county zone golf magazine

1www.countyzonegolf.comISSUE 17 The County Zone SOUTH EAST

FREEPlease take a copy

Prepared for Augusta test

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Exciting times again at Chart Hills3

Page 28

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PROZONEPage 24

Issue No.17SOUTH EAST EDITION

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

2 The County Zone SOUTH EAST ISSUE 17www.countyzonegolf.comDistributed by Golfstream

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Jason Day has revealed how only intervention by his "team" talked

him out of quitting golf.

Even more remarkably, the then 23-year-old said the discussions were held on the eve of his Masters debut at a course and tournament he had always coveted.

"I felt like quitting the game before that week, I was having the worst time on the golf course. I was going to quit the game and my team talked me into playing.

As it turned out, the Masters became a great release for Day, who was one of eight players to hold or share the lead during one of the most dramatic final rounds at Augusta National.

The Australian made twin birdies

on 17 and 18, and four in the final seven holes, to shoot a 68 and hold the clubhouse lead until Charl Schwartzel's record-setting four closing birdies won the green jacket.

That experience, along with his scintillating second-round 64, combined to make Day's first Augusta experience "fantastic" and help convince him to keep at it. It's a far cry from the confident, exuberant Day has morphed into subsequently.

Day has won the WGC Match Play championship for back-to-back titles and, remarkably, his sixth win in his past 13 US PGA Tour starts.

He will return to Augusta next week as the world No.1 having that T2 and an outright third under his belt from 2013.

“I wanted to quit the game”

4 The County Zone SOUTH EAST ISSUE 17

INTERVIEW CHRIS WOOD

Wood ready for Augusta

return

5www.countyzonegolfmag.co.uk

When Chris Wood last stepped out onto the first tee at the Masters in 2010,

he freely admits he wasn’t really prepared for the occasion.

Fast forward six years and the Bristolian is ready to take another shot at the Masters - and this time he knows he will feel more at home among the world’s top 50 golfers taking on Augusta National.

When that letter arrives inviting a golfer to drive down Magnolia Way and into the Augusta National clubhouse, it is probably one of the most memorable dates in a professional golfer’s career.

And that invitation was sealed in a dramatic final-day charge at the Netbank Golf Challenge in Sun City last December which saw Wood clinch third place and a coveted place at Augusta.

He said: “It is just so exciting to know that I am going back there. I’d really made steady progress up the world rankings and playing that last hole in South Africa I knew I had to finish in the top five or six to climb into the top 50.

“Looking back now at my first appearance, I had only been on tour a year and I felt so inexperienced and I couldn’t believe I was there. But now I’m a completely different golfer.

“So it will be a whole new experience for me going there and being able to compete. The last time I felt as though I was making up the numbers.”

Wood had seven top ten finishes as well as a victory in the Austrian Open in 2015, and it’s that consistency that ultimately led to him fulfilling his goal of breaking into the elite top 50.

6 www.countyzonegolf.com The County Zone SOUTH EAST ISSUE 17

He said: “This has been a long time coming breaking into the top 50. I knew I was capable of getting there, but with niggling injuries, I just haven’t had a sustained period when I was able to play regularly.

“But this last year, after coming back from my wrist injury, I have managed to put together a good run of events and my form has been pretty consistent.

“The win in Austria kicked off my good run and I have managed to record more top fives in a season than I’ve done before and that really helps.

“There is a big difference in the number of world ranking points you can amass by coming third or fourth compared to eight or ninth, so that has seen me steadily climb up the rankings. When you are constantly gaining points like I have been it all begins to add up.”

While a broken wrist in November 2014 may have been a disaster, the injury lay off

actually worked in Woods’ favour.

He said: “The top 50 is a massive milestone for a professional golfer and it’s been an aim for years. I almost made it in 2009 and then again in 2013, but had setbacks, usually to do with injury.

“Your ranking is based on the number of events you play in, and as I didn’t play many events at the end of last year, it has meant I have made a big jump in the rankings based on the consistent performances of the last few months.

“The amount of travel and time I am away, I did actually enjoy the time at home. It totally refreshed me for the season and I’m sure that’s why I have performed so consistently.

“Knowing I’m already in the Masters means that I can plan my early season better. There was another chance to get in closer to the tournament date, but that meant having to chase qualification and that’s not always that easy.”

INTERVIEW


The Tuesday before the Nedbank, Masters qualification must have seemed a distant goal as Wood was linked up to a drip after suffering heat exhaustion in the 40c temperatures in South Africa.

He said: “The last few weeks I have been banging on the door and it’s not one you want to shy away from, especially at this time of year. You could say my timing is quite good.

“My manager Stuart Cage worked out where I needed to finish to qualify and although he didn’t tell me, Henrik Stenson and his caddy both told me that third was good enough for a place.”

Wood famously finished in a tie for third at the Open at Turnberry in 2009 and that earned him his debut at the 2010 Masters. Yet he missed the cut and has been desperate to ¬return ever since.

He said: “Looking back on 2010 it is such a blur. I was so inexperienced and just stood around wide-eyed saying to myself: ‘This is the Masters’ and I was just so in awe of the place.

“I’m a totally different golfer now than when I first went there. I think the biggest part of it is experience. You were there to see me birdie that first hole and even that didn’t really do anything to make me feel at home.

“Then I carved one into the trees, made another error and racked up a triple bogey and the tournament was over before it had really begun for me.

“I know I won’t make the same mistake again. I was totally overwhelmed by the whole experience whereas now I’m going to go there and I will feel as though I will be able to compete rather than feeling inadequate and not really thinking that I belong there.

“Now I know that I have earned my place properly by being in the top 50 and I’ll go to Augusta having prepared well beforehand and not being overawed by the situation. I will be treating it as part of the schedule, albeit a very special tournament in the year.”

His second appearance at the Masters will also be a dream come true for his fiancée, Bethany, who missed out when he went there in 2010

He said: “Last time, my fiancée’s father came over with us to Augusta, but I’ve promised her that she will be able to caddy for me in the par three event on the eve of the Masters, so she’s buzzing about that.

“When that letter arrives

inviting a golfer to drive

down Magnolia Lane, it is

probably one of the most memorable

dates in a professional

golfer’s career”

8The County Zone SOUTH EAST ISSUE 17www.countyzonegolf.com

NEWS

The Richmond Golf Club is at the forefront of golf’s drive to support Britain’s injured Armed Forces personnel and veterans after raising more than £40,000 for the On Course Foundation in the last year.

Club Captain Jeremy Williams revealed the final amount for his nominated charity at his farewell dinner at the end of his captaincy before presenting a cheque to On Course Foundation ambassador Carl Shadrake. Shadrake, a former sergeant in the Grenadier Guards, was wounded twice at different times while serving in Afghanistan.

The impressive efforts of the prestigious London club means that it has now raised more than £350,000 for local charities and worthy causes in the last nine years.

Williams said: “One of my greatest pleasures this year has been my involvement with my nominated charity, the On Course Foundation, and the two charity golf days we held were real highlights for me.

“Many thanks to the generosity of all of you and others in helping us raise the astonishing sum of £40,040.05.”

The Richmond Golf Club donates £40k to On Course

Woodman wins Winter Series Event

Longball’s Guy Woodman made it two wins out of two,

shooting a rain-soaked two-under-par 70* around The London GC’s International course to claim his second victory in the PGA South Winter Series, supported by Titleist & FootJoy.Starting on the 10th, Woodman made a flying start with an opening birdie and two more at the 12, 13th and 14th to be out in three-under-par.

His consistent performance over the more challenging front nine with one birdie and two bogeys meant he finished out in front on 70, taking the

top prize of £500. His closest rival and four time Order of Merit champion Richard Wallis (Canterbury) went out in one-over-par but then went birdie, bogey, birdie through the 13th, 14th and 15th to get back to level par.

Wallis made another brave birdie at the 18th, but finishing on one-under-par 71 was not enough to dislodge Woodman from pole position, and Wallis had to be satisfied with second spot and a cheque for £400.

Shooting a solid round of one-over-par 74, Ricky Neil-Jones not only claimed his cheque for fourth place of £255, but also won the leading Assistant’s prize, the highly sort after ball, glove and shoe contract with Titleist & FootJoy.


skycaddie-linx-v19-A4-:Layout 1 22/3/16 15:57 Page 1

10 The County Zone SOUTH EAST ISSUE 17www.countyzonegolf.comThe Dorset Golf & Country Club & Resort, Bere Regis, Wareham, Nr Poole, Dorset, BH20 7NT.

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Grand plans intended to make Wentworth one of

the most exclusive golf clubs in the world have been revised.It was revealed in October that the Beijing-based Reignwood Group which owns Wentworth in Surrey, England was to introduce a new membership scheme that would see existing members charged a £100,000 debenture and new joiners £125,000, with the annual subscription also going up from £8,000 to £16,000.

The changes were reported to be part of the Chinese owners’ plans to make the golf club more exclusive by helping to reduce membership from

4,000 to 888, a number said to be chosen as it is considered lucky in China.

Wentworth has confirmed that Reignwood Group, which bought the golf club for a reported £135 million in 2014, has opted to make alterations to those planned changes.

Existing members will now not have to pay the new debenture fee, with residents of the neighboring Wentworth Estate also being given reduced rates, although newcomers will still be required to pay the £125,000 fee.

Wentworth confirmed that annual subscriptions will still rise for members, although it failed to say if that fee will increase to £16,000.

In It will be a case of girl golf power in 2016 with the introduction of a WPGA Lombard Trophy for female clubs pros and amateurs.

The exciting development adds a new dimension to the popular PGA National Pro-Am Championship and aims to encourage more women to play golf.

As an incentive, entry is free for both pro and amateur with up to 200 WPGA Members eligible to compete and represent their clubs alongside their amateur partners in one of two regional finals where six places will be up for grabs to the grand final in Portugal.

The grand final will take place on the Algarve at Pestana Vila Sol Golf & Resort Hotel from September 22-23 with a first prize of £2,500.

Camberley Heath hosts the first qualifier on Monday July 4 while Dunham Forest stages the second on Monday July 25.

PGA chief executive Sandy Jones said: “This year marks an exciting new development with a separate pro-am tournament expressly for WPGA and female amateurs.

“Lombard are committed to equality and diversity and encouraging more women to play will reap rewards at grass roots level.

New WPGA Lombard Trophy launched

Wentworth in u-turn over fees increase

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Exciting times again at

Chart HillsChart Hills was designed by Sir Nick Faldo in 1993

and has received countless accolades since its completion. Recently awarded a place in the Rolex

Top 1000 Courses in the World, it has also remained in the top 100 courses in the UK and Ireland. With major, improvements underway and the return of prestige tournaments, the Kent course is looking

forward to a great year ahead.

Getting ready for a big year aheadWe chat with James Cornish, Director of Golf at Chart Hills

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FEATURE

14 www.countyzonegolf.com The County Zone SOUTH EAST ISSUE 17

SPARE a thought for the greenkeepers at Chart Hills, who are midway

through a three-year bunker renovation programme that will be completed in time for the club to host the prestigious Brabazon Trophy in 2017.With more than 100 bunkers to totally rebuild - including lining them with a porous Tarmac base and revetting the faces - the guys at the Kent course have their work cut out.

But James Cornish, director of golf at Chart Hills, is adamant that the work is already beginning to bring benefits to the Faldo-designed course which opened for business in 1993.

While the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 2017 is a prize many a course would cherish, this year also sees the Euro-Pro Tour return to Chart Hills

with up to 100 professional golfers vying to make it out of stage one of the Q-School event in March.

James said: “The focus at the moment is building towards the Brabazon Trophy in the summer of 2017.

“We are halfway through a bunker renovation programme, so we are really pushing ahead with that to ensure that the majority of the work is complete by the time of the Brabazon Trophy.”

The original Faldo-designed course boasted 130 bunkers, including the infamous 224-yard long Anaconda bunker which threads its way down the par-five fifth hole.

James added: “It is a huge job and we are more than a year into it, so I think we’ve broken the back of the work.

“It is completely rebuilding them in many cases because they are more than 20 years old now.

FEATURE


“In most of the bunkers we are laying a porous tarmac base to ensure that they drain efficiently and on top of that we are rebuilding the revetted faces.”

The arrival of a new general manager Shaun Bakker in December 2014 who, alongside course manager Neil Lowther and the greenkeeping staff have really seen things improve both on and off the course.

James said: “We seem to be bucking the golf industry trend because last year we had a net gain of 75 members and that probably reflects the level of investment we have been making in the course.

“We’ve also seen a rise in societies, visitors and members’ guests, so I think we are doing something right and it’s exciting times again at Chart Hills.”

For all golf packages and prices please visit www.charthills.co.uk or call 01580 292148

Chart Hills Golf Club, Weeks Lane, Biddenden, Kent, TN27 8JX Tel: 01580 292222

16 The County Zone SOUTH EAST ISSUE 17www.countyzonegolf.com

Summer Golf Day Packages

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Contact Dale Hill on 01580 200112


News

Former PGA Cup player Jamie Harris carded three

sparkling rounds to hit the jackpot in the Las Vegas Classic Pro-Am.The Nevill Golf Club pro held off challenges from James Davies (Mile End) and defending champion James Ablett (Lee on the Solent) to win the Stableford format over 54 holes.

The opening round was staged at the stunning Cascata Golf Club, built specifically to feel like a private club for the casino high-rollers of Las Vegas.

Harris took full advantage of the pristine course conditions and perfect Nevada weather to open up an early three point lead over Ablett with Pro-Am Tour regulars Darren Prosser

and James Davies two points back in third.

Round two at Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas saw Davies shoot a best of the day 35 points to narrow the gap on Harris, and to help his team move into contention in the team event.

But in the final round at Las Vegas Paiute Resort Wolf Course, Harris secured 37 points for a 109 point total - good enough to claim the individual title, and assist his team to win the Pro-Am team event, and claim $2,100 in prizemoney.

American Golf Holiday founder John Hooper said: “Once again Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, lived up to its reputation by providing 24-hour thrills and entertainment for all the competitors.

Jamie hits jackpot in Las Vegas Pro-Am

In It will be a case of girl golf power in 2016 with the introduction of a WPGA Lombard Trophy for female clubs pros and amateurs.

The exciting development adds a new dimension to the popular PGA National Pro-Am Championship and aims to encourage more women to play golf.

As an incentive, entry is free for both pro and amateur with up to 200 WPGA Members eligible to compete and represent their clubs alongside their amateur partners in one of two regional finals where six places will be up for grabs to the grand final in Portugal.

The grand final will take place on the Algarve at Pestana Vila Sol Golf & Resort Hotel from September 22-23 with a first prize of £2,500.

Camberley Heath hosts the first qualifier on Monday July 4 while Dunham Forest stages the second on Monday July 25.

PGA chief executive Sandy Jones said: “This year marks an exciting new development with a separate pro-am tournament expressly for WPGA and female amateurs.

“Lombard are committed to equality and diversity and encouraging more women to play will reap rewards at grass roots level.

New WPGA Lombard Trophy launched


A course for all golfers of all abilities all year round

LULLINGSTONEFEATURE


TRANQUILITY and closeness to nature are just two of the more enduring aspects of a round of golf.

At Lullingstone Park Golf Course in Kent, both factors are available in abundance as golfers enjoy the delights of the 500-acre site set in the Darenth Valley which houses the 18-hole Castle Course and the 9-hole Park Course.

At 6,713 yards off the white tees, the Castle is one of the longest public courses in the country, and while the yellows take it down to a more manageable 6,286 yards, the natural contours on the land ensure that this is not a course that can be rolled over from any of the tees.

With many of the shots played up to raised greens, or from sloping fairways, good club selection is paramount, while many holes play slightly shorter or longer than the yardage on the scorecard, depending on their elevation and the direction of the prevailing wind.

And if this sounds too strenuous, then the club has just taken control of a fleet of new buggies to enhance the golfing experience while providing comfort and fun.

History has it that the land was donated, somewhat begrudgingly, by the Hart Dyke family, owners of Lullingstone Castle, in lieu of some unpaid taxes, back in the day when rich people paid their dues.

Today, the castle, which stands guard in the eastern corner of the estate, is still lived in by the 20th generation of the same family, and whose World Garden, built by Tom Hart Dyke, attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Up until 2001, the golf course was managed by Sevenoaks District Council, but it now is run by a Sencio Community Leisure, a public trust which continues to ensure the course offers affordable golf to the local tax payers.

The Castle Course, which is the undoubted centrepiece of the park, was designed by the esteemed architect Fred Hawtree, and first opened 45 years ago. The course starts off with a rather benign par four, in the manner of a traditional

PARK

Continued >

www.lullingstonegolfcourse.co.uk


parkland layout, and could easily be thought of as ‘just’ another boring old public golf course, where every hole seems to remind you of the one before.

But all that changes the minute you emerge from the walk through the woods to reach the second tee, which opens out to a panoramic view of the fabulously verdant Kent countryside.

Among the many highlights is the 8th, a 381-yard par four, which sweeps down off the tee and then rises up to the green, while the 553-yard 11th is a superb par five, with the green perched

on top of a steep hill guarded by bunkers

on either side. A bogey will feel

like a par here.

The adjacent 9-hole Park Course offers a bit of respite from the Castle, although the 2,381-yard, par 33 layout places a heavy emphasis on accurate stroke play, with its narrow tree-lined fairways and small greens providing a solid test for all levels of golfer.

The first five holes are probably as good as you will find on a public course anywhere, with the short 4th, played across a valley to a green which has been cut into the side of the slope, a particular highlight.

The sloping 6th, 7th and 8th holes will challenge the accuracy and shot-shaping ability of any player.

Lullingstone also offers a lovely 9-hole pitch-and-putt course, with holes between 50 and 75 yards making it ideal for little ones starting out in the game, as well as not so little ones looking to sharpen up their wedge play.

There is also a driving range and a well-maintained practice putting green.

After a round on any of the courses, few golfers give up the opportunity of a drink and a bite to eat in The Lodge, a full service bar and restaurant which is operated as a separate business to the golf course, but plays a integral and active role in club life.

With a wide choice of home-cooked food and snacks, and a view over the 18th green, it’s well placed for visitors to relax after or before a game.

So whether you are simply after a walk in the park, or something a little more challenging with a golf bag on your back, Lullingstone Park is an ideal venue.

For all tee time bookings and membership enquiries, call 01959 533793 or visit the club website.

www.lullingstonegolfcourse.co.ukFEATURE


Full English Breakfast with unlimited Tea/Coffee and 18 holes

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2016 SOCIETY PACKAGES

Free Range balls for all players! Free nearest the pin prize! Free longest drive prize!

2016 Special Buggy OfferAsk about our

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For all Societyenquiries please

contact Mark Watt on

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www.countyzonegolf.com

SATURDAY 30TH APRIL

WWW.CHARTHILLS.CO.UK

Exclusive offers available on the day

TO APPLY FOR A COMPLIMENTARY ROUND OF GOLF CONTACT [email protected]

Chart Hills Golf Club Weeks Lane, Biddenden, Kent, TN27 8JX

t: 01580 292222 f: 01580 292233 e: [email protected]


NEWS

Gary Marks prevailed in windy conditions at the European Senior Tour Qualifying School Final Stage to win by one shot at Pestana Golf Resort’s Vale da Pinta, where a play-off was required to decide the fifth and final player to win a Senior Tour card for the 2016 season.

The Englishman’s two over par round of 73 was enough for him to finish on two under par, one shot ahead of America’s Barry Conser, whose one under par round of 70 was the best of the day as strong winds made for difficult scoring in the Algarve.

Irishman Brendan McGovern and Sweden’s Magnus P Atlevi also earned their cards, finishing on level par, but Ken Tarling had to beat Brad Smith in a play-off to seal the final spot.

The Canadian, winner of last year’s Senior Tour Q-School, had shot a four over par round of 75 but his English opponent Smith took four putts on the first additional hole, allowing Tarling to clinch fifth place with a bogey.

Marks was tied for second place in Portugal 12 months ago and the 52 year old was delighted to have regained his status as a Senior Tour Member.

Marks comes out on top to win Tour card

Woodroffe now taking on The Oaks

Having brought thousands into golf, World of Golf man

Woodroffe has big plans for local golf facilityThe PGA in England (South)’s 2014 Coach of the Year, Jon Woodroffe, is easing back in his role at the busiest range in the UK, the World of Golf in New Malden, to one day a week in a bid to develop The Oaks Golf Centre in Carshalton, Surrey into a major finishing school for golf beginners.

Woodroffe explains, “We are having tremendous success at the World of Golf with our free Learn to Play Golf package of six one hour golf lessons, getting around 1,200 more people every year into the game.

What we lacked was a suitably beginner friendly course of our own to take the people we have

been teaching on the range, onto the course itself and to take them from thereon.”

He continues, “The Oaks has got exactly what we need with a good 18 hole course, a nine hole par three course and a 16 bay driving range. It’s the perfect place to develop beginners into golfers, and fulfil the World of Golf CEO’s, Grant Wright, idea to take complete beginners all the way to accomplished golfers in a seamless journey with our arm round them all the way.”

His former Central London Golf Centre colleague Gary Clements is joining Woodroffe at The Oaks because as Woodroffe points out, “He’s brilliant with Juniors! We also want to make all new golfers of any age feel completely at ease, but to do that we know we have to counter and overcome a lot of negative perceptions about golf.”


Towels are for more than just cleaning

your clubs

The humble towel can be an extremely useful

practice aid and is in fact one of my most used pieces of golfing equipment! Here’s one great way to use a towel to improve your pitching and even your full swing.

Place a large towel across your upper torso across your chest and hold it under both your arm pits, practice hitting pitch shots with your focus on keeping the towel in place. This may seem like a very restrictive drill but it will have an amazing effect on the way your body works. This drill

encourages your torso to work in unison with your arms, ensuring the torso is the primary moving muscle in the action.

This is an important piece of any pitching technique as your body should control the shot. (When doing this drill just make sure your leading arm stays straight all the time). Many golfers struggle to achieve consistent pitching due to the over use their hands and arms creating a lot of inconsistency and swing disconnection. Just think about how many different ways we can use your hands and arms, repeating a

PROZONE with Stephen Packer PGA Professional & Tour Coach


Stephen is based at The Dorset Golf &

Country Club, teaching a multitude of golfers

ranging from complete beginners to seasoned Tour Professionals and

County Amateurs.

Qualified in multiple swing and learning systems, specialism in Short Game and

Putting, Golf and Sports psychology and Golf fitness. And writes exclusively for The

County Zone

The humble towel can be an extremely useful practice aid and is in fact one of my most used pieces of golfing equipment! Here’s one great way to use

a towel to improve your pitching and even your full swing.

Place a large towel across your upper torso across your chest and hold it under both your arm pits, practice hitting pitch shots with your focus on keeping the towel in place. This may seem like a very restrictive drill but it will have an amazing effect on the way your body works. This drill encourages your torso to work in unison with your arms, ensuring the torso is the primary moving muscle in the action.

This is an important piece of any pitching technique as your body should control the shot. (When doing this drill just make sure

PROZONE

movement based on these muscle groups is extremely difficult. The torso however has a very limited mobility spectrum meaning there is less potential for variations in movement.

By keeping your arms on your body and leading arm straight your rear arm should bend creating your wrist hinge naturally in the back swing.

Creating a greater connection between your torso and arms also creates a more rounded golf swing meaning straighter and longer golf shots. So use your towel to clean up your swing and not just your clubs.

• For more information call

07733432779 or visit www.

stephenpacker golf.com


England’s Lizzie Prior has won her first tournament on the US

women’s college circuit with a 15-under par score for 54 holes.Prior, from Burhill in Surrey, took the honours in the Battle at Boulder Creek II where she had rounds of 64, 69 and 68.

Her first round of eight-under par was a record at her college, the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

The 18-year-old won the England Golf girls’ order of merit for 2015 and was in England’s winning team at the Girls’ Home Internationals

– helping to win the title for the eighth consecutive time.

During the season – her last in junior golf – Prior won the girls’ title at the Fairhaven Trophy and was runner-up three times, in the English girls’ championship and the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters, as well as tying for second place in the English women’s amateur.

She won the Critchley Salver at Sunningdale, helped by a course record of eight-under 67 on the New course. She also set a six-under record at Lindfield in Sussex, where she played college golf before taking up her scholarship in the USA.

Record win for Lizzie in USA

LADIES ZONE

Katie Fewster and Jo Stocks won the London Foursomes at The Berkshire on Sunday 20 March. They beat Sunningdale (Ellis Keenan and Louisa Tarn) 4/2 in an all Surrey final on the Blue Course.

New competitions are being launched this year to find the England Golf women and girls’ county champions of champions.

They will join the men, boys and senior men at County Champions’ weekend at Woodhall Spa in September.

England Golf championship director James Crampton said: “We are delighted to add these two events to the calendar and look forward to welcoming the women and girls’ county champions to Woodhall Spa.”

For this year only, the events will be run over 18 holes because of restrictions on course availability and they will be played on the Bracken course on Sunday, 11 September. From 2017 onwards the championships will be over 36 holes.

Players who hold both the girls’ and women’s titles in their county will be able to compete for and win both trophies. Entry forms will be sent to all county associations.

New events for women and girl county champs

Worplesdon retain London Foursomes


GolfBuddy has launched the first golf GPS designed specifically for lady golfers.

The new LD2 GPS watch is elegant, lightweight, super-accurate and brings high fashion to the course with a range of quality style features, including Swarovski® crystals and a rich alligator grain leather watch strap.

The combination of a stainless steel crown button and bezel, premium mineral lens and the genuine Swarovski® crystals bring a feminine touch to a GPS that is packed with a huge array of features.

Weighing just 1oz and with a neat 1.18" display screen, the GolfBuddy LD2 boasts a slim, stylish case which sits unobtrusively on the wrist.

Distances to front/centre/back of the green are shown clearly, alongside distances to all hazards on a hole.

It's uncomplicated to use, with GolfBuddy's Automatic Course/Hole Recognition System immediately picking up which course you're playing - and even which hole - especially useful for shotgun starts.

GPS tracking and a built-in odometer mean the LD2 can double up as a 'health band' while the rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides eight hours' use in GPS mode and up to one-year in standard watch mode.

It's waterproof up to 10 meters, shows Time/Date and comes preloaded with over 38,000 courses worldwide, all of which are available free of charge with never any expensive annual subscriptions like some GPS brands.

EQUIPMENT ZONEKeep up-to-date with the latest products and offers at www.countyzonegolf.com

GolfBuddy launch ladies GPS Watch

CaddyCell battery now has USB charging point

• MSRP: £199.99 For more information visit www.gpsgolfbuddy.eu

www.countyzonegolf.com

Golfstream has continued the development of its best-selling CaddyCell 18 hole lithium golf trolley battery with the addition of a USB port for easy-access charging of GPS devices, phones and other electronics. The battery is already

one of the most popular power sources in golf

among powered trolley owners thanks to its super-compact size and lightness (it weighs

just 2.1kg).

With recent R&A rule changes allowing golfers

to use a smartphone with GPS app to get distances on the course, the need for a charging port is paramount.

Each battery comes with its own charger and carry jacket and is available with connectors to almost any make of trolley, including PowaKaddy, MotoCaddy, Hillbilly, Greenhill and, of course, Golfstream's own trolley range.

The USB port also makes it perfect as battery becomes a 'multi-use power source' for campers, festival-goers and in other recreational and leisure pursuits.

• RRP £189 (18 hole) www.golfstream.co.uk

Irons • Drivers • Woods • Putters • Clothing • Shoes • Techology • Accessories


EQUIPMENT ZONENew SkyCaddie Linx GT GPS

Zen Green Stage takes putting to a whole new level

The 3-in-1 LINX GT (from £229.95) has all the features of the modern Golf GPS Watch PLUS ‘GT’ stands for Game Tracking – fix Smart Tags to your golf club, and LINX GT tracks every shot you play, what club you used, how near the target it ended etc.

LINX GT synchronises via Bluetooth to the SkyCaddie Mobile GPS App – so you can see and Zoom into expanded Hole Views on your mobile phone in amazing HD colour, and track your game of golf online in real time, as it is happening (and so can your mates).

The watch has accurate, up-to-date golf course maps, including over 99% of golf courses in the UK, and the addition of Game Tracking and Mobile App synchronisation makes it golf’s newest king of the gadgets.

• Price from £229.95 • Available April 2016 • For more information visit www.skycaddie.co.uk

The new Zen Green Stage is the world’s most advanced, computerised, artificial putting surface, which teaches golfers the art of reading breaks on a green.

The Green Stage replicates every possible putt of up to 15ft in length – including double breaks – on a smooth putting surface available in

a variety of speeds. In just a few seconds, it can transform from an easy straight putt, to a fiendishly-contoured putting nightmare.

Designed by ace European Tour putting coach, Nick Middleton, the Green Stage costs £20,400, and is made in Sheffield by Zen Green Technology, pioneers of the Zen Oracle putter.

Under Armour has finally unveiled their long-anticipated line of golf footwear, released just in time for the 2016 Masters, where Jordan Spieth will look to defend his title at Augusta National.

The range will be available at retail from April 4th.


Whilst we’re still waiting for the finer weather here at the start of the new golfing season I wanted to focus on the one thing that you could be doing right now.

It will help you in kick-starting or continuing to build your golfing confidence and strengthen your ability.

At our weekly group sessions, PGA golf coach, Maxine Burton has taught us a simple exercise that she’s used in her golf career as a tour player and a coach. It’s so simple that you can practice it at home and you don’t even need to hold a golf club. It’s called ‘The

Drill’. In the steps here, I’ll guide you in using a golf club so that you know what

to do when you’re warming up before a game, practicing at the range, or

on the course. If I feel that I’m losing confidence

in my swing during these times, I’ll execute ‘The Drill’.

Even before you’ve attended a

taster session you can start practicing

this exercise.

Felicity Dunderdale, founder of FORE! Women, shares with you a simple technique that’ll help you gain confidence and strengthen your golf.

GET INTO GOLFwith Felicity Dunderdale PGA Level 1

1. Take your golf club - preferably a short iron, no longer than a 7 iron.

2. Set up as if you were going to hit an imaginary ball.

3. Start your practice swing, make sure that you complete a full follow-through and swing to your finish position.

4. Repeat the process 10 times without stopping. If you’re feeling a little off-balance, stop, reset and continue.

5. Make sure on your down swing that you hit the ground with each repetition.

6. On your last swing, hold your follow-through as if you’re watching the flight of your ball down the fairway.

7. This technique should make you slightly breathless.

Practice this swing drill to develop your game

Felicity Dunderdale, a PGA level 1 coach, has helped introduce more than 100 women to golf by organising taster sessions with progressive golf clubs. She runs weekly, ladies-only sessions at Sittingbourne Golf Centre, Kent on Wednesday mornings.

For more information, or to become part of the female golf community, visit the FORE! Women website www.forewomen.co.uk Follow on Twitter @Fore_Women or like the FORE! Women Facebook page. Or email [email protected]


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Every Golfstream trolley is100% made in Britain, usingBritish-engineered parts andcomponents. This gives yousupreme confidence backed upby first class reliability andoutstanding customer service.

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