Matt Bannister

Hello Golfers,

Welcome back to the first newsletter officially in British Summer Time. This week we let you know what happened with Michael Brown’s Golf ball and driver fittings, demo day date, coaching information and much more. Enjoy!

Member's review

Putting it all to the test...

Last week Michael ‘silent assassin’ Brown was in our teaching studio for his ball fitting and driver fit.

We started off with taking Michael through both Srixon and Titleist Ball fitting tools. The Titleist Selector recommended the Tour Soft Ball and the Srixon selector the Soft Feel. So that’s where we started.

The first club we started with was 7 iron. You can see from the results the ball speed was very much identical with all the balls we ended testing. There was 6 yards difference in carry distance. The longest was the Srixon AD333 Tour against the shortest Titleist Pro V1.

Michael quickly dismissed the Pro V1 and Prov1 X based on Price and that the balls were shortest in the test although did produce him the most backspin. The favourite at this point was the Tour Soft as the spin wasn’t too far from the Pro Vs and within a yard of the AD333 tour.

Golf ball data with 7iron

The next test was the 50 yard pitch...

We kept the ProV’s in the test just to see the spin rates in comparison to the other two balls. In this test Michael’s selection totally changed. As expected the premium balls out performed the other two balls in terms of better launch and backspin, but not as much as we thought. In this test the Srixon AD333 totally outperformed the Tour Soft with nearly 2000 rpm of backspin more and half the stopping time.

Golf ball data on a 50 yard pitch

So based on the test Michael selected the AD333.

It was longest in the driver test and, although it didn’t perform as well in the 7 iron test, it outperformed the Tour Soft in the pitching test. Although he was giving up some potential approach play control in the AD333 the other two outweighed that.

A longer ball with more short game control.

Next we went into the driver fit.

We took the Callaway Epic Flash, Cobra F9 and Srixon Z785 with multiple shafts in each to try.
We started with Michael’s driver which, to be fair, produced quite nice numbers in terms of launch and spin; the average was 168 carry and 189 total.

We started testing with the Epic Flash in reg. shaft which didn’t out perform his current driver. Next was the UK’s best selling driver in February the Cobra F9 Helium reg. shaft seeing a gain of 6 yards carry and 5 yards in total distance. Then on to the Srixon, the cheapest of the 3 drivers, but don’t be fooled by the price list; a great gain of 10 yards through the air and 14 yards total - 178 yards carry and 203 in total distance. The penultimate driver we tested was back to the Callaway Flash with a lite flex shaft and a 9 yards increase on Michael’s driver and the original shaft in the Flash. Finally we put a light shaft into the Cobra F9 but it didn’t perform well at all finishing the worse from all the tests.

For me there was a clear winner.

The Srixon was a total of 14 yards longer than the current PING Driver. Although the Flash performed at the same level as the Srixon it is £120 more expensive. So £per yard the Srixon is longer and cheaper.

Michael now has a dozen Srixon AD333 Tours to play with and report on and the Driver to try for the Month of April and let us know how he finds the fitting helps his game.

Driver testing data

Driver & golf ball data

Click here to enlarge all fitting data.

The Masters

You've got to be in it to win it...

The Masters is a week away and to celebrate we are running a sweepstake. We will be running it slightly differently. The squares are numbered 1-100 (the maximum field size) all you need to do is pick a numbered square. When the players arrive and register, their caddy is assigned a caddy boiler suit and a ‘bib’ number. This number will correspond with the square number you pick. We thought this would be a more interesting way than just pulling players out of a hat. Enter in the pro shop and the winner receives Shop Voucher to the value of entries.

Shop news

Deal of the week!

3 Odyssey putters won last weekend! Kevin Kisner at the World Match Play, Graham McDowell on the PGA Tour (checkout what's in their bags below) and Luke Simkins in the Stevenage Golf Club Medal. To celebrate their dominant victories we are giving away a DOZEN FREE Callaway golf balls with any Odyssey putter purchased.

Both Brands we are able to fit for free in our teaching studio. After your fitting you are also encouraged to have a round on the course to see how it performs for real on the course. You can’t do that at your high street stores!

What's in Kevin Kisners' bag.

What's in Graeme McDowell's bag.

Fitting news

Callaway fitting day

Scheduled for Tuesday 9th April between 3:00pm - 7:00pm. Slots are starting to get reserved so don’t miss out on trying out the latest Callaway clubs.

Click here to book your slot.

Course news

Getting prepared for the season...

The greens maintenance was completed this week and considering the coring removed and top dressing applied they are playing ok. With the forecast we hope the greens to return to normal within 10-14 days.

Also this week the new Course signage is being installed. With 18 signs and a new information sign there is a lot of digging and work to get them all installed, we expect this to be finalised over the next couple of weeks, and 5 of them are already out.

Pro's news

Pro Shop challenge

Starting this month is our Pro Shop challenge; a Betterball Medal in pairs. Twice a month starting this month through to September we will be playing nine holes with 2 Stevenage Golf Course users with a leaderboard running and the best pair over the season will win a golf bag each.

There is no cost to play with us and any user of the site can play. The only condition is you must have a registered golf handicap and the same pair can only enter once. The first date is Thursday 11th April teeing off at 2:00pm and the sign-up sheet will be is in the Pro Shop or bar.

We already have two pairs signed up, so make sure you get your partner and enter before the dates start to fill.

Want to take the challenge? We would love to see you.

Click here to view the dates.

Coaching news

Spring clean your game

You can smell it in the air - spring is nearly here.

So what shape is your game in?

We want to help you be ready for the season ahead, so you can hit the ground running this year.

That's why we've put together a 'spring clean your game' offer of 3x45 minute lessons all for £99.

Book online here.

Pro-Ams

Take a look...

The PGA East Region have released the Pro-Am Schedule for 2019, which include John O’Gaunt, Hadley Wood, The Grove, East Herts and The Saffron Walden Centenary Pro-Am. We would love to take some teams to any of the Pro-Ams through the year so have a look at the calendar and let myself and Ryan know if you want to take a team.

Social media

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Twitter

@MB_Golf_Pro

@StevenageGolf

@RyanDeerygolf

Instagram

@mb_golf_Pro

@stevenagegcc

@ryan_deery17

Spikeless with a twist

There's been two major trends in the golf footwear market in recent years: the first is the surge in spikeless shoes, and the other is Boa. So, what actually is the Boa Fit System and is it anything to do with snakes?

adidas Forgefibre Boa golf shoe

No, it's nothing to do with snakes. Phew. Rather, the Boa Fit System has revolutionized footwear for the better and we absolutely love it.

Instead of using traditional laces, Boa utilises a steel wire (virtually unbreakable) that is effortlessly tightened via an easy-to-use dial strategically placed on the shoe (seen above). To loosen, simply pull out the dial and open up at the tongue.

With adidas' Forgefibre Boa, which is available in-store now, you will be guaranteed a comfortable fit every time safe in the knowledge that your laces will not come undone or get tangled throughout your round.

If you haven’t already experienced Boa, then we implore you to come down to the store and try on this fantastic option today - no obligation.

watch our video >

I can see clearly now

Bubba Watson, now there’s a man who knows a thing or two about style when it comes to the eyewear department. Oakley's golf-specific sunglasses don't just look great though, they also serve a very useful purpose that you can benefit from too.

Traditional vs Prizm lens

Bubba’s Oakley Targetline shades are fitted with Prizm lens technology. As you can see from the image above, the enhanced colour contrast from standard lens (on the left) to Prizm lens (on the right) is quite remarkable.

This will enable you to see course undulations with greater ease - a particularly useful benefit when it comes to reading your putts on the green.

Targetline sunglasses are available in both white (as Bubba is wearing here) and black, but click on the link below to browse Oakley's full range and Click & Collect to our shop.

shop now >

Spotlight: Callaway Apex (2019) irons

Irons usually get updated every couple of years, so why did it take Callaway over three years to bring a new Apex iron model to market? Well, quite simply, the Apex CF16 was a brilliant iron that took a while to improve upon.

However, the brains at Callaway have done it and what a special option the new Apex CF19 is; not to mention the Apex Pro irons too. Watch this video to find out why this iron has us so excited in the shop.

find out more >

Video of the Week

Some of you might recall Colin Montgomerie's driver off-the-deck on the final hole of the 1996 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Well, 23 years on, can Tommy Fleetwood, Rafa Cabrera-Bello or Matt Fitzpatrick repeat Monty's tournament-winning shot?

I hope you enjoyed this week's newsletter. As always, if you have anything that you'd like to contribute please speak to one of the pro shop team. I'll see you at the club over the coming days.

Stevenage Golf & Conference Centre
Aston Lane
Stevenage
SG2 7EL

Phone: 01438 880424

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