Records tumble at Erin Hills

There's no arguing that Ryder Cup player Brooks Koepka was the deserved winner of the 117th US Open at Erin Hills. The American carded a wonderful final round of 67 to win by four, having gone into Sunday one shot off the lead alongside playing partner Tommy Fleetwood.

Justin Thomas also found himself one shot back with 18 holes to play, something which looked rather unlikely before a historic 63 vaulted him up the leader board on 'moving day' whilst breaking the record for the lowest-ever US Open round in the process.

But this wasn't the only record to fall last week, as Koepka's four-round total (16 under) equalled the US Open's lowest winning score which was previously set by Rory McIlroy back in 2011.

With much of the pre-tournament hype focusing on the penal rough lining the fairways, it probably doesn't come as a surprise to learn that Koepka hit 49 out of 56 fairways across the four days whilst also managing to find 62 out 72 greens in regulation - including 17 during his final round! Truly impressive golf.

So what did you make of it all? 

Get in touch here to have your say.    


 

2 common mistakes which has us fearing the rough

There's no better time to talk about how to get out of the rough than after the U.S. Open. The best players in the world had to deal with the thick rough at Erin Hills (even though the greenkeepers were kind and gave the rough a quick trim for them). As the rough here can be a real test we figured you could use a few tips on how to handle the rough at Thurlestone. From a personal experience I regularly see players make two major mistakes when they're hitting out of thick rough.

First, I see players try to hit more club than they should. It's a common mistake that people justify by saying the rough is going to take yardage off their shot, so they need to club up. What golfers sometimes don't realise is that they're leaving themselves with a club that doesn't have enough loft to get the ball out.

"Take a higher lofted club because it's easier to advance the ball, don't be a hero and try to hit a lower lofted club because the yardage tells you to."

When you set up, I recommend you put the ball back in your stance about an inch and a half. Choke down and aim more to the right (if you're right handed) because the rough will tend to shut the face down through impact.

The second mistake golfers make when they're trying to hit out of thick rough is that they try to help the ball out of the lie. This creates too shallow of an angle of attack, which allows too much grass to get between the clubface and the ball.

Instead of trying to lift the ball out of the rough, think about these swing motions instead. Limit any lateral movement off the ball. To do this, think about your head staying in a fixed position as the body tilts and turns around it. I also recommend to stand a little taller at address. This will keep your upper body from tilting forward too much, which means your angle of attack will be steep. That's going to limit how much grass gets between the clubface and the ball.

My last tip is to make sure you turn all the way through the ball. I see a lot of golfers hang back and throw the club at the ball instead of turning through. Keeping your body turn going through the ball, past impact and all the way to the finish will help move the bottom of the swing forward. This allows the player to strike the ball first and the ground second.

Cleaner contact means you'll get out of the rough easier. We're not saying you're going to have a two-footer for birdie, but you'll certainly be able to get yourself out of the thick stuff.

For more help on how to take on the rough at Thurlestone then please pop in the shop and see myself, Jack or Glenn who are more than happy to help, whether it's a quick chat or a session out on the course...we can help!


 

FootJoy shoe deal

- D.N.A - Were £159.99, now £99.99 
- Contour Series - Were £104.99, now £79.99


Volvik golf balls

New in store we have the Volvik "Vivid" Golf balls. The unique matte finish and vibrant colours give this the appearance of a ball without dimples, but pick it up and you can feel them there.

With a choice of green, orange, blue and red amongst others you are not going to miss them, or be missed on the course, or hopefully lose them. With the putter the Vivid has a soft sound and feel, but combines it with a degree of firmness that gives a little bit more feedback than other balls in this sector. On chips especially it sat down quite quickly and the control was there, so for a mid-priced ball I thought the overall performance was good. Volvik say that this is a mid to high spinning ball and the data from GC2 backed this up, with the driver spin being about the same as a Pro V1x, but the softer feel losing a few yards at around 100mph swing speed.

Come in the shop and try one out on your next round, only £3.50 a ball or 3 for £10.


US Open sweepstake

Congratulations to Dan Wellard who picked out Brooks Koepka to win the Pro Shop US Open Sweep in tied 2nd we had Bill Hutchison & Midge Henderson.

Everyone's winnings has been put onto your account. 

With The Open sneaking up on us expect a new sweepstake to be on the desk in the shop.