Craig Knowles

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter. This week sees us recap a fascinating week of golf on either side of the Atlantic, look ahead to what promises to be a memorable week at Augusta National (including a brilliant Video of the Week to get you in the mood), and focus on a far-too-often neglected club in your bag.

Enjoy the read!

Shop news

Step This Way...

...for money off selected 2019 footwear in-store. It's Masters week and that can only mean one thing: the golf season is 'officially' underway! So, to tempt you back out on the course this spring, we're offering you £20 OFF selected shoes in-store when you trade-in your old pair. You've got until the end of April to take advantage of this fantastic offer.

get in touch>

Get Your Game In Order

The uptake to this brand-new initiative has been fantastic, with many of you taking the opportunity to have us look at a part of your game for FREE before the season gets underway. Everyone knows it's Masters week and there's no doubt that you'll want to get out on the course as a result, so make sure you book yourself in for a FREE 30-minute assessment with us before you do!

see what's available here>

Pro's news

My First Game Of 2019

I had my first game of 2019 earlier this week! I was out here at Arbroath on Monday afternoon on what was a sunny but cold day. It was great to be back on the course and it looks like it’s starting to take shape. I was out with two golfing friends who I haven’t seen for a while, both are members at St Andrews Links, one is also at Ladybank and the other also at the Dukes.

I asked them both how their respective courses were looking and Nicol who plays at Ladybank came out with a quote which I thought fitted perfectly for this time of year “It is shedding its Winter coat.” I think this is a great analogy for the condition of the course right now, despite the fact we had an easy-going Winter and decent Spring so farther the temperatures just aren’t high enough to see consistent growth.

I think by the end of the month there will be an improvement in growth and we will see the course starting to look its best. I’m not in any way saying the course isn’t looking good, but you can definitely see areas where there is growth and heat required.

On a final note, I knocked it round in 71, off the yellow tees, which wasn’t too bad after seven months of no golf and a 5, 5, 5 start! Roll on the 2019 season!

It’s Here: Masters Week...

Some of you may have already had your Augusta fix if you watched any of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur over the weekend, but it’s not too long to wait for the rest of us.

The buzz around the club in recent weeks has been growing and you get a real sense that this year’s Masters is going to be like no other.

Will Rory complete the Grand Slam?
Will Tiger win his 15th Major?
Could Spieth regain his form at a course he loves?

With so many possible storylines catching our imagination, all that’s left is for you to keep your diaries free on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening to enjoy what promises to be one of the best Majors in recent years.

Until the coverage starts, scroll down to view our Video of the Week and enjoy some of our favourite moments from recent years at Augusta National.

Coaching news

Swing Assessment Success

I have been busy the last few weeks with lessons and custom fitting which is great as I love trying to help others with their golf game. I have also been running a “Free Swing Assessment” which finishes this Sunday!

One of the Free Swing Assessments that stood out to me was Ewan, who had been for a lesson with me back in November and had a few things to work on. On his return just last week it was great to see the progress made, the strikes were much cleaner and it was clear to me that Ewan was much happier with his game.

First lesson

Second lesson

I have also seen some great improvements in both distance and dispersion is some of my recent custom fits. One of my customers, Ross, who was in for a driver fitting last week saw distance gains of on average between 12-15 yards and the dispersion completely narrowed. In particular, Ross’s bad shot was high and right and by adjusting the technology and trying a mixture of heads and shafts we managed to take the right hand side out of play which is obviously important here at Arbroath!

If you feel you would like to see an improvement in a particular part of your game, click here to contact the team or pop into the Pro Shop.

Fitting news

Cobra Fitting Day

We still have two spaces available on Wednesday, 24 April for the Cobra Event. 5:00pm and 5:30pm are still free. If you are keen to change to Cobra this season, click here to contact the Pro Shop to book your slot.

Tour news

Couldn't Have Asked For Anything Better

History was always going to be made at the Jordan Mixed Open last weekend, but what a brilliant few days it turned out to be. This was the first-ever full-field mixed professional tournament on tour with players from the Challenge Tour, Staysure Tour and Ladies European Tour competing over 54 holes.

Heading into the final day, Englishwoman Meghan MacLaren held a two-shot lead thanks to consecutive rounds of seven-under-par and started Sunday in the same rich vein of form, birding two of her first three holes. In the end, MacLaren had to settle for second place as Challenge Tour player Daan Huizing conjured up three late birdies to seal a two-stroke victory.

In what was a world-first, of the 66 players to make the cut, 20 came from the Ladies European Tour, 21 from the Staysure Seniors Tour and 25 from the Challenge Tour.

Anything Is Possible For This Golfer

MacLaren wasn’t the only story for women’s golf last week, as the ANA Inspiration – the first LPGA Tour major of the season - took place in California. In desert heat that climbed into the 90s, Jin Young Ko finished three ahead of her nearest challenger to secure her first major victory.

Jin Young’s rise to greatness has been impressive and the 23-year-old is showing no signs of stopping now. Having finished second at the Women’s British Open at the tender age of 20, she has gone on to win multiple titles and is the reigning Rookie of the Year. What a start to her career for this young woman.

Don't neglect your #3

A driver is a powerful beast, sometimes too powerful if a hole has a hazard within range. In this scenario, you have a plethero of options to choose from, but there is one that is often overlooked.

Picture the scene

You're stood on a par-4 tee box and there’s a water hazard 240 yards away.

What do you do?

Many of you will reach for your longest iron on auto-pilot, however a custom-fitted fairway wood might just be the perfect solution; getting you further down the hole and closer to the green.

Why is this often overlooked?

A lot of golfers don't have confidence in hitting their fairway wood because, quite simply, they don't use it enough. But with technology to help you hit them better - such as the Spin Control System in Lynx's Black Cat fairway wood that offers fantastic control and trajectory - it's time you gave them another go.

Custom fitting is key

We're delighted to see so many of you come to us for a custom fit when you're after a new driver or set of irons, but why does it stop there? A custom fitting is so important in ensuring you get the most from any new purchase, whether that's a driver, fairway wood or putter.

find out more >

More to it than you think...

Long gone are the days of wearing uncomfortable metal spikes on a flat leather outsole - although there is something weirdly special about those classic golf shoes. Anyway, technology has advanced for the better in recent years with a huge focus on improving traction and stability.

Skechers Mojo Elite golf shoe

Spikeless shoes still have a false perception attached to them that they're only suitable for summer golf, which may have been the case several years ago but times have changed.

Take this extremely popular Mojo Elite model for example; its GripFlex outsole has strategically placed lugs and flexible teeth for superior traction, whilst minimising turf damange.

So, instead of having six or eight large cleats offering traction, this spikeless model from Skechers has countless smaller lugs doing the same job for year-round use.

watch our video >

Your next trip: Masters 2020

It's finally here! The Florida swing is over, the Europeans are in top form (again) and Magnolia Lane is looking gorgeous.

Why don't you go in 2020?

Going to Augusta National for the Masters is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, something to tick off the bucket-list. Well, thanks to our friends at Your Golf Travel, you have the chance to go next year! Click on the link below to discover the full package.

discover the package >

Video of the Week

Come Sunday evening we'll all be sat on the sofa, glued to the TV as The 2019 Masters Tournament reaches its climax. What better way to ramp up the excitement level than by watching some back-nine heroics from years gone by at Augusta National. Enjoy.

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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