Tour in the past four years; all you need to do is guess who each of them is by the outline of their swing. Easy, right? Send us your answers below (no cheating!).

*Answers can be found here.

Guess the silhoutte - part 1
Guess the silhoutte - part 2
send us your guesses  >
 
 
 
 
Weekly challenge

What do you have left in your food cupboard? Baked beans? Tins of soup? Peaches? Whatever it is, grab six tins (or more if you’re feeling adventurous) and have a go at this week’s golfing challenge. We guarantee you some fun!

Weekly Challenge - Tin Pyramid

The set-up

Put the golf balls away and use a tennis ball or stress ball for this one – you do want to eat the food after all. Create a pyramid shape using the tins as in the photo above; we’ve balanced them on a garden trug so they’re almost at eye-level.

The challenge

Just like when you’re at a fair, knock down all the tins in three shots and you win a prize - well, maybe not in this case! If you want to play with the family, let them have a go chipping or they can always throw the tennis balls if you’re super confident!

send us a message  >
 
 
 
 
Golf at home

This week’s drill is all about improving your strike when putting. With such a small stroke – in comparison to a full swing – it’s easy to think that you can’t go wrong when putting. Well, give this drill a try and see how you get on.

Blu-Tack putting

What to do

Measure a ball’s width on the centre of your putter face and place a piece of blu-tack either side, as depicted in the image above. Set up a 10-foot putt in your home or garden and hit a few putts – if your strike is off-centre you’ll certainly feel and see a difference!

Blu-Tack putting

Striking the Blu-Tack?

If your ball hardly moves or you barely feel yourself striking the ball at impact, chances are you’ve hit a piece of blu-tack rather than the centre of the putter face. Give this a few tries – as well as from different distances – and see if you can spot a pattern. Let us know how you get on.

send us a message  >
 
 
 
 

Video of the Week

Some of you may have seen this European Tour impressions video before but it's one of our favourites and is perfect for a little bit of light-heart entertainment! Enjoy.

European Tour: Best impressions
 
 
I hope you enjoyed my newsletter. If you need any help or advice on anything golf, please pop into the shop or reply to this email and we'll be delighted to help. David Griffiths and the Golf Team.
 
TEAMFITTING
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West Herts Golf Club
Cassiobury Park
Watford
WD3 3GG

Phone: 01923 236484
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