Only a week to go to The Open Championship and we are filling up on our second draw which we will be making on Wednesday night before the first ball is struck on Thursday morning so make sure that you get in for a great first prize of an M1 driver. Entry is €5 and as said last week this will be a completely random draw. 

This week has really seen a lift in the weather temperatures with the prospect of heat and sun over the weekend so get out and support the Captain Michael in his qualifying rounds for his prize for 2016. The course is really starting to take shape with the heat and Stephen and his staff are getting it ready for the summer ahead. The greens are speeding up and a lot of the unplayable rough has been cut away around the course, although there are still some very nasty spots to find! A tip for the Captains Qualifier is if you are lucky enough to find one of your wayward tee shots just get it back in play and take you punishment as at the end of the round you could surprise yourself with a patient game plan. To get the ball out choose a much more lofted club, open the face and pick the club up more steeply in the back swing and simply swing downwards towards the ball. Without trying to lift or scoop the ball out of a bad lie it will simply pop out with the above method….although remember never to get too adventurous with the desired outcome!

With the good weather we have some great deals in the shop on the latest T-Shirts for men and ladies as well as the all-important accessories for the good weather form baseball hats and visors to sunscreen and lip balm….and don't forget the simple bottle of water to keep the hydration going. If you actually get thirsty on the course you have already reached the point of dehydration so remember to keep your fluid and calorie intake high even though you may feel it not necessary. This can be vital in regards to keeping up your energy for the entire round.

Thomas, Eugene, Rachel, Elle and Ellen have all been in action this week for the interprovincial teams and I will have a full report for all the members in next week's newsletter. This has been a great achievement to have 5 members playing at such a high level in the same week and next week we have another big few days with quite a few taking up the challenge of Royal Portrush and Portstewart in this year's North of Ireland Golf Championships. I hope that this time next week I will be writing about potential finalists. Check out the GUI and ILGU performances at the home site www.golfnet.ie where all info is available.

Pride of place however this week has to go to the Fred Daly boys team that defeated Elm Park in the Leinster semi-final last Sunday, with them winning the two home matches and one of the away matches. I would not like to single out too many of the individual performances as this is without doubt a team effort with all the guys playing, supporting and caddying for each other. Having said that Aanraoi played golf that was second to none, winning on the 13th green against a very good solid player…...it must have been the haircut. The final will be at Royal Tara on 29th July and all support will be most welcome with more details to follow. This is the biggest under 18 club competition in Ireland and who knows where it might end up.

Finally a big thank you to all that played in my prize last week, you have all made me feel very welcome at the club.

 

Player Behaviour: 

Being Ready to Play 

Main criticism against slow players is that such players are not ready to play when it is their turn. 

Various Actions Players can Take to Improve Pace of Play. 

1. Position of Carts or Bags. ...allow for efficient movement off the green towards next Tee. 
2. Marking Score Cards ...on the way or at the next Tee 
3. Playing a Provisional Ball. 
4. Watching flight of Ball carefully. 
5. 'Ready Golf'

Feedback on Pace of Play for Professionals Prize. 

Timesheet: 10 min Intervals 
Range of Times to complete round of Golf: 3 hrs 40mins --- 4hrs 40mins 
Observation: Some members are more aware of their responsibility on the course re pace of play. 
Data collection: Some members were requested to write time of completion of round on score card for data collection purposes. 

Captains Prize ( Mr Michael Delany) 16th July 2016. 

Captains Qualifiers 9th / 10th July 
Singles Stableford 50% and ties to qualify from each day. Results posted after each round. 
Intermediate and 5 Day Members Wed 13th July 2016.

Captains Final Day: 
Qualifiers: Singles Strokes 
Non Qualifiers: 14 Hole Single Stableford 

Gentle Reminder: 

- Be on Time Tee Off at Exact time as on Timesheet 
- Keep up with Pace of Play 
- Sand Bags: Please take one and fill in divots where appropriate. 

Annual Putting Competition: 
Sponsor: Relish cafe 
Date TBC