Welcome to another exciting edition of our weekly newsletter. This week we look at how Paul Casey created his own little piece of PGA Tour history, we check out some fresh new looks ready for the warmer months ahead, and we look at how the world #1 fared over the weekend. Enjoy the read.
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A Warm Welcome This week we have welcomed Alex Simpson to Noah’s Ark Golf Centre as a PGA Scotland Modern Apprentice. 18-year-old Alex is no stranger to Noah’s Ark, having started playing golf with us as a little 4-year-old almost 15 years ago! From his young start, Alex has been a county champion at all age categories and has represented Scotland. He has now come full circle and returned to Noah’s Ark to join our team. Alex will be studying towards an SVQ in Golf and Leisure management and will learn his trade on the job as part of our team. This training will get Alex into a position to undertake his full PGA training in the future and he will be working with us full time for the next 12 months. |
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Please introduce yourself and say hello to Alex next time you are in, we are really happy to have him join our team. |
A New Professional Welcome to Gary Casey, our new PGA Professional at Pitlochry Golf Pro Shop. Gary will be starting in position on Thursday 4th April and we are looking forward to welcoming Gary to Highland Perthshire. Gary is following in the footsteps of Wallace Booth who is returning to full time professional golf tournament playing following the past year recovering from surgery. Gary has 30 years of experience coaching golf and is a Today’s Golfer top 50 coach. Golf lessons at Pitlochry can be booked with Gary by clicking here. |
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New Look Shop By the time you read this week’s newsletter, work should be completed in our mini refit of the pro shop at Pitlochry and we are looking forward to getting stocked up. We have invested in an even more extensive range of Hire sets for this year, with these clubs doubling up as demonstration equipment for our members. |
We have invested in an even more extensive range of Hire sets for this year, with these clubs doubling up as demonstration equipment for our members. Below is a list of what will be available to hire or demo at Pitlochry this season, - Titleist AP1
- Titleist AP2
- Titleist AP3
- TaylorMade M6 x4 sets
- Cobra F9
- Cobra F Max Superlight
- Callaway Rogue
- Wilson D7
- Callaway XR (Left Hand)
- Wilson D7 (Left Hand)
- Wilson D7 (Ladies) x2
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We also have 6x Lithium powered PowaKaddy FW5 Electric trolleys, fitted with the latest GPS technology and 24x three wheeled manual trolleys. Our mission is to offer our members and visitors the very best at Pitlochry Pro Shop and cement the position of Scotland’s best golf course (under £50 green fee). |
Get a Grip I am often asked by students, what a neutral golf grip looks like. Now, I must make clear that having a text book golf grip is not essential to playing good golf but knowing what one looks like can be useful knowledge. Your left hand should rest on the club so that your thumb lies slightly to the right of centre and there is no gap visible between your thumb and first finger. You should be able to read about half the name on the back of your glove and see around 2 knuckles on the back of your hand. Your right hand should cover your left thumb, the “V” formed between your thumb & first finger pointing somewhere between your chin & right shoulder with no gap visible between thumb & first finger. With a neutral golf grip your hands will simply form around the handle of the club in the way they hang naturally. The most common fault I see is a player with a weak left-hand and strong right-hand grip, this is caused by trying to hold the club in the palm of your hands to gain more control. By holding the club in this way, your hands will fight against one another and create restriction in your swing. A great way to work on your grip is to stand in front of a mirror at home and simply grip and re-grip the club. With a little practice a neutral hold will become second nature. Click here and get in touch to request a lesson. |
It’s been a very dry March Although it is great to get out on the golf course in this dry weather, when you have just laid down 300m2 of new turf, you are keen to see some rainfall. Normally at this time of year, there would be enough natural irrigation available, but the dry weather has seen the need for some intervention. As a result, we have had to bring in a water bowser so that we can get some water onto the turf. |
New Greens Mower We have just taken delivery of a ‘new to us’ ride on greens mower. This is an ex demonstrator Jacobsen Eclipse 322, which is a diesel hybrid mower which will help us produce a much better cut on our greens. As a hybrid machine, there are no hydraulics and the cutting units are powered completely by batteries. This means that it is possible to have a very consistent cutting reel speed, with having the machine at full throttle. We have so far cut 3 times with the new machine and the improved quality of cut is very easy to see. |
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Entering his prime? “I’m getting older, but I feel I’m getting better” – Paul Casey. There’s hope for us all yet then. 41-year-old Englishman Paul Casey claimed his own piece of PGA Tour history by becoming the first man to successfully defend the Valspar Championship at the weekend. For Casey, it seems victories are like buses; you wait nine years between tournament wins and then two come along in the space of 12-months, and it could not have come at a better time. Three weeks out from The Masters, the entire field toiled during windy conditions on the Copperhead Course but, despite shooting a 1-over 72 on Sunday, Casey held his nerve to steal a one-shot victory.
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| Winner: Paul Casey |
| Valspar Championship |
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Johnson breaks wind Before Sunday's play commenced, many thought it would be a Ryder Cup-style shootout between world number one Dustin Johnson and Casey. However, this never really materialised as DJ struggled to his first over-par final round since the Genesis Open (mid-Februray!) with a three-over-par 74. With no birdies, it also proved to be the first time since the 2017 WGC HSBC-Championship that Johnson failed to record a single hole under par in a final round. Despite this, the American still ended tied-sixth for his fourth straight top-ten finish; not bad for an off day.
Quiz time
Paul Casey’s back-to-back Valspar victories is impressive stuff, but he is not the first Englishman to win the tournament. The question is simple, who was? As usual, the quiz if just for fun but if you pop down to the shop and tell me the answer, I’ll be sure to give you a high-five!
Click here to let me know your answer.
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It's certainly a lot easier to play better golf when you feel good about yourself and your game. Whilst you might not always be 'on-the-money' with your swing, you certainly have no excuse when it comes to what you're wearing. |
Glenmuir's latest collection for spring/summer '19 oozes style and is, without doubt, one of their best clothing ranges to date. The main thing we love this year is Glenmuir's combination of striking colours and subtle styling, enabling them to create a fashionable range that wouldn't look out of place off the course either.
We've got Glenmuir's fantastic collection displayed in-store for you to try on, as well as some beautiful club-crested garments too.
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