Peter Allan

And they're off!

After the announcement on Sunday to say we could be back playing golf on Wednesday the first 2 ball teed off at 7am and arrived back after 9 holes still smiling about 90 minutes later.

Si Williams and Jason Taylor got us underway off the first and Neil Bolton and Carl Wallwork had the honors from the 10th.

As the shop is still closed until the 1st June I took on the role of looking after the golfers on arrival and trying to ensure their safety out onto the course.

It was great to see everyone back doing what they enjoy and despite how they played everyone came back smiling.

And they're off.

Still smiling.

Not the best picture into the sun but Si and Jason are still smiling even after losing 2 dozen balls!

(Only joking about the balls).

Loved it.

Despite not being at their Sunday best Carl and Neil loved it.

Pro's news

Q&A Time

In last week's newsletter I asked if you would like to ask me any questions?

Here is a list of some of them with my answers in red.

I hope this helps you to see and understand whats happening behind the scenes.

Q) What’s the earliest and latest you can tee off?
A)Start times 7am – 9.30pm.

Q) Will there be formal competitions?
A)There wont be any competitions in the first phase of opening.

Q) Will societies and visitors be welcome ? And if so how will members be prioritised?
A)There wont be any societies or guests in the first phase of opening members only an absolute priority.

Q) Will Members who haven't paid any fees for 20/21 be able to play? And if so should they when paying members may not be able to get a slot.
A) Anyone who wants to play must have started paying, or have a payment plan in place with the Club. It will be closely monitored.

Q) Have we a timeline for getting the irrigation installed on the 3 identified holes?
A)I believe we are waiting for the installation company to give us a window, but the good news is this has been agreed and is happening.

Q) Would it be useful to publish minutes and or actions arising from the exec group?
A) As far as I know they report back to the board and report information when confirmed. All the key decisions are reported to the Members in the messages from Sheila Whamond, and put on the website.

Q) What’s the timeline for concluding the compensation for paying members without being able to play as lots of clubs have already concluded their approach?
A) I know this has been discussed but not sure about any figures as it’s too soon to tell. The Board will be discussing this again very soon and will update all Members then. What I would say is that it’s your club( the members) and needs your support to survive.

8) What will be the format of the play ?
A) 2 balls only in the initial period. I hope this helps and there will be more info coming shortly on the structure of the safe return to golf and I hope all members can be patient and all get through this and back into the game we all love safely and fairly.

Q) Why is the website booking system so slow? Sometimes I get an error message too.

A) The Intelligent Golf system across the country has been flooded with people trying to book tee times, as courses reopen. It should settle down soon.

Some of our members are taking this serious!

Can you guess who this is?

As I mentioned last week with the shop unable to be open until June 1st I am going to try and operate a click and collect service. If you need anything, balls, gloves, bag, shoes etc send me a message and let me know when you are playing and I will have them waiting for you.

Email peter.allan@foremostgolf.com
Mob 07764230408

Now this is a Face Mask.

Looking ahead

We’ve added a new feature to our weekly emails called ‘Thoughts for the course’. Each week there’ll be a handy tip that will (hopefully) give you something to think about ahead of your next game of golf. Be sure to scroll down a little further to give it a read.

We are also going to start reintroducing a product or two that you’ll be able to find in the pro shop when we're back open. If you’re interested in finding out more about anything we stock or just want to have a little browse, there’s lots of information and some great videos on our website – simply, click here and head to the ‘Shop’ tab.

It's quiz time

This week we have a brilliant quiz for you to indulge yourself in.

'Guess Who' Quiz

We will give you three short statements, which you will need to use to work out who the golfer is. It's multiple-choice so if you can't work it out then you can at least have a guess!

From now on, we'll be doing these quizzes in our first newsletter of every month so be sure to keep an eye out!

take our 'Guess Who' quiz >

Thoughts for the course

When you get to hit your next golf shot, it's highly likely that you'll be battling with a little bit of rust that's set into your game during lockdown. So, to help you out when you do get back out on the fairways, here’s something important you might want to pay particular attention to.

Why is alignment important?

When we talk about alignment, we’re referring to where our clubface, feet, hips and shoulders are all aiming. If these areas are disjointed before we start our swing, hitting a straight shot is quite a bit harder.

For example, if a right-hander’s body is aiming left of the target with the clubface straight (as in the image above), it encourages a swing path to the left and will often result in a fade/slice that ends up to the right of where you want it to.

How to perfect yours

Playing lots of golf is something we all look forward to in the coming months, so make sure you have solid foundations at address.

If you ever see professional golfers on the range, they usually lay a stick or club down on the floor between their feet and the ball that aims at their target. By using this as a reference point, it ensures their alignment is spot-on. Try it the next time you practice - you might be surprised!

send us a message >

Visual aids are key

Carrying on with the theme of alignment, it’s really important to get it right when putting too. Golf brands have come up with some clever ways to help golfers on this front, from the original 2-ball putter to today’s intuitive colour-contrast sightlines, but there are also some things you can do on your golf ball to help.

Grab a marker

Lots of golfers draw a line on their golf ball with a permanent marker to use when putting (and driving in some cases).

This has been a popular method for decades as it aids alignment with where the golfer intends to start the ball rolling, taking into account the slope of the green.

Instant feedback

If the line rolls over itself and stays pointing at your target for the duration of the putt, it indicates you've hit a pretty good putt.

However, if the line ends up rolling towards the hole pointing elsewhere, it usually means your stroke was a little off - something we can help with.

Have you seen these?

TaylorMade calls it ClearPath Alignment, which is designed to give you the visual feedback mentioned before.

If this is something that interests you, these balls will be available from the pro shop when we re-open, but you can also find out more on our website.

learn more here >

Video of the Week

The European Tour has produced some brilliant videos in recent years and this is one of our favourites. Wondering what happened to elicit this response from Andy Sullivan? Watch the video to find out! Enjoy.

European Tour: Most frustrating video ever

Ashton In Makerfield Golf Club
Garswood Park
Ashton In Makerfield
Wigan
WN4 0YT

Phone: 01942 724229

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