John Richards

Hello Golfers,

Last week we had no idea that we would be playing golf today!

Behind the scenes, lots of work has taken place to get the golf club up and running in an organised way to allow golf to be played in a compliant and safe environment. Well done to all those involved.

Allan our chairman again has been putting in many hours of work to make sure that we have the systems in place and so far, the systems are working. We have had some small teething problems and I have spent many hours on the phone to some of you resetting passcodes and explaining how the booking system works. Please keep contacting the pro shop if you require help.

Allan has sent out an email today to all the members keeping you updated on all the latest developments so I will try to avoid repeating, but will emphasise the answers to some of the questions I am currently being asked in the pro shop.

England golf are constantly using the slogan Play Safe, Stay safe try to keep social distancing at all times. I did see some players today looking a little rusty and hitting their shots on opposite sides of the fairways and some playing partners going down different fairways so plenty of social distancing going on there. All the latest recommended guidelines are readily available on the internet.

Booking of Tee Times

Bookings for next week are open on the golf club website Friday 15th May at 8.00am

Any member who has any problems or difficulties using the online booking system please email me today john@johnrichardsgolf.com

Members can only book 2 tee times per week (between Monday and Sunday ) this is to try and give everyone who wants to play a fair opportunity of accessing the golf course.

Only turn up to play if you have a Tee Time booked.

Tee times are for members only. Playing in 2 balls, currently, no visitors allowed. If you have not organised a playing partner you can book to play on your own and another member may join you.

The Pro Shop will be open for essentials and to help manage the tee starting sheet and provide advice and guidelines with a maximum of 2 customers allowed in the shop at a time. We have put a protective screen up over the counter, hand sanitiser is located by the door and we have taken all the recommended measures to try and keep our staff and customers safe.

Buggies, If you have a medical certificate and need a buggy they are available please contact the pro shop to reserve.

Coaching: Next week, we hope to start coaching again giving one to one lessons from next Tuesday but we will not be able to conduct group lessons. Please phone the pro shop to book

Practice Facilities are currently closed but this is to be reviewed by the golf club on Monday.

Shrewsbury Golf Club App

The amazing response to the launch of the new App last week which received over 400 downloads.

The app made an appearance in the worlds top 100 sports apps reaching a high of number 72 ahead of Liverpool Football Club.

I hope you are all keeping safe

Best Wishes from John and the Pro shop Staff

We came across this last week and thought we'd share it with you:

"Last week a friend said to me that the first thing he'll do when it's safe for golf to return is put all his energy into his opening tee shot. The second thing he'll do is hit a provisional!"

Stay safe and enjoy the read.

Pro's news

Looking ahead

We’ve added a new feature to our weekly emails called ‘Thoughts for the course’. Each week there’ll be a handy tip that will (hopefully) give you something to think about ahead of your next game of golf. Be sure to scroll down a little further to give it a read.

We are also going to start reintroducing a product or two that you’ll be able to find in the pro shop. If you’re interested in finding out more about anything we stock or just want to have a little browse, there’s lots of information and some great videos on our website – simply, click here and head to the ‘Shop’ tab.

It's quiz time

This week we have a brilliant quiz for you to indulge yourself in.

'Guess Who' Quiz

We will give you three short statements, which you will need to use to work out who the golfer is. It's multiple-choice so if you can't work it out then you can at least have a guess!

From now on, we'll be doing these quizzes in our first newsletter of every month so be sure to keep an eye out!

take our 'Guess Who' quiz >

Thoughts for the course

When you get to hit your next golf shot, it's highly likely that you'll be battling with a little bit of rust that's set into your game during lockdown. So, to help you out when you do get back out on the fairways, here’s something important you might want to pay particular attention to.

Why is alignment important?

When we talk about alignment, we’re referring to where our clubface, feet, hips and shoulders are all aiming. If these areas are disjointed before we start our swing, hitting a straight shot is quite a bit harder.

For example, if a right-hander’s body is aiming left of the target with the clubface straight (as in the image above), it encourages a swing path to the left and will often result in a fade/slice that ends up to the right of where you want it to.

How to perfect yours

Playing lots of golf is something we all look forward to in the coming months, so make sure you have solid foundations at address.

If you ever see professional golfers on the range, they usually lay a stick or club down on the floor between their feet and the ball that aims at their target. By using this as a reference point, it ensures their alignment is spot-on. Try it the next time you practice - you might be surprised!

send us a message >

Visual aids are key

Carrying on with the theme of alignment, it’s really important to get it right when putting too. Golf brands have come up with some clever ways to help golfers on this front, from the original 2-ball putter to today’s intuitive colour-contrast sightlines, but there are also some things you can do on your golf ball to help.

Grab a marker

Lots of golfers draw a line on their golf ball with a permanent marker to use when putting (and driving in some cases).

This has been a popular method for decades as it aids alignment with where the golfer intends to start the ball rolling, taking into account the slope of the green.

Instant feedback

If the line rolls over itself and stays pointing at your target for the duration of the putt, it indicates you've hit a pretty good putt.

However, if the line ends up rolling towards the hole pointing elsewhere, it usually means your stroke was a little off - something we can help with.

Have you seen these?

TaylorMade calls it ClearPath Alignment, which is designed to give you the visual feedback mentioned before.

If this is something that interests you, these balls will be available from the pro shop when we re-open, but you can also find out more on our website.

learn more here >

Video of the Week

The European Tour has produced some brilliant videos in recent years and this is one of our favourites. Wondering what happened to elicit this response from Andy Sullivan? Watch the video to find out! Enjoy.

European Tour: Most frustrating video ever

Shrewsbury Golf Club
Grange Ln
Condover
Shrewsbury
SY5 7BL

Phone: 01743 874581

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