Cape Town Golf Academy – Logicalgolf

Tip provided by: Lisa Mackenzie

Move and wind for more power – release your natural energy

Ever wondered how the pro’s seem to hit the ball a mile and make it look so easy?  Using the correct techniques you too can release this natural power.

Power is built up in the backswing and there are two key movements that happen.
Correct transfer of weight – that is from left to right and back again.
And WIND (Coil).
These two movements need to be synchronized so here is how to
“MOVE AND WIND”

The body and arms work in unison here you will see the hula hoop illustrating how to maintain a wide arc in the swing.

Figure 1

Get your left side behind the ball good rotation.  This position should remain constant.  From address the arms start the swing, the left shoulder moves to the right which triggers a slight hip movement.  About half way back as the shoulders continue to turn, the hips and knees respond to the movement of the shoulders.  Flexible players don’t have to worry too much – it will happen naturally.  They can simply wind the shoulders and let the hips and knees be pulled along.  For less flexible players, it is important to consciously wind the left hip and knee against a solid right thigh.

When you shift your weight correctly onto the right side the right ankle, knee and hip should form one vertical line as seen in the picture.  Don’t make the mistake of resisting too much with the hips – it’s the right knee and thigh that provide resistance.  You will know when you are moving correctly when you feel the left hip “winding up” against the resistance of the right thigh

As the shoulders and hips turn, you should feel weight shifting into the right heel.  This correct turn encourages a good swing plane assisting in loading your power ready for release, you are now WOUND UP at full Coil.

Figure 2

Good plane assisted by getting left side behind ball.

The head will have a slight movement laterally to the right in order to facilitate weight shift.  The movement is no more than an inch or two.

From this loaded or ‘COILED’ position, with the weight on the right side, you are ready to fire.  The downswing starts by rolling the ankles and shifting the knees which creates a shift of weight onto the left side.

Importantly, the left shoulder, which has wound laterally in the backswing, can now pull away from the chin and create torque on the arm, catapulting the arms into action as the downswing begins.

A common fault is when a player does not follow this sequence and subsequently leaves the left shoulder behind.

Figure 3

(Figure 3 -  Left side drops down to the ball no stability in the) The weight then stays where it started which creates a very flat swing with no power and only the arms are able to be active in the downswing. A visible sign of not moving and winding is when the right leg is unable to maintain its flex and straightens.
This instantly loses you power and connection.

Figure 4

(Figure 4 – Flat swing not getting left side behind the ball) So get your left side behind the ball, move and wind and enjoy the POWER.

For full details please contact Lisa on 021 448 6358

Dates to diarise:

Friday, 26th of February

All members and their guests competition, 9 holes mashie, complimentary snacks and pizza, fantastic prizes compliments of Ridgemore wine, Nassau Golf, Logical Golf vouchers and Coca Cola!

Please contact Vernon to book, as space is limited – vernon@riverclub.co.za

4pm start – Shot gun start 4:30.

Cost is R60 per person and all proceeds will go to The Athlone School for the Blind Association.

At our River Club Open Day on the 12th of March you will be able to test the latest golf equipment, drivers, irons, wedges and putters by some of the best brands namely Taylor Made, Srixon, Nike and the Pro Shop.

Golf Shop special:

Ernie Else Collection – Woodworm Golf-shirts retails at R699 our SPECIAL R199.95, All sizes and colours – stocks are limited. We can also source for you hardware such as drivers, putters, irons, wedges at the BEST prices, please just e-mail me your request and I will get back to you as soon as possible with a quote at vernon@riverclub.co.za

New members special:

Once off joining fee of R680 there after monthly fee R185 per month OR – R2850 Once off annual fee. For more on info please see our River Club members page or contact Vernon on 021 447 3757.

The winner for our January members Golf Day was junior Zack Miller on 19 points, Well Done!

Every month we choose a different charity to raise funds for; The River Club Members and Guests in December raised R1130-00 for the St George’s Home for Girls and in January raised R1170 for the Cape Town Association for the Physically Disabled.  Well done to all of you involved in make a difference, thank you for helping these great causes.  We look forward to seeing you all again on the 26th of February!

We are proud to announce “Jou ma se Comedy Club” is now due to start on Thursday 18 March.

We are all quite excited and after many hours or deliberation and getting the commitments of various comedians including Nick Rabinowitz and Mell Miller to mention a few.

Booking  essential please call  Nicolette Michaels on 021 44 77 237

We have also introduced Jack Black Draught – This is a Premium Lager/Draught Brewed under license at the Boston Breweries and is cold filtered. Come in and Try one -  Priced @ R21-00

Castle – Stormers Draught Special

Well done to the Stormers for the thrashing they gave the Lions at the opening of the Super 14 – Please book your table early and take advantage of our CASTLE – STORMERS Draught Special every time they play you pay R15-00 for a 500ml Castle Draught.

Take advantage of your membership and bring us leads during the next month on any one’s birthday coming up. All successful booking will get you a 5% commission on total bill pay back. As easy as that, for more info and to make a booking Please call us on 021 448 7837.

Dish of the Month – Tom Yum Soup

Aside from being one of the most popular soups in Thailand, Tom Yum Soup has many health benefits, due its potent combination of herbs and spices. In fact, this Thai soup is currently under scientific study, as it appears to have immune-boosting power as a natural remedy for cold and flu viruses.

In our version of the soup, I’ve included coconut milk (officially “Tom Khaa”) which I find adds both richness and flavor while still keeping the soup super healthy. ENJOY! Sells for R38-00 on our Players menu – A must try.

We trust you have all got back into the swing of things and still enjoying the great weather! We have started off 2010 with a bang in our conference department and are extremely excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for us! We are also very positive about the different possibilities we can look forward to over the Soccer World Cup months! Watch this space…

Exciting Conferences held with us this month:

We are delighted to announce that Reach for a Dream will be hosting one of their Fundraising Golf Day and luncheon here on the 12th of March, the same day as our Open Day! There is also going to be a live auction at 3pm to raise funds for their charity. If you would like more information please contact us on 021 448 6117. Sponsorship and branding opportunities for this special event are still available. If you can’t make it but still wish to make any donation please use the link below and reference The River Club Golf Day.

https://www.givengain.com/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=donate&cause_id=1305

BMW showcased their brand new BMW 5 series Grand Turismo which is true to German perfection.

BDO Puma Peninsula Marathon held their registration for all their athletes on Saturday the 20th of February.

Designer Clothing Sale (YDE, SOTO, Trigger) will be held on Saturday the 27th of February from 8:00am.

We are delighted to announce that Fine Woman – Business Network have made the River Club their new home this year for their monthly breakfast meetings! This month they have invited a special guest speaker – Margie Stone – “Selling the Science with a formula.’

For more information and to book please log onto www.finewoman.co.za

These are just a few of the exciting things happening this month at the River Club Conference Department! To find out more about how our conference department can organise your next banquet, conference or event please phone us on 021 448 6117 or email infor@riverclub.co.za

iPod competition winner

We are proud to announce the winner of our latest iPod draw. Tamzyn Miller from Johannesburg is the lucky recipient of an 8gb Nano iPod. Congratulations Tamzyn!

In association with Reach for a Dream

We are delighted to be hosting an Open Day on Friday the 12th of March at the River Club to showcase our venue. We have a complete fun filled day of activities on offer and welcome each one of you to enjoy the day with us. We will have wine tasting, educational talks hosted by Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Holistic Fair, Logical Golf Academy competitions and giveaway’s.

We look forward to seeing you all soon; please RSVP to sarah@riverclub.co.za by no later than Wednesday 24th February

Schedule:

11:00 – The Grand Opening with a glass of Pongracz on arrival

11:00 – 14:00 – Guided tours of the River Club facilities

14:30 – 15:30 – Reach for a Dream Charity Auction

15:00 – Golf Driving Competition

Fun Activities and Attractions all day:

Adventure works showcase their FUN activities
Golf Academy

• Nearest the Pin
• Putting competition
• Demonstrations every hour on the hour covering all aspects of the game

Sports Science Health and Wellness

• Free 3 minute BMI health assesment
• Educational talks
• Biokineticist
• Megan Bead for a full body massage
• Spec Savers free eye test
• Migun Thermal massage bed on display

Various luxury cars on display

Corporate Dynamic Activities

Cape Wine hosts “blind” wine tasting

Ridgemore Wine Tastings

FREE PRIZES and GIVEAWAYS

Reach for a Dream will be hosting there golf day at the Mashie course on the day and will be raising funds for their Charity. If you are unable to make the day but would still like to make a donation please use the link below with REF River Club.

https://www.givengain.com/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=donate&cause_id=1305

Holistic Lifestyle fair

If you’re craving all things good, wholesome and healthy come and see a few of the exhibitors from the Holistic Lifestyle Fair or for more information please log onto their website http://holisticlifestylefair.yolasite.com

We look forward to seeing you all soon

Please RSVP tosarah@riverclub.co.za before 24 February 2010

New Menu coming soon!

We are introducing our revised Players Restaurant menu into operation mid January, please come and try out some of the new menu selections and we would appreciate any feedback. Boschendal have become our new sponsors and they have also revised our long overdue wine list.

Kurt Schoonraad – now starting in February.

“Jou ma seComedy Club” is now due to start in February. We encountered a few unexpected hiccups along the way but by then all crinkles are bound to be ironed out.

For all our loyal Rugby supporters there will be a Super14 rugby raffle on Friday the 12^th of February with a substantial Cash prize and a 1 Litre Bottle of Johnny Walker Green. Don’t miss out – Final details will be available at the Bar from the 1^st of Feb.

Take advantage of your River Club golf membership and bring us leads during the next two months on any one’s birthday coming up. All successful booking will get you a 5% commission on total bill pay back. As easy as that.

Menu of the Month

This month we are going to make a change from the usual monthly menu: This picture is of one of our menu items the first two members who guess the name of it and list the basic ingredients will receive a food voucher to the value of R50-00.

Please email your answers to players@riverclub.co.za

We speak for all South Africans when we say that 2010 simply must be a great year! With the global financial crisis of 2008/9 having hit us all between the eyes, we can only look forward to an improvement. In South Africa we are particularly excited to be hosting the World Cup, the biggest sporting event on the annual calendar. Finally we will be able to showcase our beautiful country to millions of visitors and millions more television viewers. Perhaps those people who still believe that we live in deepest darkest Africa with lions and elephants roaming the streets will be stunned into silence when they see the infrastructure that exists. Our only hope is that we can limit the impact of crime and make it an event that will go down in history as one the “greats”.

We welcome Sarah Dabner as our new Marketing lady.

Sarah has joined us to make sure that we keep up the good relationships we have built up with you, our loyal customers in the past, and will be forging new relationships with those companies that have not yet enjoyed our hospitality.

To find out more about how our conference department can organise your next banquet, conference or event phone us on 021 448 6117 or view the conference venues webpage.

Professional: Andre Rossouw

Blast it out in 2010

Welcome back. I hope you had a fantastic holiday season and I wish you all the best for 2010. Let’s get those scores down!

Good bunker play is an essential part of any good player’s game. Being able to get up and down from a greenside bunker will definitely help you shave a couple of shots off of your score.

It is very important to understand that in a bunker shot, you are not actually trying to hit the ball, but the sand behind the ball. This causes the sand to explode the ball out of the bunker.

The key is to think of blasting the sand out of the bunker and towards the hole. A very good way of practising this is to practise hitting bunker shots without the ball, trying to hit the sand to the hole.

Three months of great golfing weather left.

We kick the New Year off with a members Golf day on 29 January 2010. We will be making an enormous effort to bring you more benefits and exciting events in this year, please feel free to contact us should you have any ideas on making your membership more enjoyable.

Members Competition winner

In December we had a junior winner – none other than Matthew Speelman who has taken the prize for the second time. Come on guys, we need you to knock him off the winner’s podium!  Enter the January competition in the golf shop or e-mail us on golf@riverclub.co.za . Phone bookings can also be made on 021 447 3757.

Question: What did Ernie Els say in his first Million Dollar Golf tournament that had journalist convulsed with laughter?

Answer: In 1992 Ernie played in his first Million Dollar and on the first day played with Fred Couples. When the golf correspondent from the Star asked Els: “So how did your length compare with Freddie’s?” Els smiled and replied: “I don’t know, I never showered with him!”

May we remind you that there are many benefits to hosting your golf day at the River Club such as the fact that our short course takes less time to play, we are very central and have on-site restaurant and conferencing facilities.  Phone your booking through now on 021 448 6117.

Crunchy Chicken Bites

Ingredients

• 2 cups corn flakes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp chicken spice
• 2 tsp dried oreganum
• 1 packet  Fresh chicken skinless deboned thighs
• 2 tsp mayonnaise  and sweet chilli sauce

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Tip corn flakes into a zipper bag and crush with a rolling pin

Add spices and oreganum to corn flakes and place in a large bowl

Slice chicken into 2cm strips

Coat chicken in mayo using a spatula

Toss coated chicken in spiced flakes

Arrange on a lightly greased baking tray and bake for 20 min

Serve with sweet chilli sauce

Player’s hosts “Fire and Ice” for international fund administration company Maitland

The Players restaurant at the River Club was completely transformed this past weekend to host a Fire and Ice party. Preparations got underway early on Saturday morning and by the time the guests arrived the restaurant was decked out in red and white draping. Bedouin tents with similarly coloured leather couches and cocktail tables were placed outside. Food was served street market style with a Sushi Bar, a Thai Wok stand and many more. For dessert the Chocolate Fountain was tempting with a selection fruit and sweets to dip. Beer on tap was provided by Peroni to make sure no one went thirsty. For advice on hosting a party phone 021 448 6117 or see what else players restaurant has to offer including the Jou ma se Comedy club every Thursday from 7 January 2010.

What should you have in your golf bag when traveling?

1. Clubs are clean and secure
2. Golf Balls – enough for all your rounds
3. Tees long and short
4. Ball markers, divot tool for fixing pitch marks and sand bag
5. Towel to clean clubs
6. Towel to keep you dry
7. Umbrella
8. Rain suit
9. A small first aid kit that includes headache tabs, bug spray, plasters etc
10. Travel cover if you are traveling by plane
11. Golf shoes
12. Clothing for cold and warm weather
13. Sun protection like a cap and Sunblock

Logical Golf – Welcome Grant Hepburn

The Logical Golf Academy at River Club is proud to announce that it is under the new ownership of Grant Hepburn (www.granthepburn.com ). We look forward to benefiting from Grant’s 15 years of international coaching experience. Grant is coach to current South African Open Champion Richard Sterne as well as having coached numerous world class players such as past SA Open Champion James Kingston. He has vast experience coaching juniors too and is National Coaching Advisor to the South African Golf Development Board. Grant has also trained coaches to PGA levels in Europe, America and Asia and will continue to share his knowledge with our coaching staff at the Logical Golf Academy. We look forward to helping you with your game in the near future at our academy which offers fantastic undercover hitting facilities and short game practice areas.

Momentum Golf Day a feather in our cap – see what they had to say:

We were honoured to host the Woolworths IT division – what a fantastic idea to combine a year end function with a social responsibility project. Kids from the Al-Noor orphanage in Woodstock were treated to a day of fun by some of Woolworths’ enthusiastic staff. First they played games on the lawns in front of the main buildings and then enjoyed making noise with a kids drumming session. Of course there was plenty of food to go around and a great time was had by all the kids. Then it was time for the adults to have their fun and a great party went on upstairs in our Congo Room till late.

Old Mutual goes “Proudly South African” at their Year End Function