Dave Thompson

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to this week's edition of "Self Isolation Weekly". Is anybody else starting to feel like "The Cooler King" or is it just me? For any youngsters scratching their heads you need to watch "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen.

Things change for the better for me at home next week as I will be having my kids with me for the first time since lockdown began. With my stepdaughter Evie in the vulnerable category, she's been at school throughout the lockdown period so, as a precaution, I decided it was best to keep Daniel and Bella safe at their Mum's house until Evie finished. That wasn't an easy decision and I've missed them immensely so that is giving me something great to look forward to after this weekend. Evie will be glad to have some playmates again as well! I can say goodbye to any peace and quiet though but I'd say it's a fair trade off...

If you read my internal email last week you will already know how well the course is coming on, and if you read The Chairman's latest update you will know that subscriptions for 2020 are going well despite the obvious set backs. It fills me with pride to know I'm a part of a great golf club where the support of the members, despite what nature throws at us, remains strong throughout. I would like to personally thank all the members for their support, not just of the golf club but of me as the Professional too. I wouldn't be in the position I'm in without you.

I can only see this unprecedented time serving to bring the whole club closer together and providing the platform to move forward again in the coming years. It's almost providing us with a reset and start again situation - An untouched golf course, a hunger to play like you've never had, a longing for an open bar like you've never had and the prospect of new caterers with a new menu to freshen things up. All sounds good to me!!! I would recommend a few golf lessons from a not so fresh faced pro to freshen your game up and blow the cobwebs away! My diary will be back open for business as soon as we get the go ahead!

Keep your eye on your inbox or Facebook for more pictures of the course as it keeps getting better! We'll be back walking the manicured fairways soon... well... the odd fairway here and there anyway!

NO MASTERS THIS WEEK!

Usually, this is one of the most exciting weeks of the year as the golfing world tunes in to watch the world’s best tackle Augusta National in search of one of the weirdest (but greatest) prizes in professional sport – the Green Jacket. The sweep in the pro shop would be in full flow and there'd be the usual moans and groans for pulling another "also ran" out of the hat, much to the delight of friends watching on!

This year we'll have to make do with some old footage, at least until November when it is now re-scheduled for!! The tournament is set to end on Sunday November 15th which also happens to be my Dad's Birthday! Let's hope the stars are aligned and Tommy can deliver the ultimate present!

In the meantime there is one sweep you can enter and you can help the NHS at the same time.

Stay safe and enjoy the read,
Dave.

MAKE SURE YOU ENTER BEFORE 28th APRIL 2020

Masters moments

That Tiger Chip-In (2005)

You will have all seen the clip.

Tiger Woods, dressed in his statement Sunday red, found himself left of the 16th green with what looks like a pretty simple chip. However, what TV doesn’t show is the huge slope towards the water. So, not only does Tiger aim 20 foot left of the hole but he also purposefully hits his chip long, allowing gravity to do the rest.

From here, two things stand out. First, the ball slowly trickling back down the slope towards the centre of the hole only to stop right on the edge for a couple of seconds, before eventually falling into the cup for a birdie. Second, the wild celebrations between Tiger and his caddie, the euphoria of the crowd and the rather over-excited commentator. What a shot!

Watch the clip here.

Faldo Overcomes Norman (1996)

Nick Faldo won his third Green Jacket and final Major title at the 1996 Masters, but was dealt a huge helping hand from final-round playing partner Greg Norman.

The Shark (Norman) led the field from the first round and never gave anyone else a sniff, heading into the final round six shots clear of Faldo.

A bogey at the opening hole was quickly put right with a birdie at the second. Unfortunately for Norman, he went on to drop six shots over his next nine holes, with a double-bogey at the short par-3 12th seeing him relinquish the lead for the first time in over three rounds of golf.

Whilst The Shark was seemingly falling apart, Faldo painted a picture of complete confidence. The Englishman shot a five-under-par 67 to win by five, beating his playing partner by 11 shots on that final round!

There are so many iconic moments to choose from so let us know what stands out for you by sending us a message here.

Did you know?

A little fact for you all...

Tournament announcers at the Masters MUST refer to spectators as 'Patrons' or 'the Gallery', or risk being booted out.

Slightly harsh!

Weekly quiz

Masters edition

As we promised in last week's newsletter, our Quiz of the Week is here.

It's meant to be a bit of fun and a chance for you to see how good your golfing knowledge is - although, we all know how competitive we can be!

So, as it was supposed to be Masters week, we're kicking things off with a very special Masters edition.

Good luck and make sure you come back to test yourself again next week.

take our quiz >

Weekly challenge

We have a great game for you to try at home this week and, if you can succeed, it’ll really help to improve your touch and feel around the green. We've highlighted a couple of different ways that you can give it a go in the image below, and it can easily be made indoor-friendly too!

The idea

So, when chipping, a big part of the process is understanding where you need to land the ball on the green in order for it to finish close the hole, and this week’s challenge mirrors this by getting you to land the ball in different zones of a ladder.

The set-up

Lay a ladder on the ground in front of your hitting zone with a final target at the end. No ladder? Use your clubs to create one. Want to give it a try indoors? Get creative by using masking tape or anything that’ll end up looking like a ladder – and send us a photo!

How to play

The challenge is to chip a ball into each zone, starting with the closest and working your way towards the final target.

If you want to make it harder, move the ladder further away, try to hit each zone consecutively without missing or make each zone smaller.

message the team >

Golf at home

Hopefully, you enjoyed last week’s clock drill to try at home – if you didn’t see it, visit our website and you’ll find it under the 'Articles' tab. Carrying on with the putting theme, this week’s drill has been designed to improve the consistency of your stroke.

What you'll need

All you'll need to give this drill a go is your putter (no surprise there!), a golf ball, some tees and a mug.

Start off by finding a straight putt somewhere in your house. Place the mug down at one end with the open top facing towards where you’re going to be putting from. This is your make-shift hole.

The set-up

Then, take a few paces away from the hole and put your ball down. Grab your putter and address the ball as if you were about to hit a putt. Whilst your putter is down, place a tee upside down on the floor either side of the head (green tees in image). This is your gate. The idea is to make your stroke without hitting either of the tees.

Make it harder

If you find this easy then great, it means that you’re returning the putter to the middle of the ball.

To make things harder, give yourself a longer putt, reduce the distance between the two tees surrounding the putter or add some more tees at a ball's width halfway down the putt.

message the team >

Video of the Week

We stumbled across the video on The Masters' YouTube channel a few months back and, whilst this year's tournament has been postponed, we thought it was too good not to share with you! So, sit back and enjoy as Tiger Woods shares his insight on how to play Amen Corner at Augusta National.

We hope you enjoiyed this edition of our newsletter. If you require any help or advice please pop into the shop and we'll be delighted to help. Dave & Ian.

Woolton Golf Club
Speke Road
Woolton
Liverpool
L25 7TZ

Phone: 0151 486 1298

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