NOTHING STOPS OUR JUNIORS

Not even Storm Arwen could keep them away. The devastation on and around the golf course was severe. A huge fallen tree blocked one of the roads but two other roads were accessible. One of the Golf Course signs was totally destroyed and 100’s of trees have toppled meaning holes 10 to 12 were out of play. We welcomed back past Captain Alex Simpson, now a 3rd year PGA professional, as he had offered to come along and give our Juniors a free masterclass of his skills. He spent an hour on the range having a look at their swings before we headed to the course for a fifteen holes Texas Scramble. Alex and I joined each group to play 5 holes and he was very impressed by the skills and enthusiasm shown by all the players. He  said the level our juniors are at speaks volumes to the coaching they have had and Gareth and Angus are doing a fantastic job. Alex showed the way by going birdie, birdie on the first two holes to inspire Conan and his team of Archie and Keegan to tremendous 52 with Cameron, Callum and Owen coming second with a 55 and Dawn, Keir and Tom coming third with 57. It was absolutely freezing but everyone had a brilliant time and loved having Alex joining them on course. Total respect to this fantastic young man who has never forgotten his roots and is willing to give up his day off to come and help the next generation achieve their own dreams. This sums up what we have developed over the years at Strathmore. Alex has agreed to come back at the start of the season and do another session. 

FIRST SUNDAY MENTORING

Cameron took his first group today, William, Emily, Keir and Jethro. James became the latest junior to get involved and will join Conan’s group. The enthusiasm is fantastic and can’t wait to see the results of these efforts. With 5 Mentors and 16 juniors now involved this is the start of something big again for Strathmore. Always improving and developing ideas to enhance what the youngsters receive through their membership. 

MENTORING GETS OFF TO A FLYER

With 5 Mentors and 15 juniors taking part our mentoring Scheme got off to a flyer this morning.  Stuart had Keegan, Louis and Tommy in his group and Conan had Saoirse and Seamus. Unfortunately the rain came on but having the covered driving range is such an asset and allowed the boys to get to work. The rain eventually went off and they continued the first session on the putting green. In the afternoon Kirsten only had Tarah as Maya and Nate had previous commitments but are looking forward to attending the next session. Again weather meant some of the time was spent at the range but Tarah was loving having her private session. I was very impressed observing the Mentors who were superb at passing on their knowledge of the game and all participants were buzzing after they finished. What a great start and Cameron has his group out tomorrow and Blair to follow. At Strathmore we always believe that it’s important to keep kids playing and being involved and this is a great concept which also gives our older more experienced players another challenge and the opportunity to grow and develop this skill sets. I then joined Cameron, Conan and Stuart for a Texas Scramble and we played to the summer greens from winter tees and shot 63. 31 out and 32 back. Great fun and a target set to improve on. 

ANOTHER ADDITION TO OUR CLUB HIRE SCHEME

Another generous donation, 2 sets of woods, full set of Maxfli Revolution irons with matching carry bag, a rare John Letters Golden Goose 62 degree wedge, a Ram Zebra putter along with a top of the range Ping Answer putter and a trolley. Received a phone call from another person wanting to donate equipment and Tarah who recently was fitted for a set of Hire Clubs wants to donate her old set. Just had news our back order of new Hire Clubs have been delayed from China again due to Covid effecting staffing numbers and combined with electricity supply problem to the factory it’s unlikely we will receive them before Xmas. The rep was telling me some companies orders for golf shoes may not arrive until Spring 2022. We are alright as our Free golf shoe swap scheme has 16 pairs available now. 

13th NOVEMBER AND PLAYING IN TEE SHIRTS

What an amazing day. First up Saoirse and Tarah took part in P&K County Girls coaching at Strathmore provided by our own PGA professional Gareth. Then they all went out to play 9 holes on Leitfie. We now have 5 Mentors and 14 Juniors signed up to be mentored so spaces are now very limited with only a couple of Saturday morning slots available. This will assist all participants to improve their skills and I believe make them all better players. This afternoon saw the first Texas Scramble team challenge and Cameron and Dawn took on Conan, Keegan and I. Great fun was had by all and when it came to the final result the scores were very close. Cameron and Dawn were out in an impressive 32 against our 37 but we came back in 32 compared to their 38 so 69 leads the way so far. Impressive play by all 3 boys. This format allows us to assess the players all round game and identify improvement areas where appropriate. Great to see so many others youngster out playing as well. Let’s keep this going. 

7th STRATHMORE JUNIOR IN THE LAST 8 YEAR RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDY IN USA

Absolutely amazing, so proud of how many of our juniors have achieved this and given themselves the opportunity of life changing experiences. Cormac becomes the latest signing up to the University of Minnesota. Go Gophers !!