It’s been a very productive late Autumn at SUGC with plenty of activity to close out the season. One of the highlights has been the County presentation evening where we got together at Brocton Hall to celebrate all the successes of 2022. This was a fantastic night, and as you will see from the photos later in the issue, everyone had a great time. On a playing front we have finished the competitive season. It’s been a year of mixed results, but I think everyone agrees that the shoots of improvement are starting to peek through.
One of the key ingredients for success in 2023 will be the work that golfers put in between now and next spring. This is the time of year
where it’s not always appealing to hit the range on a cold wet Wednesday night, but it really does make all the difference. One of the ways that the County has been helping is with our elite webinar series. We have had the pleasure of hosting a series of webinars with elite coaches from around the globe with perhaps the highlight being Staffordshire alumni Martin Hall (more on this later in the magazine!)
As well as Martin, we have had inspiring talks with Colin Morikawa’s coach, Dr. Rick Sessinghaus, and none other than Sean Foley, former coach to Justin Rose and Tiger Woods.
Each coach explained how they are increasingly able to improve their
Editor and Production: Medi8 Golf – david@medi8ltd.co.uk
Editorial research: Gareth Shaw – secretary@staffsgolfclubs.org.uk
Editorial research: Michael Entecott – michael.entecott@staffsgolfclubs.org.uk
coaching by extracting data on their player’s game. With that in mind, SUGC has invested in a fantastic platform for its elite squads. Golf Data Lab performance measurement platform examines the composition of the scorecard, separates the shot types into their constituent parts, analyses their efficiencies and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each golfer, over one round, over a tournament and over time. Golf Data Lab will give us great insights into our County players, and alongside the inspiration gained from speaking with some of the best coaches in the world, we expect great things for the teams from winter training and into 2023!
THE TEAM AT STAFFORDSHIRE GOLFERThe Nations Cup took place at Brocton Hall. Here are some of the members enjoying the celebrations after!
Congratulations to Austin Rogula and Lewis Foxall for both having a hole in one on the par 3, 9th at Leek Golf Club in the first Junior Winter League
The England Golf awards nominations are now open. Have you got someone at your club deserving of a nomination?
CLICK HERE TO VOTE
Tom Palmer has taken on the role of Head Professional at Great Barr GC - Congratulations Tom!In November we had the incredible privilege of being joined by Staffordshire golfing legend Martin Hall for a webinar with members of the various County squads.
Martin turned professional in 1975 with spells as Professional at Newcastle-under-Lyme Golf Club and Trentham Golf Club. He went on to compete on the European Tour before turning his attention to coaching, where he has worked with and got to know some of the greatest golfers the game has ever known.
In the hour Martin spent with the squad he went through his favourite pieces of advice from five true legends of the playing game, and one legendary coach. He has kindly agreed that we can share a few of these pearls of wisdom. So settle in for some game changing nuggets!
If Jack was on this call and you asked him how he won 18 majors, and I’ve asked him this question, he would say that on the last 9 holes he was more disciplined and more patient than the other players. If we stopped this call right now and everyone went away and stuck to their game plan in their last 9 holes, they would probably score better. You don’t win tournament after tournament taking pot shots at the flag stick all the time.
Tiger’s three most important pieces of advice for winning tournaments: No three putts, no penalties off the tee and no two chips – it’s as simple as that!
If Rory is 50 yards or less from the pin he does not want a yardage. He thinks that’s all feel and touch. And if the pin is at the front he says you should hit the ball in higher, If it’s at the back hit it lower, even with a wedge.
Most of the time a slightly lower flight wedge works best. If you get on a launch monitor, see if you launch your wedges at 30 degrees or lower. The best players are hitting around 26 degrees launch angle for 40 to 100 yard wedges.
I know Hank Haney, Tiger’s old coach very well. Hank has some great questions that will tell anyone a lot about their game. One of the best is:
If you had a huge tree in a fairway and you had to go round it to a perfectly round green with no bunkers and pin in the middle. Which way would you go round? The one you pick is your preferred ball flight. It might be the one you should go to under pressure but it might not be the one you should practice most. No matter what age or skill level, whatever is the easier shot, practice the opposite one!
The closest thing to a machine hitting a golf ball was Annika in her prime. She was the most impressive consistent ball striker I’ve ever seen.
She had 3 rules: 70% rule. If you’re not certain you could pull off a shot 70% of the time, then don’t play it. Swinging within herself was so important. Her caddy would tell her – ‘Swing 6’ and that meant to swing
at 60%. Slow things down. And finally, try 100% on every shot you hit in every round you play. That is hard to do, but it’s a really good thing to do.
Much the same as Annika’s swing 6 rule, Sir Nick started to get better under pressure when he realised the importance of tempo and pace of swing. He’d start slowly on the range and then on the course try to swing 30% lower than that to compensate for the adrenalin of being on the course. Then when he’s under pressure he’d try to slow things down again.
Practice putting 6ft and in, and 30ft and out.
Practice chipping more than putting – where you putt from is more important than how you putt.
Practice putting more than long game and play more than you practice. And Martin’s final words of advice for the Staffordshire elite squads….
You never know when you’ll find the thing that makes a world of difference. You have to play golf with the eternal optimism that you’ll find something that will help you be a bit better tomorrow than you have been today.
In stroke play, Gareth’s ball comes to rest in a tree. By standing on his golf cart, he will be able to make a stroke at his ball. What is the ruling?
A. There is no penalty if Gareth makes a stroke at his ball while standing on the cart.
B. There is no penalty provided Gareth removes the cart before making a stroke at his ball.
C. Gareth will be penalised two strokes for building his stance, irrespective of whether he removes the cart or not.
See back page for the answer
Congratulations to seven Cannock Park Golf Club members who have qualified for the UK Public Course Championships, with two members securing silverware!
Liz Merryman became the Gross Ladies Champion on the day, whilst Owen Nelson secured the Men’s Best Nett score trophy on a memorable day for the Staffordshire club.
Phill Seddon, Competition Secretary at Cannock Park Golf Club, said: “It’s great that seven of our members qualified for the UK Public Course Championships this year at Celtic Manor. We’re incredibly proud of Liz and Owen who, as well as qualifying, managed to bring home some silverware.
It really shows that the quality of golf being played on public courses is incredibly high, especially here at Cannock Park. The NAPGC is a fantastic platform for showcasing those talents. This is the second NAPGC competition this year in which members have had wins.”
The National Association of Public and Proprietary Golf Courses was founded in 1927 (also the year of the first Ryder Cup) by 5-time Open Champion John Henry Taylor and renowned golf course architect F.G. Hawtree. The NAPGC was set up to grow the world of public golf and give it the platform to show off the talented golfers playing on public courses.
It’s been a successful year for members of Cannock Park with Henry Deans winning the Midland’s Area Trophy at the NAPGC Men’s Championship of England. Steven Meacham was also in the prizes, finishing runner up at the Championship held at the home of England Golf, Woodhall Spa.
SUGC President Michael Entecott said: “It’s great to see members of the union doing well on a national scale.
Our congratulations go out to the seven members who qualified for the Championship. With our further congratulations going to Henry Deans and Steven Meacham.
To go to Woodhall Spa and play well is a difficult task, let alone coming first and second in such a strong field.”
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN QUALIFY FOR U.K. PUBLIC COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPDo you smash it 300 yards or do you know someone who does? Then you could be in line for ‘local legend’ status as the U.K. Long Drive Championship seeks out the biggest hitting club golfers! Local qualifying is at Trackman venues around the country, with Staffordshire’s qualifying venue at Goin Golf in Stoke. The top 8 drives (Men and Women) qualify for Regional finals. That’s where the cash prizes kick in with the chance to progress to the televised Grand Final in
In the main lounge at Walsall Golf Club there is an honours board to those that fought and fell in the World Wars. One name on this board is John Higgins who was the golf Professional at the outbreak of the first World War.
John Higgins was born on 15th October 1891 in Bridge of Weir, the second son of Peter Higgins and Helen Murray. John later became a postman and also an assistant golf professional at Ranfurly Castle Golf Club where he won several local competitions including in October 1911 winning the Glasgow and District Professional Golf Association’s Autumn Competition.
In early 1912 John moved South to the Midlands, where he became a member of The Professional Golfers’ Association, Midland Section and professional at Walsall Golf Club. In 1915 he married a local girl called Lilian Smith and enlisted shortly afterwards in the King’s Own Scottish Border regiment; he remained on the books as the professional at Walsall Golf Club.
By 1918 he had been promoted and transferred to the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Regiment and after seeing fighting in France and Flanders John would sadly fall on the field of battle in Italy on October 28th, 1918 aged just 28 only 5 days before the announcement of the armistice. He is buried in Tezze, at the British War Cemetery. In remembrance of John and all those who gave their lives, a ‘Tommy’ Soldier trophy has been purchased by Walsall Golf Club and engraved with the words ‘John Higgins Memorial.’ This new annual event will be played on Remembrance Day and the memory of John will live on through the generations.
To mark the creation of the John Higgins Memorial, Walsall Golf Club Competitions Chairman, Paul Spooner and Honorary Secretary, Dave Phillips travelled to Bridge of Weir, Scotland to honour a local man who left there in 1912 never to return.
find such a
their hosts 5 and 4.
At 3pm on Saturday they met up with Father Andrew McFadden
attended the church and also schooled in the tiny school
are remembered on a stained glass window, which is some 15ft tall. The weather had turned, and the rain was coming down sideways. In the car park was an elderly Gent, who introduced himself as John Higgins’ nephew Alan Noon (79). At that point it was hard to contain the emotion, David and Paul were both quite taken aback. They drove to the impressive War memorial in Bridge of Weir to lay a wreath on behalf of Walsall Golf club and pay their respects to John, his brother Peter and all the other fallen. Father McFadden said some wonderful words, including prayers from his prayer book that he last used in Afghanistan, whilst serving as Principal Catholic Chaplain to the Royal Navy.
Dave and Paul were invited to attend mass at St Fillan’s church, where Father McFadden kindly offered to bless the memorial trophy. The hour long service was mainly focussed on their visit, which culminated in the trophy being blessed by holy water from the same font that John and the rest of his family were Christened from.
Dave and John’s trip was filled with emotion and will be remembered forever. On their return, the inaugural
11th, being won by Gary Parker, Mark Lasance, Surrinder
forever be associated with the spirit of remembrance
report on this superb tribute and the moving trip to John’s
Paul and Dave met members of Ranfurly Castle Golf Club and played on the course, as John did. They met their Chairman Eunice Muir, Club manager Claire and the Professional Stuart Smith and presented them with a copy of the Club’s history book and showed them the memorial trophy. That evening they were hosted at the ‘Old Course Ranfurly’ by Mr Kenny Barr, the club social chairman, and were delighted to wonderful friendly club. The following morning, they played Ranfurly and were successful in beating of St. Fillan’s church, Houston. The Higgins family attached to the church. John and his older brother Peter John Higgins Memorial was played on November Singh and Paul Swan, the first of many names that will at Walsall Golf Club. With thanks to Walsall Golf Club for the home town. Gary and Paul collect the inaugural John Higgins Memorial trophy from Walsall G.C. President, Steve Ellis. Also in the photograph Club Captain, Tim Behague, Competitions Chairman Paul Spooner and David Phillips, Honorary Secretary.Head Professional at Drayton Park Golf Club, Daniel Whitby-Smith,
U.K. & Ireland
the 30th PGA Cup in September. Despite being beaten 15.5 to 10.5 by a very strong American Team, Daniel came away with an incredible record of 4 wins and a tie from 5 matches. We had the pleasure of catching up with Daniel and reliving the excitement of the event with him. This interview is taken from a half hour conversation Daniel had with SUGC secretary Gareth Shaw. You can listen to the whole interview, which includes more on Daniel’s progression through the county ranks and his time at Drayton Park HERE
Gareth Shaw: What was your experience like of the PGA Cup, from selection to playing?
Daniel Whitby-Smith: The selection process works like a two year qualification period and you get points, with this year counting for points and a half. The PGA Professional Championship, was at Slaley Hall, it’s our biggest tournament as a PGA Professional and I lost in a playoff to Matt Cort. It’s a good prize pot, a massive event, so I was desperate to win. I knew I had a chance with the PGA Cup, but didn’t know exactly because it’s a bit of a complicated point system. So when I actually lost my playoff to Corty and walked off that green, he says, ‘I think that gets you PGA Cup.’ They were all trying to work out the points, and that’s how I found out. So for me, it was something I always wanted to play, but at that point I was focused on winning the tournament, thankfully, because if I know it’s the PGA Cup riding on it, I might not have done so well coming down the stretch! Yeah, so when I found out, I was absolutely over the moon.
I haven’t played in a team environment since playing back in the County days. And we’re all there, obviously, we get really well looked after for the week and get loads of gear for it. For us, it’s no different to the Ryder Cup. You’re not playing with the same crowds but in terms of what we get and how we get treated it’s exactly the same. We’re not earning any money, and considering we’re playing an individual sport and we’re competing against each other week to week like that, (there’s a real) will for everyone to do well and play well. That team spirit was really good.
GS: How did you guys get that, because you’re from all parts of the country? Did you know the guys before or did you have any relationships with any players before?
DWS: So I know a few. The Midland region had the biggest representation. So we have myself, Adam Keogh, Simon Lilly and Matt Cort. So obviously I knew them. Greig Hutcheon and one of the Scottish lads I knew from playing a few previous tournaments. And then a lot of the other lads including the two Irish lads Dave Higgins and Simon Thornton I’d never met before, Paul McKechnie from Scotland I’d never met before. Ashley Mansell or James Ruth, again, never met before. So we actually met for the first time in July. We had a get together at Foxhills. DJ was Captain, DJ Russell and Chris, his son helps. It’s definitely beneficial. We all had a couple of days at Foxhills to get to know each other and it was very relaxed. The Open was on the Sunday, so we played golf at Foxhills on Sunday, played 18 holes and they were very good. They just kind of said, right, The Open’s on, we’re all in a room together, unlimited beer, whatever you want to do. Just a time to break the ice and get to know each other. So when we pitched up there in September, we already kind of start ed to have a bit of a relationship. We arrived on Monday and didn’t start til Friday. So we were together all week. So kind of as I say coming into that week, although a lot of them you didn’t know, all of a sudden you spent four days at Foxhills plus the two days before - six full days, so you start to get to know them and their games
represented inpretty well. All the lads, we were all there for each other. You’ve got some veterans there. They’ve done a couple of PGA Cups before. They kind of shared experiences with the team. DJ would often say, I was the youngest there, there was a couple of young lads, DJ would almost say to them, is there anything that you guys who have been here before want to say, share your experience? So you’ve got your Greig Hutcheon’s your Matt Corts, they just really said to us what to expect. You’re going to all be stood on that first tee with nerves. You’ve got the Americans a chanting USA, USA as they do. It’s just preparing yourself for when you get there. Although you’re going to be in a bit of an uncomfortable situation, you’re comfortable because you know what to expect, nothing’s going to shock you. So we had a great week. I mean, it wasn’t the result that we wanted, but from a golfing experience, it’s 100% my biggest achievement and probably most enjoyable week to date.
GS: What was that first tee shot like?
DWS: It was good. So practice went really well Monday to Thursday and I drove the ball great. So it’s quite a narrow opening tee shot. Ditch down the left with tall trees down the right and I was in the opening match and because I was driving the ball really well and played well in the build up, it was kind of like - just commit to the shot. Thankfully I nailed it down the middle. Actually, on the Saturday afternoon I played really poorly and I was more nervous on the Sunday morning to then hit my tee shot. On the Friday morning because practice had gone so well, I was quite comfortable. It’s a confidence game, isn’t it? When you’re hitting the ball well, even in the biggest events, you go into them and you’re feeling good, but if you’re not hitting the ball well, it doesn’t matter how good you are there’s always going to be a few nerves in there.
GS: What did you learn about the American guys and what things did you take away from that week that you want to instil in your game moving into the new season?
DWS: The Americans are just different. There’s 28,000 of them, (we have) 8,000 PGA Professionals, so obviously they’re picking from a much bigger pool. They get more playing opportunities. So the top 20 in their national championship gets to play the USPGA Championship. I think Omar Uresti has won about five and half million on Tour. So it’s very different kind of opportunities they get. But the one thing that you’re starting to see more now on TV with the Americans, there’s some pretty quirky actions out there, but they all know exactly what they’re doing. The one thing that we probably saw from a team point of view is they almost putted us off the park. Their short game performance, considering they’re playing on different turf to what they’re used to. Different grasses, kind of around the greens they were superb. But the Americans were great. We got on really well with them. You expect that bit of a hostile atmosphere and the chants of the ‘USA, USA’. You think they could be quite brash but they’re a great bunch of lads. The next one’s in California. So I’m sure a few of the Americans will be there on the same team and I’d like to think I might be able to get myself on that plane and get back over there.
The 2022 golf season was the first without any COVID restrictions. It was great to be able to go back to sharing tales of our rounds with team mates and opponents at the end of a round. Whilst it wasn’t a season that myself or the Union wanted, there was plenty of positives to take into next season. We managed to give 1st team debuts to a number of upcoming golfers in Staffordshire including: Harry Fearn, Harrison Foxall, Jak Turner and Jenson Forrester.
We kicked off the season with a friendly at Newcastle-under-Lyme Golf Club, which after a closely fought contest, saw us secure the win with an 8 – 7 victory. Our next friendly was away at Hinckley Golf Club, against Leicestershire. The home side were dominant on the day, and we fell to our first defeat.
The league season began in May and despite a loss in our last friendly, our confidence was still high. We came up against an experienced Derbyshire team at Kedleston Park, where a lot of their team are members. Debuts were handed to Harrison Foxall, Charlie Rimmer and Aaron Durose but it was a tough day for the Staffordshire team. Home advantage showed through, meaning we opened the campaign with a 11 – 4 defeat.
Next up was a match versus Warwickshire at my home club, Trentham Golf Club. We welcomed back Harry Fearn from college in America, but Warwickshire also welcomed back several players and were too strong for us on the day. It was a spirited effort from the team, but we fell to back-to-back defeats.
We travelled to The Herefordshire next to face Shropshire & Herefordshire. We were able to field our strongest team, and after a morale-boosting first session we went into the fourballs with a narrow 3 – 2 lead. However, the fourballs got off to a shaky start as we lost the first three matches, but a strong performance from the middle order secured our first draw of the campaign.
Up next were defending champions, Worcestershire at Sapey Golf Club. In the 30-degree heat we trailed by a point going into the afternoon fourballs. In what turned out to be my favourite afternoon of the year we won the session 6.5 – 3.5 meaning we’d won our first game of the season. The lads, myself and County President Mike had been desperate for this day for a while, we certainly enjoyed this one!
We finished the season off at home at Little Aston against title-chasing Nottinghamshire. Holding a slender one-point lead going into the fourballs, we battled hard in torrential rain, but slipped to a 5.5 – 9.5 defeat, meaning Nottinghamshire were League Champions.
I want to thank all the players who turned out for the 1st team we showed some real team spirit to finish the season well after a very challenging period. We welcomed back some talented faces and saw some exciting new talent come through. I am encouraged by the endeavours of Gareth our new Secretary in trying to entice new players and search for hidden gems we don’t know about. We are in a period of transition, but one we are showing signs of coming out of.
A final thank you to everyone who supported the teams, either on the course or behind the scenes. My last remarks are for Rich Knott who was a constant source of support and our outgoing President Mike Entecott, who has been there through thick and thin with me over the last 4 years, dodging my snap hooks and supporting the team every step of the way, a huge personal thanks to both from me.
What would you do if someone wanted to drive a train through the middle of your golf course? That’s just the challenge that faced Ingestre Park when the route for HS2 was announced. The story of how the club took stock of their situation and planned for the future is one that is full of twists and turns and finally the beginnings of what is looking to be the birth of a fantastic new course. County secretary Gareth Shaw spent some time in November with Martin Cox and Peter Helmn, two of the key figures in the re-development of Ingestre. Take a look at the video below and see for yourself how one club has set about facing the challenge posed by HS2.
With winter nights closing in, this is the season to get your game into shape at the range. But whacking a hundred balls with no plan or purpose can be more harmful to your game than good. We asked Advanced PGA Professional Tom Gibbs, for some tips on how to get the best out of your winter practice. With this simple drill, you can bring more consistency to your set up and head into 2023 with confidence.
PRO TIP - TOM GIBBS
We held our annual presentation evening on 4th November where all the winners from 2022 got together to receive their prizes and celebrate their achievements. Thanks to Brocton Hall Golf Club for hosting us and to everyone who attended.
Is there someone at your club that goes above and beyond? Has there been a hole-in-one or an exceptional score? Do you have a special event happening in the coming months? Have you redecorated the clubhouse?
We want to know! Let us know of anything exciting going on at your club and we’ll try and find a spot in the next edition! E-mail: secretary@staffsgolfclubs.org.uk
For discounted golf across the 47 clubs in our County download the igCounty app
Answer: B. There is no penalty provided Gareth removes the cart before making a stroke at his ball (Decision 13-3/5). You are not allowed to build a stance; however, if you build a stance through use of an object such as a cart, you incur no penalty if you remove the object before making your next stroke.