ESSEX GOLF
Union
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE SEPTEMBER 2012 ISSUE 5
ON THE GREENS
MITCHEL SARLING
Playgolf Colchester page 8
Amateur Interview page 46
THE 19TH HOLE
WHAT’S IN THE BAG JACK WINER
Hospitality at Forrester Park GCC page 34
page 14
COACHES CORNER
CHI POWER GOLF with Jayne Storey page 42
with Bradley Preston Woolston Manor page 40
COUNTY NEWS
ESSELXF GO
V
FREE INSIDE BLACK BOOK DIRECTORY Y
K KBOO C A L BDIRECTORY
012 THE 2
T T T
Steven Palmer Tutorial page 24
Union
SHORT GAME, GET CONSISTENT AND ADD FLAIR
and round up page 50
27 HOLES OF BEAUTIFUL PARKLAND GOLF
18 and 9 hole golf courses plus floodlit driving range bar, brasserie and alfresco dining Weddings, private functions and conference facilities All available at Channels and Regiment Way Golf Club Luxury on-site accommodation at ‘Channels Lodge’
Channels Golf Club t: 01245 440 005 e: info@channelsgolf.co.uk Belsteads Farm Lane, Little Waltham, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 3PT
3 MIKE SPALL WELCOME
Welcome If truth be told, my first association with golf was in the mid 1950’s when a friend told me I could earn as much as five shillings (that’s 25p for our younger readers) for one round of caddying, the same as I was earning for a whole week’s paper round! So the following week I went along to the West Essex Golf Club and got a job caddying for a member in a Thornton Cup match. That member turned out to be the very well-known Dingy Bell, and I soon became his regular caddy. I had a very enjoyable time as the regular caddy of one of the best young golfers in the club, and together we travelled all over the south of England to major clubs and tournaments. I was so inspired by these early impressions that, after spending 40 years in the property business, I sold my firm and retired early to devote more of my time to the county and the sport that I love. During my 22 years on the Essex Golf Union, I have seen the county go from strength to strength. We have more promising new talent than ever before. And in 2009 of course, came our first ever English County Championship win. We truly do have much to be proud of. It is therefore my sincere pleasure to introduce you, dear reader, to the official Essex Golf Union magazine, which we hope will enable us to inspire and inform you, and whip up some Essex spirit. Within this magazine we will regularly provide top interviews and probing features on the great and good of Essex golfing past and present. We will encourage local golfers and golf enthusiasts of all ages and abilities by providing information on scholarships and coaching programmes. This, dear readers, is not my magazine, it is our magazine. You may write or email your thoughts, ideas or suggestions for articles, ensuring this is truly a community magazine. The world has changed a lot since the days that I earned five shillings for a day of caddying. The union aims to move with the times whilst retaining our respect for the game and sense of tradition. The reason we have created this digital magazine, is to get all the information about our favourite game in our favourite county straight to you as efficiently as possible. We hope you are proud of what we are aiming to achieve and showcase, and we urge you to spread the word! Tweet about us, post us on Facebook, or simply tell your friends when you next see them for an ale. Go forth proudly, and together, with the right amount of enthusiasm, we can make Essex the greatest golfing county in the land. Mike Spall President Essex Golf Union
Contents 8
14
24
34
40
Presidents Welcome Mike Spall
3
On the Greens with Anthony Kirwan, Bentley GC
8
What’s in the Bag? Jack Winer
14
Golf Lessons - Short game Get consistent and add flair Steven Palmer
24
Essex Golf Union Contact Us
30
In The Clubhouse Forrester Park GCC
34
Coaches Corner Bradley Preston
40
Chi Power Golf Jayne Storey
42
On the Greens at Playgolf Colchester
8
Amateur interview
42
Mitchel Sarling
46
County News
50
Order of Merit Allan Lockwood
53
Final Results
46 Team Competitions
64
Our History
70
Mike Spall
53 74
The Black Book Directory
76
25 Under 25
84
Union
ESSEX GOLF
Essex Venues
THE 2012
83
BLACKBOOK DIRECTORY 46 25 UNDER 25 25 TOP AMATEURS OF 2011
90
25 Under 25 ADAM MORRIS BENTON HALL
OWEN PEARL PLAY GOLF COLCHESTER
JORDAN WALLACE MAYLANDS
DANNY CARROLL ESSEX G&CC
JORDAN SLATER HARWICH & DOVERCOURT
JOE KELLY WOOLSTON MANOR
BOBBY KEEBLE WEST ESSEX
ALASDAIR PLUMB CHELMSFORD
BEN HERBERT CLACTON-ON-SEA
GEORGE EVANS BENTON HALL
REECE FRANCIS LOUGHTON
HUGH CAMPBELL WEST ESSEX
MASON PAPPLE STOCK BROOK MANOR
RICKY BRACKENBURY ORSETT
DAN GARNER ROMFORD
MITCHELL MITCH CHELL S SARLING ARLING LING ROCHFORD HUNDRED
JACK CK HEASMAN WEST ESSEX
JJAKE AKE BOND OND WANSTEAD
J JAME ALLAN CHELMSFORD
LUKE RICHARDSON BRAINTREE
SAM WILDING ROMFORD
LEWIS ADAIR ORSETT
JACK HILUTA CHELMSFORD
REECE PHILLIPS WEST ESSEX
ARTHUR LEONARD ROCHFORD HUNDRED
23
5
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8 ON THE GREENS PLAYGOLF COLCHESTER
On the greens at Pla Marcus Bain interviews Anthony Kirwan
FACT FILE NAME
Antony Kirwan
CLUB
Playgolf Colchester
POSITION
Course Manager
HISTORY I’ve been in the industry for 22 years, firstly at Newton Green golf club as a trainee before moving to Stoke by Nayland golf club where I stayed for 8 years. I then moved to Colchester golf club where I was Deputy Head before moving to Lexden Wood golf club as Course Manager in 2007 (since 1 March 2012 this has been known as Playgolf Colchester). Each club has been a great learning curve in my career! I’m on the Essex greenkeepers committee which organises events for the greenkeepers of Essex, such as golf days and informative seminars. On a personal note I play to a 5 h/cap and have played frequently for 25 years so I know the game inside out!
Playgolf Colchester (formerly Lexden Wood) is more than just a golf course. The revamp at the end of 2007 turned the club’s course into a 6,000-yard, par 70 course. The undulating parkland course features many hazards including a lake and river which come into play on five holes. The course is well guarded by 64 bunkers that have been strategically placed to catch every level of golfer and have been designed to accommodate the distances of modern golf technology. Thanks to the USGA standard greens, the course is playable all year round without the need for temporary greens. They pride themselves with their other great facilities at the club, which also include a 24 bay flood-lit driving range, which means it can be used all year round come rain or shine, 9 hole, par 3 academy course, putting green and short game practice hole.
ygolf Colchester T
hank you for agreeing to share your thoughts with the official Essex Golf Union Magazine. Clearly the function of maintaining any golf course is critical to the success of a club, and to the enjoyment of those who play it. Unfortunately many see the role of the green-keeping team simply as “cutting the grass” but there is so much more to it than that. Can you tell us what a typical day involves for you and your team?
We start at 6am in the summer and 6.30am in the winter, the majority of the works are preparing the the course for play first thing then continuing to maintain the course during the day! Other works that I do can range from: • • • • • •
Bunker works Spraying Fertilizer application Aeration Strimming/hedge cutting Tree work Also there are other works that a head green keeper gets involved in from meetings to planning works for the following week to the following 6 months and any major works that can disrupt our members and paying guests as it has an effect on them the most.
P What topography, soils and sub-soils typify your course, and what are the specific challenges that they pose to you and your team? We sit on Essex clay like every course in our area which proves to be quite poor during wet weather, the course is split into 3 sites and is fairly flat for 2 of them where the 3rd is quite undulating. On the other hand during hot spells of weather we do dry out very quickly. The greens on the other hand are all USGA spec so are quite free draining, so in the winter months we don’t suffer with water logged greens! Having these types of soils does bring up its own challenges.
P What are other ecology and biodiversity will a player enjoy at Bentley Golf Club? The course is fairly young and has gone under some large course developments over the past years, but has now settled and is maturing all the time. We have some interesting routes that run through our course from the A12 and the main train line to London but also have the River Colne which goes through the course, which can bring all sorts of wildlife to the course. We also have some great views of our neighbouring village West Bergolt.
P How does the course play during the more difficult periods of weather we experience in the UK – heavy rain, winter months, long dry spells? We do suffer with extremes of weather from heavy rain to drought, which both can make the course play very difficult. We do use temporary greens when we have severe frosts or any greens maintenance. Fortunately we don’t suffer with puddling on our greens.
P What does your routine greens management regime involve? Many golfers are frustrated when the greens are being worked on – can you explain why it is necessary? We plan to hollow core the greens in September followed by heavy dressing and over seeding, we scarify to a depth of 25mm in March followed by heavy sand dressing and overseeding. We do verti-drain in the winter months to a depth of 8-10 inches. More routine work carried out is verti-cutting every 2 weeks and light dressings every 2-3 weeks, all these works benefit the playability of our surfaces to produce a good consistent putting surface. Also when we plan to carry out the major works we notify all members and reduce the amount of societies at this time. depending on weather conditions.
9
10 ON THE GREENS PLAYGOLF COLCHESTER
P What grasses are used in your greens and what length of cut do you implement? Does this change throughout the year or for specific tournaments? What speeds do you achieve? Our grass species are split between bent (agrostis), fescue (festuca) and poa (poa annua), with the latter being the more undesirable of these grasses. I am trying to develop a higher percentage of fescue in my greens as I see this as a better benefitto the course. In the summer I cut the greens at 5mm and 6.5 in the winter months. But smoothness and consistency is key not speed!
P With such an important focus now on environmental stewardship can you tell me what you are doing about sustainable methods of course management? Are you reducing fertilizer and water use? At any golf course you need to run a sustainable course, we have a small team with a fairly small budget! Hence the reason of trying to introduce the fescue population of grasses, this will lower our fertilizer and water inputs which will help us reduce our costs.
P Do you have any particular advice for your members or visitors as to how best to score at Playgolf Colchester? What should they specifically avoid in your opinion? Mmmmm well Playgolf Colchester is only 6000 yard par 70 but with a boundary or hazard on 15 holes it is fairly tight, also we have very small but very undulating greens which can see the odd 3 putt or more.
P How is smart technology impacting on the job? Is it helping productivity in any way? I do use some of the management software for planning works and rotas as this can be a big help. I’ve been in greenkeeping for over 20 years and the machinery technology has come on so much its scary, the fact we can now use electric or hybrid mowers to the advancement in aeration techniques all of which help us produce a desired playing surface.
P Are there any plans to further invest in technology or machinery at Playgolf Colchester over the next 12 months? Yes we have an ongoing 5 year operating lease programme, which is up for renewal in August 2013, we do this with the front line machinery i.e. greens, fairway, tees and rough mower. I find this beneficial as technology is moving so fast that it allows us to budget over 5 years without any expensive purchases.
P What training and development do you and your team benefit from? Is the focus on learning “on the job” or externally? As a team of 4 we are all qualified. 2 of my staff are currently doing a NVQ level 3 in Sports turf with the other employee starting next year, all machinery training is done either in-house or by the manufacturer. The Essex BIGGA section runs various courses over the year.
11 PLAYGOLF COLCHESTER ON THE GREENS
P What advice would you give to somebody considering a career as a green-keeper? If you love the outdoors, do it! If you love the game of golf, do it! It’s a great career which can open so many doors, I’ve meet some great people, played some amazing courses and also worked at the British Open which you get to watch beyond the ropes. It’s a great job to look back on a perfectly cut green or a newly built tee and say I DID THAT!
P Lastly, what are your other interests, and what do you enjoy outside work? Well golf is a massive hobby, but I also play football. I have 2 boys and my fiancée has 2 children as well so every other weekend is major play time with the children.
PLAYGOLF COLCHESTER BAKERS LANE, COLCHESTER, ESSEX, CO3 4AU TELEPHONE 01206 843333 EMAIL INFO@LEXDENWOOD.COM www.lexdenwood.com
Check out & read our previous issues on
nline.
Click an issue to read Issue #1 - Top 25 Amateurs of 2011 Issue #2 - What’s in the Bag Simon Khan? Issue #3 - Bobby Keeble 2012 Amateur Champion Issue #4 - On the Greens: Bentley GC
www.essexgolfunion.org
What’s in the bag? Jack Winer, 24 from Epping, Essex I am attached to Woolston Manor Golf Club in Chigwell, Essex. I have been Professional since 2010, and playing the EuroPro Tour and the Amateur circuits since 2007. As an amateur I had some great results, winning competitions such as the Cliffords Trophy, Chigwell Bowls, Upminter Trophy, Abridge Scratch and the Keating Trophy. I have played in county matches since I was 15. The highlight was definitely winning The English 6 Man County Final and being Top Point Scorer for the entire event. Since turning professional I have won The Open Regional Qualifying at Abridge Golf Club and a number of comendbale results on The EuroPro , The Jamega and Gecko Pro Tour.
15 JACK WINER WHAT’S IN THE BAG
Why I use... DRIVER - RAZR HAWK 8.5 TOUR 60 S FLEX Grafalloy Prolaunch AXIS 44inch Since changing my whole set from Mizuno to Callaway I have had 2 other drivers, the FT-9 Tour and The Octaine Black Tour. Both are great drivers, but The RAZR series of clubs are at a new level of length in my opinion. Working with my golf Coach - Bradley Preston at Woolston, fitness Coach - Steven Bond at Bondfitness.co.uk and club fitter – Lee Porter at Highlands Golf club, I have gained about 15 yards over the course of 18 months. In normal terms 15 yards isn’t much, but in golf it’s a massive achievement. I also love this driver because the rewards for hitting one out of the screws are Amazing. The feel you get through the head is so solid, unlike other drivers I have tried that feel more tingy. Togther with lenghth and a great feel you have an awsome driver.
3 WOOD – RAZR FIT 15”- 73 X FLEX MITSUBISHI DIAMANA BLUE This 3 wood has not been in the bag long. After I found a crack in the face of my previous fairway wood, i was forced to get a new one. Over the past 2 months this 3 wood has been great. It allows me to now hit high and low flighted shots, from the high fade into a Par 5 to a low stinger into the wind. With Callaways new Custom Fit Clubs you can tinker with it yourself allowing the club to sit open, closed or square.
2 Iron/ Utility - X TOUR 18” WITH A 6.0 Project X This is my favourite club in my bag. This is my stock shot club. I can hit this high, low, fade and draw. Again, another powerful Callaway club. Great for out of the rough, fairway and off the tee. It’s the club that every Pro should have in the bag for those short but challenging Par 4’s or 5’s where you have to place your tee shots down the bunker-filled fairway.
16 WHAT’S IN THE BAG JACK WINER
CALLAWAY X FORGED 2010/11 IRONS (3-PW) – PROJECT X 6.0 FLIGHTED SHAFTS Since the new CONFORMING grooves came out and into play for professionals I have change from Mizuno MP-30’s to these irons and have never looked back. These irons are forgiving and versatile. I am a firm believer that golf is a difficult sport so why make it more difficult by using blades? The X Forged are in the middle of your standard cavity irons and blades. They are superbly designed and have balanced heads. Working with Lee Porter fitted me for 6.0 flighted shafts as I like a high ball flight. When seeing Tour pro’s hit their irons, I was amazed at the height they hit them. I thought for years that if your ball flight was to high you would lose some distance but by combining your swing speed and shaft you can find the shaft that can work for you to achieve how you want your ball to fly. We lofted my irons so I have a 10 to 14 yard gap between irons. FULL Pw-125, 9-137, 8-150 etc. Knowing your distances with irons is crucial.
CALLAWAY X SERIES JAWS - 52 AND 58 DEGREE – CHROME WEDGES. Even with the new Conforming grooves these wedges if struck pure will spin back on any surface. Weather it be firm links greens or soft clay greens. Guys that have used Callaways MD, short for Mac Daddy grooves will know about going through balls. If struck well you can leave parts of the cover of your ball on the face, especially when new. When I get new wedges I take my practice ball bag and spend a good few hours in the bunkers, trying to shave those grooves down just a tad, rather than spending lots of money on a new ball after every approach with a wedge. I use a 52 and 58 combo because my PW is 46 degrees, so it leaves 6 degrees in between my three wedges. A lot of guys carry four wedges in there bag (PW 52 56 60) but as you could probably see from my previous IRONS paragraph my 2 iron isn’t going anywhere. My 58 has been slightly ground down at the back by Lee allowing me to open up the face and hit those crowd pleasing high flop shots. Off tight lies, it’s a little easier to slide the club under the ball.
17 JACK WINER WHAT’S IN THE BAG
PUTTER – 34” TOUR ISSUE. YES C-GROOVE – DONNA A good friend of mine actually give me this putter when I was struggling with a toe weighted putter I had a while back. I have always loved FACED balanced putters and I love the look of this one. It looks like an anser style putter but with a big back. It is easy to line up as it has a distinct white line on the back of the putter head. For someone my hight 34” is slightly short in length but putting is massively a personal preference. You only have to look at Robert Garrigus from the US PGA. His putter was 28 an a half inches and he is exactly the same height as me (5ft 11”). It is what works for you that matters.
GRIPS – GOLF PRIDES 2012 Z-GRIPS IN WHITE/BLACK
SHOES – FOOTJOY ICONS – SIZE 8.5
Big fan of corded round grips but have never been able to find grips that don’t cut your hands to pieces after a hard range session.
Icons have great stability and are very comfortable. I have worn Footjoy for a very long time now. I took a liking to the Origional Classic they did, but being a wooden sole and fully leather they became very heavy in wet conditions.
The new Z-grips do just what I wanted. They are a softer cord then I have ever used. They are great in all weather conditions, rain or shine. They are standard size grips but with 2 layers of tape on the irons. The shafts in my woods are graphite and are a little thicker then my irons so i use just one layer on them.
The icons look exactly like Classics but have the same leather saddle but with an all weather sole. The icon ranges are very stylish and along with the make your own MYJOYS the world of shoes is your oyster. I would normally take a couple of pairs away to a tournemnt with me. A black and as white pair for different outfits. “Look Good , Feel Good and Play Good”
BALLS – CALLAWAY HEX-BLACK TOUR Not really much I can say about these balls apart from the fact they are slightly harder off the face then a ProV 1. They go a lot longer off of the irons and woods but have the same feel around the green. Not a superstision but i only use Callaway balls with the number 1 or 2 on it in Competitive golf rounds
GLOVES – FOOTJOY STASOFT ALL LEATHER - MEDIUM These just seem to fit my hand perfectly. Other gloves are either to long in the fingers or to tight across the palm. STASOFT fit “ like a glove “.
explore, experience and enjoy... Ess is a real county of contrasts, offering a rich Essex tap tapestry of everything that makes Britain great. The There is a wonderful collection of old and new, and Essex manages to combine modern facilities, her heritage properties and beautiful green gardens to cre create the perfect visitor destination.
a rn e L a yer M
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Esse is also recognised as having one of the driest climates in Essex tthe he UK and the longest coastline of any English county at some 3 50 miles. It is therefore no surprise that Essex has a strong 350 m ar maritime tradition. The Essex Discovery Coast has much to o ffe and there are many hidden treasures to be found, from offer q uie cliff-top walks and seductive rugged coves, right through quiet tto o tthe lengthy stretches of beautiful Blue Flag beaches. Essex iss la largely rural with small market towns, traditional villages and ti hamlets linked by quiet country lanes. Undulating farmland tiny is interspersed in nt with small woodlands, the views interrupted by m igh oaks and ashes, presided over by the hurrying skies. mighty
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F in chin g fi el d
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22 GOLF TUTORIALS STEVEN PALMER
Golf Tutorials with Steven Palmer
P Monthly Schedule August 30th - Issue 1 Putting - The fastest way to lower scores This first session is designed to get you scoring better right off the bat. We will discuss the fundamentals of the setup and stroke and also give you some practice techniques that will immediately help you save shots.
September 30th - Issue 2 Short game – Get consistent and add flair This session builds on the putting techniques learned in the previous issue and will help you to build a solid consistent technique. You will then learn some key points on how to make simple adjustments to add a huge range of shots to your short game.
October 30th - Issue 3 Busting common golfing myths So you think you know your stuff? This session is designed to help you filter the sound advice from the most common misconceptions passed on from golfer to golfer every day.
Welcome to the Steven Palmer Golf Tutorial Section Over the course of the next 12 monthly issues of The Essex Golf Union Magazine, we are very happy to bring you exclusive advice and pointers from Essex’s very own Steven Palmer to help improve your game. Each month will feature a different lesson from Steven’s Academy in Spain. We hope you enjoy the first installment of the series which begins on the following page (page 22).
November 30th - Issue 4 Full swing – The things you must know to be a good ball striker Building on the techniques learned in the short game, this session will help you to work on the key elements of the swing that all good ball strikers possess.
23 STEVEN PALMER GOLF TUTORIALS
NEXT MONTH’S GOLF TUTORIAL >> Busting common golfing myths
December 30th - Issue 5 How to assess your season and build an effective improvement plan
April 30th - Issue 9 Golf psychology - Taking your game from the practice tee to the course
Now the season (and the weather!) is drawing in, this is a great time to assess your golfing year. This session is designed to help you effectively analyse your game and build a plan that gets you motivated, focused and working on the right things.
This is one of the most common issues for golfers. This session will address the mental issues that make this particularly difficult for many golfers to do and change a few habits so that the transition from practice ground to golf course becomes seamless.
January 30th- Issue 6 Fixing common faults
May 30th - Issue 10 How to practice effectively
This is the perfect time of year to address any problems with your ball flight that are causing you to drop shots. This issue is designed to help you find the causes of your faults and learn how to fix them so that, by the time the golf season comes around, you’ll be ready to enjoy it!
When it comes to practicing, it seems like there’s never enough time. Whether you have all day or just half an hour after work, this session is designed to help you make the most of the time you have.
February 28th - Issue 7 Physical training to enhance your game During the winter months it can often be very difficult to get out there on the practice ground and be productive. This issue is designed to help you get your body conditioned for golf, eliminate pain and give you something to do out of the cold!
March 30th - Issue 8 Sharpening up your scoring game With the season fast approaching, it’s time to bring your hard work over the winter together so that it’s ready for the course. This session will teach you how to switch your practice habits from focusing on technical development to focusing on shooting low scores.
June 30th - Issue 11 How to hit the ball further Who doesn’t want to hit it further?! Whether you need to be able to get over the lake at the 6th, reach more greens in regulation or have bragging rights in the clubhouse, this issue will address all the factors affecting distance.
July 30th - Issue 12 Fixing common faults Just in case your season isn’t completely going to plan, this issue will help you to improve your strike, fix your ball flight and get you back to winning ways.
24 GOLF TUTORIALS STEVEN PALMER
Short game – Get consistent and add flair STEVEN PALMER’S HISTORY Steven Palmer was 8 years old when he first started playing golf, introduced to the sport by his father at a local pitch and putt course. He began coaching from the age of 17 and at 20 he was coaching at the UK Golf Academy at Epping Golf Range. In 2006 he made the move to West Essex Golf Club and found a great mentor in Robert Joyce who has coached some of the best players in Europe like Bernhard Langer, Mark Davis, and Simon Khan. Steven has recently formed the Palmer Williams Golf Academy at Los Arqueros Golf & Country Club just outside Marbella, Spain with fellow PGA professional Daniel Williams. Steven is currently a coach to some of the top county amateurs and professionals and is a specialist for golfers with injuries and disabilities. His coaching philosophy is to help all his students improve technically, mentally and physically, ensuring that his students improve at a maximised rate. We are proud to have Steven sharing his instruction with us and hope you find his 12 step development program that is going to be featured in here over the next 12 months, of huge value to you.
I’m very proud to be announced as the Head Contributing PGA Professional for Think Sports Media and the Essex Golf Union online magazine. My main goal in this role is to help you play the best golf of your life, so make sure you check in every month! Over the next 12 months I will reveal a complete plan to help you develop your entire game. Not only that, I will educate you on equipment, fitness, psychology and dispel some common myths about the game that cause so much confusion. Seeing as it’s already the middle of the golf season, it makes sense to help you shoot lower scores as quickly as possible, and this is done with the putter. I’m going to cover the important steps in building a great putting stroke and show you how to practice correctly in order to quickly shave strokes off your score.
I hope the putting green at your club has been dry enough for you to implement the putting practice techniques from last month! If so, you should now have a clear understanding of the important elements of your setup, technique and also developed better distance control, helping you to reduce your number of three-putts. This month I’m going to share with you some key points to help you become consistent when playing the basic shots around the greens and then show you some very simple ways to add some flair and variety to your short game.
25 STEVEN PALMER GOLF TUTORIALS
Ô Chipping - As I mentioned last month, you can’t have an effective stroke without a good setup. Again, this doesn’t mean having a textbook address position, but all good chippers have the following key fundamentals in common:
CHIPPING SETUP, DOWN THE LINE • A correct amount of bend from the hips and knees. How do you know what a correct amount of bend is? Stand upright with your feet only a few inches apart and your weight on the balls of your feet. Grip your chipping club and bend forwards from your hips until the sole of the club rests flat on the ground (not with the heel or toe in the air). The best way to bend from the hips correctly is to feel that you’re pushing your pelvis back rather than feeling as though you’re bending forwards. Make sure you keep your weight on the balls of your feet when bending Now you’re in a position where the sole of the club is flat on the ground with your legs still straight, add a very slight knee flex. Providing your clubs fit you (which is very important, ask your pro if you’re not sure!), this will give you your ideal body angles. If you feel any discomfort in your back, glutes or legs from this position, it’s likely that your hamstrings are too tight. Can you touch your toes? I’ll cover fitness for golf in a later issue, but members of my online coaching site www.stevenpalmergolf.com can access specific information about how to get their body ready for golf. • Hands the correct distance from the body Make a fist and place it between your body and the butt of your chipping club. It should lightly touch both. Any more room than this and it becomes hard to maintain a good connection between your arms and body during your swing. Any less and your hands don’t have enough room to freely swing through impact.
26 GOLF TUTORIALS STEVEN PALMER
Ô Chipping [ Continued ]
CHIPPING SETUP DRILL This video shows this procedure in its entirety, getting into good setup angles and checking for an ideal distance from the ball. •
Alignment
Clubface and body alignment is very important as, if either isn’t pointing where you want the ball to start, you will have to make some kind of compensation during your swing to hit the ball on line. This will be inconsistent at best. The alignment of your feet and hips is more variable, with most preferring to chip with a slightly open stance, although a lot of good chippers have played from a square lower body position.
FACE ON CHIPPING SETUP • Weight slightly favouring the forward foot The key word here is slightly. In Figure 1, you’ll notice that my head is central in my setup here, with my hips pushed towards the target slightly to push approximately 60% of my weight on my forward foot. This helps to encourage the necessary strike for a good chip shot, which is a descending blow on the back of the ball.
• Feet close together Stance width should be relative to the length of swing you are making. A simple way to think about it is the bigger the swing, the wider the stance. For a driver swing, you need the stability of a wide base. For a chip, you need the ease of hip rotation that comes from a narrow stance •
Ball position opposite the instep of the back foot.
As well as encouraging a crisp strike, this helps to keep the ball low and get it rolling as soon as possible. •
Hands opposite the centre line of the body
This should be the case with any shot, as you can see in the pictures Figure 2 and Figure 3. You’ve probably been told at some stage to push your hands forwards so they are ahead of the ball for chip shots. While there is no doubt that your hands must be ahead of the ball to create a good strike, this shouldn’t be abnormally created. For maximum consistency, you must have good body positioning and good ball position that allows your hands to be opposite the centre line of your body and slightly ahead of the ball at address.
27 STEVEN PALMER GOLF TUTORIALS
Ô Setup Summary
• • • •
A correct amount of bend from the hips and knees. Hands the correct distance from the body Alignment Weight slightly favouring the forward foot
• • •
Feet close together Ball position opposite the instep of the back foot Hands opposite the centre line of the body
I know this may seem like a lot of information on the setup, but these key points are the foundation of a good short game. Master them before taking on the rest of the information in this article.
Chipping technique After working on the putting drills last month, you should feel that your stroke is almost entirely controlled by the rotation of your upper body, with minimal independent movement from your head, hands and arms. A short chip is very much the same, except that the movement comes from a tiny pivot of the lower body. Practice a 15-foot chip shot. Your legs, hips and shoulders should make a small pivot, and your wrists should stay firm. If you struggle with eliminating excessive wrist movement when chipping, make sure your body is rotating enough. When you get comfortable with a short chip, start to hit longer ones of around 30-40 feet. A little wrist hinge on the longer chip shots is welcome, as long as the hands stay ahead of the clubhead through impact.
A final thought On every chip shot, or any shot where the ball is on the ground for that matter, make sure that the sole of the club makes firm contact with the ground at impact. Encourage this by hitting the ground firmly on your practice swings, feeling a slight “thump” with the clubhead against the turf.
GOOD CHIPPING TECHNIQUE • Master the setup • Use your body to create the movement, not your hands and arms • A little wrist hinge in the backswing is welcome for longer chip shots • Make good contact with the ground at impact When you get confident in your chipping technique and can strike the ball consistently well, adapt the distance control putting drill from last month into your chipping practice. This will really help to translate your improved technique into lower scores.
28 GOLF TUTORIALS STEVEN PALMER
Ô Pitching If you’ve become proficient at chipping with the information above, the pitching action will come easily to you. The differences between a chip and a pitch are: 1. A pitch is usually longer 2. A pitch spends more time in the air The only differences in the setup between chipping and pitching are below. For a refresher, see the overview of the chipping setup. 1. A pitching stance is fractionally wider, as the swing is a little longer. 2. The ball should be positioned more in the middle of the stance.
GOOD PITCHING TECHNIQUE The pitching action is just a longer version of the chipping action (which is why you should become proficient at chipping first). In the videos, you will see that the only real differences between pitching and chipping is that the swing is longer and there is more wrist hinge.
Ô Pitching summary • Slightly wider stance than chipping • The turning of the body drives the swing • Ball position in the centre • More wrist hinge
Ô Bunkers Bunkers can be daunting for many players, but if you’re now comfortable with the chipping and pitching techniques, you’re not far away from becoming a solid bunker player. As with pitching, there are only a few differences between the bunker setup and the chipping setup: 1. Your feet should be approximately shoulder width apart to give you the stability for this longer, more aggressive swing. 2. Ball position 3 inches forward of centre. 3. Weight evenly distributed between both feet. You’ve probably heard much information about opening the clubface and the stance, but for the time being I want to keep things simple and aim the clubface and body straight. When your bunker setup is correct, you will find that your hands are approximately in line with the ball, not in front of it. This is very important as it allows the bounce of the sand wedge to work correctly, ensuring the club slides effortlessly under the ball.
29 STEVEN PALMER GOLF TUTORIALS
Ô “Hit the line” drill This is without a doubt the best way to work on your bunker play if you’re low on confidence. In a practice bunker, draw a line in the sand perpendicular to your target, approximately 5 feet long. Take your bunker setup with the line running right in the middle of your stance, between your legs. Make some ¾ length swings, practicing taking a generous amount of sand. The key to this drill is in your sand divots. They must all start on the line and be the same size and shape. As with chipping and pitching, the pivot of the lower body and rotation of the upper body drive the swing. You should also make a full wrist hinge in your backswing.
LINE DRILL
When you can perform this drill well, reintroduce the golf ball. Place a ball approximately 3 inches in front of the line in the sand. Focusing only on starting a generous sand divot on the line, make a firm swing. If you start your divot in the right place, the ball will come out effortlessly on a cushion of sand.
Ô Adding some flair and variety By the time you’ve got comfortable with the setup keys and swing techniques for each of these shots, you should be feeling pretty good about the execution of your shots around the greens. It’s now time to add some flair!
Ô To change the shot, change your setup When you see players like Luke Donald, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson hitting miraculous shots around the green, it’s easy to be blown away by their vast array of shots. What you may notice however is that their actual swings don’t change a great deal. 95% of ball flight changes happen at setup. Knowing a few key things about your setup is all it takes to add dozens of different shots to your arsenal. The following setup adjustments apply to all areas of the short game: To hit the ball high and soft: • Use your most lofted club • Push your ball position forwards (although never so it’s in front of your hands)
• Weight evenly distributed between both feet • Open the clubface (you must also open your body the same amount eg. if you open the clubface by 20 degrees, you must also open your body by 20 degrees to make the ball travel on line)
To hit the ball low: • Use a less lofted club • Push your ball position backwards
• More weight on the forward foot • Close the clubface
So, again, there’s plenty for you to practice, but if you can improve in all these areas, you will be more consistent around the greens and have a great understanding of how to add flair and variety to your short game. Don’t work at everything at once, start with the chipping setup, then the chipping technique and so on, not moving onto the next stage until you’ve perfected each chunk of information. Next month, I’ll be helping you to clear your head of some bad tips you may have heard during your golfing life, busting some common myths about the game that can do more harm than good. Until then, keep working hard!
WWW.PALMERWILLIAMSGOLFACADEMY.COM Steve.
ENQUIRIESPALMERWILLIAMSGOLFACADEMY.COM TEL 1: 07894 953364 TEL 2: 07581 008842
30 ESSEX GOLF UNION CONTACT US
President Michael R Spall (Royal Epping Forest) 18 Tudor Way, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1PX 01992 760191 mike.r.spall@gmail.com
President Elect John Peters (Woodford) 101 Forest Road, Leytonstone, E11 1JS 07824 702703 johne.peters@ymail.com
Barry Boniface (Five Lakes) Fairways, Post Office Lane Little Totham, Maldon CM9 8JL 01621 894165 bwboniface@aol.com
David Edwards (Royal Epping Forest) 14 Hartland Road Epping CM16 4PE 01992 560920 thelma.edwards@ntlworld.com
Steve Golding (Abridge) 34 Deeway Rise Park, Romford RM1 4XB 01708 780287 ruth.golding@ntlworld.com
Mike Hart (Colchester) 8 Newbridge Hill West Bergholt, Colchester CP6 3ER 01206 241117 mandmc.hart@btinternet.com
Robert Holland (Maldon) 15 Hillcrest Mayland, Chelmsford CM3 6AZ 07903 217439 bwhollandlandscapes@gmail.com
John McInerney Upminster 171 Ardleigh Green Road Hornchurch RM11 2LF 01708 620939 jandcmcinerney@hotmail.co.uk
Alan Merrington (Epping) 37 Carlisle Way Basildon, SS13 3RF 01268 453933 07947 255203 alanmerrington@blueyonder.co.uk
Keith Mitchell (Rochford Hundred) 119 Oakfield Road Benfleet SS7 5NW 01268 756806 kumitchell@btinernet.com
Steve Morrison (The Warren) 4 Berewood Terrace Nounsley Road, Hatfield Peverel CM3 2NF 01245 382916 stevemorry@aol.com
www.essexgolfunion.org
Company Secretary / Honorary Treasurer Philip Kirkham (The Warren) 11 Littlefields, Danbury, CM3 4UR 01245 222248 plkgolf@aol.com
County Secretary Allan Lockwood County Office 2d Maldon Road Witham, CM8 2AB 01376 500998 07860 678202 (Mobile) info@essexgolfunion.org
County Team Captain Andy May (Boyce Hill) 56 Clarence Road North South Benfleet SS7 1HT 01268 757961 anders84may@hotmail.com
Robert Paton (Ballards Gore) 37 Glenmere Park Avenue Thundersley SS7 1SS 01702 559008 bobanpen@tiscali.co.uk
Neil Poulson (Colne Valley) 147 Francis Way Silver End Witham, CM8 3QT 01376 584190 neil.poulson1@btopenworld.com
Frank Tomlin (The Burstead) 2 Ruskin Dene Billericay CM12 0AN 01277 625692 f.tomlin1@btinternet.com
Roger Walmsley (Upminster) 7 Grosvenor Gardens 7 Grosvenor Gardens Upminster RM14 1DL 01708 220772 roger.walmsley@btinternet.com
Life Vice-Presidents Sir Michael F Bonallack OBE (Thorpe Hall) R B Fuller (Braintree) C Inskip (Chelmsford)
Tom Whyte (Channels) 5 Forsythia Close Springfield, Chelmsford CM1 6XW 01245 466384 thomas.whyte@btinternet.com
H E Gaffney (Wanstead)
A T Lockwood (Braintree)
A J Harrison (Warley Park)
D H Robson (Chigwell)
G G Shenstone (Rochford Hundred)
C Inskip (Chelmsford)
A T Lockwood (Braintree)
M Thirkettle (The Warren)
PAST PRESIDENTS J Barbour (Romford) C Crook (Basildon) D Cule Smith (Thorpe Hall)
LIFE VICE PRESIDENTS Sir Michael F Bonallack OBE (Thorpe Hall) RB Fuller (Braintree) C Inskip (Chelmsford)
31
Come and join us 18 hole Championship Course Willows Edge Par 3 Practise Course PGA run 14 bay floodlit driving range Relaxing clubhouse, bar and restaurant It’s great value being a member Call us for details 01277 841115
STOCK ROAD, STOCK, ESSEX CM4 9DP INFO@CRONDON.COM WWW.CRONDON.COM
34 IN THE CLUBHOUSE FORRESTER PARK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
Forrester Park Golf and Country Club Marcus Bain takes a look at what Forrester Park Golf and Country has to oer
Forrester Park Golf and Country Club is the perfect venue for your wedding reception. It had has been organising wedding receptions for over 30 years, and our experienced staff are on hand to help you with any aspect of your day. The traditional-style country house is based around a 16th century Essex barn and set in beautiful undulating Essex countryside. The attractive gardens, with patio and lawns, make an ideal backdrop for beautiful photographs. Forrester Park wedding venue is situated within easy reach of Maldon, Tiptree and Witham, and is ten minutes drive from the A12, between Chelmsford and Colchester. There is ample parking. It is licenced for weddings and civil ceremonies and has several different areas for your wedding celebrations. Forresters Suite comprises a function room, fully-licenced bar and cloakrooms and is ideal for a Wedding Breakfast or Evening Buffet. The Suite can
accommodate up to 120 people for a sit down meal, but is equally appropriate for more intimate weddings. We offer several inclusive packages, or are equally happy to tailor the day exactly as you wish. The Clubroom, with its lofty ceilinged main area and cosy beamed bar, can be used in conjunction with the Forresters Suite or in its own right. There is access through French doors to the garden and marquee area. We have a variety of popular wedding packages to choose from, which include arrival drinks, threecourse wedding breakfast, wine and an evening buffet. Alternatively, you may already have your own format in mind. Whether it is waitress served dining, a buffet style event, or perhaps a barbecue or even a hog roast - we are here to run the day exactly as you want it to be. Our wedding co-ordinator, Katie Jacobs, is ready and waiting to discuss your choice of menus and drinks, together with format of your wedding day.
35 FORRESTER PARK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB IN THE CLUBHOUSE
W
e at The Essex Golf Union caught up with Paul Tritton, General Manager at Forrester Park, one of Essex’s most welcoming golf clubs, to find out about the running of the club house, and talk about the inner workings of the local golf industry and what goes on behind the scenes.
Ô Firstly, how long have you been in your position and what roles does your position entail? I’ve been at Forrester Park for around six years, starting as Head Chef, which gave me a good insight into what is involved in catering for large functions. I took on the General Manager role around two years ago. I am in charge of the day-to-day running of the club, liaising with members, greenkeeping staff and other managers. At the moment I am leading a young, vibrant team encouraging new customers of all ages.
Ô What would you say is the best and most satisfying part of your job? When the club is buzzing with activity and our diary is full with events and functions for members and visitors. And, of course, recently I really
enjoyed our Big Club Challenge when Paul’s Dream Team beat our Golf Pro and Head Greenkeeper’s teams, with a field of over 130 participants!
Ô Are you a wedding venue as well as a golf club? If so, do many people choose to have their wedding reception at your club, and what sort of things might differ from a more standard wedding reception? If not, is this something you would like to get more into at the club or do you focus more on other types of events? Yes, very much so. More and more people are choosing Forrester Park – in fact 2012 has been our busiest year ever for weddings. Many couples comment on the flexibility of our packages and the friendliness of our staff.
Ô We all know a lot of business is conducted over a round of golf, in what ways do you cater especially for corporate or business clients, and what additional facilities are available for conferences and business meetings? We often host local business meetings and offer a selection of delegate packages at very competitive prices. Every Wednesday I rise at 4am ready to greet our weekly BNI Breakfast Meeting!
36 IN THE CLUBHOUSE FORRESTER PARK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
Ô After a long game of golf, I’m sure many find themselves rather peckish. What does your club offer in the way of sustenance, do you use any home grown produce? And what is the most common drink for a player after a game? We serve food from 8am till close every day, offering a wide-ranging menu. Our home-made cakes are always popular, as are dishes using produce harvested from the course, such as nettle soup and orchard pies. We have a fully-stocked bar, always including a guest beer, and serve a range of great coffees and speciality teas.
Ô I am a firm believer that if you want to know what is the best thing on the menu at any food serving establishment, the wisest thing to do is ask a member of staff who chooses (or is forced) to eat there! What is your favourite meal/snack at the club? I would have to say that I really enjoy the home-made Minted Lamb Burgers.
Ô Keeping on the food theme, What catering facilities do you have or use to cater for your members and visiting groups/special events ?
Our full catering facilities are available to both members and visitors and we have a special a la carte menu for events, as well as gourmet dishes which are popular for weddings and dinner-dances.
Ô Is there a hotel aspect to your club? If not, what venues do you recommend in the local area? We do not have accommodation on-site, but there are a number of excellent bed & breakfasts and hotels in the Maldon area.
Ô Golf clubs tend to evoke a family atmosphere; do you have special facilities for children and young people? And are there any offers available to families for membership? We often hold family- and child-friendly events, such as children’s parties (with fantastic local entertainer Michael Fitch) and family lunches, and our golf pro, Craig Lockwood, actively encourages youngsters to get into the game of golf with weekend and holiday coaching and visits to local schools. Our Tennis Coach (British Champion Libby Eden!) holds afterschool clubs as well as weekend and holiday lessons for kids. We also have a swimming pool on site specially designed for teaching children.
37 FORRESTER PARK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB IN THE CLUBHOUSE
Ô Golf is competitive game, which as we all know can lead to quite a bit of frustration at times. After a tough round, what other welcome distractions are there in the clubhouse for members and guests…pool, darts, board games etc.? (Or does the bar satisfy most?)
Our visitors and members often comment that we are the friendliest club in the area, and this is backed up by people who hold weddings and functions here. The real test of this is the amount of repeat custom and word-of-mouth recommendation we get.
We have a roaring open fire which proves popular in the winter, as does the selection of traditional board games on offer.
Ô Do you find there has been more interest or more members at your club in the last few years, given the renewed popularity of the game? And what requirements do you need to become a member? Many new members have joined this year, and we are especially pleased to see that our Colt and Colt Plus membership is up. Our biggest section is the Veterans, while the Ladies continue to be very active – in short, we are appealing to all age groups. Long may it continue!
Ô And finally, how would you best sum up the atmosphere that exists within the clubhouse? What would hope someone who has never visited you club might take away with them after their first visit?
CONTACT INFO FORRESTER PARK GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB BECKINGHAM ROAD GT TOTHAM NR MALDON, ESSEX CM9 8EA TELEPHONE 01621 891406 EMAIL INFOFORRESTERPARKLTD.COM www.forresterparkltd.com
HALL ROAD, ELSENHAM, NR STANSTED AIRPORT, ESSEX, CM22 6DH TEL: 01279-812865 www.elsenhamgolfandleisure.co.uk info@elsenhamgolfandleisure.co.uk
Essex’s Premier 9 Hole Golf Course 3 Hole Beginners Academy Course Family Orientated Teaching Academy Excellent Heated Floodlit Driving Range Newly Refurbished Café Bar & Lounge Area Relaxed Air Conditioned Gym
Advanced TV & iPod Technogym Equipment Regular Fitness Classes Children’s Golf Parties Ample Free Parking New Function Room for Weddings, Parties and Society Days
Bradley Preston Woolston Manor BRADLEY’S HISTORY Bradley qualified as a PGA Golf Professional in 1994 after spending 3 years as a student at Kingston University studying an HND in Golf Studies alongside his PGA Qualifications. This meant he was more qualified than the average Golf Professional to embark on his career in Golf and he has certainly made use of his knowledge over the past 16 years. He started his journey as an Assistant Professional at Chadwell Springs Golf Club in Hertfordshire where he stayed for a year. From here, Bradley joined Fairlop Waters in Essex where he was attached as a PGA Assistant for six months. He then attained the Head professional position/Director of golf. During this time Bradley started to build his reputation as first class golf instructor. Six years later Bradley joined the Team at Hainault Forest Golf complex. Bradley managed the club for 5 years helping grow the club into one of the busiest golf clubs in England.
Bradley was still growing his reputation as a coach, during this time he started to coach many different types of people from everyday people to celebrities, young aspiring tour pro’s to US PGA tour pro’s. In 2007 Bradley moved to Woolston Manor Golf & Country Club becoming the Director of Golf/ Head Professional. Whilst here Bradley started his own Golf Academy and Professional Golf shop for all the members and guest to enjoy. In 2009 Bradley coached US PGA Tour player Brian Davis at The Children’s Miracle Classic Tournament at Disney in Florida helping Brian to finish 6th and moving him to 58th in FEDEX CUP standings. After all this Bradley can still find time to coach all levels of player and would be delighted for you to pop in for a golf lesson. We’re sure you won’t be disappointed.
41 BRADLEY PRESTON COACHES CORNER
Bradley Preston answers questions for Coaches Corner: Ô Bradley, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. How long have you been a qualified PGA Professional for now and what drew you towards Woolston Manor?
Ô Golfers are always looking to get ahead of their competitors. Do you have anything in your arsenal of teaching methods, whether that is some new technology or general knowledge about the golf swing that is unique to you, and that you’d be willing to share with us?
I qualified 18 years ago and have been at Woolston Manor for six years. Woolston Manor has a great course with great members so it wasn’t a hard decision to take up the position.
Video lessons are a must. I like to keep thing simple and make sure everyone goes away happy.
Ô There has been and still is some fantastic talent floating around the Essex golf scene, who are some of the better players that you have taught in the past and is there anyone you recommend we should look out for in the future?
Ô There are so many leading golf brands on the market today that it can often get very difficult to choose which driver or which set of irons is best to buy. What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to buy a new club or a new set, and is having them custom fitted that important?
Essex has been and still is a great county for young up and coming golfers. I am currently working with Jack Winer who had a great county career. Jack has now turned professional and we currently working on him qualifying for the European Tour. I also worked with a young lad called Bobby Keeble who has just been picked for England and is going to be someone to watch out for.
Always get advice from your PGA Professional. Custom fitting is a mustif you are serious about your swing.
Ô Golf is a great sport to be involved with from a young age as it teaches us manners, etiquette, and quality social skills. What age would you recommend that parents get their children started up with the game? I really believe that it depends on the child. They need to be old enough to concentrate and understand what they are being shown.
Ô Many of the counties PGA pro’s still play in tournaments such as the East Region PGA events. Do you participate in such events, and if so how did you get on last year? Unfortunately my time is taken up running the golf club and coaching my clients. I still get to play in the occasional Pro-am but mainly with my clients and members.
Ô Along with all the brands to choose from, there are also a lot of shops to choose to buy them from. What brands do you stock in your shop, what made you choose them, and do you have any great offers available at the moment? I stock many of the leading brands because of their quality. Callaway, Gavin Green and Ralph Lauren are just a few. We have a great end of season sale just started, up to 50% off everything in store.
Ô There are over 30,000 golfers in the county of all different standards and levels. Now tell us the truth, have you ever had any lessons where you’ve really had to hold the laughter in because the person was just that bad? There are some players that pick up the game quickly and there are some that it takes a bit longer. As long as they enjoy it and improve I’ve done my job.
Ô Golf comes with a lot of ups and downs. What would you say is the highlight of your career so far, either teaching or playing? I’ve been very fortunate to fly all around the world coaching. The highlight of my career has been coaching PGA tour player Brian Davis helping him to become one of the top 50 players in the world.
Ô Everyone has days where nothing is going right for them on the golf course and they feel like just giving up and walking in. What would be the best piece of advice that you could give to someone in this situation? Stay calm and try to relax.
CONTACT INFO TELEPHONE 020 8500 2549 WWW.BRADLEYPRESTONGOLF.COM
42 CHI POWER GOLF JAYNE STOREY
Learning to Trust Your Swing Think Sports Media are proud to present a unique series of articles by Jayne Storey, Founder and Director of chi-power GOLF chi-power GOLF is a performance coaching method based on the timeless wisdom of the East. The methods and practices used are tried, tested and proven to help you play golf ‘in the zone’ and experience greater consistency, enjoyment and the happiness of a wellstruck golf shot time after time. Jayne Storey has been practicing and professionally coaching the Eastern arts for the past 25 years. She is a long-term member of the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain, professional development facilitator for the PGA, feature writer for Golf International and Lady Golfer magazines and Director of Training, chi-power PERFORMANCE providing performance coaching services to athletes, artists and business executives.
To deliver a fluid and powerful golf swing, especially when under pressure around the course, two vital things need to be accomplished, but which are rarely addressed by the mainstream approach to performance coaching. Firstly let’s define what pressure actually means. Fred Shoemaker (“Extraordinary Golf”) cites the fact that no matter how good a golfer you are, a couple of bad shots in a row can crush your mental state and reduce your game to one where you are constantly on the verge of anxiety. The reason for this is because like most golfers you probably bring a whole bundle of emotions with you to the first tee, including “doubt, excitement, fear, key swing thoughts, desires and a lot of hope”. So pressure, also known as stress, anxiety or a general feeling of ‘up-tightness’ can be anything from not wanting to feel embarrassed when you drive off in front of your friends, the anxiety of a corporate event when you haven’t played for several weeks or it might be having to play against someone who can’t help offering you pieces of advice every time you get ready to take your shot.
Pressure could also manifest as the familiar “search for a swing” game that many golfers play, bogged down and confused mentally, yet unable to resist trying out more tips and tricks. Jack Nicklaus (my all-time favourite player and arguably the best the game has ever known) has said a lot of useful things over the years which are worth paying attention to if you want your own game to improve. For instance, the Golden Bear said that a big mistake many players make is that they try to swing like somebody else, to do what another golfer can do, rather than finding out what they can do well and sticking with it. I think this is true of the majority of recreational players, who “search for a swing” via their coaches, golfing friends, expert’s instructional articles and so forth – all of whom they believe know more about their golf swing than they do! I truly believe that if you could just play with the swing you have now, the next time you go out on the course you will be more consistent, make more birdies and enjoy your game a whole lot more.
Firstly, you’ll need to reduce your internal dialogue (which is constantly telling you why you can’t make the shot) and secondly, you’ll need to master your bio-chemistry (which makes you feel nervous and interferes with the fluidity of your swing). Both of these things can be accomplished quickly and easily and applied to your very next game using the oldest of all the world’s performance enhancement techniques: the art of focusing on your breathing – also known as Mindfulness or Zen meditation. Tom Watson summed it up the best when he said “When I learned how to breathe, I learned how to win”. Learning how to breathe properly – that is, deeply and slowly accomplishes the two vital things we mentioned at the beginning of this piece: (i) correct breathing quietens the internal dialogue, and (ii) it produces a ‘relaxation response’ in your nervous-system, which negates the disastrous effects of adrenaline and helps you enter the zone, thus raising your performance levels. This calm state of relaxed concentration known as ‘Zen-Mind’ in the East, is analogous to zone – the ideal frame of mind from which you can relax, trust your natural abilities and perform a fluid, powerful swing. Ô Bringing it into your game There are many ways to take mindfulness of breathing into your game. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started. Arrive at the club 20 minutes early for your next tee time, then just sit in the car and quietly notice your breathing. Either switch the radio off or if you prefer, listen to some classical music softly in the background. This will induce your ‘relaxation response’, keep your inner voice to a minimum and ensure you arrive at the first tee unruffled. As you walk and play the course the one thing you’re doing constantly is breathing, so as often as you can, just ‘check-in’ with yourself and simply remember to notice your breathing (being mindful) and you’ll feel so much calmer and more relaxed, even if you play a couple of poor shots in a row.
Nicklaus advises you to stick with what you’re good at, rather than trying to copy another golfer’s swing So how do you stop playing “search for a swing” and start trusting the swing you’ve got?
Use this technique also when going through your pre-shot routine, when standing at address, when walking to the ball and so on. Just be aware of your breathing. You hardly need another mental game technique than this – it will calm your nervoussystem, control your bio-chemistry, keep you neutral under pressure, stop your internal voice and allow you to take your own swing around the course for a more relaxing and enjoyable game. Please visit www.chipowergolf.com for more information or ring Jayne Storey on M: + 44 (0) 7986 447 250 to inquire about personal tuition.
44 ESSEX GOLF PARTNERSHIP
Essex Golf Introducing the
Crondon Park Golf Club one of our Six Centres
Funded by Sport England, The Partnership’s objective is to introduce the game of golf to beginners and encourage people to play golf more often. The Partnership works very closely with The Golf Foundation and Activeessex to assist in the delivery of strong county-wide support to clubs, golfers, schools and individuals looking to take up the game.
It has never been easier to get started... Our major new initiative for 2012 is the introduction of ‘official’ Get into Golf Centres. We currently have 8 centres although we have plans to expand. If you’re aged 16 or over and want to learn how to play golf or you want to brush down your clubs and start again. Now is your chance, all beginner adults are welcome. We are setting up a number of “official” Get into Golf Centres around the county. Throughout this year, each centre will be running 4 x 1 hour weekly group coaching sessions covering the basics of the game. You will be able choose between a mid-week or weekend session...and there’ll be plenty of space for everyone as there are two new groups every month to join. The Centres all have excellent beginner facilities including a driving range which is open for public/general use. • All equipment will be provided, just wear something comfortable. • Quality PGA Professional Tuition • Maximum Group size 8-10 • For just £12 for the 4 week course, how could you not give it a go. • New courses every month during 2012.
For further information or to book your place, please contact Playgolf Reception on 01206 843333 and quote “Get into Golf for £12” or Colchester@playgolfworld.com Crondon Park Golf Club, Stock, Ingatestone Every Thursday evening 7.00-8.00pm Every Saturday morning 10.00-11.00am For further information or to book your place, please call Chris Wood 07779 210375 or the driving range 01277 829083 North Weald Golf Club, nr Epping Every Thursday evening 8.00 - 9.00pm Every Saturday morning 9.00 - 10.00am For more information or to book your place please call Paul Sullivan 07768 698699 or email paulsullivan319@aol.com Garon Park Golf Complex, Southend-on-Sea Every Saturday morning 11.00am - 12.00 noon Every Sunday morning 11.00am - 12.00 noon Every Wednesday evening 7.00pm - 8.00pm For more information or to book your place, please call the Pro Shop on 01702 601701 (option1).
OUR EIGHT GET INTO GOLF CENTRES ARE: Playgolf Colchester Every Tuesday evening 6.00-7.00pm Every Saturday morning 9.00-10.00am & afternoon 2.00-3.00pm
TopGolf Chigwell Every Tuesday evening 7.00pm - 8.00pm Every Thursday afternoon 10.30pm - 12.00noon (ladies only) For more information or to book your place, please call PGA Pro, Kenny
Partnership an alliance between the Essex County Golf Union, The Essex Ladies County Golf Association and the Essex Professional Golfers’ Association.
Banks 07894 110185 or kenny.banks@topgolf.com
Large inflatable golf net (Southend)
Cranfield Golf Centre, Chadwell Heath Every Wednesday morning 11.45am - 12.45pm Every Sunday afternoon 2.15pm - 3.15pm For more information or to book your place, please call PGA Pro Adam Davison 07429 811528 ad@cga-golf.com or call 0208 5971220
Half sets of men’s, ladies & Junior clubs, left and right handed (bag, irons, woods, putter)
Ingrebourne Links Golf Complex, Rainham Every Monday evening 7.00-8.00pm Every Sunday evening 6.00-7.00pm For more information or to book your place, please contact the Pro Shop on 01708 552054 Rivenhall Oaks Golf Centre, Witham Every Wednesday afternoon 1.30-2.30pm Every Saturday afternoon 12.00-1.00pm For more information or to book your place, please contact the Pro Shop on 01376 510222
Tri-Golf & Golf Xtreme sets How Does it Work? All you need to do is contact our County Development Officer, Helen Tarttelin, who can offer you advice if required and arrange for local collection and return. Whilst this service is FREE, we will ask for a refundable deposit to ensure that the equipment is both returned in good condition and on time to allow for others to use. We also ask that a simple monitoring form is completed in order that we can measure how many and who are participating. (If you tell us in advance of your activity we can also promote it on our website).
FREE EQUIPMENT HIRE Introduction Golf equipment is expensive and not always available, so to help clubs and schools be able to offer golf, we are pleased to make this equipment available for short-term loan. Organisers can borrow the equipment FREE of CHARGE. Please tell your friends and colleagues. What’s Available for Hire? For convenience, we have four equipment stores based around the county, with the following equipment available:
WHO TO CONTACT? Please feel free to contact Helen Tarttelin, County Development Officer if you have any questions relating to these pages or any other golf development queries.
HELEN TARTTELIN helen@essexgolfpartnership.com 07971 097976
AMATEUR INTERVIEW
Mitchel Sarling Rochford Hundred GC, Winner 2012 Boys Championships
47 MITCHEL SARLING AMATEUR INTERVIEW Ô Hi Mitchel, thank you for taking the time to do this interview today. How did last season go for you and what was your main highlight?
Ô Have you ever won the Club Championship at Rochford Hundred and would you say you were the best player at the club?
My season this year has been very consistent. My main highlight was probably winning Essex boys Championship or the Skevington Trophy, but shooting -5 in the North of England boys was up there too.
I have only played in it once and unfortunately I played poorly but I won the club championship when I was 14 at my previous course.
Ô Based on your performance last season, how do you aim to better that and what are your goals for the 2012 season? I have just broke in to the England U16 side which has giving me a lot of confidence, so next season I would like to aim to win a lot more than I have this year
Ô Which tournament are you looking forward to the most this year in Essex and why? Essex Armature, because this is the biggest tournament Essex hold, and I feel as thou I can be in contention next year.
Ô Out of all the courses being used for the Order of Merit tournaments this year, which one is your favorite and why? Although it is not the hardest course I do enjoy Romford, I always seem to play ok there.
Ô Essex is probably one of the most competitive counties for golf in the country, which is great from a player’s perspective with regards to challenge. But will you look elsewhere for tournaments and maybe compete at a more national level? Next year I will be travelling a lot more, competing at a National level like this year, ie The Carris Trophy, Sir Henry Cooper, McEvoy, Brabazon etc.
Ô Golf can get extremely expensive at times, what kind of support have you had growing up, have you ever worked, and who is your biggest fan? All my support has come from my family, I have never worked as I devote all my time to golf, and it has to be my dad as he has travelled with me up and down the country.
Ô You were a member at Rochford Hundred this season, so I’m sure you know it very well. What do you like most about the course and what is the lowest score you’ve ever shot round there?
Ô Essex boasts a variety of great golf courses. Other than Rochford Hundred what are your 2 favourite courses to play and why? I like Romford because it suits me and also Colne Valley were I won the Essex Boys Championship, this golf course is obviously special to me.
Ô The Thornton Cup is the most prestigious of the knockout trophies for club teams in the county, how is the Orsett team shaping up this year and can you see your team going all the way? Unfortunately last year we did not do great but this year I believe we can go all the way, we have some great players ie Conner Morris, Jimmy Dale, John Plesant etc.
Ô Golf is obviously a very difficult sport and we all make our mistakes and hit bad shots from time to time. Can you tell us about your most embarrassing shot or moment on the golf course that you can recall? In the Mcgregor this year I was there or there abouts with the leaders and I took 3 to get out of a bunker...that was embarrassing.
Ô Did you believe you would get the England call up this year and why? To be honest at the start of my season it did not cross my mind, but as the season went on, every event I played in it seemed like I did well or at least ok, then in North of England boys one of the managers came to watch me and I shot -5 for the tournament then I had my suspicions.
Ô What was your first reaction when you heard you received the call up. I was staying away for the week practicing in Sussex, my dad phoned me and told me, I was over the moon.
Ô What are your plans for 2013 to try and become a regular in the England set up? My plans next year are to do what I have done this year but finish better which I feel I have the experience to do now, especially in national events. It should be interesting.
The course its self is not that challenging but what I like about it is it has a lot of good players there who are good to compete against and practice with. I have had a few low rounds but in a tournament my lowest would be 66.
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
MITCHEL SARLING
• Winner of 2012 Boys Championships • U16 Essex Captain • England Regional Squad
D.O.B. 7/3/96
What are you doing now?
FROM: ESSEX HOME CLUB: ROCHFORD HUNDRED
I am preparing for the summer schedule which includes the McGregor, Carris, Essex Order of Merit, Faldo Series and many other competitions.
HANDICAP: 1
What are your plans for the Future
COACH: CHRIS JENKINS
I am enrolled in the Dennis Pugh Golf College Sept 12-July 14. Following college I would hopefully like to go to America or get involved with a golf school.
ESSEX OOM PLACE: 20
We are now available on your favorite portable devices — PC, Mac, iPad, Tablets, iPhone and Android.
50 COUNTY NEWS ESSEX GOLF UNION
Order of Merit 2012 Up to and including the Oliver Fisher Shield Club Order of Merit Events Name
Club
Points available
20
20
40
20
20
20
10
10
10
10
Points
KQ
KF
EAC
CT
RT
UT
TGT
SMBT
RS
OFS
9
10
10
5
7
Owen Pearl
Playgolf Colchester
118
5
4
39
10
11
20
Scott Brace
Stoke by Nayland
107
17
20
28
7
17
6
Jordan Slater
Playgolf Colchester
76
10
16
19
15
Jonathan Hewett
Clacton-on-Sea
72
13
James Allan
Chelmsford
70
2
Andy May
Boyce Hill
69
19
Daniel Rigby
Orsett
61
31
Bobby Keeble
Abridge
59
40
Thorndon Park
58
24
Abridge
58
24
Sam Crampton
Chelmsford
56
Andrew Reynolds
Benton Hall
53
Scott Hudson
Braintree
52
17
17
Orsett
50
19
17
Thomas Watkins
Crondon Park
49
15
4
Danny Carroll
The Essex
48
20
8
Jack Bennewith Reece Francis
Ales Woodward
13
24 33 12
4
31
48 47
Rochford Hundred
47
2
24
Arthur Leonard
Rochford Hundred
43
8
35
Steven Willett
Chelmsford
41
18
Thorndon Park
38
32
Thorndon Park
37
37
Clacton-on-Sea
37
37
West Essex
32
24
Samuel Teer Roy Gillman Liam Baker
7
31
5
Gareth Brown
Benton Hall
28
28
George Evans
Wanstead
28
Austyn Cambden
Stock Brook
26
Channels
25
13
12
Charlie Day
West Essex
25
17
8
Woolston Manor
25
25
Benjamin David
Colchester
21
9
Jake Bond
Wanstead
20
Jason Horne
Orsett
19
19
Tom Wiskin
Theydon Bois
19
16
17
Louis Lazarus
Abridge
17
10
19
15
7
11
4
8
6
2
1
8
1
10 6
10
26
6 20
3 18
14
7
9
18
Thomas Barker
Maylands
1
8 12
Sam Bray
15
6
17
18
10
19
15
15
18
6
17 15
29
Orsett
17
3
29
Stoke by Nayland
5
18
West Essex
Ian Carter
9
8
Chelmsford
Joe Kelly
20
19
Jonathan Christey
Ben Rose
6
11
Bentley
8
18
10
5
West Essex
Ben Horton
15
35
Billy Deville
James Court
11
9
38
Hugh Cambell Mitchell Sarling
7
4 17 7
10
6
Club Order of Merit Events
Order of Merit 2012 [ Continued ] Points available
20
20
40
20
20
20
10
10
10
10
Point
KQ
KF
EAC
CT
RT
UT
TGT
SMBT
RS
OFS
Name
Club
Steve Adkins
Stock Brook
16
Joe Ellis
Thorpe Hall
16
Todd Clements
16 5
Braintree
15
15
Daniel Garner
Romford
15
15
Sonny Martin
Thorndon Park
15
Chay Pratt
Frinton
14
2
Ian Moore
Maylands
13
9
Tony Ames
Maylands
12
Greg Claxton
Lords Rayleigh
12
Nick Elsom
Maylands
12
Barry Medcalf
Crondon Park
12
Channels
12
Josh Tobin
Langdon Hills
12
2
Scott Tuey
Maylands
12
8
Dominic Piccolo
12 4 12
8
4 4
4
10 4
West Essex
11
11
11
11
Lee Boyer
Romford
10
Jack Cook
Upminster
10
Alex Piccolo
Channels
10
9
Canons Brook
9
9
North Weald
9
9
Wanstead
7
Rochford Hundred
7
Ben Franklin Jamie Read
Frinton
7
Thorpe Hall
6
John Moncur
Woolston Manor
6
Lee Beagrie
Colne Valley
5
Christopher Grant
10 10
3
5
5 5
West Essex
3
Romford
3
Chelmsford
3
2
Abridge
3
2
West Essex
3
West Essex
2
Mitchell Wellington George Castle John Hanrahan
Boyce Hill
2
James McGilvray
Thorndon Park
2
Stock Brook
2
Abridge
1
Elliot Fullalove
Braintree
1
Ray Hallett
Langdon Hills
1
Colin Johnson
Hainault Forest
1
Abridge
1
Mason Papple Marc Brenner
Bobby Palmer
2
6
Braintree
Jordan Wallace
1 6
Crondon Park
Alasdair Plumb
4 4
Tom Wade
Steve Hazell
1
7
James Hedger
Ben Hayden
4
12
Burnham on Crouch
Jake Bacon
4
8
Jack Heasman
Tyler Wink
6
15
Tom Howard
Adam Winwood
5
5 5 3 3 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
52 COUNTY NEWS ESSEX SENIORS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Essex Seniors Team Championship Semi-Final Results Played Monday 6 August 2012
Quarter-Final Results Played 16 - 20 July 2012 Home Team Thorpe Hall Colchester *
5
v
6
Warley Park
Warley Park
5½
v
5½
4
v
7
Romford
10½
v
½
Orsett
The Lords Rayleigh Bentley
Venue Romford
Away Team
4½
v
6½
Bentley
County Officials in attendance - Roger Walmsley & John McInernery
Chelmsford
Venue Warley Park
Colchester
*Colchester win after a play-off
4½
v
6½
Romford
*Colchester win after a play-off- Philip Kirkham & Steve Golding
Final Results Played Tuesday 11 September 2012 Venue Essex
Bentley 8½
v
Romford 2½
This year’s final was held at the magnificent championship venue of the Essex Golf and Country Club, between Bentley and Romford Golf Clubs. The teams are made up of 11 players from each club. The weather was nice and sunny with a stiff breeze and it soon became apparent that the holders Romford were struggling in the conditions. Bentley won the first 6 matches and went on to win the event for the first time in their history. The Essex Golf Union would like to thank the Essex Golf and Country Club for hosting the event and their wonderful hospitality, as well as the many spectators that came to support both teams.
53 ALLAN LOCKWOOD TROPHY COUNTY NEWS
Allan Lockwood Trophy Quarter-Finals
Result
Semi-Final
Result
Final
Played on 23 September 2012 at Nazeing Golf Club
Played on 26 August 2012 Rob Hayne
Channels
Andrew Hicks
Epping
1up
Jamie Read
Frinton
4&2
Andrew Hicks
Jamie Read Grant Cairnie
Langdon Hills
Andy Higginson
Stoke by Nayland
5&4 The ďŹ nal had to be cancelled because of heavy rain and it was decided that Jamie Read and James Bussell would be joint winners.
3&2 Andy Higginson
Je Hannam
Langdon Hills
James Bussell
Colne Valley
6&4 James Bussell
Mark Walden
Rochford Hundrer
The Semi-Finals and the Final of the Allan Lockwood Trophy were played at Nazeing Golf Club on Sunday 23 September 2012. This is the only competition of its kind when club golfers at all levels can compete together on the County stage. 108 competitors started the road to the Semi-Final back in April. Andrew Hicks (Epping) and Jamie Read (Frinton) were in the first match and Jamie came out top to win 5 & 4. The second match was contested by Andy Higginson (Stoke by Nayland) and James Bussell (Colne Valley) and James won this 5 & 4. So the final was between Jamie Read and James Bussell and we were looking forward to some excellent golf, unfortunately the weather had other ideas. As the players were teeing off from the 1st teeing ground it started to rain and by the time they reached the ninth green the course was flooded and unplayable and we had to stop the match. It was then decide that both Jamie and James should share the trophy which will be presented at our County Dinner to be held at Colne Valley Golf Club in November.
4&3
54 COUNTY NEWS LESLIE F WOOD CHAMPIONSHIP
Leslie F Wood Championship 3rd Round Results
Quarter Final Results
Played on Sunday 10 June 2012
Played on Sunday 1 July 2012
Home Team Chigwell Chelmsford Harwich & Dovercourt Braintree Stoke by Nayland Colchester The Burstead Woolston Manor
6½ 12 5 11 8½ 10½ 9½ 11
v v v v v v v v
Away Team Ilford Hainault Forest Colne Valley Epping Bentley Top Meadow Stock Brook Canons Brook
8½ 3 10 4 6½ 4½ 5½ 4
Colne Valley Braintree* Woolston Manor Colchester
9½ 7½ 7 5
v The Burstead 5½ v Stoke by Nayland 7½ v Ilford 8 v Chelmsford 10
*Braintree won after a play-off.
Semi Final
Played on Sunday 5 August 2012 at Ilford Colne Valley 5
v
Braintree 10
County Officials in attendance - David Edwards & Steve Golding
Played on Sunday 5 August 2012 at Colne Valley Chelmsford 9
v
Ilford 6
County Officials in attendance - John Peters & Mike Thirkettle
The Final Played on Sunday 2 September 2012 at The Warren Golf Club Braintree 3½
v
Chelmsford 11½
Venue Braintree Colchester The Burstead Woolston Manor
55 LESLIE F WOOD PLATE & NORMAN PLUM TROPHY COUNTY NEWS
Leslie F Wood Plate Semi Final Played on Sunday 5 August 2012 Channels 3
v
Boyce Hill 7
Maylands 5½
v
Langdon Hill 4½
Final
To be played on Sunday 14 October 2012 at Crondon Park Golf Club Boyce Hill
v
Maylands
Norman Plum Trophy Quarter-Final Results
Semi-Final
Played on 16 - 22 July 2012
Played on Monday 6 - 12 August 2012
Clacton on Sea The Essex (Earls Colne) Abridge The Warren
198 217 200 208
v v v v
Benton Hall Garon Park Bentley Thorndon Park
203 183 194 193
The Warren
215
v
216
The Essex (Earls Colne)
223
v
196
Final To be played home & away on Sunday 23 September 2012 Benton Hall
v
The Essex (Earls Colne)
Benton Hall Abridge
56 COUNTY NEWS ESSEX GOLF UNION
Thornton Challenge Cup Quarter-Final Results
Semi-Final
Played on Sunday 22 July 2012
Played Sunday 12 August 2012
Home Team Stoke by Nayland 9½ Clacton on Sea Crondon Park 6½ Abridge 11 Chelmsford 10
v
Away Team Bentley
Venue 5½
v v v
Clacton on Sea Colchester Woolston Manor
8½ 4 5
Bentley Chelmsford Crondon Park
Abridge 10.5
v
Clacton on Sea 4.5
Stoke by Nayland 8 v
Venue Colchester
Chelmsford 7
Abridge
The Final Played played on Sunday 16 Sept 2012 at Wanstead Abridge 8
v
Stoke by Nayland 7
Thornton Cup Plate Braintree Langdon Hills Burnham-on-Crouch East Herts
Quarter-Final Results
Semi-Final
Played on Sunday 22 July 2012
Played Sunday 12 August 2012
6½ 3½ 4 6
v v v v
Playgolf Colchester Channels The Essex (Earls Colne) Theydon Bois
3½ 6½ 6 4
The Essex (Earls Colne) Channels
The Final To be played on Sunday 14 October 2012 at Crondon Park Golf Club East Herts
v
Channels
3.5 v 6.5
East Herts
5.5 v
Braintree
4.5
58 COUNTY NEWS UPMINSTER TROPHIES
Upminster Trophies Upminster Golf Club 22nd September 2012
Owen Pearl from Playgolf Colchester won the Upminster Bowl and by doing so claimed the Order of Merit winners crown for the most consistent golfer in the County. The Upminster Trophies are played annually at Upminster Golf Club, the Upminster Bowl is for players who are under 25 and the Upminster Trophy is for players that are 25 year old and over. On a wonderful sunny September day and with the Upminster course in fantastic condition with greens were running fast and true we were treated to some excellent golf. Owen Pearl posted a level par round of 69 to set the pace after the morning round, close on his heels were Ian Carter of Stoke by Nayland
and Louis Lazarus of Abridge who both recorded 1 over par round of 70. The afternoon round saw Owen consolidate his lead in the Upminster Bowl with another gross 69 for a total score of 138, 5 under the CCS of the day. Runner-up was Thomas Watkins (Rochford Hundred) on 141 and in 3rd place was Jonathan Hewett (Clacton on Sea) on 144. The winner of the Upminster Trophy was Ian Carter who after his morning round of 70, posted an afternoon score of 74 for a total of 144. Runner-up was Steve Adkins (Stock Brook) on 145. Sonny Martin from Thorndon Park won the handicap prize with a nett 134, runner-up was Thomas Watkins on nett 137.
The Romford Trophy Winner, James Allan of Chelmsbord The Romford Trophy was played on a wonderful summer’s day with the Romford course in superb condition. The trophy was won by the Captain of our U18 team, James Allan of Chelmsford who returned a score of 141 gross (one under standard scratch). Our amateur champion, Bobby Keeble of Abridge, came second with a gross score of 143. Bobby’s afternoon score of 68 gross was the best round of the day equalled only by Andrew Reynolds of Benton Hall who was fourth overall behind Reece Francis of Abridge.
Other notable scores were a gross 69 (two under standard scratch) by Owen Pearl of Colchester Playgolf, who led after the morning round, and Jake Bacon of Wanstead who returned a 69 in the afternoon. James Hedger of Braintree won the handicap prize with a nett total of 138, runner-up was Andrew Reynolds of Benton Hall on nett 141. Our thanks to Romford Golf Club who were excellent hosts.
60 COUNTY NEWS ESSEX FOURSOMES CHAMPIONSHIP
ESSEX FOURSOMES CHAMPIONSHIP Played at Thorpe Hall Golf Club
Orsett Retain Foursomes Trophy A total of 45 teams started in this competition representing 35 Clubs. The weather was chilly and windy with a brief spell of sunshine a lot of the team found the conditions hard. The morning round was very close, Colchester and Boyce Hill were setting the pace with gross 73’s with last year’s winners Mark Whiten and Alex Woodward from Orsett in close attendance on 74.
The afternoon score were very close but Orsett’s score of 76 for a total of 150 was enough to secure the championship for the second year running. Ben David and Alan Sharrocks from Colchester were runners-up on count back with Louise Lazarus and Reece Francis (Abridge) in third place with a total score of 151. Mick Welton the Club President presented the prizes and Chris Hamblion from Five Lakes got a ‘hole in one’ on the 7th.
61 ENGLAND GOLF CHMAPION OF CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENT COUNTY NEWS
ENGLAND GOLF Champion of Champions Tournament Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin Course) 22nd - 23rd September Boys Champion of Champions Our representative was Mitchell Sarling of Rochford 100 who won our Boys championship, he was very fortunate to be playing Woodhall Spa on a still sunny day . The competition was over 36 holes played on one day, the morning round for him was quite sound and he posted at 1 over par 74, this was a well put together round but included some scrambling to stay in the hunt. After lunch he faired rather worse and fell fail of Woodhall’s many severe bunkers carding an 83 for a total of 157 which left him in joint 16th place. He can be well satisfied with his performance of 11 over par because he won’t play many harder courses that Woodhall Spa. The Standard of play was outstanding with the winner Ashton Turner coming from Lincolnshire the home County and scoring a magnificent 7 under par 139. Special mention must however go to BB&O’s David Langley who in the afternoon had a course record equalling 64 to add to his morning score of 77 giving him 3rd place with a total of 14. These scores were quite remarkable as the CSS went up from 73 to 75 which goes to show that the vast majority found Woodhall Spa a truly tough test of golf.
Senior Champion of Champions Geoff King of West Essex was our representative having won the Seniors Championship. This competition was played over 2 round but with 18 holes on the Saturday and 18 on the Sunday. Geoff got of to a bad start but managed to steady round to finish on 81. Geoff was disappointed with his score but it still left him in with a fair chance at the title as the best round was only 76 an he was laying in 6th position.
However, with the second day came much more difficult conditions and Geoff had considerable difficulty with Woodhall’s bunkers and carded and 85 which left him in 13th position overall the winner Alan Mew of Hampshire scoring a very respectable 152.
County Champion of Champions We were represented by County Champion Bobby Keeble who on the face of it looked to have a good chance. This competition was played on a cold Sunday over 36 holes with a tricky wind and rain forecast for the afternoon. Bobby shot a 3 over par 76 in the morning but was in the hunt as the leaders were on 2 under par. With the afternoon came the rain and the scores got worse Bobby who was the last player out got the worst of the conditions and while the leaders fell away to level par Bobby held onto level par virtually all the way round and finished on 1 over par 74, a total of 150 and joint 7th place. The winner was Sam Dodds of Warwickshire who tied with Mark Young and David Gibson on Level Par Report by Michael Spall County President
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64 COUNTY NEWS EGU SOUTH EAST GROUP NORTH ESSEX V BB&O
Essex Golf Union South East Group (North) ESSEX v BB&O Romford Colf Club - September 9th 2012
65 EGU SOUTH EAST GROUP NORTH ESSEX V BB&O COUNTY NEWS
Foursome ESSEX
Points
Score
Points
BB&O
Owen Pearl /Scott Brace
0
2&1
1
Andrew Lynch/Ashley Watkins
Gary Oliver/Andy May
1
3&1
0
Max Smith/Ashley Walton
Alex Woodward/Mark Stones
1
3&2
0
James Foster/David Langley
Bobby Keeble/Jordan Slater
1
5&3
0
Ollie Tite/Joe Richards
TOTAL FOURSOME
3
1
Singles ESSEX
Points
Score
Points
NORFOLK
Bobby Keeble
1
4&2
0
Joe Richardson
Owen Pearl
1
1up
0
Andrew Lynch
Jordan Slater
1
4&2
0
Max Smith
Andy May
0
1up
1
Ashley Watkins
Gary Oliver
½
A/S
½
Ollie Tite
Scott Brace
0
2&1
1
James Foster
Alex Woodward
0
5&4
1
David Langley
Mark Stones
0
2&1
1
Ashley Walton
TOTAL SINGLES
3½
4½
TOTAL FOURSOMES
3
1
MATCH TOTAL
10½
5½
On a beautiful sunny day and on a very well presented Romford Golf club, Essex were looking to bounce back from their only defeat of the season last month. The County side got off to a flyer in this the final home match of the season against a very strong, unbeaten BB&O side. The morning foursomes gave us a 3-1 lead with good wins from Oliver & May, Woodward & Stones and Keeble & Slater, In the afternoon singles the County carried on where it left off in the morning with wins for Keeble Pearl & Slater, in the latter stages of the game BB&O came back strongly and at the end of the match the half secured by Oliver proved to be decisive in the result. Bob Paton Essex County Manager
66 COUNTY NEWS SE GROUP 212 BOYS FOURSOME
67 SE GROUP 212 BOYS FOURSOME COUNTY NEWS
Under 16 County Match ESSEX v NORFOLK Clacton GOLF CLUB August 13th 2012 Foursome ESSEX
Points
Score
Points
NORFOLK
Mitchel Sarling/ Jack Phillips
1
4/3
0
Harry Brister / Dylan Green
David Briffaut / Taylor Carter
1
2/1
0
Jake Metcalf / Tayloy Davis
Conor Rogers/ Joe Stevens
1
2up
0
Charlie Walsh / William Farley
Bobby Parmar/ Bailee Curran
½
AS
½
Aiden Tanner/ Jaime Bool
Luke Gosling / Josh Hickling
0
3/2
1
Tom Gomer / Chris Hills
TOTAL FOURSOME
3½
1½
Singles ESSEX
Points
Score
Points
NORFOLK
Mitchel Sarling - Captain
1
3/2
0
Harry Brister
Jack Phillips
1
3/2
0
Tom Gomer
David Briffaut
0
2&1
1
Jake Metcalf
Conor Rogers
1
3&2
0
Dylan Green
Taylor Carter
1
7/5
0
Taylor Davis
Joe Stevens
0
3&2
1
Bobby Parmar
1
1up
0
Bailee Curran
0
1up
1
Josh Hickling
1
1up
0
Charlie Walsh
Luke Gosling
½
AS
½
Aiden Tanner
TOTAL SINGLES
6½
3½
TOTAL FOURSOMES
3½
1½
MATCH TOTAL
10
5
On a perfectly presented course at Clacton Golf Club, Essex hosted their penultimate golf match of the year against Norfolk. Essex for once had a surprisingly good morning foursomes, with us winning 3 of the 5 matches, losing one & halving the other. With a good lead it now presented an opportunity for the younger squad members to show their ability in the afternoon singles. Unfortunately of the 5 younger members only 2 won their matches,
Chris Hills Aiden Tanner Jaimie Bool
namely Bobby Parmar & Josh Hickling, both 1 up, with Luke Gosling recording a half. The older boys led by Mitch Sarling all won their matches (bar one) with Taylor Carter recording the largest win of 7/5. Overall result was Essex 10 points, Norfolk 5 points.
Brian Collins County Team Manager
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70 ESSEX GOLF UNION HISTORY
First We Take Romford, Then We Take The World: President Mike Spall talks us through the Proud History of The Essex Golf Union
I
t was on a blustery late February day in 1924 that amateur golfers from Woodford to Wanstead, from Ilford to Boyce Hill, mustered their forces at Romford Golf Club united in the sole aim of promoting and developing amateur golf in their county. Representatives from no less than sixteen clubs gathered here on this historic day, and, after several ales, The Essex Golf Union was born. Under the watchful eye of First President of The Union and Captain of Wanstead Golf Club, J. J. Esplen, the members set about arranging a competition. The first arranged by the Union was a 36 holes medal, which became the Essex Amateur Championship, and was open to members of all Essex Clubs with a handicap of 12 or under. In 1924 Mr.C.Law (club unknown) was the first ever Essex Amateur Champion. The Championship continued to be played over 36 holes until 1955 when it was expanded to its current format of 72 holes. Early Minutes of the Union Committee Meetings reveal that
a number of notable people including Sir Winston Churchill, T. A. Torrance (Captain Walker Cup Team), Bernard Darwin and the Lord Chief Justice were all invited to the Union’s Annual Dinners on various occasions. We can only assume Churchill himself was more interested in the ale than the golf, given he once described his experience of playing the game as “Like chasing a quinine pill around a cow pasture.” The Essex Golf Union has gone from strength to strength over the years, never faltering in its aim to promote, encourage and inspire Essex amateur golfers. The creation of many more competitions and trophies is testament to this- The Veterans Trophy (Est. 1927), The Boys Championship (Est. 1932), and The Youth Shield (Est. 1951) to name but a few. This patronage and local encouragement has led to notable successes with Essex at a national level. (See subsection 1. Notable Firsts)
“[Playing golf] is like chasing a quinine pill around a cow pasture� Winston Churchill
9
72 ESSEX GOLF UNION HISTORY Throughout the years we have produced many outstanding players. In the 1950/60’s there was Ken Budd of West Essex and Sir Michael Bonallack of Thorpe Hall. The record of Sir Michael was quite outstanding and he was perhaps the greatest amateur of modern times winning the Essex County Championship 9 times from 1954, and a multitude of regional and national accolades culminating in his tenure as President of the English Golf Union and rightfully inducted into The World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. In recent years we have continued to help, encourage and develop many golfers that have fared well both in amateur ranks and, later, professionally. (See Subsection 2. Current Successful Players) In line with its objectives, The Essex Golf Union is proud to promote Golf at its highest level. We currently run Teams at under 14, under 16, under 18, colts (under 21), full County Team and Seniors (over 55’s.) In addition we have a wide range of coaching programmes to suit all levels, ages and abilities. We also arrange a number of County Competitions, including The Keating Trophy, The Cliffords Trophy and The Chigwel Bowl, and organise various Club Team Events. (See Subsection 3. Tournaments) With an extremely talented team and incredible amounts of dedication and hard work, golf in our county has gone from strength to strength, and in 2009 we saw the most well deserved success when we were crowned the English County Champions for the first time. Though we have a long and distinguished history, there has never been a more promising and exciting time in Essex Golf, and in conjunction with our global media partners Think Sports Media Ltd, we are putting every resource into ensuring further success in the future.
Notable county firsts 1971- For the first time since the competition was inaugurated in 1928 the Essex County Team gained first place in the S.E. Group qualifying competition for the English County Championship, defeating Surrey,
Sussex, Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Middlesex, Kent and B.B. & O. in a tremendously exciting finish at Northwood G. C. on 31st July 1971. In the final Staffordshire only narrowly beat Essex.
1997 – For the second time in its history the County team gained first place in the S.E group qualifying competition for the English County Championship.
1997 – For the first time in the history of ECAGU the boys won the English Boys County Championship. The Boys Team also won the S.E. Foursomes Championship.
2009
– For the first time in our history the County Team won the English Men’s County Championship. The Team was Matt Southgate, Jack Winer, James Webber, Andy Shakespeare, Ross Dee, Ross Spurgeon and Jay Beiser. In addition Dale Whitnell played in the qualifying event but had turned professional before the final.
Current success Notable examples are the Walker Cup Players Richard McEvoy, Oliver Fisher and Dale Whitnell. We currently have Simon Khan, Lloyd Kennedy, Richard McEvoy, Matt Southgate , Oliver Fisher and Robbie Coles on the European Tour, Dale Whitnell and Dan Brooks on the Challenge Tour and many promising players who are progressing through the lower ranked professional tours. In addition we have Geoff King of West Essex who won the English Seniors Championship and who represents England Internationally, Jack Heasman who has represented England at Junior level and Jack Hiluta who has also represented England.
Tournaments One of the key people who over the years has helped define our history Michael Bonallack
1982 President English Golf Union 1983/89 Secretary, Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews 1991 The Gerald Micklem Award Presented for his outstanding contribution to the interests of Amateur Golf in England 1999/2000 Captain, Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews 2001 Inducted into the World Of Golf Hall Of Fame Appointed President of The Golf Foundation
County Tournaments – The Keating Trophy, The Cliffords Trophy, The Chigwell Bowl, The Romford Trophy, and The Upminster Bowl. Club Team events – The Thorton Cup, an interclub knockout played off scratch. There is also the Leslie Wood Trophy an interclub knockout for players with handicaps of 7.5 or over, The Seniors Knockout for players over the age of 55, the Youth Sheild – a competition for under 18’s, the initial rounds of which are played on a zonal basis, the Norman Plum Trophy – a knockout competition for category 3 and 4 players. The Essex Match Play Championship (Allan Lockwood Trophy) a knockout competition which is open to players over 18 with a handicap of less than 28 and is played off handicap. We also run The Essex Foursomes Championships and the Boys Foursomes Championship which are played off scratch, and not forgetting the Mullis Foursomes which is open to all handicaps.
Ashwells Sports & Country Club
There are certain occasions in life when every possible effort must be made to create the perfect day to look back on. The wedding celebration is one such occasion when attention to detail makes all the difference. Set in the gentle quietness of the Essex countryside yet just two miles from the M25 Brentwood and only seven miles from historic Ongar, Ashwells Country Club is the perfect location for your big day. Ashwells prides itself on being one of the finest wedding venues in Essex with over 20 years of experience hosting wedding breakfasts and receptions. Ashwells is one of the most idyllic venues for your wedding reception and for civil marriage ceremonies with many bookings coming from personal recommendation. Ashwells has two main areas for wedding celebrations, The Club House which is situated with a poolside terrace on one side and sweeping lawns to the other, and The Willow Room which provides an exquisite setting for both the wedding breakfast and reception party in the evening Ashwells can sit up to 100 guests and 250 guests party buffet style and when the wedding reception does begin what better setting can guests enjoy than taking a breath of fresh air in our beautiful landscaped gardens.
The surroundings alone make Ashwells the perfect spot for that special celebration–whether it’s a wedding, anniversary or company reception they are all given that extra touch of class. The friendly staff are available to offer advice on every aspect of your wedding day from local register offices to assistance with creating a personalised wedding menu for you and your guests. Also available are Weekday and Weekend Special and De-Luxe packages to suit all budgets. . Feel free to call on 01277 373828 to book your personal viewing. www.ashwells.co.uk
Weekday Weddings 50 daytime guests 100 evening guests Wedding Packages From £3,895* Inc VAT
Weekend Weddings 60 daytime guests 120 evening guests Wedding Packages From £5,095* Inc VAT
74 ESSEX GOLF UNION VENUES
2012 Tournament Venues
Chelmsford - Essex Seniors Championship Chelmsford – Senior Trophy
Upminster – Upminster Trophies
Chigwell – Chigwell Bowl & Colt’s Championship
Crondon Park – Keating Trophy
Colne Valey – Essex Boys Championship
Romford – Romford Trophy
Canons Brook – Essex Amateur Championship
Union
ESSEX GOLF
THE 2012
BLACKBOOK DIRECTORY
BLACK BOOK AZ LISTINGS
A ABRIDGE Epping Lane Stapleford Tawney Romford RM4 1ST Sec:: 01708 688396 Pro: 01708 688333 Email: info@abridgegolf.com Website: www.abridgegolf.com
B BALLARDS GORE Gore Road Canewdon Rochford SS4 2DA Sec: 01702 258917 Pro: 01702 258924 Fax: 01702 258571 Email: info@ballardsgore.com Website: www.ballardsgore.com BASILDON CLAY HILL Basildon SS16 5JP Hon Secretary: Mr G Eaton Sec: 01268 533297 Members: 01268 533297 Pro: 01268 533532 Email: basildongc@uk6.net Website: www.basildongolfclub.org.uk BELFAIRS Eastwood Road North Leigh-on-Sea SS9 4LR Hon Secretary: Mr H Brown Email: info@belfairsgolfclub.co.uk Sec: 01702 615642 Members: 01702 526911 Pro: 01702 525345 Website: www.belfairsgolfclub.co.uk BELHUS PARK Belhus Park Municipal Club Golf Course Avely By-pass South Ockendon RM14 4QR Hon Secretary: Mr D.(David) Clifford Club: 01375 411136 Sec: 07765 396903 Pro: 01708 854260 Email: dclifford@blueyonder.co.uk Website: www.belhusparkgc.co.uk
BENTLEY GOLF CLUB ONGAR ROAD Pilgrims Hatch Brentwood Essex CM15 9SS Sec: 01277 373179 Pro: 01277 372933 Fax: 01277 375097 Email: secretary@bentleygolfclub.com Website: www.bentleygolfclub.com BENTON HILL Wickham Hill Witham CM8 3LH Sec: 01376 502454 Pro: 01376 502454 Fax: 01376 521050 Email: s.clark@theclubcompany.com Website: www.theclubcompany.com BIRCH GROVE Layer Road Kingsford Colchester Fax: CO2 OHS Sec: 01206 734276 Pro: 01206 734276 Email: maureen@birchgrove.fsbusiness. co.uk Website: www.birchgrovegolfclub.co.uk BLAKES Epping Road North Weald Epping CM16 6RZ Sec: 01992 525151 Pro: Fax: 01992 525153 Email: info@blakesgolfclub.com Website: www.blakesgolfclub.com BOYCE HILL 125 Vicarage Hill South Benfleet SS7 1PD Sec: 01268 793625 Pro: 01268 752565 Fax: 01268 750497 Email: secretary@boycehillgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.boycehillgolfclub.co.uk BRAINTREE Kings Lane Stisted Braintree CM77 8DD Sec: 01376 346079 Pro: 01376 343465 Fax: 01376 348677 Email: manager@braintreegolfclub.co.uk Website: www.braintreegolfclub.co.uk
BRAXTED PARK Braxted Park Witham CM8 3EN Sec: 01376 572372 Pro: 01376 572372 Fax: 01376 572372 Email: golf@braxtedpark.com Website: www.braxtedpark.com BRENTWOOD D Warley Gap Brentwood Essex CM13 3DP Tel: 01277 205809 BUNSAY DOWNS Little Baddow Road Woodham Walter Maldon CM9 6RW Sec: 01245 222648 Pro: Fax: BURNHAM-ON-CROUCH Ferry Road Creeksea Burnham-on-Crouch CM10 8PQ Sec: 01621 782282 Pro: 01621 782282 Fax: 01621 784489 Email: info@burnhamgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.burnhamgolfclub.co.uk
C CANONS BROOK Elizabeth Way Harlow CM19 5BE Sec: 01279 421482 Pro: 01279 418357 Fax: 01279 626393 Email: sjl.canonsbrook@btconnect.com Website: www.canonsbrook.com CASTLE POINT Somes Avenue Canvey Island SS8 9FG Sec: 01268 510830 Pro: 01268 510830 Email: belindadekoster@hotmail.com Website: www.castlepointgolfclub.co.uk
www.essexgolfunion.org AC BLACK BOOK
CHINGFORD GOLF DRIVING RANGE D 293 Waltham Way Chingford E4 8AQ Tel: 0208 5292409
CHANNELS Farm Lane Little Waltham Chelmsford CM3 3PT Sec: 01245 440005 Pro: 01245 441056 Fax: 01245 442032 Email: info@channelsgolf.co.uk Website: www.channelsgolf.co.uk
CLACTON-ON-SEA West Road Clacton-on-Sea CO15 1AJ Sec: 01255 421919 Pro: 01255 426304 Fax: 01255 424602 Email: manager@clactongolfclub.com Website: www.clactongolfclub.com COLCHESTER D Old Ipswich Road Ardleigh Colchester Essex CO7 7QR Tel: 01206 230974 COLCHESTER 21 Braiswick Colchester CO4 5AU Sec: 01206 853396 Pro: 01206 853920 Fax: 01206 852698 Email: secretary@colchestergolfclub.com Website: www.colchestergolfclub.com
CHELMSFORD Widford Road Chelmsford Essex CM2 9AP Sec: 01245 256483 option 1 Pro: 01245 257079 Email: office@chelmsfordgc.co.uk Website: wwwchelmsfordgc.co.uk
CHIGWELL The Clubhouse High Road Chigwell IG7 5BH Sec: 020 8500 2059 Pro: 020 8500 2384 Fax: 020 8501 3410 Email: info@chigwellgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.chigwellgolfclub.co.uk CHINGFORD 158 Station Road Chingford London E4 7RL Sec: Members: 020 8529 2107 Pro Shop: 020 8529 5708 Fax: 020 8529 8878 Email: chingfordgolfclub@yahoo.com
CRONDON PARK Stock Road Stock CM4 9DP Sec: 01277 841115 Pro: 01277 843027 Fax: 01277 841356 Email: info@crondon.com Website: www.crondon.com
CROWLANDS HEATH Wood Lane Dagenham RM8 1JX Sec: 020 8984 7373 Pro: 020 8984 7373 Fax: 020 8984 0505 Email: info@crowlandsheath.co.uk Website: www.crowlandsheath.co.uk
E
COLNE VALLEY Station Road Earls Colne Colchester CO6 2LT Sec: 01787 224343 Pro: 01787 224343 Fax: 01787 224126 Email: info@colnevalleygolfclub.co.uk Website: www.colnevalleygolfclub.co.uk CRANFIELD D Whalebone Lane Chadwell Heath Essex RM6 6SB Tel: 020 8597 1120
ELSENHAM Hall Road Elsenham Bishops Stortford CM22 6DH Sec: 01279 812865 Pro: Fax: Email: info@elsenhamgolfandleisure.co.uk Website: www.egcltd.co.uk
D = Driving Range
79
BLACK BOOK AZ LISTINGS
EPPING Flux’s Lane Epping CM16 7PE Sec: 01992 572282 Pro: 01992 572282 Fax: 01992 575512 Email: info@eppinggolfcourse.org.uk Website: www.eppinggolfcourse.org.uk EPPING GOLF RANGE D UK GOLF ACADEMY Upland Rd Thornwood Epping CM16 6NL Tel: +44 (0) 1992 570707 Email: enquiries@ukgolfacademy.com Website: www.ukgolfacademy.com
F FAIRLOP WATERS Forest Road Barkingside Ilford IG6 3HN Sec: 020 8500 9911 Pro: 020 8501 1881 Fax: 020 8501 4316 Email: aabel@vision-rcl.org.uk Website: www.fairlopwaters.info FIVE LAKES Colchester Road Tolleshunt Knights Maldon CM9 8HX Sec: 01621 868888 Pro: 01621 862426 Fax: 01621 869696 Email: golfoffice@cpcolchester.co.uk Website: www.cpcolchester.co.uk FORRESTER PARK Beckingham Road Great Totham Maldon CM9 8EA Sec: 01621 891406 Pro: 01621 862326 Fax: 01621 891406 Email: info@forresterparkltd.com Website: www.forresterparkltd.com FRINTON 1 The Esplanade Frinton-on-Sea CO13 9EP Sec: 01255 674618 Pro: 01255 682456 Fax: 01255 682450 Email: thesecretary@frintongolfclub.com Website: www.frintongolfclub.com
G GARON PARK Garon Park Eastern Avenue Southend-on-Sea SS2 4FA Sec: 01702 601701 Pro: 01702 601701 Fax: 01702 601033 Email: debbie@garonparkgolf.co.uk Website: www.garonparkgolf.co.uk
HARWICH & DOVERCOURT Station Road Parkeston Harwich CO12 4NZ Sec: 01255 503616 Pro: Fax: 01255 503323 Email: secretary@harwichanddovercourt golfclub.com Website: www.harwichanddovercourtgolfclub.com
GOSFIELD LAKE Hall Drive Gosfield Halstead CO9 1SE Sec: 01787 474747 Pro: 01878 474488 Fax: 01787 476044 Email: gosfieldlakegc@btconnect.com Website: www.gosfield-lake-golf-club.co.uk
H HAINAULT FOREST Romford Road Chigwell Row IG7 4QW Sec: 020 8500 0385 Pro: 020 8500 2131 Fax: 020 8501 0163 Email: david.cope@hainaultgolf.co.uk Website: www.hainaultgolf.co.uk HAMFORD VIEW D Harwich CO12 5JJ Tel: 01255 886892 HARTSWOOD King George’s Playing Field Ingrave Road Brentwood CM14 5AE Sec: 01277 218850 Pro: 01277 214830 Fax: 01277 218850
HOCKLEY GOLF RANGE D Aldermans Hill Hockley SS5 4RP Tel: 01702 207 218 HYLANDS Main Road Ingatestone CM4 0ET Sec: 01277 356016 Pro: 01277 356016 Fax: 01277 356056 Email: info@hylands-gc.com Website: www.hylands-gc.com
I ILFORD 291 Wanstead Park Road Ilford IG1 3TR Sec: 020 8554 2930 Pro: 020 8554 0094 Fax 020 8554 0822 Email: info@ilfordgolfclub.com Website: www.ilfordgolfclub.com LANGDON HILLS Lower Dunton Road Bulphan RM14 3TY Club: 01268 548444 Pro: 01268 544300 Fax: 01268 490084 Email: secretary@golflangdon.co.uk Website: www.golflangdon.co.uk D = Driving Range
www.essexgolfunion.org
L LEIGH D Leigh Marshes Leigh On Sea SS9 2E Tel: 01702 710586 LEXDEN WOOD Bakers Lane Colchester CO3 4AU Sec: 01206 843333 Pro: 01206 843333 Fax 01206 854775 Email: secretary@lexdenwood.com Website: www.lexdenwood.com LORDS RAYLEIGH Hullbridge Road Rayleigh SS6 9QS Sec: 01702 232377 Fax: 01702 233725 Email: reception@lordscountryclub.com Website: www.lordscountryclub.com LOUGHTON Clay Lane Debden Green Loughton Essex IG10 2RZ Sec: 020 8502 2923 Email: tmarson@loughtongolfclub.co.uk Website: www.loughtongolfclub.co.uk
M MALDON Beeleigh Langford Maldon CM9 4SS Sec: 01621 853212 Fax: 01621 855232 Email: maldon.golf@virgin.net Website: www.maldon-golf.co.uk MARDYKE VALLEY South Road South Ockendon RM15 6RR Sec: 01708 855011 Fax: 01708 855011 Email: secretary@mardykevalley.co.uk Website: www.mardykevalley.co.uk
MAYLANDS Colchester Road Harold Park Romford RM3 0AZ Sec: 01708 341777 Fax: 01708 343777 Email: maylands@maylandsgolf.com Pro: 01708 346466 Website: www.maylandsgolf.com MILLERS BARN Jaywick Lane Clacton-on-Sea CO15 2PH Sec: 01255 424826 Website: www.millersbarngolf.co.uk
N NAZEING Middle Street Nazeing EN9 2LW Sec: 01992 893915 Pro: 01992 893798 Fax: 01992 893882 Email: proshop@robgreen.co.uk Website: www.nazeinggolfclub.co.uk NORTH WEALD Rayley Lane North Weald Epping CM16 6AR Sec: 01992 522118 Pro: 01992 522118 Fax: 01992 522881 Email: info@northwealdgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.northwealdgolfclub.co.uk
R RAYLEIGH D London Road Rawreth Wickford Essex SS11 8TZ Tel: 01268 781706 Email: rayleigh @discountgolfstore.co.uk Website: www.discountgolfstore.co.uk REGIMENT WAY Back Lane Little Waltham Chelmsford CM3 3PR Sec: 01245 361100 Fax: 01245 442032 Email: info@regimentway.co.uk Website: www.regimentway.co.uk RISEBRIDGE Risebridge Chase Lower Bedfords Road Romford RM1 4DG Hon-Secretary: Mr P Wells Club: 01708 727376 Pro: 01708 741429 Website: www.risebridgegolfclub.co.uk RIVENHALL OAKS Forest Road Witham CM8 2PS Sec: 01376 510222 Fax: 01376 510932 Email: info@rivenhalloaksgolf.co.uk Website: www.rivenhalloaksgolf.co.uk
THE NOTLEYS The Green White Notley Braintree CM8 1RG Sec: 01376 329328 Pro: 01376 329328 Email: info.notleysgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.notleysgolfclub.co.uk
O ORSETT Brentwood Road Orsett RM16 3DR Sec: 01375 891352 Pro: 01375 891797 Fax: 01375 892471 Email: enquiries@orsettgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.orsettgolfclub.com
ROCHFORD HUNDRED Rochford Hall Hall Road Rochford SS4 1NW Sec: 01702 544302 Pro: 01702 548968 Fax: 01702 541343 Email: admin@rochfordhundredgolfclub. co.uk Website: www.rochfordhundredgolfclub. co.uk
D = Driving Range
81
BLACK BOOK AZ LISTINGS
ROMFORD Heath Drive Gidea Park Romford RM2 5QB Sec: 01708 740986 Pro: 01708 749393 Fax: 01708 752147 Email: info@romfordgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.romfordgolfclub.com ROYAL EPPING Forest Approach Forest Chingford London E4 7AZ Sec: 020 8529 2195 Pro: 020 8529 5708 Fax: 020 8559 4664 Email: office@refgc.co.uk Website: www.refgc.co.uk
S ST CLERES HALL London Road Stanford le Hope SS17 0LX Sec: 01375 673007 Fax: 01375 361565 Email: events.stcleres@hotmail.co.uk Website: www.stcleresgolf.co.uk SOUTHEND-ON-SEA Belfairs Lodge Belfairs Park Leigh-on-sea SS9 4LN Hon. Sec. N Blenkinsop Email: iansouthgate@gmail.com Sec: 01702 473206 Pro Shop: 01702 525345 Website: www.southendgolfclub.co.uk SOUTH ESSEX Brentwood Road Herongate CM13 3LW Sec: 01277 811289 Website: www.southessexgolf.co.uk Email: southessex@crown-golf.co.uk STAPLEFORD ABBOTTS Horsemans Side Tysea Hill Stapleford Abbotts Romford RM4 1JU Sec: 01708 381108 Pro: 01708 381108 Fax: 01708 386345 Email: staplefordabbotts@crown-golf.co.uk Website: www.staplefordabbottsgolf.co.uk
STOCK BROOK Queens Park Avenue Billericay CM12 OSP Dir.of Golf 01277 653616 Stock Pro: 01277 658181 Fax: 01277 633063 Email: craigl@stockbrook.com Website: www.stockbrook.com STOKE BY NAYLAND Keepers Lane Leavenheath Colchester Essex C06 4PZ Sec: 01206 265815 Pro shop: 01206 265812 Fax: 01206 265840 Email: golfsecretary@stokebynayland.com Website: www.stokebynayland.com SWINGFIELD FAMILY D GOLF CENTRE Steeple Rd Latchingdon Chelmsford Essex CM3 6LD Tel: 01621 744474
T THE BELVEDERE D Hardings Elms Road Crays Hill Billericay Essex, CM11 2UH Tel: 01268 286612 THE BURSTEAD Tye Common Road Little Burstead Billericay CM12 9SS Sec: 01277 631171 Pro: 01277 631171 Fax: 01277 632766 Email: info@thebursteadgolfclub.com Website: www.thebursteadgolfclub.com THE ESSEX GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB Earls Colne Airfield Earls Colne nr. Colchester Essex C06 2NS Sec: 01787 224466 Pro: 01787 224466 Fax: 01787 224410 Email: i.cocker@theclubcompany.com Website: www.theclubcompany.com
THE WARREN Woodham Walter Maldon CM9 6RW Sec: 01245 223258 Pro: 01245 224662 Email: enquiries@warrengolfclub.co.uk Website: www.warrengolfclub.co.uk Fax: 01245 223989 THEYDON BOIS Theydon Road Epping CM16 4EH Sec: 01992 813054 Pro: 01992 812460 Fax: 01992 815602 Email: theydonboisgolf@btconnect.com Website: www.theydongolf.co.uk THORNDON PARK Thorndon Park Ingrave Brentwood CM13 3RH Sec: 01277 810345 Pro: 01277 810736 Fax: 01277 810645 Email: office@thorndonpark.com Website: www.thorndonparkgolfclub.com THORPE HALL Thorpe Hall Avenue Thorpe Bay SS1 3AT Sec: 01702 582205 Pro: 01702 588195 Fax: 01702 584498 Email: fe@thorpehallgc.co.uk Website: www.thorpehallgc.co.uk THREE RIVERS Stow Road Cold Norton Purleigh Chelmsford CM3 6RR Sec: 01621 828631 Pro: 01621 828631 Fax: 01621 828060 Email: info@threeriversclub.com Website: www.threeriversclub.com TIPTREE D Newbridge Road Tiptree Colchester Essex CO5 0HZ Tel: 01621 819374
D = Driving Range
www.essexgolfunion.org
TOOT HILL School Road Toot Hill Ongar CM5 9PU Sec: 01277 365523 Pro: 01277 365747 Fax: 01277 364509 Email: office@toothillgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.toothillgolfclub.co.uk TOP GOLF GAME CENTRE D Abridge Road Chigwell Essex IG7 6BX Tel: +44 (0) 20 8500 2644 TOP MEADOW Fen Lane North Ockendon Upminster RM14 3PR Pro: 01708 859545 Sec: 01708 852239 Fax: 01708 852598 Email: info@topmeadow.co.uk Website: www.topmeadow.co.uk TOWERLANDS PARK Panfield Road Braintree Essex CM7 5BJ Sec: 01376 342681 Club: 01376 326802 Fax: 01376 552487 Email: info@unextowerlandscentre.com Website: www.unextowerlandscentre.com
U UPMINSTER 114 Hall Lane Upminster RM14 1AU Pro: 01708 220000 Fax: 01708 222484 Email: secretary@upminstergolfclub.co.uk Website www.upminstergolfclub.co.uk W WANSTEAD Overton Drive Wanstead London E11 2LW Sec: 020 8989 3938 Pro: 020 8989 3938 Fax: 020 8532 9138 Email: wgclub@aol.com Website: www.wansteadgolf.org.uk
WARLEY PARK Magpie Lane Little Warley Brentwood CM13 3DX Sec: 01277 224891 Pro: 01277 200441 Fax: 01277 200679 Email: enquiries@warleyparkgc.co.uk Website: www.warleyparkgc.co.uk WEALD PARK Coxtie Green Road South Weald Brentwood Sec: 01277 375101 Pro: Fax: 01277 374888 CM14 5RJ Email: info@wealdpark.net Website: www.wealdpark.net WEST ESSEX Bury Road Chingford London E4 7QL Sec: 020 8529 7558 Pro: 020 8529 4367 Fax: 020 8524 7870 Email: sec@westessexgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.westessexgolfclub.co.uk
If you would like to list your company, organisation or venue with us please send us an email or call Rob Jarvis on: rob@thinksportsmedia.com M: 07514 334045 T: 0208 123 1073
WOODFORD 2 Sunset Avenue Woodford Green IG8 0ST Sec: 020 8504 3330 Pro: 020 8504 4254 Fax: 020 8559 0504 Email: office@woodfordgolf.co.uk Website: www.woodfordgolf.co.uk WOOLSTON MANOR Abridge Road Chigwell IG7 6BX Sec: 020 8500 2549 Pro: 020 8500 2549 Fax: 020 8501 5452 Email: bradley@woolstonmanor.com Website: www.woolstonmanor.co.uk WOODHAM MORTIMER D Burnham Road, Woodham Mortimer CM9 6SR Tel: 01245 222276 Email: ian.moss@btconnect.com
D = Driving Range
83
84 25 UNDER 25 25 TOP AMATEURS OF 2011
25 Under 25 ADAM MORRIS BENTON HALL
OWEN PEARL PLAY GOLF COLCHESTER
JORDAN WALLACE ABRIDGE
DANNY CARROLL ESSEX G&CC
JORDAN SLATER HARWICH & DOVERCOURT
ALASDAIR PLUMB CHELMSFORD
BEN HERBERT CLACTON-ON-SEA
GEORGE EVANS BENTON HALL
REECE FRANCIS LOUGHTON
MITCHEL SARLING ROCHFORD HUNDRED
JACK HEASMAN WEST ESSEX
JAKE BOND WANSTEAD
JAME ALLAN CHELMSFORD
JOE KELLY WOOLSTON MANOR
BOBBY KEEBLE WEST ESSEX
HUGH CAMPBELL WEST ESSEX
MASON PAPPLE STOCK BROOK MANOR
RICKY BRACKENBURY ORSETT
DAN GARNER ROMFORD
LUKE RICHARDSON BRAINTREE
SAM WILDING ROMFORD
LEWIS ADAIR ORSETT
JACK HILUTA CHELMSFORD
REECE PHILLIPS WEST ESSEX
ARTHUR LEONARD ROCHFORD HUNDRED
61
86 25 UNDER 25 ADAM MORRIS
1
FACTFILE ADAM MORRIS
Notable Achievements:
D.O.B: 29/12/1988
• Keating Trophy winner • Essex Order of Merit winner • Essex representative for 5 years • Played for Buckinghamshire University golf team for 3 years
FROM: HATFIELD PEVRIL
What are you doing now?
HOME CLUB: BENTON HALL HANDICAP: +1 COACH: GARY PIKE ESSEX OOM PLACE: 1
Working full time in advertising
What are your plans for the future? I would like to continue working full time and not pursue a golf career
“What’s nice about our tour is you can’t remember your bad shots.”
Bob Bruce, about the senior tour
88 25 UNDER 25 OWEN PEARL
2
FACTFILE OWEN PEARL D.O.B: 13/09/89 FROM: BURY ST. EDMUNDS HOME CLUB: PLAY GOLF COLCHESTER FORMERLY LEXDEN WOOD HANDICAP: 0 COACH: NICK ARTER ESSEX OOM PLACE: 2
Notable Achievements: • Colchester Golf Club’s Club Championship winner • Keating Trophy runner-up • Essex representative for Men’s and Colt’s teams What are you doing now? Working full time at American Golf
What are your plans for the future? I would like to turn professional and play provided I can get the necessary funding, but if all else fails I would like to get my PGA qualifications
“Golf, like the measles, should be caught young, for, if postponed to riper years, the results may be serious�
P.G. Wodehouse, A Mixed Threesome, 1922
90 25 UNDER 25 JORDAN WALLACE
View my 12 page golfing profile here: http://issuu.com/thinksportsmedia/docs/jordanwallace
FACTFILE JORDAN WALLACE
Notable Achievements:
D.O.B: 23/06/92
What are you doing now?
FROM: ESSEX HOME CLUB: ABRIDGE HANDICAP: +0.3 COACH: STEVEN TYSON
ESSEX OOM PLACE: 3
• Leading Under 20’s Player of Essex County 2011 • Keating Trophy 2011 3rd place Entering and preparing for this year’s UK tournaments
What are your plans for the future? I would like to pursue a U.S golf scholarship
Image: Wisconsin Historical Images
3
“If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they’d starve to death”
Sam Snead
92 25 UNDER 25 DANNY CARROLL
4
Notable Achievements: • Essex Golf and Country Club Championships winner
• Forrester Park Club Championships two time winner
• Represented Essex in the Colts and Men’s teams
• Romford Trophy runner up 2011 • Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy runner up 2011 • Keating Trophy semi-finalist 2011
FACTFILE DANNY CARROLL D.O.B: 31/08/90 FROM: TIPTREE HOME CLUB: THE ESSEX GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB HANDICAP: 0 COACH: GARY CARTER ESSEX OOM PLACE: 4
What are you doing now? Working out in the gym and getting fit for the season ahead, and going to Turkey to do some practice in some nice weather in preparation for the season
What are your plans for the future? I would like to be a successful playing professional on the international tours
“Through years of experience I have found that air offers less resistance than dirt �
Jack Nicklaus, on why he tees his ball high
94 25 UNDER 25 JORDAN SLATER
5
FACTFILE JORDAN SLATER D.O.B: 18/07/93 FROM: DOVERCOURT HOME CLUB: HARWICH AND DOVERCOURT HANDICAP: 0 COACH: NICK ARTER ESSEX OOM PLACE: 5
Notable Achievements: • Romford Trophy 2011 winner • Club Champion 2011 at Harwich and Dovercourt • Represented England Schools at U21’s level • Current Essex Colts team member • Has represented Essex at U18 level as well What are you doing now? Working and practicing to prepare for the season ahead
What are your plans for the future? I would like to be a playing professional on any of the international tours, but if all else fails I would like to do my PGA qualifications and teach
HARWICH & DOVERCOURT GC
www.harwichanddovercourtgolfclub.com
HARWICH & DOVERCOURT GC is situated just a stones throw away from the historical sea town of Harwich in North Essex. A 9-hole course that plays just over 6,000 yards, this a hidden jewel nestling on the River Stour Estuary. It is 17 miles from the Britain’s oldest recorded town of Colchester, and is in close proximity to the beautiful ‘Constable Countryside’ of the Essex and Suffolk border. Formed in 1906, this is a traditional and testing parkland golf course that offers a fantastic days golf for players of all ages. A warm welcome from staff and members is always assured, and hosts a full bar and restaurant facilities using locally sourced fresh food, available at most times. Please visit our website for more information on
“a hidden jewel”
on the River Stour Estuary HARWICH & DOVERCOURT GC STATION ROAD, PARKESTON, HARWICH, ESSEX CO12 4NZ Phone: (01255) 503616 Fax: (01255) 503323 Email: secretary@harwichanddovercourtgolfclub.com Please Visit our Website: www.harwichanddovercourtgolfclub.com
membership, green fees and society days. Enjoy.
96 25 UNDER 25 JOE KELLY
6
FACTFILE JOE KELLY D.O.B: 25/05/92 FROM: CHIGWELL HOME CLUB: WOOLSTON MANOR
Notable Achievements: • Abridge Scratch winner 2009 • Oliver Fisher Shield winner 2010 • Cliffords Trophy winner 2011 • Top 5 in the Essex Order of Merit 2009 and 2010 • Played at Western Texas College in America What are you doing now? Looking at turning professional in May and going to be the assistant at Orsett Golf Club
HANDICAP: 0 COACH: BRADLEY PRESTON ESSEX OOM PLACE: 6
What are your plans for the future? I would like to teach and play golf to see where it takes me and one day would like to own my own golf school
“Trevino is in a league by himself. We don’t even count him. We figure when you come in second, you’re a winner”
Chi Chi Rodriguez
98 25 UNDER 25 BOBBY KEEBLE Notable Achievements:
7
• Upminster Bowl winner 2010 with 76 64. The 64 equalling the amateur course record at the age of 15
• Selected to represent the South East regional squad 2010/11
• Captain of the U16 Essex squad 2011 • Winner of the inter-club home nations championship 2011 and lowest gross score 69 (-2) over all 3 days, also won all 3 games gainst Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
• 9th in the South East Boys qualifier • Selected to represent the mens county team 2011/12
• Essex Amateur Championship 2011 runner up with scores of 75 72 73 73 at the age of 15
• Essex U21 Championship 2011 (T2 in the Essex Boys Championship) • Essex U16 Championship winner • Essex Boys Foursomes Championship winner • Oliver Fisher Shield Trophy 3rd place • Eastern Counties Championship runner up • 1 of 2 boys to get picked to represent England in the U16 Minorca open 3rd in the U16 Menorca Open
FACTFILE BOBBY KEEBLE D.O.B: 21/08/95 FROM: HAINAULT HOME CLUB: ABRIDGE HANDICAP: +2 COACH: CHRIS JENKINS
ESSEX OOM PLACE: 7
What are you doing now? I have been playing full time golf all winter and am now preparing for the up and coming season.
What are your plans for the future? My plans for the future are to keep playing in National events, try to represent the main England side, play in the walker cup team and turn pro in later stages
“If there’s lightning on the golf course hold a one iron above your head. Even God can’t hit a one iron”
Lee Trevino (who incidentally has been struck by lightning twice!)
100 25 UNDER 25 REECE PHILIPS
8
FACTFILE REECE PHILIPS D.O.B: 21/07/89 FROM: CHESHUNT, HERTFORDSHIRE
Notable Achievements: • Chigwell Bowl winner 2010 • County Champs runner up 2011 • Final stage of Open Qualifying • Oliver Fisher Trophy runner up last 2 years • Romford Trophy runner up 2011 • Abridge Scratch runner up 2010 • Represented Essex at U18 U21 and Men’s level
HOME CLUB: WEST ESSEX
What are you doing now?
HANDICAP: +1
5 weeks in Spain practicing and going to gym
COACH: STEVEN PALMER AND MIKE WALKER
What are your plans for the future?
ESSEX OOM PLACE: 8
I would like to turn professional and make a good living out of the game and get on European tour
“How did I make a twelve on a par five hole? It’s simple. I missed a four-foot putt for an eleven”
Arnold Palmer
102 25 UNDER 25 ARTHUR LEONARD
9
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
D.O.B: 28/08/1992
• Keating Trophy winner • Sir Michael Bonalack Trophy winner • Oliver Fisher Shield winner • Wentworth Junior Open winner twice • Finished in top 25 of the McGregor Championship
FROM: HOCKLEY
What are you doing now?
HOME CLUB: ROCHFORD HUNDRED
Worked for my dad over the winter and played golf to prepare and practice for the season ahead
ARTHUR LEONARD
HANDICAP: +1.2 COACH: GARY CARTER ESSEX OOM PLACE: 9
What are your plans for the future? I would like to go to America and play college golf
“Why am I using a new putter? Because the last one didn’t float too well”
Craig Stadler
104 25 UNDER 25 ALISDAIR PLUMB
10
FACTFILE ALASDAIR PLUMB D.O.B: 21/07/1993 FROM: COGGESHALL
Notable Achievements: • Abridge Scratch winner • 10th in the EGU SE Group Boys Individual Championship • 3rd with Essex in the EGU SE Boys Team Chmapionship • 7th place in Essex Boys Championship • Chelmsford Junior Open winner • Chelmsford Club Championship winner • Course record of 67 (-5) at Abridge • Course record of 65 (-7) at Gosfield Lake
HOME CLUB: CHELMSFORD GOLF CLUB HANDICAP: 1 COACH: LEE COCKER ESSEX OOM PLACE: 10
What are you doing now? Studying sports technology at Loughborough University whilst playing golf
What are your plans for the future? I would like to graduate with my degree and then continue to play golf to a high standard increasing my ability to a point where I can turn professional and try to make it a career
“Golf is the loneliest sport. You’re completely alone with every conceivable opportunity to defeat yourself. Golf brings out your assets and liabilities as a person. The longer you play, the more certain you are that a man’s performance is the outward manifestation of who, in his heart, he really thinks he is” Hale Irwin
106 25 UNDER 25 BEN HERBERT
11
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
BEN HERBERT
• England U18 squad representative • Upminster Trophy winner • U16 and U18 Essex Boys Championships winner • Essex U14’s, U16s, U18’s, U21’s and Men’s team representative
D.O.B: 23/2/1992 FROM: CLACTONONSEA
What are you doing now?
HOME CLUB: CLACTONONSEA
Been working part time and playing and practicing as much as possible
HANDICAP: +2
What are your plans for the future?
COACH: PAUL ASHWELL ESSEX OOM PLACE: 12
I would like to be a successful European tour professional
“Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose“
Winston Churchill
23
108 25 UNDER 25 GEORGE EVANS
12
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
GEORGE EVANS
• Chigwell Bowl and Colts Championship winner • Romford Scratch 3rd place • South East Group Junior Championship 5th place
D.O.B: 20/04/1993 FROM: ROMFORD
What are you doing now? Playing golf full time, working hard on not just my golf but my fitness as well
HOME CLUB: ROMFORD HANDICAP: +1 COACH: PAUL SULLIVAN ESSEX OOM PLACE: 14
What are your plans for the future? I would like to eventually turn professional and try to make a career as a touring professional
“I played three matches and hit only three fairways. My biggest contribution was to get the team colours for Sunday changed from green to my lucky blue�
Seve Ballesteros after Europe won the 1995 Ryder Cup
110 25 UNDER 25 REECE FRANCIS
13 14
FACTFILE REECE FRANCIS D.O.B: 27/10/1994 FROM: HARLOW, ESSEX
Notable Achievements: • England Regional Team representative • Essex Under 16 Championship winner • Essex Under 18 Team representative
What you’re doing now?
HOME CLUB: LOUGHTON
Been playing full time golf in preparation for the season ahead
HANDICAP: +0.5
What are your plans for the future?
COACHES NAME: ROBERT GREEN ESSEX OOM PLACE: 15
I would like to get into the England A squad for next year
“Sure, I’m making a lot of money now, but years ago the IRS would send me get-well cards”
Chi Chi Rodriguez
112 25 UNDER 25 HUGH CAMPBELL
14
FACTFILE HUGH CAMPBELL D.O.B: 24/12/93 FROM: WOODFORD HOME CLUB: WEST ESSEX
Notable Achievements: • England Schools captain 2011 • Essex Boys and Essex Foursomes winner 2011 • Romford Scratch winner 2011 • U14 SE England Championship winner • Orsett, Channels, Hainault, Abridge Junior Open winner • Junior Team Nations Scratch winner 2010 and 2011
What are you doing now?
HANDICAP: +1
Working to save up some money for the summer. Starting to prepare for national events
COACH: STEVE PALMER
What are your plans for the future?
ESSEX OOM PLACE: 16
The main aim is to be a touring professional but I would like to attend university in America over the next few years
“My swing is so bad I look like a caveman killing his lunch.“
Lee Trevino
114 25 UNDER 25 MASON PAPPLE
15
FACTFILE MASON PAPPLE D.O.B: 14/11/94 FROM: BILLERICAY HOME CLUB: STOCK BROOK MANOR HANDICAP: +0.5 COACH: RODDY DOUGLAS ESSEX OOM PLACE: 17
Notable Achievements: • Club Champion at Stock Brook last 2 years • Amateur course record at Stock Brook of 66 • Essex Amateur 6th place 2011 • Stock Brook Junior Open winner last 3 years • Three Rivers Junior Open winner 2011 • Represented East of England Boys U18 • Essex U14, U16, U18 representative
What are you doing now? I was in Spain for January at Hacienda for coaching and training. Practicing with the England regional teams, played for the South of England U18 squad against the England A squad
What are your plans for the future? I would like to be a full time playing professional on the European tour
“Actually, the only time I ever took out a one-iron was to kill a tarantula. And it took a seven to do that�
Jim Murray
116 25 UNDER 25 RICKY BRACKENBURY
16
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
RICKY BRACKENBURY
• Recently won his first pro event in Orlando at the Reunion Resort on the Moonlight Golf tour.
D.O.B: 03/08/1991 FROM: PURFLEET HOME CLUB: ORSETT HANDICAP: TURNED PRO COACH: GARY PIKE ESSEX OOM PLACE: 18
What are you doing now? Turned professional and been practicing and playing in Florida from October to February. Playing on the Jamega Tour and TP Tour this season
What are your plans for the future? I would like try to get on the European Tour in the next few years
“Find a man with both feet firmly on the ground and you’ve found a man about to make a difficult putt”
Fletcher Knebel
118 25 UNDER 25 DAN GARNER
17
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
DAN GARNER
• Essex County representative • Romford Junior Open U16 winner • Romford Trophy 3rd place • Finished top 5 in the McGregor Strokepley
D.O.B: 19/07/95 FROM: ROMFORD
What are you doing now?
HOME CLUB: ROMFORD GOLF CLUB
I am still at college but I have been practicing hard over the winter to try and prepare for the summer season
HANDICAP: 1
What are your plans for the future?
COACH: CHRIS GODDARD AND STEVE MORRISON
I would like to be a successful touring professional with high academic achievements to back me up. I would like to achieve that by playing golf at university in America
ESSEX OOM PLACE: NA
“Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them”
Jimmy DeMaret
120 25 UNDER 25 MITCHEL SARLING
18
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
MITCHEL SARLING
• U16 Essex Captain • England Regional Squad
D.O.B. 7/3/96 FROM: ESSEX HOME CLUB: ROCHFORD HUNDRED HANDICAP: 1 COACH: CHRIS JENKINS ESSEX OOM PLACE: 20
What are you doing now? I am preparing for the summer schedule which includes the McGregor, Carris, Essex Order of Merit, Faldo Series and many other competitions
What are your plans for the Future I am enrolled in the Dennis Pugh Golf College Sept 12-July 14. Following college I would hopefully like to go to America or get involved with a golf school
“Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty”
Harry Vardon
23
122 25 UNDER 25 JACK HEASMAN
19
FACTFILE JACK HEASMAN
Notable Achievements: • Represented England at U16, U18 and men’s level
What are you doing now?
D.O.B: 22/09/1992
I am playing golf at Augusta State University in America and studying finance
FROM: WANSTEAD, LONDON
What are your plans for the future?
HOME CLUB: WEST ESSEX
I would like to become a NCAA division 1 All-American, continue to represent England, play in the Walker Cup, and eventually make it on to the European tour
HANDICAP: +1 COACH: KEVIN MCPHERSON ESSEX OOM PLACE: 21
“Golf without mistakes is like watching haircuts. A dinner without wine�
Jim Murray
23
124 25 UNDER 25 JAKE BOND
20
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
JAKE BOND
• Bonmont, Spain March 2011 Sussex Golf College Tour representative • Wanstead Youth Shield runner up • Winning Thornton Cup team member 2011
D.O.B: 20/3/1993 FROM: WANSTEAD HOME CLUB: WANSTEAD HANDICAP: 2 COACH: DENNIS PUGH AND PAUL LYONS ESSEX OOM PLACE: 24
What are you doing now? Playing for Clarendon Junior College in Texas, USA
What are your plans for the future? I would like to continue out in the States for the next 4 years and get my degree. My long term goals are to hopefully be a playing/touring professional but if all else fails I would like to be involved somehow in the golfing industry
“I don’t like watching golf on TV. I can’t stand whispering”
David Brenner
126 25 UNDER 25 JAMES ALLAN
21
FACTFILE
Notable Achievements:
D.O.B: 07/10/1994
• Essex Under 18 Captain • Chelmsford Golf Club champion in 2010 • Regional Squad member • Faldo Series Qualifying runner up in 2010 • Essex Boys Championship runner up in 2010
FROM: CHELMSFORD
What are you doing now?
HOME CLUB: CHELMSFORD GC
I have been working hard on my strength and conditioning throughout the winter to build more power as well as working on my impact position in my swing
JAMES ALLAN
HANDICAP: 0 COACH: DAVID MARCH
What are your plans for the future?
ESSEX OOM PLACE: NA
I would like to represent one of the England teams and then become a successful touring professional on the European tour
“I play in the low 80s. If it’s any hotter than that, I won’t play”
Joe E. Lewis
128 25 UNDER 25 LUKE RICHARDSON
Notable Achievements:
22
• Two time Club Champion at Braintree Golf Club • Represented Essex • Currently representing Midland College, Texas • As a freshman 2010-2011, gained NJCAA AllState-Honors, Ping-All-District-Honors, WJCAC All-Conference-Honors, All-American-Honors • Ranked 17th in the Nation at NJCAA on Golfstat with a stroke average of 73.40 during freshman year • As a sophomore currently ranked 12th in the Nation at NJCAA on Golfstat with a stroke average of 72.77 as of 04.25.12 • As a sophomore received NJCAA All-StateHonors, Ping-All-District-Honors, WJCAC All-Conference-Honors • During career at Midland College 8 top five finishes and 12 top ten finishes, including 2nd place at the 2012 Omega Treating Chemical Golf Invitational
FACTFILE LUKE RICHARDSON DOB: 08.20.87 FROM: GREAT DUNMOW, ESSEX HOME CLUB: BRAINTREE GOLF CLUB HANDICAP: 0 COACH: DUNCAN WOOLGER ESSEX OOM PLACE: 27
What are you doing now? I am currently going to school at NJCAA division one Midland College in Texas, United States, majoring in Business Administration
What are your goals for the future? I am Iooking to complete my degree, with the view to taking my golf to the next level
“If you wish to hide your character, do not play golf”
Percey Boomer
23
130 25 UNDER 25 SAM WILDING
Notable Achievements:
23
• Romford Trophy runner up 2011 • Romford Golf Club Scratch Matchplay Championship winner 2010 • Romford Golf Club Player of the Year 2009 • Cadet Captain 2008 • Essex Boys Championship runner up 2008 • Won BUCS Golf Northern Conference league 2A 2010/11 with UCLAN 3rd team • Won BUCS Golf Northern League 1A 2011/12 with UCLAN 2nd team
FACTFILE
What are you doing now/have been doing over the winter?
D.O.B: 08/04/1991
I am just about to finish my second year at University of Central Lancashire (Uclan) studying Golf Performance. Over the winter I mainly worked on my golf game and went to Spain in October to work on the European Tour for a week at the Castello Masters
FROM: WICKFORD
What are your goals for the future?
SAM WILDING SAM WILDING
HOME CLUB: ROMFORD GOLF CLUB HANDICAP: 3 COACH: CHRIS GODDARD ESSEX OOM PLACE: 27
To get a first in my Golf Performance degree, reduce my handicap to scratch or better over the next few years, become PGA qualified, and ultimately turn pro, teach golf abroad or become a golf specific training and conditioning coach
“Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing�
Ben Hogan
132 25 UNDER 25 LEWIS ADAIR
24
FACTFILE LEWIS ADAIR D.O.B: 09/09/1992 FROM: ORSETT HOME CLUB: ORSETT HANDICAP: 1
Notable achievements: • Under 14’s Essex captain • SE England squad U16 • Essex Men’s representative • Canons Brook Junior Open winner • Orsett Junior Open winner • Princes Junior Open winner twice • Gosfield Junior Open winner • Upminster Junior Open winner
What are you doing now/? I have been practicing and working hard on my game, working on my fitness a lot in the gym, and working at Rayleigh Driving Range
COACH: BRETT TAYLOR ESSEX OOM PLACE: 28
What are your goals for the future? I’m looking at going out to America in the near future and hopefully become a successful touring professional off the back of that
“His driving is unbelievable. I don’t go that far on my holidays”
Ian Baker-Finch, on John Daly
134 25 UNDER 25 JACK HILUTA
Notable Achievements:
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• Has been the holder of 6 course records at some point in his career • Has represented England at Under 16, Under 18, and men’s level • Faldo Series winner 2007 • Captained the Great Britain and Ireland winning team against Europe • Was awarded as most valuable player in the 2006 and 2007 Boys Home Internationals • Won twice in his time at the University of South Alabama • Spanish Amateur Championship winner 2012 • World Amateur Ranking: 60
FACTFILE JACK HILUTA D.O.B: 28/05/89 FROM: CHELMSFORD HOME CLUB: CHELMSFORD GOLF CLUB HANDICAP: +3 COACH: BRETT TAYLOR ESSEX OOM PLACE: NA
What are you doing now? I am remaining amateur for the time being, with the dream to maybe play Walker Cup next year. I will keep working hard on my game and my fitness in order to play at the highest amateur level and gain some experience before turning professional
What are your plans for the future? I would like to be a successful world touring professional and be affiliated with both the European and US PGA tours
“John certainly gives it a good hit, doesn’t he? My Sunday best is a Wednesday afternoon compared to him”
Nick Faldo, on John Daly
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