June 2016 David Short Golf Newsletter

How often do we say “I can’t believe where the year has gone?”  It was only this week back at home, coming down the eighteenth, able to see quite clearly at 9.45 pm, it struck me that we are less than four weeks from the longest day of the year, and yet this is only my third game at home in 2016! I sincerely hope you are managing more regular golf at your club than that!  

Of course, I have played plenty of golf overseas. Last year our tour to Malmo was an unexpected highlight and I have recently returned from Cascais, just north of Lisbon, a destination I would urge you to seriously consider in the future.   The golf courses are superb and whilst not the cheapest, the restaurants are excellent, especially for fish lovers.

Talking of excellent food, which I know figures high on the list of priorities for most of our travellers, Bologna, 29 June is on the horizon. Is there anywhere better to eat than Italy? I also find the golf very refreshing there. It is like rolling up at a members club, low key and you don’t feel treated like a golfing tourist being ripped off with every euro you spend! Three places remain for you late bookers and the tour also includes a couple of escorted tour days and a visit to the Ferrari museum.
 
Another return visit, after many years absence, was to the Penina Resort in Alvor, the venue for our final overseas Golf & Coaching event of the season. The hotel, if not quite the hotel of bygone days, still has a lovely ambience and the championship course was in good shape too (see the blog for a full report). We return to the eastern Algarve on the 8th October for our first overseas Golf & Coaching event of the new winter season, the location being the traditional venue of the Robinson Club in Tavira. This has become a firm favourite over recent years, not least for the splendid food, and the terms of stay are now on an all inclusive basis. I know with summer stretching before us it seems a long way in the future, yet it is only 4 1/2 months away, with just 7 places remaining.
 
Congratulations are due to Ronnie Hirst who got our three weeks of May tours off to a perfect start, with a perfect shot! A hole in one on the 16th hole of the Europa course at La Cala.

David & Ronnie before teeing off at La Cala. (I’m lurking in the back ground hoping that a bit of magic might rub off)!

And what about this for coincidence. Last November, husband David holed in one while with Barney in Madeira, only for Barney himself to repeat the feat a couple of days later. Now I hear Jennie Puttick (never to shirk a challenge) has done the same at her new club in Hertfordshire last week!
Did you see the sensational final 3 hole finish of Rory McIlroy at the Irish Open – pure class! With Jason Day on top form and Rory approaching the form he showed before injury last year that took him to world no.1, we could be in for a real treat at the US Open in 3 weeks time! I can’t see further than these two, but of course golf is never a two horse race.

My fingers are crossed for a good summer of weather and wish you all a successful season. I’m looking forward to meeting up with many of you on the various summer tours and I’m sure those who attend Barney’s coaching events at Staverton will leave much enthused at the prospects ahead!

Good golfing
David

The UK spring is gradually spluttering into life and finally we are getting some heat in the air.  This will really help the grass to germinate on the greens, so we can enjoy those lovely smooth surfaces.  The only minus on the grass growing theme, is that those humourless green keepers tend to grow the rough.  They back this activity up with the line “we don’t want the course too easy”, well easy is good in my book!

I am really looking forward to our upcoming Academy and Golf and Coaching events at Staverton Park over the summer.  Our recent sessions have been very productive and it always proves to be a great learning environment for the individuals and as a group too.  Sometimes in perhaps a bunker session (everyone’s favourite) one player will ask a question that perhaps has been puzzling others.  For David and I still the most important part of the golfing jigsaw is fitting all the pieces together on the golf course.  This is where these events come into their own as so often as coaches we only ever see our pupils on the range.  To observe how you employ the short game decisions and how you putt, really gives us insight into how to help your game and maximise your potential.  I look forward to meeting past and new clients this summer.

Not wishing to “gloss over” the summer but Jennie and I are also looking forward to this Christmas in Lagos and New Year in the Algarve.  This is a first for us and we are very excited about it so hope some of you will join us for one or both weeks.
Happy Golfing
Barney

I trust that you are well and enjoying the first proper hints of summer.
 
Many thanks to everyone who has booked an event this year, or indeed intends to.  I have to smile, we are at the beginning of June 2016, but we are now planning in earnest for 2017, with the schedule to be put in place which will involve a tour to Arizona by the way!  Coming back to this year, the season has been very busy so far.

We are now very much in the ‘UK Golf Academy‘ and ‘UK Golf & Coaching‘ season and we do still have places available for all of these events in June, July and August, although the Golf & Coaching weekend on the 26th August, is filling up quite quickly.  There are also still a couple of places left on the North Wales Golf Tour next month, which I assure you is a super trip.  The tour to Ireland in September is now also filling up and a number of bookings have been taken for the Gothenburg Golf Week, which should again be a fascinating experience.  David referred to the 8th October Golf & Coaching Week, at the ever popular Robinson Club.  If you are contemplating this week, please book soon, as the remaining places are diminishing. 

For the autumn season, we still have places available on the Sri Lanka Tour and on the Tenerife Golf Week and the Maderia Golf Week with Clinics.  The Tenerife Golf Week though is more than half full; hence again, if you are considering it, there would be no harm in booking it soon.  We have also just launched Barney’s Christmas Golf Tour in Lagos in the Western Algarve and his subsequent New Year Golf Tour in Vilamoura, both of which provide a wonderful escape from the clutches of the British winter.  We will soon be launching the long awaited South African tour, with the first week being a ‘Golf Week with Clinics’ at the outstanding Fancourt Resort on the Garden Route, with a week in Cape Town and then Knysna to follow. 
 
Thanks again for all of your interest and support.  I say it each month, but the purpose of what we do, is to provide you, our clients, with events and experiences that prove worthwhile and memorable.  Yes we have a good time doing it, well David and Barney anyway, Jennie and I just stare at laptops (!), but I assure you, we never lose focus on ensuring that you have special trips to remember.  Keep well, enjoy the summer and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
 
All the best,
Iain

Thank you for taking the time to send us your comments for the website following your events.  It really gives the site a current feel and makes my job of chasing Barney and David for their blog items so much easier!

I have collated our predictions for the US Open starting on 16 June at Oakmont, USA

David as he says above is backing Rory.
Barney thinks that it will be Jason’s Day, so that is his pick.
Iain thinks that Jordan is back, in time for another Major.
I am hoping that Justin’s back is back (kept him out of BMW) so that is my pick.

Let us know who you are routing for.
Cheers
Jennie

Finally, huge congratulations to BMW Champion, Chris Wood, who really kept us on the edge of our seats for the back nine at Wentworth!

With kind regards,
David and the team