Should Paper Scorecards Be A Thing Of The Past?

Posted by & filed under Miscellaneous.

Has your club gone back exclusively to using paper golf scorecards? Have you slotted right back into the routine, or do you pine for your phone and a digital signature?

For many of us, the coronavirus pandemic ushered a digital revolution at our clubs.

Whether it was booking tee times online, entering our scores through our phones, or watching hole-by-hole live leaderboards, the restrictions we endured to play the game opened up our eyes to technology and how it could influence the game.

In many ways, the sport was just catching up. In other areas of our lives, whether we are checking our bank balances or paying for products, tech has made things simpler and quicker.

Golf has been slow to get in on the act, but is it now down the rabbit hole? Will the opportunities presented by technology change it forever?

David Cederholm, Europe, Middle East and Africa sales director at Toptracer, thinks so. He’s National Club Golfer’s guest on the From the Clubhouse podcast as they consider the future of technology at golf clubs…

The From the Clubhouse podcast with David Cederholm

Listen to the full episode in the player here, or search ‘The NCG Podcast’ in your preferred podcast platform.

What Is The Best Golf Bag Set-Up?

Posted by & filed under Golf Equipment.

The below article was written by Hannah Holden, Equipment and Instruction Editor of National Club Golfer.

I visited Rudding Park Golf Club to put four of Ping’s long-distance club options to the test.

I was joined by Dan Murphy as we put fairway woods, hybrids and long irons to the test to see which is the best option for your golf bag.

So which option came out on top? Hit the play button below to find out or click through to the next page to read Dan’s conclusion…

How Often Should You Change Your Irons?

Posted by & filed under Golf Equipment.

The below article was written by Hannah Holden, Equipment and Instruction Editor of National Club Golfer.

How often should you change your irons? It’s actually a question I get asked a lot. The draw of new golf equipment can be tempting, but how long do your irons actually last before you need to start thinking about replacing them?

Firstly, it is worth noting golf clubs are extremely durable products and, if looked after, will last a very long time. But using them for too long will lead to a drop off in performance through general wear and tear. Also for every year you keep your old clubs in the bag, the technology is improving which means you’re missing out on extra yardage and forgiveness.

How often should you change your irons?

As with all things the answer here is going to vary depending on a few factors. How often you play, and how often you practice are both huge variables.

Professional golfers who practice and play virtually every day can go through multiple sets of irons a year due to how quickly they can wear down the grooves.

Generally for club golfers changing your irons every year is going to be overkill and looking at new options every three to four years is a better time frame. The research says you can get a good 300 rounds out of irons before you need to start looking at replacements.

Really you need new irons when you start to notice a drop off in performance. If the grooves have worn away you are likely to get less spin which can produce a variety of outcomes. You may notice shots flying higher but not carrying as far, or you might get a low shot that struggles to hold its line.

Unless you are playing extremely irregularly, you should be replacing your irons every five years to make sure you are getting the most out of them.

How can you make your irons last longer?

Keeping your clubs clean has a huge impact on how well they age, especially making sure to dry your clubs well after they get wet out on the course.

Iron covers get a bad rep for looking unfashionable but they are a great way to reduce wear and tear on your irons and keep your club heads scuff free.

It is also worth getting your loft and lies checked once a year as they can move over time which will affect the performance too.

If you’re after more equipment content, be sure to subscribe to National Club Golfer’s YouTube channel.

Machynys Peninsula: A Must-Play Modern Welsh Links

Posted by & filed under Golf Courses.

Machynys Peninsula, a relatively new Jack Nicklaus design on the outskirts of Llanelli, is routed in two distinct loops with a parkland front nine and an inward half that has more of a links feel beside the sea.

The standard scratch score here from the tournament tees is three-over-par, so you know Machynys Peninsula can be set up for some serious competitive golf, and indeed, it has hosted the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe every year since it opened for play.

The shaping of the layout has included the creation of 25 acres of new lakes – salt and fresh water – 12 miles of irrigation pipes and six miles of drainage pipes, to ensure the course is in top condition all year round.

History

The modern links on Machynys Peninsula was opened in 2005 with a hefty budget of $3.5 million shelled out for the layout and an even greater sum of money spent on the clubhouse.

However, money alone can never ensure success with a new golfing project as location has a large part to play in determining whether a new course will attract rave review, but the stunning site that Machynys is built on as good as guarantees its position as a “must play” venue in Wales.

Gary Nicklaus acted as chief designer on behalf of his father and his favourite hole is the 451-yard 16th which, as he says, “is played across the lake from right behind the clubhouse [and] is probably one of the most beautiful holes on the course”.

He adds: “The view from the green of the whole bay is spectacular, whether the tide is in or out.”

He is also especially proud of the 4th, 5th, 16th, and 18th.

Why it’s special

The large and airy clubhouse is superbly fitted out with a spa and brasserie and there are excellent views out over the course. For a golfing test of this standard, the green fees are also remarkably reasonable. If you haven’t yet been, a round here goes highly recommended.

Where does it rank?

317th in GB&I, 25th in Wales, and 8th in Swansea.

Where is it?

Based in Machynys, just outside Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Machynys Peninsula is not far from the M4 motorway that runs through South Wales.

Get in touch with Machynys

For more information about the club and course, visit its website or call them on 01554 744888.

The above article was originally published by our partner National Club Golfer.

Chart Hills Can Be ‘One Of The Best Parklands In England’

Posted by & filed under Golf Courses.

Parkland golf. Tricky one to be honest. We have been through this.

The ball doesn’t move on the ground. Water hazards. They are a problem. You can’t get up and down from a pond.  Wind is not your friend on a parkland. You can’t work with it, run the ball in, or use the ground. And the grass grows, a lot.

That isn’t to say all parklands are bad. There are lots that are brilliant. When you find a good parkland though, you tend to remember it. I was last at Chart Hills in 2005 and I remember it as an incredibly well bunkered, strategic, and varied test. So, as its reopening following huge renovation coincided with my trip to The Open at Royal St George’s, I couldn’t resist dropping in for a look.

It is definitely in Kent. By which I mean it is absolutely in middle of the Garden of England. Once you drop off the M20 you drive through the opening credits of the Darling Buds of May. Meaning you arrive in a good mood having spent the last 20 minutes thinking about Catherine Zeta Jones.

There is the rarefied air of a grand facility, sweeping drive, turning circle, bag drop, epic range, enormous club house. It has that ‘find a bag tag in your boot 6 months later‘ feel to it.

The golf course is as I remembered – well put together and exceptionally bunkered. It is not enormously long, choose between 5,503 off the reds, 5,891 from the yellows, or right up to 7,132 off the back tees. We played off the blue tees which, at 6,530 yards, is plenty. They are ’90s championship yardages, and with the recent sand topping applied to all 18 fairways we are getting plenty of run out despite a wet summer.

Originally a Faldo design it is still brilliantly bunkered and presents you with lots of options from nearly all the tees. There are very few stop signs and genuinely many ways to approach each hole.

The first a sweeping left to right dogleg par 5 is a great example. You could hit any club off the tee depending on how much you want to try and take off the corner, and you can see it all unfolding in front of you. It is excellent use of the land.

Then there is the cute par-3 16th which is 125 yards to a tiny little island green. Deliciously unexpected.

The new owners, who also own the Prince’s complex on the Kent coast, are taking a step-by-step approach to the reimagining of the golf course.

The fairway work is complete. Next will come all 18 greens and there is certainly some tree removal and rough management to do.

The team from Prince’s are proper golfers and understand the work that is required. Anyone who has played their 27 coastal holes will note the excellent work they have done there over the past three seasons.

When they have finished with Chart Hills, my suspicion is that it will be re-established as one of the very best parklands in England. Pop Larkin would be proud.

The above article was originally published by our partner National Club Golfer.

5 Ways To Improve Your Clubhead Speed

Posted by & filed under Golf Equipment.

It’s fair to say most of us could do with a little extra clubhead speed, a few extra yards off the tee, and more wedges into greens.

Research suggests that as clubhead speed increases, handicap goes down. However, a great number of golfers are ‘leaving significant miles per hour on the table’. That’s the view of strength and conditioning coach Jamie Greaves. So, what can you do about it?

Plenty, as it happens, and the good news is you can increase your clubhead speed in the comfort of your own home. Golf lessons can help, of course, as a loss of speed can also be attributed to poor technique. However, some simple power and strength exercises can also help to unlock your clubhead speed potential.

‘Just a 4mph increase in swing speed could potentially mean ten extra yards of distance, so there is a huge opportunity for golfers to save multiple shots off their scores each round just by adding a bit more speed,’ says Greaves.

Here, the fitness guru shares his top 5 ways to improve your clubhead speed.

1. Squat Jumps

This exercise is simple but extremely effective in improving lower body power.

Start in a standing posture, then drop into a quarter squat position and explode up. Each time, you should land softly in that same quarter squat position. You don’t want to land with the legs straight or in a deep squat position and don’t sink into a squat that’s too low before trying to explode up.

I work with lots of senior golfers, and one of the great things about this exercise is that you don’t need to leave the ground, or you can hold onto something so when you land you don’t have to worry about balance. This is a nice entry point before you gain more confidence and start to jump more aggressively.

2 Backpack Lateral Lunge

Begin by standing and holding a weighted bag – perhaps a bag of practice balls.

Take a lateral step to one side and load into the heel and hip of that leg whilst the other leg straightens. Simultaneously push the bag out in front of you to act as a counterbalance and allow you to get deeper into your lateral lunge.

It’s important that you plant the whole of the stepping foot onto the floor and load into the heel. You must also try to stay strong and tall through the torso to avoid rounding excessively. Drive back off the stepping foot with intent each time and perform repetitions on both sides.

3 Elevated Push Up (Eccentric)

Now we’re concentrating on the upper body.

Imagine screwing your hands into a box or bench to stabilise the shoulders, and let the elbows track nicely. Lower down slowly and under control, and then push back up aggressively. Try not to extend or round excessively as you move, and don’t let the elbows flare out too much – keep them tucked in. You want to feel like the body moves as one whole unit on each repetition.

This exercise is really easy to manipulate. When the hands are higher, you have less body weight to push. Lower the hands when you feel ready, and the exercise will become harder – so maybe try push ups on the stairs first, and then move down the steps.

4 Banded Thruster

If you don’t own a resistance band, make sure you get one – it’s a great bit of kit that’s used by lots of Tour pros.

Start standing with the band under your feet and on the back of your shoulders. Drop down into a small squat and drive up aggressively pushing the band to the sky. If you experience discomfort behind the head, simply perform the same motion with the band on the front of the shoulders.

This is a great power exercise for golfers. The power starts in the ground and comes up the body and out through the arms, and it mirrors the same sequence as you get in a golf swing. Obviously, with the golf swing, there’s rotation involved, but this teaches the same sequence.

5 Banded Bent Over Row

Start standing with the band wrapped under your feet, gripping the band in each hand.

Soften the knees, push the hips back, and tilt over, keeping the torso strong. Row up and in, bringing the elbows towards the hips and pausing briefly at the top each time.

The idea is to stay in posture as you row, not round through the torso. Neither should you row up too high.

What I like about this exercise is that it helps you to develop a strong, solid posture.