With the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club just around the corner, I'm really hoping that Russell Knox's one shot win at last week's Travelers Championship, will be enough to secure him a place on team Europe. 

I for one completely believe he should have a place, especially with this year's event being played in America where he is based. Knox has shown that he can play on the big stage having won a World Golf Championship in Shanghai last November. 

My only fear for Knox is that the European Team and its selection can be very insular and with Knox being based in the US he could be seen as a bit of an outsider. The man from Inverness however is desperate to play and if his current form continues, he should absolutely make the team. 

Whilst Knox was lifting the trophy last week, veteran Jim Furyk was re-writing the record books with an amazing final round of 58! Yes, that's 58 shots for a round of golf, a full 18 holes and not just 9! 

Furyk was already one of only 3 or 4 who had previously recorded a 59 on Tour and has now written a new chapter as the first players to shoot a 58 on the main Tour. Only a couple of weeks ago Stephen Jaeger shot the first ever 58 on the satellite web.com tour.  

There is argument that David Duval's final round 59 to win the 1999 Bob Hope Classic was still a better round as this was 13 under par on a par 72 as opposed to Furyk's 12 under on a par 70. Whatever the case it was an exceptional round of golf and great to see from one of the more 'mature' players.


 

We have added another 10,000 brand new TaylorMade range balls into the system this week, to continue to improve your practice experience at Noah's Ark. 

That will make it 24,000 brand new TaylorMade's that have been added this year, along with brand new mats that were installed in every bay back in May.

We firmly believe that you deserve the very best of facilities for you practice and are working our hardest to provide this for you.


 

Club Deals 

We have some great club deals in store, just check these out! 

Titleist 915 Drivers were £329… Now £249 
PING G25 Drivers were £249 …. Now £169 

TaylorMade RSi 1 irons 5-SW, were £549…. Now £399 (Just 1 set left) 
Snake Eye irons 4-PW, were £399 …. Now £149 
Callaway X Series irons 5-SW, Only £329 

We also have a good selection of pre-owned clubs available, please pop in for a browse.


  

Shot Shaping Practice 

Very often when out for a game of golf, you find that a straight shot just won't cut it. You may have driven off line and need to curve your ball around a tree, or the pin may be positioned in a place that requires some curve on your ball to get it close. It may just be that it's really windy and you need to play for that. 

In this week's video, I'll show you a how to practice shaping your ball flight, so that you can cope with every situation you find yourself in.

Click Here to learn how to practice 'intentionally' shaping your shots. 

There are lots more great videos available to watch on my YouTube channel. 

You can subscribe to my channel by Clicking Here. 


 

Play Better Golf   

Playing a ball from below your feet 

This week we are going to look at playing the ball when it lies below your feet. This shot is more difficult than when the ball is above your feet as your set up has to change considerably. 

At address you must tilt further over from your waist than normal and bend more in your knees to help you get down to the ball. This "crouched" address position will cause your backswing to be shortened as you'll not manage to make a full turn. You'll need to aim a little left of target, as this lie will make your ball curve from left to right in the air, due to something called 'face plane tilt', which relates to how your club face points to the right when tilted downward.

It is essential that you stay down through impact and try to follow through, even though your swing will be restricted. The natural tendency is to stand up out of this crouched position on the follow through, but you must not do this as it will lead to the ball being topped. 

This is one of the hardest shots to play in golf so whenever you get a chance, drop a couple of ball and give it a go.


    
 
Open Competitions 

We have 3 Open Competitions being played over the coming weeks, starting with our Mixed Open on Sunday, 28 August, followed by the Hay Robertson 4-Man team event on Saturday 10th September and the Junior Open on Sunday, 11 September. 

You can find information and entry forms on our website www.northinchgolf.co.uk or you can pick up an entry form from the starters box. 

You can also just call the starters box on 01738 636481 or email northinchgolf@pkc.gov.uk 


 

Autumn Maintenance 

We plan to start our Autumn course maintenance works on Monday, 12 September, when the following work will take place.

Greens

• Verti-Drain
• Scarify Overseed
• Top Dress
• Feed

Tees

• Verti-Drain
• Scarify
• Top Dress
• Feed

If the weather is with us, then we hope to have this work completed on Friday, 16 September. 

There will be a temporary green in play on whichever green is being worked on at the time, this green will vary as the work progresses.


New Bench and Bin 

We will be installing a new bench and bin at the 10th tee over the next 2-3 weeks. This is following requests by players for somewhere to sit whist they add their scorecard after the first 9 holes. As players will often then also have something to eat and drink, we will be providing a bin for your rubbish.


Raking Bunkers and Repairing Pitch Marks 

In recent weeks, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of pitch marks appearing on the greens. As the condition of the greens continues to improve, these marks are more obvious for the eye to see. 

I would please ask all of our golfers to help us keep the North Inch in great condition, by repairing your pitch marks as you go. To really help us, we would ask that you try to repair at least two pitch marks on every green you hit. 

Also, could you please make use of the rakes that we have provided! 

The picture was taken last week, right behind a member's competition! 

Following 15 years of there being no rakes on the golf course we have now provided one for every single bunker on the golf course and we would kindly ask that these are used to rake up your footprints after you have played your shot. 

Also, if you happen to be passing a bunker and you see that a dog has been running through it, then please help out your fellow golfer by raking these marks away as you walk past. 

These little bits of help will make a huge improvement for the enjoyment of all of our golfers.