John Murray

At the end of a week that saw golf hit the headlines in the UK with some courses in England re-opening, it also made a return to our screens as McIlroy and co teed it up on Sunday in a special fundraising skins event played over Seminole Golf Club in Florida.

Talking of players, our video of the week showcases some of the craziest moments to have ever happened on the PGA Tour and is well worth scrolling down this newsletter for a watch.

Stay safe and enjoy the read.

Click here for this weeks newsletter video direct from the 1st tee

https://youtu.be/dTJZySBM0RM

Return to Golf

On the Course

10th Tee & Lighthouse

I managed to get out for another few holes walk on Monday while I was down trying to get the shop ready for eventually reopening. The courses are looking really well and some rain over the last few days has been most welcome!

I took a few snaps out in the course as it was such a nice afternoon just to share with you all and help get you motivated for the courses opening once again (Like you need any help!!)

16th tee & Lighthouse

It is, however, worth remembering that the green keeping team have worked most of the lockdown on only two staff and only recently returned to four staff.
This is still well below the usual team of nine staff which usually take care of the 36 holes here at Moray and with limited staff available there will obviously be a limit to how much work can be carried out.

So when the day comes to remember that the courses may not be able to be kept in A1 condition and let's all appreciate the hard work the green staff have put in over this difficult time.

17th Fairway

1st Green & Clubhouse

Members Locker Room - Best Old Photos

This Weeks Winners

However, the competition was for some old photos and so this weeks sleeve of balls winners were Alan Cowie and Neil Sabiston.

Alan sent in a photo from outside the Pro Shop around 1931 (left to right - Johnnie Campbell (Ass Pro), Meg Farquhar (Asst Pro), Dod Cormack (starter), Willie McDonald & Dennis Christie.

Neils sent in this great shot of the 18th green & first tee. All looks a bit different then!!

Thanks to everyone who sent in some photos after last weeks newsletter. Some of them not so old but certainly great to see the camaraderie that golf can bring and the highs and lows that golf gives us all at times.....What a great game it is!!

Guess Who - Names on a Postcard!

Who are these fine young specimens?

The Good Times!!

The Bad times!!

Pro's news

Golf is back

Golf made returned to our TV screens on Sunday evening as Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson took on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff at the TaylorMade Driving Relief in Florida, raising over $4 million for charities helping with relief efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Understandably, the quality of golf wasn’t at its highest but it made for fascinating viewing. Players wearing microphones and carrying their bags, no spectators lining the fairways, and a golf course in pristine condition.

The players competed in a skins match, with extra money raised for birdies, eagles as well as a couple of long drive challenges – Wolff launched massive drives of 356 and 368 yards to take the honours here. With the final six skins rolling over with each hole halved, a 120-yard nearest-the-pin shootout was needed to decide the overall winners.

The result? Rory showing why he’s the world number one by knocking a wedge to within 12-feet to secure victory for him and DJ.

It was great to see some live golf back on TV and for such a tremendous cause. If you watched it, we’d love to know what you thought. Did you enjoy hearing what the players were saying to each other? Would you like to see more events like this? Do you think golf missed an opportunity to showcase gender equality? Let us know here.

Seen something you like?

To help us offer you an extra service during this time, our friends at TaylorMade are offering to ship product directly to your home. We've been assured their staff are adhering to strict Covid-19 precautions to ensure your safety.

So, if there's a TaylorMade product that you're interested in, let us know rather than shopping online and we'll sort everything out for you. From the popular Spider putters to their brand new SIM clubs, you can view their range on our website here.

send us a message >

Moray Food Plus - Huge Support as £2000 target smashed

£3830 raised so far

A huge thank you to those of you who managed to donate something towards the Moray Food Bank. Dereks idea to raise money through a just giving page has been very well received with some amazing 4 ball vouchers available at a host of golf clubs in the area for some lucky winners.

100% of proceeds are going towards helping to ensure everyone in the Moray area has access to food at this difficult time.

Click above to watch Dereks Facebook Video

An initial target on £2000 was set and before the week is out Derek's nearly doubled his initial target (£3830) which is amazing and great to know it's going to help people in the local area.

If you still would like to donate you can click here.

A £10 donation gets you a ticket into the Raffle to win one of 17 4-Ball Vouchers including Royal Dornoch and Royal Aberdeen.

Virtual Golf 2 - Moray Masters

We have decided to host another Virtual Golf Tournament running from Thursday 28th - Sunday 31st May.

We should certainly be returning to golf at worst on Mon 1st June. However, as we will still be in relative lockdown in the evenings and after a number of requests to repeat we will try hosting a 2nd event.

We will host a Facebook live draw at 8pm on each evening of the event where we will assign each player with a score which will be selected from our random number generator wheel.

Scores can be anywhere between 63 & 83 so a 20 shot swing potentially between each round. We will also host a longest drive or nearest the pin event each night so there is always something to play for.

WIN some fantastic prizes on offer (1st Prize TaylorMade Sim Max Driver)

Enter by clicking the link to enter

https://www.johnmurraypgapro.co.uk/booking/consumer

Input your details and select a player name

Pay your £10.00 entry fee

Sit back, relax and watch your player scores come through via a LIVE Facebook broadcast*

Played over 4 days (evenings from 8pm)

10% of takings go to supporting our local LadyBird Group in Lossiemouth.

You do not need to watch live to take part - all results will be posted on our Facebook page by roughly 9pm each evening

* Prizes will be posted closer to the event once we have an idea of the number of entrants. The more people playing the better the prizes and more money raised for the charity. All money taken in will be paid out in prizes (less 10% charity donation)

Enjoyment level = 100%

When you get the chance to venture back onto the course for a game of golf, we want you to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible whilst following social distancing guidelines.

It might not be for right now but something to consider for the future is Motocaddy’s range of stylish and compact (can easily fit in your boot alongside your clubs) electric trolleys.

They have some fantastic options at affordable prices, all of which will take the strain off your back and allow you to walk the course in comfort!

Motocaddy M-Series Electric Trolley range

browse Motocaddy's range >

Thoughts for the course

When you’ve been playing golf for many years, it’s easy to set-up to the ball in a way that feels natural without too much thought. However, without a proper pre-shot routine, our ball position can easily move to a place that's doing more harm than good.

Keep an eye on things

As in last week’s article on alignment, the easiest way to check your ball position is by placing a club or stick on the floor as in the image above.

If you’re unsure about where the ball should be positioned within your stance with any club in your bag, send us a message or a photo and we’ll get back to you.

Pre-shot routine is key

This drill is perfect for when you’re practicing on the range but out on the course it all stems from your pre-shot routine. Not only does this help with your fundamentals such as ball position and alignment, but it’ll also help you if you’re feeling particularly nervous. Again, get in touch with us below if you’d like to discuss your pre-shot routine or anything else golf-related. We're here to help!

send us a message >

Enjoy every step

Managing to get back out on the course and play golf again is going to bring a lot of joy to people in the coming weeks and months. Walking four miles or more – on top of actually swinging a golf club – is quite a bit of exercise considering the recent situation, so make sure you’re set up for maximum comfort before you head out.

All of today’s golf shoes are made with comfort and performance at heart. If you’re wearing shoes that are a few years old, starting to wear or have a hard leather sole, we have plenty of affordable new shoes in the pro shop for when we're open.

One brand that we like is adidas, especially its new Codechaos shoe (pictured above). You can see from the insert that is boasts some excellent cushioning around the heel as well its signature Boost midsole. Watch our video by clicking the button below.

take a closer look >

adidas Spring Summer Clothing Collection

Video of the Week

Have you ever seen something on the golf course before and wondered how it possibly happened? Well, this week's video is a round up of some of the most unique shots ever seen on the PGA Tour. Some of these are incredible! Enjoy.

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Stotfield Road
Lossiemouth
IV31 6QS

Phone: 01343 813330

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