It has been a funny old week here at CMGC, warm but very, very windy! As the competition scores show it was very tough out there this week. Hopefully the wind will have calmed down when you read this and we will all have some sun on our backs! Anyone that has played this week will have also noticed how good the greens are. The lads have been extensively 'verti cutting' the greens, this basically cuts of the seed head of the grass to give a consistent roll and of course get them nice and quick. If you are playing CMGC soon you are in for a treat!

A shot of the course from Friday

On Friday we were lucky enough to host the Adam Millichip Foundation golf day with over 200 people playing for this fantastic charity. The foundation grant money to help people with disabilities get in sport. It was founded by CMGC members Stuart Millichip, Mark Fish and Mark Benbow in Adam Millichip's memory. Everyone had a great day and a few too many drinks were consumed by the winners in the evening.

Did anyone see the pin position on the second of Badgers Sett over the weekend? There was a hole in one on the charity day, off the whites that was one hell of a shot!

Men's May Stableford

Near hurricane winds greeted the members of CMGC for the May stableford. It was the same throughout the day with everyone that entered experiencing the strong winds.

Late starter John Gallagher (pictured) battled hard to secure division 1 on count back from Adam Winnall. John has found some form with this his second win of the week after he won the Wednesday night roll up. John had this to say after his round 'these conditions suit me being a Scotsman, I also picked up a little tip off head coach Phil Moore which helped me'. 

Alan Walker (pictured) shot the best score of the day with 36 points to win division 2. This was a fantastic effort from Alan to play to his handicap in such wild conditions.

Alan added 'I drove the ball really well today and made some important putts, it's a funny game, golf. Last week in near perfect conditions I didnt play anywhere near my handicap and in these conditions I did!'

Well played to everyone!

Division 1
1st - John Gallagher - 34 points CB
2nd - Adam Winnall - 34 points

Division 2
1st - Alan Walker - 36 points
2nd - Scott Severn - 32 points

Nearest the pin - Pat Fleming

I hope everyone enjoyed the extra sweep prizes we did. Next time 2 nearest the pins will be available now we know people are keen to enter it. The football scratch cards will also continue.

Head Coach Phil Moore

It has been just over a month since I started at CMGC and it has so far been a whirl wind. I would like to thank everyone that has so far taken up lessons. The feedback I have got so far has been really positive and it is with delight I can report on my first lesson success.

On Monday the Worcestershire ladies held a county event at CMGC. Word must be spreading how good the course is because there was a bumper 96 ladies playing in this Stableford event. Heather Pringle (pictured) did CMGC proud finishing second, just 3 points behind the winner. Heather has been having regular lessons with me and it is great to see she getting rewards for the time and effort she puts in. It shows the value golf lessons can bring you. Well played Heather!

I have also confirmed some FREE clinics, simply book in with me or any of the other staff in the golf centre. Each clinic is 30 minutes and on a first come first serve basis. It is the ideal chance to sharpen up certain areas of your game.

Saturday May 24th - 11- 2 - Bunker master class - if you are uncertain of how to play a certain bunker shot or simply want to learn how to get out first attempt this is for you.

Saturday May 31st - 2-4 - Chipping - Get up and down more often with this clinic on some simple techniques.

Saturday June 7th - 12-3 - Putting with the iPING putting app - making sure your putter is suitable for your stroke.

Saturday July 5th - 1-4 - Driving - I will guarantee more distance off the tee for you.

Saturday July 26th - 12 -3 - Course management - the most important clinic out of all of them, strategizing your way around certain holes on the course to save you shots.

Everyone seemed to really like last week's tip of the week, so I am going to continue doing it… This week it is bunkers!

The key to hitting greenside bunker shots is making sand-first contact and skimming your wedge under the ball. In essence, you're purposely hitting it fat. The problem I see a lot of amateurs have is that there's no consistency to where they make contact with the sand and therefore, there's no repeatability to their shots. How you set up can make a big difference.

To begin with your clubface should be open at address, this enables us to use the bounce of a wedge and splash our shots out of the bunker rather than having the clubface square and having the leading edge di g into the sand. The bounce is found on the back of the sole of the club. The grip itself should be applied after you have opened the clubface, I would not recommend taking your grip with the clubface in the normal position then opening the clubface afterwards.

The ball position for a bunker shot should be just inside the left heel and your body weight should be roughly 60/40 onto your left hand side, this will help you enter the sand in the appropriate place and get that splashing effect through the sand rather than digging into the sand. You should keep the weight on your left side throughout the shot. Also your stance should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart, this will give you balance throughout the shot. As you can see from the photos my left foot is slight splayed to the left, this will mean that my feet now point to the left of the target and my heels point parallel to the ball to target line. The splayed left foot as means that there will be less lower body movement during the shot.

Best of luck and if you have any questions please click here to send me an email or pop into the pro shop to ask me!

FootJoy Gloves 

The number one glove is golf is here at CMGC on some great multi buy offers.

We have the Sciflex which is a really soft leather ideal for summer conditions to enhance feel these are just 2 for £25

You then have the GTX which are a hard wearing all weather glove ideal for the British climate as it performs in all conditions. These are just 2 for £18.

It is always best to have a spare glove in your bag and not get caught short!

PING K15 Drivers

We have managed to get a great deal off PING and can now offer the mighty K15 driver for just £139 BRAND NEW. We have 10.5 degree in a regular shaft in stock plus a demo for you to try. If you are looking for something to get the ball in the air, draw biased and accurate give the K15 a try.

 Foremostgolf.com Vouchers

The Click & Collect we offer at CMGC has continued to grow and we have been lucky enough to get some gift card vouchers.

Simply spend £100 and you will get £20 off. These gift cards can be collected from the golf centre and you have until the end of May to use them.

Click & Collect is a great concept - you buy it online and collect it from CMGC. If something is not right with it e.g. it does not fit we take care of it with free returns. Give it a try it really is that easy. Click on the image below to see the great range on offer.