Over the summer I had a look at last years data on the rounds that we have entered into the system in order to find out what are our hardest holes and to see if knowing this could help you with your strategy. I did the analysis for both the Blue and Yellow Tees last year up until the 1st hole became a par 3.

 

The average score for the Women for 2017 was 100.2 and for the Men it was 91.84 with both player groups finding the front nine a little easier to score on relative to par. 

 

What I found was probably what we would expect; the hardest hole for the Men was the 15th averaging 5.51 and for the Women the hardest was the 16th which averages 6.18. The Men's easiest was the first hole averaging just 0.9 of a shot over par at 4.9 and for the Women it was the Par 5 15th averaging 1.11 over par at 6.11.

 

So how can this help you? Well the first thing to consider is not all bogies are equal. Yes there are some bogies that are better than others. Lets say you are an average male golfer and you shoot 92 most rounds, well if you make a bogey on the 15th you will gain 0.51 of a shot on the field, however if you bogey the 1st hole you will actually lose 0.10 of a shot to the field even though on the score card they are both worth +1. 

 

Now lets consider how this can impact your mindset, the ninth hole for the Men is 4.05 and for the Women it is 4.26 if you stood on the tee and didn't try to get your first shot on the green, instead hit the ball in to a position where you could hit an easy second shot on to the green and make 4, you would walk off that green better than average! Whats more how easy would the hole seem if I told you it was a par 4, just this simple change in your frame of mind can help.

 

So next time you make a (nett) bogey don't be too hard on yourself there are plenty of opportunities to make it up and when you stand on the tee have a think about what the average score is and how you could beat that, its not always drive it as far as you can!

 

 

On the 21st of this month we have the very popular Mo Masters Tournament, which is a 3 man ambrose event, and part of the incredibly popular series raising money and awareness for Men's Health.

 

It is a great day out and an opportunity to get together with some mates and have some fun in an ambrose event with a few twists, if you wish to enter you can register a team by clicking here or by entering on any of the sheets that we have up around the club.

 

If you are new to the club and would like to play but don't know enough people then please let the team at JC Golf know and we will try to organise a team for you.

 

It is a shotgun start at 12:30, there will be two teams off each hole and one of the cool rules that I read was that you can chose to go to any hole on the green, which ever one your ball is closest to which I think is fantastic! 

The ever popular "She Loves Golf" campaign is in full swing and Scott and Jay are hosting a 5 week, 10 session, Beginner Clinic from January the 25th. The sessions are held every Thursday and Sunday at 5:30pm and the atmosphere is relaxed and fun and a great way to introduce people to our great game.

 

If you have any friends who you think might be interested then please pass on our details and or like and share the post we put on Facebook. It is a great opportunity for those willing to take it up new and or anyone who is looking to get back in to it after some time off, so bring your mates along.

 

The cost of the course is $300 and during the course we will cover everything from the green to the tee and all the other little quirks that come with playing golf.  

 

For more info please email Jay at jay@jcgolf.co.nz or call on 0272203167 

I am going to have a little rant here and I may well upset some people and for that I apologise but I am passionate about this, as I truly believe it is one of the biggest barriers to the growth of our game.

 

A few years ago I was enjoying a drink with a guy I used to play junior golf with and had recently rejoined the club. He was well dressed but he still had his cap on and one of the members walked past and told him in no uncertain terms to take his hat off, he is no longer a member. 

 

It also wasn't that long ago that juniors were not allowed on the carpet (that was in my time) and you had to wear a jacket in the clubhouse! Now we look back on that and think how ridiculous and I don't think we can afford to have these stuffy pretentious rules associated with golf anymore.... but we still do.

 

Now I do believe we need a reasonable standard of dress and we do have to uphold some of these standards but there is a time and a place for it. During the summer we get great feedback for our 10 for 10 promotion and a number of these players wear what would be considered below the standard, but does it really matter? 

 

These players are potentially the future of golf and they absolutely love it when they come out and over time they will work out that it is easier to play in proper golf shoes and a shirt rather than a singlet but while they are still in the exploratory phase lets just let them grow their love of the game and trust that one day they will be members. 

 

One thing is certain though if they are scolded for what they are wearing they wont be joining our club. I hope that some day soon we look back and laugh at how upset we got over someone wearing a hat in the clubhouse and realise that there are more important things to care about.

 

Finally have a look at that photo above and ask yourself if you would bother playing golf if you had to dress like this every time and how many new members you think we would attract if we had this as the standard. Lets keep evolving and keep up with society.

Well the new golfing season is only a few weeks away with opening days all scheduled for early February. In this respect, subscription invoices have been emailed out today. If you do not receive an invoice and in the next day, please check your junk/spam email box first. If nothing has arrived, please contact Michelle in the Club Office. Subscriptions are due on 1 February and we have a few payment options to help make it easy for you.

 

Yes it is back again after a hugely successful debut event last year The Augusta Corporate Day is on Friday the 16th of February.

 

This is a corporate day like they used to be in the old days, a heap of fun with Ambrose Teams of four, no entry fee and full hospitality before during and after!

 

This is a great opportunity to support the club with all hospitality and prizes purchased through the club and the team at JC Golf and all this with no entry fee.

 

So block off February the 16th in your diary and get 3 mates together to put your team in. It is open to all affiliated members so Tauranga Golf Club members and any affiliated guests are all welcome.