Mark Smith

Hello Golfers,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter.

This week sees us take a look at how one golfer swapped professional golf for selling houses before taking victory on the PGA Tour last week, how another overcame rat poison to make it to the winner’s circle, and we also focus on what you can do to improve your putting.

Enjoy the read!

Tour news

Lashley rockets to victory

To win your first PGA Tour title is a massive milestone for any golfer, but to win by six shots after giving up the game a few years earlier is something truly special.

It's been a rocky road for American Nate Lashley who quit the game in 2012 to sell property after years of struggling to make the grade on tour. Now, however, this life-changing victory means that Lashley has secured his spot at this year's Open Championship, as well as next year's Masters and PGA Championship.

Oh, and the little matter of a two-year PGA Tour exemption and a $1.3 million cheque.

Rat poison to the winner’s circle

After reading a little about Christiaan Bezuidenhout’s victory at Valderrama over the weekend, it turns out it's a miracle the 24-year-old is even able to play golf after accidentally drinking rat poison at the age of two.

As a consequence, Bezuidenhout received a drug suspension when he was an amateur as his medication was deemed illegal. However, the 2017 Sunshine Tour Rookie of the Year has overcome such obstacles and is now a European Tour winner thanks to a six-shot victory at the Andalucia Masters.

Quiz of the week

In 1997, Valderrama Golf Club held the first Ryder Cup on continental Europe.

Who were the Captains and who won?

Answer: Seve Ballesteros and Tom Kite (Europe 14.5 - 13.5 USA)

Stylish. Smart. Sophisticated.

With the golfing season now in full flow, we hope you’re proud to say you’re a member of the club and this fantastic course. It’s for this reason that we have a bunch of crested items in the pro shop, so why not come in for a browse next time you’re at the club?

Wear the badge with pride

A classic piece of golfing attire is the club crested shirt, which is something we're able to offer you thanks to our friends at Glenmuir.

They've been creating stylish golf clothing since 1891 and specialise in the art of cresting; so much so that the European Ryder Cup team used them for every event between 1987 and 2014.

Well, their current range is an excellent combination of traditional designs with subtle detailing for that added bit of flair - like the hexagonal print detail on the Haddington's chest (fuchsia polo here).

So, if you're interested, be sure to grab yourself a piece of Scottish excellence before you next head out onto the course.

shop Glenmuir's range >

Are you focusing on the wrong thing?

As soon as the ball has left the putter face, we know whether it’s going to be good or not. It’s like a sixth sense, right? But what constitutes a good putt? Many golfers let the final outcome decide this – i.e. whether the ball ends up in the hole or not – but that is arguably well out of our control. So, perhaps it's time to refocus on what we can control?

There are only two things we can really control when it comes to putting. The first is starting the ball on the correct line. Take Tiger Woods for example; the 15-time major winner focuses on a blade of grass he wants the ball to roll over immediately in front of him, which brings the intended target much closer to impact.

The second is getting the ball rolling correctly, which means imparting top spin as quickly as possible after impact rather than having it jumping and skidding in the air.

One way to control our putting is by utilising the technology in PING’s stunning Vault 2.0 putters.

PING has included True-Roll Technology (TR) into their second-generation Vault putters and it's a smart move, with golfers enjoying more consistent distances on off-centre strikes. Add in the ability to change the weighting on the sole of the putter and you have a fantastic option that can be fitted to suit your stroke.

This is by no means the only putter available within PING's line-up, so click on the link below to view the entire range.

view PING's range >

Shop online | Collect in-store

We understand the convenience of shopping online from the comfort of your own home. We also appreciate that we can't stock every single product in-store due to limited space.

The answer to both of these is our fantastic Click & Collect service, which allows you to browse a huge range of products online and order to pick up from our shop the next time you're down the club. Have you given it a try?

shop now >

Video of the Week

In the final video of this three-part series, world class putting instructor Phil Kenyon talks us through how to improve our focus on the greens. Could the secret really be this simple?

Happy golfing until next week!

Stamford Golf Club
Huddersfield Road
Stalybridge
SK15 3PY

Phone: 01457 832126

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This email was sent to you by Mark Smith and is provided as a service for the members and guests of Stamford Golf Club and the customers of the Stamford Golf Club Pro Shop and has been supported and sponsored by advertisers in this mail and by our partner suppliers: Foremost Golf, UK's largest golf retail group, delivering value through expertise for the Club Golfer

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