The general election has been on the front page of all the newsletters but the hot topic of conversation has been the big match that the Pro Shop Staff had against the Club Captain and the Past Captain. It was a huge day last Friday as my clubs took their first 18 hole outing in around 8 months. Why so long, well I had to work hard to get my position here, then I had to leave my other job, then baby Bell 2 was born, then I started here and it's been a very busy time!

I stood up on the 1st tee at Dundonald Links and I turned to my playing partners and said 'I am more nervous now than I was at my interview for the job!". Why? Well, to be honest I hadn't done anywhere near enough preparation for my round of golf and we all know that doesn't help your golf! So I pegged up my ball, took a deep breath and unleashed a Thor like strike on my little spherical friend. The Thor like strike unfortunately sailed straight right and out of bounds! Not the best feeling when playing with the two chaps who employed you. The next 2 holes after that I played as if my limbs had been stolen but I stayed calm and my game came back over the further 15 holes. The pinnacle of which was when I had a 15 feet eagle put on hole 14 which I then proceeded to leave 10 feet short. I made the next one by the way.

I was very impressed with my playing partners throughout the day and watched Kieran hit it 30 yards by me on most holes bar the last, got him there. I witnessed Stewart Wilson hit it straighter than a frozen rope and hole out on demand from any part of a green. Captain Al Renny like me had a couple of early wild missiles but popped up out the rough like the Caddy Shack Gopher and scored some important birdies at crucial times. Unfortunately for Al and Stewart, Kieran and myself managed to scrape a one hole victory in the end. After the golf I was inducted into the local community with my first ever trip to 'The Monty' pub in the Village. I was very well behaved as I had to be up early to start the medal on Saturday but did see many of you clinging onto the bar. No names will be mentioned to protect the innocent!

KENNY'S CLUBS CERTAINLY SOUTER HIM NOW

My part time job is chief headline writer at the Scottish Sun but when I am not doing this I am helping golfers get the best out of their games. Ken Souter, a relatively new member to the club scored a gross 74, net 62 in the medal last week. He quite possibly may be still out celebrating.

A few weeks back I spent some time with Kenny Souter checking out his clubs and the suitability of them. We found that Kenny's long irons were too upright in lie angle and that his driver needed more heel weighting to reduce the curve of his tee shots. Did I sell him new clubs? No, I didn't! What I did do is bend his irons and told him to source a weight for his driver form China. Just because I have a shop that sells clubs, doesn't mean I will try and sell clubs for the sake of selling them. We did also regroup Ken's clubs also which gave him more clubbed speed, more control and feel. Ken insisted on them being green though, so you can't have everything! Only joking Ken! Ken is a great player and a great score was always in his locker, we just helped along the way!

GAVIN ROBB GOES LOW……..AGAIN

Last week I wrote a little piece on Gavin doing well after his lessons with me. I saw Gavin on the chipping green and it was nice to see him smiling again practicing. Who would have known that Gavin's smile would get wider as he smashed his handicap again with a nett 65. Gavin has certainly got a great return on his investment, well done Gavin! It is also worth noting that Gavin also got his clubs re-gripped a few weeks ago! Patterns are forming!

COUNTY LADIES ARRIVE AT EAST KILBRIDE

This week the Lanarkshire Ladies County arrived at East Kilbride Golf Club and at the start they were greeted with lovely sunshine but at the end they were hit with rain, sleet, snow, hail and high winds. This halted their competition and a great deal of rescheduling had to occur afterwards to continue the competition. Our hallowed turf was graced by some seriously good players and one lady even scored a gross 73 round the course. This is great shooting and it really is nice to see such a thriving Ladies County Event.

LITHIUM POWER IS THE FUTURE

Our trade in promotion on your old trolley battery for a shiny new Lithium one has been a huge success. So much so that the average round time has gone down by 30 minutes. That was a slight exaggeration but those of you who have taken me up on this offer know exactly how much better lithium power is than the older lead acid variety. If you want to borrow one of our lithium batteries to see how good it is then please pop by.

COMPLETE EQUIPMENT SOLUTION

I have probably not been shy about letting you know about my custom fitting skills and I do normally charge for my knowledge. However I am running special promotion with a few brands over the coming 2 months that will see me do a fitting and a lesson free when a set of clubs are purchased. I am very busy at present and this will be limited to a first come first serve basis, so keep your eyes peeled!

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