Craig Knowles

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to the final newsletter of the year. This week, we take a look back across the top golfing moments of the year, as well as examine the best wedges in the market for getting your sand save percentage up there with the best.

Before we dive in to our favourite highlights of the year, we'd like to say a massive thank you to all of you who have supported our golf club over the past year; your support is so important to our success, and for that we are truly grateful. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Enjoy the read!

Course news

Pitchmarks

Unfortunately I start this week’s newsletter with a frustrating update. Pitchmarks!!!

After a lot of positive feedback on the condition of the surfaces and the majority of pitchmarks being repaired we seem to be back to square one!

I have had six separate members in over the last few days complaining about the amount of pitchmarks out on the greens. I have just stepped out onto the 18th green and came across at least 8 and that was only looking for 30-40 seconds.

Here are a couple of pictures of fresh pitchmarks and also one which has turned brown which shows what happens when they go un-repaired.

Let’s not wait till the New Year to make a resolution, start now and keep the greens clear of pitchmarks!

Shop news

We've got you covered

Now onto cheerier matters! This will be the final newsletter before Santa comes to visit, so I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Hopefully the wintery weather stays away and you can all get some golf played over the festive holidays.

If you are still panicking over Christmas presents, fear not as we are open until 4pm on Christmas Eve and still have plenty to choose from.

Keep an eye out for our daily video post on the shops Facebook Page to see what our 12 Days Of Arbroath Links Pro Shop Christmas will be!!

Whether it’s a stocking filler or a big impact gift we have you covered!!

Pro's news

Pro's Tip of The Week

I can’t really take the credit for this one, I picked it up whilst watching the golf at the start of the season. It comes from Rickie Fowler and concerns “Grip Pressure” and “Pace of Stroke.” Ideally when putting your grip pressure should be light and the pace of the stroke should be a consistent pace.

When gripping too tight this has an impact on the pace of the stroke and also your feel for the putt. So my tip this week is to “Hover the Putter” It only requires a cm or 2 off of the ground. I have found this helps me relax my shoulders and arms and also find it much easier to control the pace of my stroke.

So give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Tour News

What a year it has been...

It has been a truly exceptional year of golf, with storylines and big moments aplenty; let's take a look back at the world of golf in 2018.

The birth of Moliwood

Europe's comprehensive win at Le Golf National was held together by the inseparable pair of Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari - the latter became the first European to win all five matches at the event, whilst the pair's good-natured attitude and friendship encapsulated Europe's team spirit.

Oli Fisher breaks 60

Any round under 70 generally means a pro golfer had a good day - but breaking 60 is something truly exceptional. England's Oli Fisher managed it in September at the Portugal Masters, as he became the first player on the European Tour to card a round of 59.

Tiger's return

It was like something out of a movie script - the best golfer the world has arguably ever seen, made his comeback and rounds off the year with his first tournament win in five years. Tiger Woods is truly a remarkable player and having him up there competing with the best again is a great thing for the game of golf.

Rose reaches the summit

Justin Rose is one of the game's most popular figures, so it was fitting that he finally reached one of his goals in becoming the world's best golfer this year. Add to that his FedEx Cup win, and 2018 has been a year to remember for Justin!

US Open course carnage

Sometimes, the pros can make the game look easy - that definitely was not the case at Shinnecock Hills, the venue for this year's US Open. With lightning fast greens and punishing rough, the likes of which some players hadn't seen before, meant the winning score was an incredible +1!

Choose what you see here in 2019

It's time to take your enjoyment to the next level. Each week we include several articles in our email newsletter aimed at helping you to improve your golf game. Sometimes it'll be on the latest clubs that we have in-store, other times we'll focus on the little white thing you hit around the course, and other times we'll include some tips for you to put in to practice.

But what do you want to read about?

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All you need to do is click on the button below and fill out a few details on the next page - it literally takes 20 seconds. We can then start sending you bespoke content, such as product info that will take your game to the next level, coaching tips aimed at helping you enjoy better golf, and plenty more. What do you have to lose?

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Winter goals

Setting yourself goals during the winter months is vitally important when it comes to improving your golf game. Yes, finding the time to get out and play is one part of the battle, but you also need to head to the range to work on the areas that let you down in 2018.

Whether you're looking to stop yourself from chipping out sideways after a stray drive, become the club's answer to Phil Mickelson by working on your short game, or simply want to know the exact yardages you hit each club, we can help.

Here's what to do: jot down three key areas that you want to improve this winter (like in the image above) and bring this to us in-store. We can then devise a winter coaching plan that'll help make these some of the strongest parts of your game.

book a lesson >

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Winter goals

Whether you're looking to stop yourself from chipping out sideways after a stray drive, become the club's answer to Phil Mickelson by working on your flop shots, or simply want to know the exact yardages you hit each club, we can help.

book a lesson >

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Sand saviour

When you see your ball roll into a bunker, don't worry if you tend to get nervous about your next shot; it happens to a lot of golfers. It's one of the reasons that hearing TV commentators say "he'll be happy it's finished in the sand" is so frustrating.

Obviously, these players practice day-in and day-out and so their skills are naturally going to be at an extremely high level - Ben Crane led the way in 2018 with a 66% sand saves success rate.

So how do you get better? Well, alongside having a bunker lesson to ensure your technique is correct, using a wedge that is designed to make bunker play easier - such as Cleveland's RTX 4 Full Grind - is key to getting up-and-down more often.

find out more >

Video of the Week

The majority of you won't have tried this shot before and there's a very good reason for that, too! But here are the best drivers off the deck from 2018 - don't try this at home.

I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. If you have any thoughts or queries please contact me in the golf shop.

Arbroath Golf Links
Dundee Road
Elliott by Arbroath
DD11 2PE

Phone: 01241 875837

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