City of Derry Head Professional Sam Smallwoods and his team will teach the kids some essential golf skills using the fantastic first touch program and equipment SNAG Golf (Starting New At Golf). The SNAG equipment makes learning golf fun and easy and in no time at all the kids will be smacking the SNAG balls out of sight.

After their lesson the kids will get the opportunity to try out their new skills on a specially designed SNAG course.

To register your child please email the following details with the SNAG 100 in the subject bar to :

PGAPRO@CITYOFDERRYGOLFCLUB.COM

Childs name

Age

Childs School

Parents/guardians name

Home telephone number

Emergency Contact number

The City of Derry Pro Shop Winter sale is now on.

There is loads of bargins in store, with massive savings across all brands, here are just a few :

Ping G10 irons 4 -Sw (last set)   were £379 now £330 (save £49)

Taylormade Superlaunch Irons 4 -Sw (last set) were £399 now £299 (save £100)

Taylormade Irons 4 – Sw (last set) were £510 now £350 (save £160)

Mizuno MX100 graphite 4 – Sw (last set) were £625 now £450 (save £175)

Ping Rapture 4 -sw (last set) were £625 now £450 (save £175)

Ping Tour S Wedges were £85 now £70 (save £15)

TaylorMade Classic Putters were £89 now £70 (save £19)

Golf Bags from only £45

Mizuno Flex rain jackets were £90 now £65 (save £25)

Pro Quip Aquastorm Jackets were £65 now £50 (save £15)

30 % off Nike and Lyle and Scott Clothing (applies to full price items only)

Nike Golf Shoes from £30

Footjoy Grrenjoys were £45 now £35 (save £10)

Footjoy equalities from £50

Any member or visitors to the City of Derry is well aware of how difficult it was to scale the car park during the snow of the last two years. With snow possibly  just around the corner, i thought i would give you a chance to pick up a few pre Christmas bargAins with our Beat the Snow Promo. Up until Dec 11th 2011 or before the first snow of the winter falls (whichever occurs first) we are knocking down the cost of some of our top brand clubs and apparel.

Here is just a few of the deals on offer

Ping G20/K15 Drivers – were £199 – NOW £180

Ping G20 Fairway Woods – were £149 – NOW £125

Ping G20 Utility Clubs – were £125 – Now £99

TaylorMade Superfast 2.0 Drivers – were £199 – Now £180

TaylorMade Superfast 2.0 Fairway – were £139 – Now £120

TaylorMade Superfast Utility Clubs – were £125 – Now £99

Powakaddy Delux Cart bags – were £129 – Now £105

Plus there is 25% off all TaylorMade cart and Stand bags.

The Aquastorm jacket and trousers comes with a 3 year waterproof guarantee, with an over the head playing top style and zip off sleeves it offers the ultimate playing versatility, ProQuips technical waterproof outer is lightweight , breathable and with a soft finish ensures quietness during the swing. Available in both black and Navy and Seablue as shown in the picture.

Stay dry an look he part this winter with the ProQuip Aquastorm suit.

Jacket – £65   Trousers £50

or

Buy the complete suit for only £99 a saving of £16

You may see irons advertised on TV at low prices for example the Callaway X20 irons for £299, you can bet that these sets are one size fits all and were bought in a clearance deal by that company to help Callaway clear old stock. Think of it another way, if Marks and Spencer’s advertised pairs of XXL trousers for only £5, if you are only a 32 waist you wouldn’t purchase a pair and eat more to put on weight to make the trousers fit. The trousers are only a good deal if xxl is your size and the same applies to irons, custom fitting is the only way to go.

Two sets of irons i recommend for mid to high handicap golfers are :-

Ping G10 XG – The Ping G10 XG is a great set of branded irons at a fantastic price and  can be custom fitted to suit you. At only £379 for an 8 iron set (custom fitted) its hard to go wrong with these and even better than that if you

don’t want 8 irons you can order a 7 or even 6 iron set.

Mizuno JPX800 HD - Designed to replace the old MX100 and complete the JPX range the new HD irons are a fantastic piece of kit, designed to get the ball in the air with ease, these high launching, low spinning irons are designed to hit long straight shots, something we all want. Using Mizunos state of the art DNA fitting kit its possible to pin point the perfect shaft for you in only 3 swings, for more details on the DNA fitting process click the link. http://www.youtube.com/user/mizunogolfeurope?blend=12&ob=5

Remember custom fitting the correct equipment to you as an individual is a great way to improve your golf and get you enjoying the game and itching to get back on the course.

Custom fitting is available at the City of Derry Pro Shop and is conducted by Sam Smallwoods PGA Head Professional. Telephone 71311496 to book your custom fitting appointment.

Distance balls are a must, with the soft conditions any ball will stop were it lands, so put the Pro V1’s away and get as much distance off the tee as you can, i recommend using a Srixon Distance (£12 per dozen) or Pinnacle Gold (£12 per 15 pack)

The Footjoy Rain Glove is something i carry but hope not to use, but with weather over the past few weeks its been in use more than i would have hoped. The idea behind the Rain Glove is similar to that of a water skiing glove the wetter it gets the better it grips. The Rain Grip glove is on £10, which is money well spend if you plan to play this winter.

Before you play your next round why not check the condition of your studs, i think many of you may be surprised by how badly worn they are, how can you expect to play good golf if you can’t establish and maintain a stable stance when swinging the club. Re-studing a pair of shoes costs as little as £10 a small price to pay for good golf.

Staying dry and warm over the cold winter months is essential to keeping the muscles functioning correctly and may help avoid injury, a selection of winter wear is available in the shop to suit all tastes and budgets.

Over the next few weeks I will be running a campaign to help improve the putting of golfers around the North West for FREE and if that wasn’t enough everyone who takes part will be entered into a draw to win a custom fitted Ping karsten putter.

So how can I improve your putting in 15 minutes?

I have a very clever piece of software for the iPhone called iPing, the iPhone sits in a cradle which is attached tothe shaft of the putter. The golfer takes 5 putts from around 10 feet and as they do the software compiles datawhich determines the type of stroke the golfer has (ie straight, slight arc, strong arc) it also calculates the face angle at impact relative to how it was at address and finally the tempo of the stroke.

By reviewing this data and looking at the putter the golfer uses I can identify areas that the golfer can work on or change to improve their putting. Ie wrong type of putter for their type of stroke, hands too active in the stroke, putter is too long for the golfers height and wrist to floor measurement, back swing much too quick etc I will then get the golfer to work on the changes for a few minutes and have them hit another 5 putts, I am confident I can improve the putting of the majority of golfers in this short time frame and don’t forget its FREE. Example

Clive Brolly reduced his putting handicap from 15.5 to 9.3 in only 10 minutes, after his first 5 putts it was

clear that Clive’s putting stroke was much too quick, especially his backstroke and another area I felt needed work was the face of the putter at impact, it wasn’t consistent enough which resulted in missed putts both left and right. After giving Clive a few tips on how to improve both areas we had Clive practice for a few minutes and then hit another 5 putts, these two simple tips helped reduce Clive’s putting handicap by 6.2 shots, thats the Sunday Society in the bag.

To view a view on the iPing putting app click the link   watch?v=ABhOjQ2W1oM

If you want to improve your putting for FREE ask for more details the next time your in the Pro Shop.

City of Derry based PGA Professional Sam Smallwoods and his team will host a series of Summer Golf Camps with a difference this year. Sam is one of the first PGA Pros in Northern Ireland to train to teach golf using SNAG (Starting New at Golf) and his pupils this summer will have some fun as they learn using coaching tools like the “SNAG Snapper and the SNAGazoo”. Each child learns the basics of golf through a series of drills and coaching tools that make skill acquisition both simple and fun.

Sam’s  summer programme will mix up coaching, with opportunities to play golf on a specially designed SNAG Golf Course with Sam converting his Academy at City of Derry Golf Club into an Interactive Golf Zone.

“It is a fantastic way to teach “explains Sam “Its fun, enjoyable and an easy way to acquire the necessary skills to play golf”. “As part of the programme my pupils are able to learn and then on the SNAG course put into practise the skills they have learned”

The Summer Golf Day Camps schedule is as follows :

Tuesday 23^rd August – Tots on the tee (4 – 6 year olds)  10 – 1pm

Wednesday 24th July – Young Masters (7 – 12 year olds) 10 – 2 pm

All equipment will be supplied and only 16 places per group are available. The cost of the one day course is £35 and includes a Bitesize Golf Coaching Manual and a Junior Golf Cap.

For more details and booking telephone the City of Derry Pro Shop on 71311496 or search City of Derry Junior Golf on Facebook.

SNAG (Starting New at Golf) is the innovative; first touch golf coaching system which has dramatically improved access to golf in the USA, Korea and Japan. It helps increase retention rates as it is Fun and easy to use. SNAG equipment provides the perfect introduction to golf, helping to build up skills and confidence before playing the full game. PGA Professionals in Ireland are rapidly adopting the SNAG System as their preferred “First Touch” Golf System.

SNAG® contains all the elements of golf but in a modified form, the game has its own simplified rules and terminology that adds fun to the learning and playing experience. Falling somewhere between miniature golf and regulation golf, SNAG® allows for full shots, pitching, chipping, and putting. The SNAG Ball™ has a limited distance, with the average player launching it a maximum of 40 yards.

Click link to view a video all about SNAG Golf  - SNAG Golf Europe Video

SNAG ® only has two clubs: the Launcher™ is used to launch, pitch, and chip the ball; like a putter, the Roller™ is used to roll the ball toward the target. All shots other than rolling (putting) are played off of a mat and tee called the Launch Pad™. This ensures that the player will have an optimal lie every time.

The target, called a Flagsticky™, also differs from anything else in golf, as it is not a hole with a cup inside but rather an above-ground weighted cylinder covered with a hook material. The SNAG Ball™ is slightly smaller than a tennis ball and is covered with a loop material. Unlike golf, where you finish by putting your ball into the cup, in SNAG®, you finish by sticking your ball to the Flagsticky™. Because of the mobile Launch Pad™ and Flagsticky™, SNAG® is portable and playable just about anywhere.

SNAG ® is also a training program for beginners. It’s easy to learn, and it’s easy to teach. It’s a comprehensive system that has been developed through years of research and field experience. The key is in simplifying the instruction so that it can be an effective transition into the game of golf.

Sam Smallwood’s PGA Professional and accredited SNAG Coach at City of Derry Golf Club agrees,

“I have seen SNAG in action not just in the UK but also in America and have been impressed by its versatility and durability …it is the best first touch equipment available and allows me to deliver programmes in any location. The children and adults find it easy to use and more importantly FUN! I am also impressed with SNAG’s ability to encourage correct golf technique at the beginner level”

Sam and his team will be introducing SNAG to the people of Derry in a series of events throughout the summer, including Summer Camps, fun days and information evenings.

The 17-4 stainless steel Ping G10 Irons (Steel) are engineered with extreme low toe weighting to increase the moment-of-inertia for added forgiveness and consistency. The large, perimeter-weighted head features a new cavity shape and wider sole. The centre of gravity is positioned away from the face and low in the club head to promote higher la

unching, lower spinning shots. By creating a new shape for the Custom Tuning Port (CTP), PING engineers stabilized the hitting area to produce consistent ball velocity across the entire club face. An elastomer CTP insert helps control vibration for a solid feel. New, great feel and impressive launch. New shaft is clever – lighter in long irons have high launch, heavier short shafts help control lower scoring flight.

Limited custom fitting options also available, contact the Pro Shop on 71311496 for more details.