Craig Knowles

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter. This week, we take a look at a first in 21 years for Phil Mickelson, as well as stress the importance of comfort throughout your round.

Enjoy the read!

Course news

Sudden thaw dynamics - an explanation

After a really cold week to ten days we look set to enjoy a milder spell. Hopefully this will mean we are on full greens throughout and also will allow the work on the irrigation to be completed. I came across a really good diagram which illustrates the “sudden thaw dynamics” which hopefully explains why the full greens aren’t always on when it looks like the frost has gone.

It is always frustrating when you expect the full greens to be on and you turn up to find temporary greens in play but the aim of this is not to annoy golfers but to preserve the condition of the greens for the season ahead. The green keeping team take advice from the STRI in the hope of achieving the best surfaces possible for the main golfing season.

Club news

Exciting changes in the clubhouse

As many of you will be aware our new caterer and bar manager, Arlene and Ross, started recently. I had the pleasure of sampling some of the food from the snack menu on Sunday for my lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is currently a cracking snack menu available and Ross informed me that they plan to have a full menu together by the end of the month and are aiming to organise “Theme Nights” and Sunday Tea Time Meals very shortly.

I will keep you all posted with new menus, dates etc. Arlene is planning a ’Taster Buffet” on Saturday 2nd March between 11:00am - 2:00pm in the clubhouse, so pop along to try out her specialities!

Shop news

It's M.O.T time!

With around six weeks before the start of the season, this is the perfect time to make sure your equipment is in order! The key things to have ready for the season ahead are your grips, spikes and swing!

Here at the Pro Shop we have a wide selection of grips for you to choose from. We also have a selection of sizes of grips to choose from which is more important than you might think.

If your grips are too small, there is a danger that your hands will become too active leading to inconsistency, greater shot dispersion, and typically too early a release of the club, often manifesting itself in a hook or pull. If your grips are too thick, your hands won’t be able to release effectively at impact and the most likely result will be a block, push or slice.

Pop into the Pro Shop to enquire.

Fitting news

Custom fitting

My diary is starting to fill up with custom fit bookings as the buzz around the latest products continues to grow. For those of you who aren’t sure how the process works, let me take you through it.

- Book an appointment (appointment typically lasts between 45 - 60 minutes)

- Bring your current clubs (specifically the ones you are looking to change)

- I assess the performance of your current clubs through watching ball flight and the data from launch monitor

- You try a selection of head/shaft combinations, again using ball flight and launch monitor data we determine the best option

- You can take the preferred option onto the course to try

- 7-10 days later (sometimes less!) enjoy your new custom fitted golf clubs!

Tour news

Mickelson has his eye-in

Phil Mickelson endured a frustrating wait to record his fifth AT&T Pebble Beach title last weekend. Following a delayed start to Sunday's final round due to a hailstorm, Mickelson rolled back the years by executing shot after shot to find himself three ahead with just two holes remaining, before getting forced off the course due to bad light.

With just 'lefty' and 54-hole leader Paul Casey taking to the course on Monday, a Mickelson win was all but a formality with just the final two holes left to navigate. And so it proved.

Arguably, the most impressive feat of the week came during Mickelson's opening round, when he managed to hit every single fairway for the first time in over two decades. We all know that splitting the fairway from the tee is a sure-fire way to take shots off your game, but we also know it is no easy task. Practice makes perfect but if you find yourself going wayward more often than not, or just want to tidy up your game, then come and have a chat with us to enhance your chances of staying out of the rough.

Couldn't live without it

More and more golfers are placing their trust in GPS equipment to help them on the course, providing key yardages to hazards and greens on every hole. If you’re yet to take advantage of this technology then you really are missing out, so here are a couple of our favourite products for you to cast an eye over...

Garmin Approach S10 Watch

This is the perfect accessory to help you get your exact yardage to the green with nothing more than a glance at your wrist. Sleek, lightweight and comfortable, the S10 GPS watch provides yardages to the front, back and middle of the green on over 41,000 courses worldwide, on top of hazards and doglegs, giving you all the key information you need to play better golf.

Garmin Approach G80 Device

Now this is something special. The Approach G80 is a handheld GPS device that gives you colour maps of every hole as well as key distances to greens and hazards. In addition, its integrated Launch Monitor not only tracks key data such as clubhead speed and estimated distance, but it comes with four game modes to enhance your practice time at the range.

shop Garmin's range >

The agony of choice

Spikeless golf shoes have come a long way in recent years, with the myth that they offer considerably less traction than cleated models a thing of the past. Here we showcase a model of each option that we particularly like, both of which you can buy through us.

Cleated: Skechers Pro V.4

Quite simply; Skechers shoes are all about comfort and that is exactly what you'll experience as soon as you slip this pair on.

The Pro V.4, as worn by Matt Kuchar, boasts a premium leather upper for that rich look and soft feel, whilst being seam-sealed for fantastic waterproof protection.

Spikeless: Skechers Elite V.3

There are multiple reasons why this shoe is continuing from 2018, but the standout for us is once again its supreme comfort.

Lightweight 5Gen cushioning and a Resamax insole both contribute to this comfort, whilst its durable spikeless outsole will have you wearing it both on and off the course.

view the range >

Motocaddy M-Series electric trolley range

Video of the Week

Visually, it is one of the best drivers on the market in 2019, but how does it stand up when it comes to performance? In this video, Foremost TV takes a closer look at Cobra's KING F9 Speedback driver.

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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