Day 112 - Fathers and Sons and Daughters

Today was the occasion of the annual Burhill Fathers and Sons tournament. Of necessity a somewhat eclectic event as both parent and child need to be members of the Club.  Nevertheless, we had a field of 36 players, ranging across all ages from 70+ to 10+, which was a recipe for a great day.

All the more so as the weather was fantastic and the course in great condition. Brian did a great job of organising and we even had two teams returning scores of 39 points which in a Foursomes format is most creditable.

Unfortunately, my son and I did not appear amongst the winners, but consoled ourselves that we played very solidly with relatively few mistakes and took solace from the fact that playing off a handicap of 8 was always going to be a challenge.  Great fun anyway!

And the fun continued later on, as we were able to return home afterwards for a bbq dinner with my daughter and her fiancé... yes, the happy couple got engaged over the weekend, something which made everybody (but particularly her parents!) very pleased and excited.  The topic of conversation was definitely wedding-focussed for most of the evening.

Reminder for self: need to grab a moment to re-watch Father of the Bride for a few tips...

Day 111 - Why Nelson?

Typing in the title of this blog posting led to my looking up as to why on earth the cricket score 111 is referred to as a Nelson.  Wikipedia was very little help, other than to highlight the fact that nobody else seems to know why either...

I have never heard the same terminology used in Golf...but then I guess anyone returning a score of 111 would probably prefer to keep it quiet.

I certainly didn't score that many today: I was at the Club bright and early for a game that been organised by the Club to help some new members in their integration into Burhill. I was very impressed with the group and am sure that they will fit into the Club well.

This was a great initiative and it was fun to see the course through the eyes of people playing it, in one case, for the very first time. We played the Old Course and with the sun shining, it looked spectacular. 

It was very noticeable how the fact that I know the holes well gives me a real advantage, even against the better golfer: reading the greens and knowing how to approach them must be worth a few shots every time!

Day 110 - An Unhappy Lot

The weather forecast this morning was not very sure of itself: it could rain in the early and late mornings, the latter potentially being particularly heavy; on the other hand, the sun might shine and the temperature might be the hottest of the year...

What to wear for the match this morning: wets or shorts?  Fortunately, I went for the former and this proved to be the right decision as the "rain" we did see was hardly enough to even dignify it with the word. No complaints though: a warm, sunny and at times muggy day which was just perfect to play golf in.  Our opponents today were the Vets from Royal Mid Surrey, a course that I have never played. 

I started the round off splendidly: par-par-par-birdie and before long we were 2 up. unfortunately, class will always tell in the end and their 7 handicapper managed to go around in a gross +4, to which we had no answer. In the end we lost one down, which was actually no mean feat.  Unfortunately, i had to leave early for a doctor's appointment before the total team result was announced, but I have great confidence in my colleagues....

A quick change at home before we were out on the tiles again: tonight it was a late birthday treat visit to the Coliseum to see the English National Opera's performance of the Pirates of Penzance. There performance was directed by Mike Leigh, better known for his work behind the camera.

It was a great performance, with the singing all of the highest quality. The sets were dramatically modern (lots of blocks of colour. Of course, one recognised a number of the songs: "Poor Wandering One" and "With Cat-like Tread" but it was still a help to have the lyrics shown above the stage. And I loved the Victorian policeman sharing their concern about their jobs: a policeman's lot is not an happy one...

Day 109 - HB K!

What a glorious day! This may yet prove to have been the best day of the year...and I didn't even get to the golf course! For today was Mrs L's birthday and there were plenty of other things to do.

Gardening was first on the agenda: no better way to enjoy the fine weather than by being outside. A welcome break was provided by my mother, brother and greyhound who dropped by for coffee. 

Next stop was a trip out to Tescos to get some supplies in for Captain's Day next weekend. This is one of the occasions when I get called upon to provide not only the prizes but also bacon rolls before play as well as a refreshment tent on the golf course. Job done: now I need to find a way of getting everything cooled!

A quick turnaround and then up to London for some birthday celebrations with daughter, boyfriend and son. We started off with a drink on the terrace at Selfridges - a fantastic location for an afternoon drink in the sunshine. 

Thence up to the 28th floor bar in the Hilton on Park Lane. Fantastic views to both west and east combined with a very full cocktail menu. Called up an Uber to take us to our restaurant for dinner: again a very efficient service at only a fraction of the cost of a black cab. 

Dinner was at the Trinity Restaurant in Clapham. Not quite in possession of a Michelin star (yet?) this eatery has a relatively small menu yet I could have happily chosen anything from it. A good wine list too helped make the evening a most enjoyable one - and we got to walk back to the station in near daylight at 10 pm. A frightening thought that the days get shorter in only a few weeks time....

Day 108 - 4-2-0

An early morning start for an 0830 tee off time. We arrived in plenty of time, which was great as this allowed us to get off before the Roll Up; this was just as well because the three of us clearly all liked to play at a decent lick.

We opted for a 4-2-0 game (see here for an explanation), which is by far and away the best format for a three-ball. Whist the golf was perhaps not of the highest standard (says he with a degree of British understatement), it was good fun and the fact that it only took three hours to get round the Old Course suggests that we were doing something right.

All of which meant that we were back in plenty of time for a drink on the Terrace before lunch.  And great entertainment it was too, watching some golfers on a corporate day trying to cope with the very tricky back right pin on the 18th of the New.  Isn't armchair golf easy!

Lunch today was the first such monthly date with the newly installed interim General Manager.  Very different from his predecessor, Mike is all about delivery, transparency and process. And to be honest, I think that the Club could do with a bit of this, so I am hopeful about the next few months.

Afterwards, back home to watch Murray Q-Final versus Ferrer at Roland Garros.  As ever a few ups and downs but he looks good.. now comes the tough one against Djoković...

Day 107 - Uber the moon... not

A sad day today: after 8 true and faithful years, my Saab convertible has moved onto a better place.  In order to make place for the new arrival next week, it was time to make some space in the garage. Accordingly, my younger brother came to collect it today for its new life in West Sussex. I am pleased to report that it has arrived safely and that my nieces approve of their new convertible.

Living without a car in the house for a while is going to be a new experience: I have already been practising by taking the train around and even made use today of an Uber.  This online service is transforming the way taxis operate in many parts of the world, and was indeed the cause of the recent Black Cab go slow in London last week. 

Whilst I would agree that the iconic black taxi is very much part of the London scene and a splendid institution, there is no doubt that the ease and convenience on offer from the iPhone Uber App also has a lot to offer...and anyway the black cab doesn't often venture South of the River, let alone into leafy Surrey. 

All things considered it was a great experience: I could see on the map on my phone screen where the driver was and track his progress, even giving him a call when he appeared to get lost as he approached. On arrival at our destination, I immediately received an email with a summary of the trip and a copy of my credit card receipt. My driver was pretty relaxed about the payment: all he cared about was that I award him the maximum 5 stars for the journey!

Day 106 - Charitable Work

Despite the offer of a game this morning, decided that after 3 days in a row, a rest from golf would be a good idea. Decided instead to spend some time working on the hole sponsorship for our upcoming Captains' Charity Day, which is to be held at the Club on the 20th June. 

It's a 4 person team event and I must confess to being a bit surprised that we haven't filled all the slots yet.  I wonder if it's the cost (£20/head), the poor weather we are having or if people are just feeling golfed-out.  One of my jobs over the coming days is to seek to beef up the numbers as it's always great fun and I know that people enjoy playing team golf for a change.

Working on the posters was always going to be a challenge: getting them printed semi-professionally at a decent price was always my aim but the first place I went to wanted to charge more than £300/hole which is a bit steep - especially as we have only charged the sponsors £200 each!

One of my jobs today was to walk down to the village and, as I did so, I passed a local graphics company that I had never noticed before  - D&A Graphics of Cobham - so I popped in there to see what they might be able to do. Am awaiting their estimate to see if it's more reasonable. 

And if anyone reading this would still like to sponsor a hole, we have a couple left - a mere snip at £200 a go and all for a very good cause...!