Thurlestone Golf Club
Due to the snow on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week I have no golf competitions to report on writes Liz Line.
In fact the general manager Simon Bawden closed both course and clubhouse for those days as it was too difficult for staff to get in. The juniors’ Basil Steer Knockout round one match against Exeter at Churston on Sunday had to be postponed until April.
However some very keen golfers braved the snow and went to the swing room in the Pro shop to practice on the simulator. This shows a huge amount of information; where your ball has gone, how far it has gone and the history of your shots.
Some members prefer a supervised practice session in the form of a gap test.
This a very worthwhile exercise during the winter months, where they will get you to hit all of your clubs in turn and the computer will calculate your distances.
The Pros will also provide you with a print out of all your distances for you to keep. This information is invaluable if you currently use a GPS for your yardages.
The Devon Futures coaching of juniors takes place on Saturday, March 17, at Elfordleigh Golf Club and from Thurlestone these juniors have been asked to attend; Yasmin Nixon, Zara Taffs, Aiden Mulligan, Dom Holt Wilson, Alfie Messias and Ollie Griffiths. The Thurlestone professional Steve White is the head coach of the Futures Programme. This is a scheme run by Devon county to identify and coach juniors who have shown promise and could eventually feed into the Devon junior teams. It takes place at different clubs in Devon.
At Thurlestone, Steve White started the Thurlestone Junior Academy in 2014 with one group of six juniors and now we have five groups averaging six children in each group.
This success is due to the work they have achieved in local schools. Also showcasing at the Kingsbridge Show and the enthusiasm of the professionals and junior committee at Thurlestone Golf Club, and each individual junior and their parents have to be praised too.
The academy has been ably supported by Thurlestone Golf Club.