All coaching resumes as normal next week with the kid's lessons on at 3.45pm Tuesday and Thursday and 1pm on Saturday. There will be a ladies session on Wednesday at 11am. The range can be a cold place at this time of the year and we still want it to be enjoyable so make sure if you are coming you wrap up nice and warm. Please check with the shop if the weather is poor on the day before making the journey down. I don't mind going out in it, but it can be very hard especially on the younger kids.


 

Is there anything that we don't have in the shop these days? The answer is probably not, but we will be able to get most things pretty quickly if you are looking for it. This has been a real sort of fact finding mission for the first season and I really appreciate all the support that the members have given me, it has made the move to the club very easy. Saying that, we want the shop to get better and better as the seasons move on and I would really appreciate members input as to what we should stock next year. It is hard to know so please do come in and give us some sensible suggestions.

What will be about next year? The usual no doubt, a new driver and a complete new range from TaylorMade, a new iron from PING, new drivers and fairways from Callaway, it is an ongoing circle. Titleist are releasing a new Pro V that will without doubt slow the game down even more as we look around in the rough for these €5 nuggets. I am not the best to preach but sometimes "shiny and new" is not the answer to a poor shot. I think we all look to our game and really the basis of a good golf game is consistency.

Having said that we all need to make sure that we are playing with equipment that suits our game. This can be as simple as a check on your grips to making sure that the clubs you are playing suit the level at which you are playing and hope to achieve. Very often we can be playing with the slightest little glitch that can be causing a big problem. There is a huge misunderstanding as to shaft weights and their results. The most important factor is the balancing point, or swing weight as we call it, to the direct weight factor of the golf club. You could have the lightest shaft in the market with the heaviest head and it will feel so much heavier than a heavy shaft and light head. The manufacturers are very good at this match up and now a days a lot of the standard fit shafts are actually the perfect match for player and club. As we talked about earlier in the year custom fitting can be both a high positive and equally a high negative for all standards of player.

A club that is too long can actually slow down your club head speed as it might become too heavy for your swing. It might not allow you to comfortably allow the club to follow the correct path back to the ball if you are too tall or too short for the club you are using. The loft on the club could be too low to keep the ball in the air at a slower swing speed and too high for a faster swing speed. Come in and have a chat about any concerns that you might have in this area. A simple chat or club alteration could be much better value than a brand new club. If you want the brand new club we can of course help you there too.

When it comes to short game there is also a big gap very often in people's golf bags, as traditionally we have carried a pitching wedge and then a sand wedge. This leaves a huge gap in distance resulting in poor shots that are "too close for a pitching wedge and too far for a sand wedge." Also the bounce and sole grind can be very important to these shots, so once again please ask for our advice.

Have you seen our complete new range of ProQuip lined jumpers for men and ladies in the shop? These are in a variety of colours as well as all sizes and are a must buy at this time of the year. They are retailing at €90, but this will be money so well spent, not just for winter but also for the cold days that pop up mid summer. The quality of this product is excellent and a big benefit is the fact the lining holds the jumper's shape so that years down the line it does not sag and stays looking new for a very long time.

We also have a lovely new club jumper for men and ladies from Lyle and Scott. This is the softest wool that you will feel that is also machine washable and will retail at €75. Ask for your size as we have a lot in storage not on display.

We have a new ladies pink waterproof jacket in all sizes at the silly price of €80 while stock lasts on these. These have a normal retail price of €129 and come with a full 3 year guarantee. These are non crested and would be the perfect early Christmas present as once the sizes are sold through I can get no more. Also following on from the success of the men's crested waterproof suit we now have a ladies crested suit in the shop as well.

The sale continues and we still have a lot of shoes at silly prices so come in and get a pair for this winter and next summer. You just cannot go wrong with any of these shoes, some of which are starting at €40.

With Evan leaving I would like to announce that we have a new member of staff starting on 1st December, Pat O'Donaghue. Pat will be helping us on the day to day running of the shop and he will be a great addition to my shop staff and structures inside and out. It is very evident from any one that knows Pat that his love for the game and the club is so high and no doubt he will bring that enthusiasm into the shop on a daily basis. We have a great little team now with Aaron, Pat, Rachel and myself and hopefully you will really see the benefit of this going forward.