Cheltenham Gold Cup Golf Day
The days are getting longer and the weather is getting a bit warmer which means that spring is on its way and that means it is time to dust of the clubs and get back out on the course.
What better way to kick off the golf season than with one of Donnington Grove’s featured golf events. On Friday, 18th March, we will be holding the Cheltenham Gold Cup Golf Day, an 18 hole individual Stableford event.
We’ll start the day off right with hot coffee and a delicious bacon roll. Then off to the course for a great day of golf. Followed by, bangers and mash for lunch, a chance to watch the races over a well-earned drink and the opportunity to place a few bets.
Once the races are over we will present the prizes to the competition winners. So make sure you don’t miss out on a great day and hand in your entry forms by Wednesday 9th March.
To download an entry form, visit our golf competitions page or contact Dave Allen at dave.allen@donnington-grove.com.
If you are feeling a bit rusty from the Christmas break don’t worry as there’s still enough time to get some practise in before the big day. We look forward to seeing you on the course.
Great Membership Offers!
A Free Year’s Golf for Junior Members
Junior Membership is FREE for the 2011/12 subscription year if a Junior introduces a parent or grandparent as a Full 7 or 5 Day Member who joins by 1st April 2011. So, if your Mum, Dad, Grandad or Grandma are thinking of joining a golf club, get talking to them and persuade them to come and enjoy the experience at Donnington Grove.
and there’s more ……..
Junior membership is FREE for those under 12 years of age at 1st April if a parent or grandparent is a full 7 or 5 Day member.
25% off Subscriptions for Colt Membership
If your parent or grandparent is a full 7 or 5 Day Member at Donnington Grove, and you are aged between 19 and 22 on 1st April, your Colt Membership will be reduced by 25%, saving £120 on your annual subscription.
and there’s more ……..
If, as a Colt Member, you introduce a full 7 or 5 Day Member who joins by 1st April 2011, we will reduce you annual subscription for the 2011/12 year by £185. That’s a saving of almost 40% on you membership costs and if you introduce a Graduate or Colt Member, we will give you £50 to spend at the Club.
For more information on membership visit our Golf Membership page or contact Dave Allen on dave.allen@donnington-grove.com or 01635 581000.
Golfing for Beginners, Lesson 3, Practice Makes Perfect
Things were starting to take shape, my grip was alright, my posture was strong and my swing was getting there. The only problem was that my head kept getting in the way. From the start of the lesson Matt could clearly see that I was over thinking every shot. Before I even hit the ball I would go through a mental check list on every shot. Are my hands high enough; am I gripping the club too hard; are my arms straight enough; are my arms too straight?! The longer I focused on all of these different elements the tenser I became and this really had an impact on my swing.
Matt decided we needed to do some practice drills so that my shot become more instinctive and natural – just like riding a bike. He teed-up three balls in a row and I would set up in front of the first ball. When Matt said go I would hit all three balls, one after another without pausing to think. This actually worked as I didn’t have the time to stiffen up between shots. We did this a few time until my shots become more relaxed.
Now the balls were beginning to fly – unfortunately instead of going straight they were flying off to right. To get over this Matt had me hit a few shots with my feet together letting my hands rotate as the swing followed through. It actually worked and once my shots were heading in the right direction I went back to placing my feet in the normal stance.
The next thing I have to work on is distance, but I’m sure I will have plenty of time to practice. If you are interested in golf lessons contact Matt Woods by emailing matt.woods@donnington-grove.com or call 01635 581000.
Golfing for Beginners, Lesson 2 Back Swing & Posture
After all the fun of my first lesson I could not wait to get back out on to the range. However when I turned up to the lesson Matt informed me that due to the weather we would be spending this week’s lesson in the practice room. I was a bit disappointed but in fairness to Matt, it is pretty difficult to play golf when you can’t feel your hands and arms. Plus, this was an excellent opportunity to video my swing and focus on perfecting my technique.
This lesson was all about getting my back swing in shape cause if there is one thing Matt has taught me it is that if something is wrong with the back swing then there is going to be something wrong when you follow through.
I started by taking a few practice swings to see what I had remembered from last lesson. My grip was fine but my posture could have been better. Matt was quick to remind me to keep my back straight and to not let my shoulders slouch forward. The correct way to stand is with your legs shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, bum slightly sticking out, back straight and shoulders back.
The next problem was a very obvious and very big one. Instead of hinging my wrists I was bending my arms and bringing them too far behind my back. This meant that when I brought the club back down to complete the shot I wasn’t striking it at the right angle or worse I missed the ball all together. Matt told me that my arms must stay straight during the back swing and shouldn’t go up past my chest. The most important thing is to make sure to hinge the wrists to create an L shape and then be sure to follow through.
Below is the swing analysis video from my lesson. There was definitely a huge improvement from the beginning of the lesson. Got any tips or questions? Then leave a comment on the blog!
If you would like a one on one or group golf lesson contact Donnington Grove’s resident instructor Matt Woods on 01635 581000 or send a request at our Golf Academy page.
CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR MEMBERSHIP OFFER
Have you thought about a 3-month Trial Membership at Donnington Grove?
We are offering Individual 7-day membership between 1st January and 31st March 2011 for only £150 and if you renew as a 7-Day or 5-Day member by 1st April 2011, we will give you £100 to spend at the Club.
What’s more, if you are planning to join as a full member in the New Year, don’t delay and you can beat the VAT increase and save yourself £50. By paying the annual subscription before 31st December 2010 you will pay at the 2011 year’s rate.
We have an excellent course here at Donnington Grove – probably the best in the area – and a friendly environment, plus lots of added benefits for members. Take a look at the complete list of benefits by clicking here.
Join now and enjoy the experience at Donnington Grove by emailing Dave Allen at dave.allen@donnington-grove.com or call 01635 581 000.
Golfing for Beginners – Grip, Posture & Swing
I have always wanted to learn how to play golf but never actually got around to doing it. So when the opportunity to have lessons with Donnington Grove’s resident instructor Matt Woods came up I couldn’t say no. Over the next few weeks I will be a student of the Jonathan Yarwood Golf Academy and will be keeping you updated on my progress. Plus I will be posting Matt’s top tips for beginners (and eventually intermediates) on how to improve your golf game.
Below is a summary of lesson 1:
Matt took me out to the range where he quickly introduced me to the 3 most important things any golfer must learn if they are going to be successful – correct grip, posture and swing.
- The Grip: First, place the left hand so that the thumb rests on the top of the club causing the back of the thumb to point towards the right shoulder. Then, place the right hand just below the left so that the right pinkie and left index finger overlap. I seemed to get the hang of this, but I fell into the habit of strangling the club as a way of trying to add more power to my swing – it doesn’t just in case you were wondering.
- The posture: The trick is to stand with the ball slightly light of centre, with your back straight, knees slightly bent and hands elevated. Matt was kind enough to be patient with me when my hands would drupe down, as they did frequently.
- The swing: Matt demonstrated the correct way to perform a backswing by turning the body, whilst keeping my arms straight and then hinging my wrist to create an “L” shape using my arms and the club. The swing should then follow through causing the body to twist in the direction of the ball and the arms to create a similar “L” shape on the opposite side of the body. Additionally, the right heel should be lifted so that your weight is on the toe – a habit that took me many swings to form.
After our time on the range Matt and I went to the practice room where he filmed my swing from different angles. We then reviewed this on the big screen with Matt providing a full commentary and on-screen annotations. I was surprised to see how much I had improved in less than an hour – although I still have a long way to go. Stay tuned for next weeks lesson!
If you would like to arrange some golf lessons for individuals or groups visit our Jonathan Yarwood Golf Academy page or call 01635 581000.
Tuition Golf Breaks at Donnington Grove
The Jonathan Yarwood Golf Academy will be holding a series of 1 night, 2 day tuition golf breaks at the stunning Donnington Grove Golf and Country Club. The package is open to groups of up to 4 people and will be running throughout January, February, March and April. The break will include dinner, bed and breakfast, unlimited golf and up to 4 hours tuition each day depending on numbers. The main focus will be to improve your short game, including putting, chipping, lob shots and bunker play. The swing and long game can be covered if requested.
The Jonathan Yarwood Golf Academy has some of the countries best facilities which includes an indoor studio, so not even the British weather can spoil your stay.
For more information about this exclusive offer please contact Matt Woods at mw@golfjy.com or call 01635 581000
Play at Bigbury Golf Club in South Devon FREE
We have agreed reciprocal playing privileges with Bigbury Golf Club for our members, increasing the number of courses you can play free of charge to 13. Bigbury G.C. is located on the South Devon coastline and offers stunning views. Take a look at their website at http://bigburygolfclub.com/index.html for more information about the club.
The reciprocal arrangement is for one four-ball per week commencing 1st January 2011, subject to availability. All bookings must be made through our Proshop and not directly with the reciprocal club. Any guestsaccompanying our members, will pay Bigbury’s member’s guest rate green fee. We hope you make the most of this benefit of being a member at Donnington Grove County Club.
We continue to look to add to the list of Reciprocal Clubs – for the full list click here.
Weddings at Donnington Grove
As summer draws to a close we have looked back on all of the great events and weddings held at Donnington Grove this year.
We love being part of someone’s big day and do whatever we can to make sure everything goes to plan. Our facilities can cater for both small intimate weddings or larger affairs. With a variety of rooms and menus as well as our beautiful onsite hotel we are certain we will be able to accommodate all of your needs. By tailoring our packages to each individual couple we hope to exceed all of your expectations and provide you with the perfect wedding day.
For some images of recent weddings held at Donnington Grove visit the Julian Porter Photography blog or for more details on all of our wedding services click here.
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
This is last year’s event – For details of this year’s event and entry forms click here
On Thursday 19th November 24 teams (96 players) took part in the annual golf day played to celebrate ‘Beaujolais Nouveau Day’.
The weather forecast was not good, the met office forecasting high winds and rain but Barry Wray knew better and players arrived in their droves.
On the day the weather was a tad blustery but the rain stayed away and our faith in Barry as a weather man was upheld.
The atmosphere from start to finish was amazing, Henry Laville and his 4 teams from the Afro Caribbean Golf Society were in good spirits and ended up in the prizes, Winter Hill Golf Club sent a contingent as did The Plough Inn Golf Society (better known as the PIGS), from Carterton, Oxfordshire. All of whom finished highly on the scoreboard.
The overall winners, however, came from closer a field and had a little local knowledge. Sylvia Davis, Leslie Dixon, John Tonner and Charlie Dixon (pictured below) emerged victorious with an incredible 90 points, narrowly edging out Mark Legg, Mike Evans, Dan Greenham and Steve Marshall with a slightly better back 9.
John Tonner, Sylvia Davies, Leslie Dixon and Charlie Dixon
By all accounts Sylvia and Leslie were on great form, paring holes at which they received 2 shots and they were assisted ably by John and Charlie who I know can be very tidy golfers on their day, which is quite often.
Final Scores
- Sylvia Davis, Leslie Dixon, John Tonner & Charlie Dixon – 90 pts
- Dan Greenham, Mike Evans, Mark Legg & Steve Marshall – 90 pts
- Frank, Ray, Mayhe & Greg from the Afro Caribbean G.S. – 89 pts
7th Hole – Nearest the pin – Colin Jones from Winter Hill GC
15th Hole – Nearest the pin – John Tonner from Donnington Grove
The next big day at Donnington Grove will be the Christmas cracker on Tuesday 15th December. The Beaujolais Day has proved so popular that the Christmas Cracker is already half full, if you are interested in playing don’t hang around, get your entries in to Barry as soon as possible by e-mailing him at barry.wray@donnington-grove.com.
Gareth Williams
Golf Director
