Colin Fairweather

Hello Golfers,

At the end of a week that saw golf hit the headlines in the UK with some courses in England re-opening, and Ireland all set to go today. I really thought we may get the go-ahead, and was preparing to get back to work, the “Return to Golf Document” out to the membership, and the Professional shop ready. As frustrated as I am, another 10 days is not long and could make the difference in returning to normal life safely, and as quick as possible which I am sure we are all desperate for.

So how will golf look on return? Here is a little snapshot of the potential rules, which is no real secret, but we will get guidance here from the Government and Governing bodies:

Numbers 2-3 balls only.
1st tee starts only.
Online and telephone booking. All golfers must have a tee time.
All golfers must have a tee time, and check-in.
Tee off allowed between 8-7pm Monday to Friday and 7-7pm Weekends.
1-2 in shop at any time. 1 staff member in the shop with safe rules, screens, queuing system.
Safe queuing system to 1st tee.
Social distancing always.
Practice ground- 1 person at any time. 1hr slots, own balls.
No touching flags, no rakes, all course furniture out of use, benches around the clubhouse.
Clubhouse closed until we can open again safely.

Our main priority is to get our membership back on the course, and as soon as possible. There will be a rush for tee times, it will be busy at peak times. If we run 8-minute tee times, on two balls for example, it's 18 per hour, which is room for over 180 a day. Can we operate this way safely, are we allowed to? We need to balance safety first, with accommodating the tee time demands from membership and giving all a fair chance.

I feel we could play in fourballs safely; it would help with demand form a management perspective, and maybe go 10-minute tee slots, but it's going to be not our decision to start with. It would be better for the membership.

We will keep you updated as soon as we know the guidelines.

PGA tour and golf also made a return to our screens as McIlroy and co teed it up on Sunday in a special fundraising event in Florida. I sat and watched it, and thoroughly enjoyed a game of golf, safely for charity raising millions (more below).

I would like to see a LPGA ladies fourball match, Seniors Tour fourball match, it would be interesting to showcase their talents, raising money for charity next. Hopefully, this is something in the pipeline.
Talking of players, our video of the week showcases some of the craziest moments to have ever happened on the PGA Tour and is well worth scrolling down this newsletter for a watch.

Stay safe and enjoy the read

Thanks for your support!

Back on TV

Golf made returned to our TV screens on Sunday evening as Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson took on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff at the TaylorMade Driving Relief in Florida, raising over $4 million for charities helping with relief efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Understandably, the quality of golf wasn’t at its highest but it made for fascinating viewing. Players wearing microphones and carrying their bags, no spectators lining the fairways, and a golf course in pristine condition.

The players competed in a skins match, with extra money raised for birdies, eagles as well as a couple of long drive challenges – Wolff launched massive drives of 356 and 368 yards to take the honours here. With the final six skins rolling over with each hole halved, a 120-yard nearest-the-pin shootout was needed to decide the overall winners.

The result? Rory showing why he’s the world number one by knocking a wedge to within 12-feet to secure victory for him and DJ.

It was great to see some live golf back on TV and for such a tremendous cause. If you watched it, we’d love to know what you thought. Did you enjoy hearing what the players were saying to each other? Would you like to see more events like this? Do you think golf missed an opportunity to showcase gender equality? Let us know here.

Many ways to swing a club

Think this is a good picture of how there are many ways to swing a golf club and be successful.
What is the most important thing is delivering the golf club in a consistent path/clubface position at impact and be able to repeat this? Yes, these are four powerful modern-day PGA Tour Professionals, but we can all learn, and improve what effects our golf game most, and improve this through coaching. What will be consistent is each has good sound fundamentals.

Golf lessons upon return will be only in individual one to one format, which can be done safely.
Our Online lesson booking facility is just getting some final tweaks and you can book one of the Professional shop team online. We will let you know once it's live!

Pro's news

Archie is doing well, Kate and I are also good. The sleep issue has continued on to this week, with him waking the moment we go up to bed. Ahhhhhhh!!!

He slept like a dream, but he is obviously teething which seems to not get him into as deep asleep now and he wakes every time his dummy falls out!!

No sooner have we put it in, he spits it out again. Haha driven mad with it!!

This week we have tried him in his own room, in his own bed, rather than a cot by us. No success so far, but we will keep trying.

I find it amazing to put his dummy back in, his wee mouth searching for it, and he is sound asleep.

The dummy works well during the day, so outways for us, trying to stop. All part of the journey that no one can prepare you for. We are both loving him being in our life, and the laughs he gives you! Loves to put his feet in his mouth now!

Hard to get annoyed at that little face, and we both know how lucky we were the first few months.

Hopefully we get better.

Achie's update

Shop news

If you or your family are looking for presents or shop vouchers this is something we can do for you no problem.

Just drop me an email and I will get one sent to you. You can pay straight into my account or by credit card.

Or if you wanted to get a Longniddry Golf Club Voucher for money to go on your family members bar card, we can sort this for you also.

Just drop an email to either:

Professional@longniddrygolfclub.co.uk or
colin.fairweather@foremostgolf.com
and include:

Voucher type
Amount
Who is receiving the voucher

And we can arrange the rest!

An ideal present for someone who has everything.

Enjoyment level = 100%

When you get the chance to venture back onto the course for a game of golf, we want you to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible whilst following social distancing guidelines.

It might not be for right now but something to consider for the future is Motocaddy’s range of stylish and compact (can easily fit in your boot alongside your clubs) electric trolleys.

They have some fantastic options at affordable prices, all of which will take the strain off your back and allow you to walk the course in comfort!

Motocaddy M-Series Electric Trolley range

browse Motocaddy's range >

Thoughts for the course

When you’ve been playing golf for many years, it’s easy to set-up to the ball in a way that feels natural without too much thought. However, without a proper pre-shot routine, our ball position can easily move to a place that's doing more harm than good.

Keep an eye on things

As in last week’s article on alignment, the easiest way to check your ball position is by placing a club or stick on the floor as in the image above.

If you’re unsure about where the ball should be positioned within your stance with any club in your bag, send us a message or a photo and we’ll get back to you.

Pre-shot routine is key

This drill is perfect for when you’re practicing on the range but out on the course it all stems from your pre-shot routine. Not only does this help with your fundamentals such as ball position and alignment, but it’ll also help you if you’re feeling particularly nervous. Again, get in touch with us below if you’d like to discuss your pre-shot routine or anything else golf-related. We're here to help!

send us a message >

Enjoy every step

Managing to get back out on the course and play golf again is going to bring a lot of joy to people in the coming weeks and months. Walking four miles or more – on top of actually swinging a golf club – is quite a bit of exercise considering the recent situation, so make sure you’re set up for maximum comfort before you head out.

All of today’s golf shoes are made with comfort and performance at heart. If you’re wearing shoes that are a few years old, starting to wear or have a hard leather sole, we have plenty of affordable new shoes in the pro shop for when we're open.

One brand that is leading the way in this department is Skechers. We really like its new Max Fairway 2 shoe (pictured above), which excels in both comfort and style, and can be worn as your everyday trainer too.

take a closer look >

Video of the Week

Have you ever seen something on the golf course before and wondered how it possibly happened? Well, this week's video is a round up of some of the most unique shots ever seen on the PGA Tour. Some of these are incredible! Enjoy.

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Phone: 01875 852 228

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