Guy Shoesmith

Instant improvement

I have lots of members tell me they've been swinging the same way for too long to make changes or improvements. Well, look at this instant improvement. Bill Wormald won't mind me saying he's not a spring chicken but I love his enthusiasm to improve. He was hitting some shots which were slicing.

As you can see in the right photo his right arm was in the "chicken wing " position and he was unable to release the golf club. After just 30 minutes of improving his leg action look how he is rotating freely through impact in the left photo with his legs, chest, arms and clubface in perfect unison.

Bill Wormald

If you would like to make instant improvements to your game email us at pro@westhill-golfclub.co.uk to talk to us about your game or go to www.guyshoesmith.co.uk and book a session directly on our Online Lesson Booking system.

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Members' news

Broken phone

If any members have been trying to contact me on my mobile for the last 48 hours, it has been broken. I will only be contactable by email at pro@westhill-golfclub.co.uk or on 01483473172 for the foreseeable future as phones sent for repair have to go into quarantine first.

Captain's Roll Up

Here is a report from the Captain.

"There was a record entry of 35 players, including at least three debutantes for the first Captain’s Roll Up since lockdown. The course was in excellent condition on a beautiful sunny Summer morning and enjoyed by all, even if only for the glass of Pimms provided by the Captain at the hut.

As always, there was some good scoring and the Claret Jug was won for the month by Ian Edwards with an excellent 38 points. Second was Phil Mulhall with 37 followed by Chris Barber with 36. John Sawford still leads the overall eclectic competition with three more events to go.

Captain's Roll Up Winner - Ian Edwards

Double delight

This week, we had a double Tommy Martin Foursomes result. Firstly Jon Kent & Chris Smith defeated Nick Clarke and Kevin Thomas up the last in a fantastically fought final to win the matchplay stages of the 2019 knockout and earm their place on the board.

Then, Gavin Cookman and James Trelfa won their place on the boards with a win in the 2020 stableford with a score of 38 points pipping Sam Barkham & Nick Chiverton on countback. In third place were Rich Carlson and Darren Noel with 37 points.

Rod Curry at Queenwood

Following a fitting with Greg, Rod Curry was invited for a game at Queenwood with ex West Hill member Simon Jones. He took the opportunity to trial our demo clubs in his spec on the course. He hit them well confirming Greg's fitting and now he is looking forward to putting them in his bag.

Email pro@westhill-golfclub.co.uk if you would like to talk to us about your equipment or to arrange a time to try some of the latest technology.

Rod Curry at Queenwood

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Matt's Corner

First event back

This week I played in my first competition post lockdown and my first amateur scratch competition for a couple of years. It was at Royal Ashdown Forest, an excellent course that I thoroughly enjoyed playing, and you do not have to worry about your sand skills as there are no bunkers on the course.

The beautiful 250 yard par 3 11th at Royal Ashdown Forest. Humble brag, I made a 2 here.

The past few months I have been working hard on my game with Guy’s teaching. My swing has progressed quite a bit in this time as we have changed many components. Grip, stance, takeaway, backswing and downswing have all been changed. The grip more neutral, shifting my weight away from my heels and onto the balls of feet, minimise unnecessary leg movement on the takeaway, wrist hinge on the backswing and maintaining it for longer in the downswing. They have all been done for a reason and they all connect to each other.

The learning curve has been so much fun and I am constantly learning about my swing and the golf swing in general all of the time.

Teeing up on the 8th at West Hill

As with a lot of swing changes, we had a lot of growing pains. I was struggling to break 80 and had no real idea where the ball would go but there was always glimmers and signs of improvement. About two weeks ago it started to click and I have gained more confidence every round to eventually breaking 70.

So I went into the competition wanting to see how my game holds up when put under the pressure of competition, can the swing work when it needs to? I went in with confidence that I could play and a small belief that I could actual compete for the win.

Bogey, Bogey start quickly put me on the back foot but it certainly isn’t a position to be feared. I put trust in the swing and the swing delivered. The ball striking was possibly the best that I have ever achieved and hit the shots that I visualised, by the 13th I was back to level par. 1 under was the best round of the day so I was in a great position to challenge that and on the final 5 holes I hit 4 greens in regulation, the swing really performed under the pressure.

Unfortunately though, there is more to golf than just the swing. The putter is the most used club in the bag and I decided to use it a lot. 40 times to be precise which included 3 putting the last 5 greens. The feel for the greens and the putting stroke completely disappeared and I was lost, falling off the 18th six over par.

Although the final result was not exactly what I hoped for the round as a whole was an overwhelming positive for me. The swing was excellent and held up under the pressure of competition, I need to continue working hard on the swing to maintain progression. Improving at golf needs the right knowledge and the right practice, the swing can be complicated but the more that you can simplify it the better. Now I know what part of the game needs the most work, I will certainly be getting a few putting lessons in with Guy over the coming weeks and months.

Tour news

The UK Swing begins

The British Masters finally gave European Tour fans something to cheer. Whilst the Tour had technically resumed with a couple of weakened fields in Austria, this was the first ‘proper’ European Tour event since lockdown began all those months ago. Renato Paratore was the eventual winner, with the young Italian going 62 holes before his first bogey on the 9th in the final round.

Paratore’s incredible golf came at a soggy Close House course, hosted by Lee Westwood, in the first of a six-tournament “UK Swing”. This week, players high enough in the World Rankings can choose between the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational or the English Open. Next week, it will be a choice between staying put for the English Championship or heading to San Francisco for the first Major of 2020; the PGA Championship. Things are about to get interesting!

If the European Tour restart has given you the golf bug once again, you can speak to us about professional coaching by clicking the button below or calling 01483 473172. We’re here to help!

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Easy, fun & enjoyable golf

We’ve all felt the pain of lugging a heavy bag around the course. It’s not fun! Having an electric trolley out on the course makes life so much easier. From easing the weight on your shoulders to speeding up your round, it’s a huge bonus.

Motocaddy M-Series Electric Golf Trolley Range

But, whether you’re cramming it into your car boot or struggling to keep it upright when the wind blows, they can cause problems. That is, until Motocaddy’s genius M-Series range.

The amazingly compact fold-away designs are perfect for your car boot. Also, the EASILOCK bag system (in all models) and Downhill Control (in DHC models) prevents your trolley or bag from toppling over on any terrain.

Motocaddy trolleys are in popular demand at the moment so if you're interested in ordering one, come and visit us at West Hill Golf Club. In the meantime, click on the button below to explore the full range and watch our video.

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Time to update your wedges?

That moment when you pitch the ball close to the pin and stop it on a dime for a tap-in putt is like no other. It dramatically reduces your score whilst looking awesome. As with all shots, it requires both technique and confidence, not to mention wedges with sharp grooves.

A recent survey highlighted that a third of golfers carry wedges that are over five years old. We appreciate that everyone has a club or two in their bag that they love but grooves will gradually deteriorate over time.

If you are one of these golfers, it's worth coming to see us for a chat. We can get you testing some new wedges against your current ones to see if it's time for a change.

One wedge that we're particularly big fans of is Titleist's Vokey SM8. The brains behind these wedges have worked incredibly hard to ensure the grooves maintain their sharpness and spin for as long as possible, giving you the best chance around the greens.

shop Vokey wedges >

Video of the Week

This European Tour challenge is pretty simple: pick your favourite club and play the entire hole with it. Close House was the venue ahead of last week's British Masters, but how did the players get on? There were certainly a few surprises!

I hope you have a great week. Guy and the golf team.

West Hill Golf Club
Bagshot Road
Brookwood
GU24 0BH

Phone: 01483 473172

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