Hi Everyone,
Although the damp summer continues, I have to say the golf course is in terrific shape and it is as green looking as I can remember for this time of year. Congratulations to Conor O’ Brien in winning the Mid Herts Club Championship with excellent golf on a tough windy day. Clearly his spell in America at University is really paying dividends. He works tirelessly on his game and is a real credit to himself and his lovely family. Conor and I had a great session up on the range recently with our ever enthusiastic and equally hard working playing professional Tom Shadbolt. Tom is plying his trade on the Alps Tour , which is played in and around Europe, and this season is doing really well, and in fact in a recent event shot a 61! In our session I took a video of the two of them swinging in symmetry and there are definitely some good moves for us all to copy, assuming our bodies will allow !
This week sees another of our former Lady members play in the US Womens Open in California in the shape of Hannah Burke, two years after Lucy Williams also achieved what is an amazing feat. I know you will all join me in wishing Hannah well, and I am really looking forward to watching her compete in the Women's British Open later this month. My guess is that in a few years time Emmanuelle Hewson our Junior rising star will be the third player from Mid Herts to play in Women’s majors, so watch this space...
Speaking of Opens, The Open Championship is upon us next week at Troon. This is allowing me the opportunity to make up for my tip in the US Open , who unfortunately missed the cut. Clearly Dustin Johnson is the form horse, having won back to back events and last year led The Open after two rounds, so he knows his links golf. However I have decided to plump for the European player who is in the best form at the moment Henrik Stenson. He would also continue the trend of 40 something winners of the past few years ; Darren Clarke, Ernie Els and Phil Mickleson. With Links golf certainly age brings wisdom and acceptance of the challenges, the curious bounces, the weather and the weather....Henrik with his experience I think is an obvious choice, although I will say given my 'recent' slightly patchy predicting record usual restrictions on how much you wager on my prediction apply!
In closing we have all noted that the damp summer has made all the golf courses pretty challenging this year with players having to contend with thick rough and quick greens, so it’s easy to become a little frustrated. I thought this quote would help put it all into perspective, it is from B C Forbes , who although I am not sure who he was / is, he clearly was perceptive ‘Golf without rough, bunkers and hazards would be tame and monotonous, so would life’
Good luck with your upcoming golf and may your good shots outweigh the not so good ones.
All the best
Barney