Greetings golfers, 

 

Week 2 of flu and I don't know what to do. Very little sympathy has come my way over the last week and no matter how much Olbas Oil I thrust up my beak, it has done me no good. Tonight I will be trying a prescription of Tennent's Extra Cold and Night Nurse, so I will update next week. Stay strong and hopefully next week I will be back to full annoying strength once again.


 

Jack Emerson the 15 Year Old Wonder Kid 

The Lanarkshire County Stroke-play was held on Sunday at Hamilton Golf Club, and as usual East Kilbride was represented very well. We had many usual faces playing, but one very new one in the form of Jack Emerson. 

Jack is only 15 years old and has worked so hard on his game with me since I arrived at the club. His handicap has tumbled down to 5 from 18 in just over a year and is never off the course. This was Jack's debut into the big boys golfing world where he was up against Lanarkshire's best golfers. 

Jack shot a nett 69 & 68 to win the handicap section of the County Stroke-play which was an absolutely amazing achievement for anyone, but at 15 years old it was downright amazing. He has also qualified for the matchplay competition this week. 

His dad Rod has really done everything to encourage Jack over the years and he has certainly flourished through this support. I remember a substantially smaller Jack asking for new clubs about 18 months ago, and me saying that we would fit him for new ones when he could show his dad and myself that he was putting in the effort. 

Well he did and at the start of the year we spent a considerable amount of time fitting him to the right clubs. Jack you have certainly proven that you when you combine talent and effort, you can achieve whatever you want to achieve. Well done!


East Kilbride Golf Club Loses a True Gentleman 

Sadly one of our members Charles Agnew passed away this week suddenly. I have only been at the club for 2 years but I can honestly say that Charles was one of the nicest guys I have ever met, a true gentleman and someone who just loved playing golf with his friends. He will be sadly missed and my thoughts go out to all of his friends and family at this terrible time.


 

The Vice Captains Prize 

Last week we held the annual Vice Captains Prize, however as we currently do not have a vice captain, we decided that the winner would win the prize of becoming the Vice-Captain. 

And who won the competition, no other than my ex-employee Kieran McVicar. Kieran was absolutely thrilled and promised every member a free drink.

(To avoid any confusion, the above was a complete wind up, Kieran is not the Vice-Captain but he did say he would buy everyone a drink)


 

Junior Development

Last week we started our Junior summer coaching and we had a great time. The future is certainly bright with our latest crop of Juniors. The classes are now running on Tuesdays from 10am - 12pm opposed to the original Wednesday's. This is due to the practice area being too busy during the Wednesday medal day. 

   

If you are a Junior Member of East Kilbride Golf Club then this coaching is completely FREE. Another great bonus of being a member here at EK.


 

Please Pass on my Newsletter 

I think you all know that I love to write my newsletters and I hope you all enjoy the fun. If you have golfing pals then please pass on my newsletter to them. If they subscribe and mention you then I will put you in a draw for a dozen Pro V1 golf balls.

Click here to subscribe a friend, family member or colleague.


Social Media isn't all that scary...

I know that I look incredibly young, but in fact I am actually 37 years old. Yes I know it's a shock but it's true. Embracing new things is a struggle sometimes, but once they hug you back it's amazing. 

This is very true when talking about "social media". I am afraid gone are the days of keeping abreast of things through papers or the News at 10. We are in a world where you can learn about events as they happen and learn new things every minute of the day at the touch of a button. 

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow this to happen and are not as scary as you might think. 

This morning for example I learnt within 2 clicks what the new USPGA Champion "Jimmy Walker" had in his golf bag, who won the Lanarkshire County Stroke-play, and why golf courses sand their greens. It is amazing and this is how I communicate with others on a daily basis. 

If you love golf then you need to get involved. 

Please click here  or search for @gbellgolf on  Twitter and see how I do it.