Scott Godfrey November Newsletter

November 2018 Newsletter:

 In this newsletter:

- Putt like Bryson DeChambeau

- Success for Ferndown member Joe Swain 

- Stunning Spanish holiday villa for rent/potential golf tuition trip

- Men’s and ladies’ group coaching sessions 

Vector Green Reading:

Bryson DeChambeau has certainly made an impact both on and off the course during the past 12 months.  Nicknamed The Golf Scientist due to his unique approach to the game, a tremendous amount of media coverage surrounds his every move. Most people will probably by now be aware that all his irons and wedges are the same length (37.5 inches - about the same as a 7 iron); he uses jumbo golf grips; and he floats his golf balls in water adding Epsom salts to check that the centre of gravity is perfectly in the middle!!  Although I can't say I do any of the above I personally feel it's great to have a professional golfer who breaks the mould and has total belief in his ability and the methods that he's grown up with.  So, is there anything we can learn from this eccentric golf genius?! 

It's commonplace to switch on the TV and see the guys and girls stalking the greens and studying the slopes with a booklet in their hands.  Bryson is no exception to this and actually takes it to a different level! Adopting a system called Vector Green Reading he believes this is a more scientific approach to take compared to other green reading systems, such as aim point, which some of you might be familiar with. Vector Green Reading was invented by HA Templeton in the early 80s.  Templeton was a Colonel in the US Air Force and had a big hand in developing aviation. He was also a golf enthusiast and strongly believed that using science would be a better way to read greens than guessing! I'm not necessarily advocating the use of putting charts, as this inevitably slows up play and would probably complicate things even more! However, I do firmly believe that simplifying this system in practice can really improve your awareness when it comes to this aspect of the game.  

I'm going to try and simplify the chart below to help you understand this better! The first part of the process in Vector Green Reading is to find a position around the hole where there is a dead straight putt.  We call this the fall line and if you extend this line through the hole and beyond the other side hopefully you can imagine we have a line indicating a straight uphill putt and a straight downhill putt coming back the other way. Once this is established you can refer to the chart.  

The column on the left indicating steps is quite simply the amount of steps you are away from the hole (roughly 2.5 feet per step).  The green slope (labelled from 1-6%) is the severity of the angle of the slope. Lastly, we need to know the speed of the green, which is listed at the top of the chart, stating medium fast green (approximately 9-10 on a Stimpmeter).  So, looking at the chart let's say we had a 10-foot putt (approximately 4 steps) on a 2% slope, - you will see the number 7. This number indicates the number of inches the putt will break across the slope.  The interesting and simple concept of vector is that if you were to place a tee peg 7 inches on the high side of the fall line, every putt from 10 feet around the hole (picture a clock face with golf balls at every number from 1- 12) you would aim at the same tee peg.  I'm sure some of you are scratching your heads at this point but trust me, shown as a demonstration you would understand how this system operates!

Please feel free to stop me at the club and ask for some help on this and I will quickly reveal the secrets of vector!

Joe Swain runner-up in BUCS event:

I would like to congratulate Ferndown's Joe Swain on coming second in a British Universities strokeplay event held at Little Aston Golf Club earlier this month.  Joe shot rounds of 74, 69, 70 for a 2 under par total around a championship course in some testing conditions.  There were several plus figure handicaps in the tournament and Joe was in fact leading going into the last round, only to be beaten by a plus 3 handicap who shot a bogey-free 66!  This result is a testament to the hard work that Joe puts into his game. I don't think I've coached a player who works harder on his game in the available time that he has week on week.  His latest result has seen his handicap come down to scratch and when you consider this time last year he was playing off 4 he has made big strides. Keep up the good work mate!  

Stunning villa in Javea for rent:

Situated in the Costa Blanca region of Spain lies the picturesque town of Javea.  It is a relatively unknown paradise that provides dramatic scenery, history and culture. To add to this there are some nice golf courses situated close by.  A good friend of mine has a stunning luxury villa available for rent, making it a great destination for a golfing trip. 

Property details:

This modern villa has been recently fully refurbished throughout. The lower level offers 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, lounge/diner and kitchen. The upper level has 3 bedrooms in total, 3 bathrooms, large lounge, and a fully equipped kitchen/diner. Full Sky TV package, WIFI and air conditioning is available throughout. Outside there are many seating areas for relaxing or dining Al Fresco. It has an outside bar, large outside kitchen, BBQ and a private oval-shaped pool (12 x 5m), secure gated parking with carport, and lovely sea views all the way to Calpe Rock.

The nearest airport is Alicante which is about an hour’s drive and the good news is that you can fly out of Bournemouth.  If you are interested in renting the villa then please let me know and I'll see if I can get you a further discount.  I'm planning on visiting the location early next year with the intention to put together a mixed golf/tuition trip together. If you would like to express your interest in this then please let me know. Meanwhile, you can take a look at the villa by clicking on the following link:

http://morairaandjaveavillas.com/moraira_javea_villa_rentals.php?op=mi&id=318&pl=Moraira

Group coaching:

Thank you for the response I've had from both the ladies and senior section group coaching.  It's something I intend to keep going and if necessary will add extra sessions to accommodate players that signed up too late. I will keep you posted on future dates closer to the new year. Here are some of the men in action perfecting their chipping. 

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