Day 224 - Banstead Downs 1

This week, I am on a string of golfing days away from Burhill: after Hankley yesterday, now it was the turn of Banstead Downs Golf Course. This is not quite in the same league in terms of setting nor quality but it is still a decent track. The Club is celebrating its 125th year and has a proud history.

I was there with Bryan to take the opportunity for a practice round ahead of our match there on Friday.  I was staggered with how easily they accepted my Captaincy status, with its associated courtesy of the course - very trusting!  Bryan too was allowed the County Card rate, all of which made for a very reasonably priced day's entertainment.

The course itself is set on a chalky base, has some attractive holes and lots of opportunities to lose your golf ball (I lost 3, which is very unusual...).  There are some very long holes, made even longer today by the unusual north-easterly wind - and lots of strategically placed fairway bunkers too. One par 5 at 577 yards into the wind was particularly memorable.

We had a good match, though I was always on the back foot and ended up losing on the 16th hole. We did though mix and match well - and would have been tough opponents in a better ball format: I hope that this augurs well for two days' time...

Day 223 - Cancer Research UK

After a less than trouble-free night, it was time again for an early start: I was due at Hankley Common Golf Club at 0745 to play as a guest of friend Richard in a Charity Day there. It was another glorious day, chilly to start with but the sun soon came out. Hankley is a wonderful course and it was looking particularly beautiful today.

There was a shotgun start and we had drawn the short straw, with a time slot from the 14th tee. This required a lengthy drive out there and we got off to a decent start: before long we had had a few birdies among us and were well on track for the 5-points-a-hole that we had estimated would be a winning score. Unfortunately, we lost concentration towards the start of the second nine and couldn't maintain this average, ending up on a middle of the table 82 points.

We ended up with 82 points - despite numerous attempts to recalculate our total - and as it turned out our forecast was correct: the winners scored 90 points exactly!  Ah well, maybe next year?

My partners in our team were all called Richard today - which made communication both easier and more difficult!  What they did have in common was that they were excellent company and a very pleasant day was had by all.  Richard C had earlier in the year shown considerable interest in my Tesla (he drives an i8) and part of the deal was that I would bring it along and give him a look-see.

After the lunch, there was an auction in aid of the Captains' charity, Cancer Research UK. The auctioneer was very animated and I almost ended up with two purchases - but came home with none! 

I did though win a couple of bottles of wine in the raffle...

Day 222 - Two Thirty

It is a classic Christmas cracker joke: "what is the best time to go to the dentist?". Answer: "Two thirty". Well, when I called the dental surgery up this morning at the crack of dawn, I was given this as my emergency appointment - seemingly with a straight face. Last night, I had taken a bite on a piece of nut in some ice cream and ended up cracking a tooth.

I shall spare you the details, but the long face the dentist pulled when she looked inside my mouth this afternoon told me all I needed to know. Not good. What was also not good was the length of time that the whole procedure took. I have returned home, bruised and sore and feeling sorry for myself.

All of which is a shame as it was another lovely day today (we are having a great patch of weather in late September). I did though go to the Club for a lunch meeting with the new General Manager, Matthew. We had an excellent discussion over a bowl of onion soup and covered not only the uses to which Intelligent Golf has been put, but also a number of the areas where there is still work to do. I look forward to working together with him for the 123 days left of my term.

After my dental visit, I did pop back to the Club again to say (not terribly intelligibly as half my face was frozen...) goodbye and thanks to our Receptionist, Joan, who is retiring from Burhill. Joan has been a great help to many members and their guests and I was delighted to be able to give her a magnum of Champagne on behalf of the Members : may she enjoy the next phase of her life as much as I am!

Day 221 - Autumn Flowers

Today was the date that we had chosen for our first round match in the Autumn Foursomes. I was playing my long-standing golfing partner and our opponents were Mark and Gary - very dangerous opponents of a combined handicap of 14. That they were seen as a tough pairing was something pointed out to us in the bar AND on the putting green before we played...

And as it turned out, the warning was well-meritted!  Our opponents started off par-par which gave them a two shot lead and after that we were on the back foot for the whole match. At one point, we got them back to just one down but, for most of the time, we were three down and in the end this was simply too big a mountain to climb. We succumbed weakly on the 15th, where we had to give them a shot and that was that.

All of this meant that we finished very early: it was probably around 08:15 when we teed off and it wasn't much after 11:00 when we got back to the Clubhouse. This gave us time for a drink in the warm sun, before I headed back home for a very pleasant afternoon with Mrs L, attending a wedding fair at the location of my daughter's nuptials next year.  Miss L is currently not in the country (playing football in Croatia...) so could not be there so she had sent her parents in lieu.

We saw florists, stationers, musicians, cake-makers and photographers - all selling their wares and looking to fill their 2016 diaries.

With a firm date in mind, we were warmly received and we certainly have taken some names and website addresses away to to look at. We shall have to see what the boss thinks...

Day 220 - Early Ripe, Early Rotten

If there has been a better day to play golf this year, I cannot remember it!  The setting for our return match against Malden golf Club was nigh on perfect: warm autumnal sunshine, no wind and a great golf course.  We had delivered a tie in the Away match, with my partner and I failing tow in against their Captain and Prrsident, so we were out to do a bit better this time.

And we did.  Allistair and I dovetailed well and soon established an early lead, helped out in no small way by my pitching in from 96 yards for a birdie on the Stroke Index 1, 5th hole of the Old.  By the time our opponents matched the feat on the 10th, time was running out for them and we ended up closing the game out 4&3.

Many of the other Burhill pairs did the same and this time it was a comprehensive 6-1 victory for the home team.  All the chat afterwards would seem to indicate that it was the speed of our greens that gave them the most difficulties.  A drink in the sun, a fine lunch and it was time to get changed again.

View from our seats

We headed off to Twickenham at about 5 pm and could not believe the absence of traffic. We found our usual parking space and arrived at the ground in plenty of time for the evening fare: England vs Wales in the Group Stage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Expectations were high and there was a great atmosphere, with some of the lodest cheers and singing of the anthems that I have ever heard at HQ.  Wales soon established an early lead, but England haiuled them back in and seemd to have the game under control: they were winning all the scrums, stealing lineout ball and yet they kept on giving penalties away, which allowed Wales to stay in the game.

At the end, a well taken try by Wales and yet another penalty conceded (fussy French referee?) saw the visitors steal the game by 28-25.  A mood of despondency settled on the crowd and the walk back to the car was much more muted and a golfing phrase came to mind: Early Ripe, Early Rotten!

Day 219 - Neigbours

Today was one of the final Vets matches of the season: although I hadn't played in the Away match, the team needed an extra player for the Home game and I put my hand up. I was partnered with Paul today and our opponents were Richard and Bruce from Across the Road. 

As far as I could tell, most of the StGH team were called Richard, so at least that made remembering names that bit easier. When I introduced myself to Bruce, I thought that we had met before and he made the connection for me: we had shared a buggy earlier in the summer when I had refereed the Family Foursomes Final. One mystery solved.

We were the last group out and had a very pleasant game, even if the golf was not of the highest standard. I missed two shortish birdie putts on 7 and 12, and then holed a putt that I had no right to for a 2 on 13.  With two holes to go, we were one hole up, but our opponents made good use of their extra shot on 17 and we were unable to capitalise on Paul's on 18 which meant that we had lost 1 Down.  Ouch.

Overall, the team managed a tie: 3 1/2 to 3 1/2, which is never a bad outcome. We had a pre-lunch drink on the terrace and revelled in the glorious sunshine: it was hot!  Another splendid day: great weather, fun golf and a splendid meal as well.  Getting home at about 4, all I could think about was the opportunity to put my feet up...

...which we ended up both doing in front of the $10 million golf from East Lake in the US.  It's only Day 2, but by the time we get to Sunday, I dread to think how much each shot/putt will end up being worth!  It makes our weekend 4 balls for a couple of quid all seem rather tame...

Day 218 - Brum

Birmingham New Street

A very early start saw me on the train up to London before 07:00 in order to make my connection at Euston for Birmingham: a Board Meeting at Ofwat being the cause.  Fortunately, everything went smoothly and I was on time into the New Street station. I hadn't been aware that all the work that had been going on there was complete and the new New station had just been opened to the public: indeed, from the evidence of the crash barriers and the queues, the John Lewis store was holding its first day of sales hat very morning.

I didn't have time to inspect, but as I walked through the station (after a hurried run back to the train to recoup my coat that I had left on the rack!), I spotted a new HEMA store. This I hadn't seen since we left Holland so wandered quickly in and was delighted to see some familiar things on the shelves, including a packet of Stroopwafels, which I purchased for my daughter - her favourites!

Sir David receiving entry to
the new Radio Times Hall of Fame

The meetings(s) progressed well and I was able to get the 16:50 back to London, which meant that, with a few sprints in the middle, I just caught the train at Vauxhall to get me to Hampton Court by 19:15. This meant that I was in time to meet up with Kathryn and Sally, our Club Lady Vice Captain, and husband in a marquee on Hampton Court Green.  We were visiting the inaugural Radio Times Festival (thanks, Sally!) for an evening's conversation between Kirsty Young and Sir David Attenborough.

At 89, he looked remarkably fit and they entertained us with a 2 hour chat around his life and his work, interspersed with a few well-
 chosen clips from his 60-year association with nature programmes and the BBC.  Very entertaining!

Day 217 - Old Friends

A patient of South West Trains again this morning for a committee meeting up in London, followed by a chat with a search firm, Heidrick & Struggles. Back home as soon as possible to meet up with my best friend, Ian, and his wife Debs, who now live in Gloucestershire but still make their way back to Surrey for dental appointments. It's a real shame that we don't see as much of each other as we used to, but the joy of old friends is that it takes but a few nanoseconds to reconnect.

They stopped for a cup of tea/coffee with digestive biscuits, then a glass of wine and some Pringles until it was time for me to leave: I needed to be at the Club for a 6:30-for-7:00-pm meeting of the Social Committee.  No chance of sitting outside on the terrace tonight, so we repaired upstairs. It was a full turnout, so the Hospitality Suite was chock-full.

It is great to see so many people working together, on a volunteer basis, to try to make the social calendar at Burhill the best it can be.  We talked through some of the events coming up: the Cross Country on the 10th October, Hallowe'en Night Golf on the 31st of the month as well as preparing for Christmas events as well as spending some time planning for next year. Our Chair, Lisa, has done a great job and will be a tough act to follow!

Afterwards, everyone else gathered for a post-meeting drink,... apart from me that is: I have an early morning start and need to get home for supper...

Day 216 - Triangular Trophy

Once a year, we have a three-way competition between Burhill and two other courses in the BGL family: Redbourn Golf Club and Aldwickbury Park Golf Club.  This has been going for 6 years and we were playing for the seventh time today, back where it all started off at Aldwickbury.

When we woke up this morning, it was raining and by 09:00 it was absolutely tipping it down. Then we received a Burhill Old Course update stating that it was closed, so I wasn't at all surprised to see a message from the match manager saying that he was checking with our hosts in Hertfordshire as to whether the match was still on. And, surprise, surprise, they came back asking what all the fuss was about as the weather there was just fine...

And so it was. As I drove round the M25, it got brighter and brighter until when I reached my destination where there was no sign of rain at all. There was a cold wind when we teed off at around midday, but by the time we had finished our round, the sun had come out and we really could have no complaints. The course was short but enjoyable: it had some excellent fairways and the greens, although they had recently been treated, were clearly the course's main defence.  But for two moments of absent-mindedness (missing a short putt and playing an incorrect ball out of the rough), I would have played to my handicap, but at least I achieved my mission for the day: scoring better than either of my two playing partners from the other clubs. If everyone could do the same, we were guaranteed a win!

Reclaiming the trophy from Robin Edwards,
the Seniors' Captain of Aldwickbury

I am not really sure why, but Burhill has won this trophy every year since its inception (maybe we just have a larger pool of players to choose from?) and this year was no different. Counting the best 9 out of 12 for each team, we ended up the winners with a score of 291 to 279 (A) and 261 (R)... not even close really!

We had an excellent dinner after the game (the bread and butter pudding was delicious!) after which we headed back home: what a treat to drive around the M25 and see no sign of traffic the whole way!

Day 215 - Biarritz 2016

I had been due to play in the Eric Williams medal this morning but the combination of fatigue and the need to prepare for a meeting up in London led to me having withdrawn myself from the competition the day before. Fortunately, I had been able to supply a substitute (thanks, John!) - something which all match managers and competition organisers will appreciate.

So up to Town for a meeting: as ever, I thanked my lucky stars that I didn't have to do the journey every day any more.  Good chat though: we'll see if it goes anywhere in a month or so's time.

Back to Cobham for supper and then off to our golf tour's HQ: the Plough in Stoke d'Abernon.  We had a good turnout though one of our members was unable to join in and had offered to make contact via Skype.  This proved not to be a good decision as the whole network appeared to be down for the day. Fortunately, Apple's FaceTime came to the rescue and we had Rolf on the laptop screen from Spain in our midst for the whole evening.

I am not sure how much he was able to follow: I can remember when living in Argentina deciding on one occasion not to return to London for a monthly Downstream Executive meeting and instead choosing to do it by video-conference. Wrong decision. In larger meetings, it is still very difficult to follow what is really going on as well as to retain focus for the 8 hour session.  In my case, it proved a very important misjudgement as decisions ended up being taken that I was unable to influence from afar. I never made the same mistake again!

That being said, our discussion last night was on a much more interesting topic: where to go in 2016?

Colin, who had been charged with taking the lead on this, had just returned from a recce to Biarritz and returned very enthusiastic about the opportunities presented: some good golf (3 courses in top 100 in Continental Europe), a fine hotel sorted and lost of restaurants on offer. 

Dates are now fixed for May next year: can't wait!

Day 214 - Hindhead

A nice lazy start to the day - having breakfast in front of the Solheim Cup when the front door bell went. First reaction was to ignore it ("it must be someone selling something") but I thought I'd check anyway. It was Rick, with whom I had played at Woking, who had found my Burhill cap that i had left behind - how is that for service?

Soon time to head off down the A3 for a Mixed match at Hindhead - one of our best such fixtures.  We all met up for coffee first and then teed off just after 12. I was paired with Dawn, who set off out of the traps like the proverbial b out of h: single-handedly, she ensured that we were very soon 3 up whilst I could only stand back and admire.  Then our opposition kicked into gear and by half-time, we were only one hole up.

Hindhead is very much a course of two nines: the first half are very dramatic, playing through majestic valleys created millions of years ago. The second nine are more traditional Surrey heathland holes.

Apparently, my game was more suited to the more traditional holes and it wasn't until after a cup of tea and a slice of home-made cake in the Half-Way Hut that I decided to join the party.  A few good holes later and we found ourselves dormie 4, sealing the win on the next hole to return a fine victory by 4&3.

A fine dinner followed, with speeches to follow and the news that, overall, the match had been a tie: this, combined with some charming hosts, great weather and some stunning golf holes on one of the top courses in the south of England made for a wonderful day!

Now, did we win our Davis Cup tie, I wonder?

Day 213 - Banzai!

The last Medal of the year... from now on, we move into Stableford season, in anticipation of the worsening weather and more difficult playing conditions. Not that that was a problem today, with glorious Autumnal sunshine and nary a drop of wind. That must have meant that Is cored well, right/ Afraid not: after a solid 5-4 start, I managed to get lost in the trees on the right of the 3rd hole, booked a 9 and that was that!

It was a pleasant round though - all the more so in that we got around in under 4 hours, helped by the two groups who let us through as they struggled to locate errant golf balls lurking in the long grass.  As one of my playing partners remarked to me: "enjoy it, Martin, next year when you're a nobody like the rest of us, you'll have to wait!".

Our good timing allowed us to get back to the bar just in time to see the final putts from the morning round of the Solheim Cup: impressive young lady is that Charley Hull (I once played against her on the par 3 9th at the Buckinghamshire in an EY charity day and managed to get closer to the hole than she - I have a signed ball to prove it!).

Before going out in the evening, we had a plethora of sport to choose to snooze in front of: in the end, the Davis Cup doubles from Glasgow won out and kept us wide awake: some seriously passionate fans and players on show there. 

That meant that we did not see all of the South Africa-Japan rugby game, but anyway it would be a fairly predictable affair anyway. The underdogs would tire in the second half and the Springboks would then run away with it... wrong!  An amazing finish to the most exciting game I have ever seen played in Brighton... if the rest of the RWC keeps up with this quality of game, we are in for a real treat!

Day 212 - OIGS

Today was the occasion of the Autumn Meeting of the Oil Industries Club Golfing Society and the playing of the Petroleum Times Cup at Woking Golf Club.   I was looking forward to the day, both because I always enjoy playing there but also because I am a previous holder of the Cup. I was rather worried about the weather forecast though: depending on whom you believed, it was either going to be sunny or raining or stormy with lightning.

I remember, when we played golf at St Andrew's, my caddie telling me that you should always look first for a potentially lost ball in a place where you would like it to be - in the same vein, I decided to believe the web site that was most favourable.  And on this occasion, it turned out to be the correct choice - despite equipping myself with 2 umbrellas and my wets, after two holes we were in short sleeved shorts and stayed the same way for the rest of the round.

Woking was in great shape - the fairways were good and the greens speedy, with lots of hidden borrows that confused many of the players...including me!  I had three 3-putts and no 1-putts... not good enough and neither was my score of 35 Stableford points adequate either. Scoring was relatively easy in the benign conditions and the winner managed 41 points off a handicap of 7.

A fine Woking lunch followed - the food is always good there and the desserts something to look forward to: an excellent roast shoulder of pork with a selection of veg, followed by treacle pudding and ice cream, all washed down with the house claret: capital stuff!

The keener brethren went out for a further 18 holes of Foursomes, which I declined and instead headed home to get ready for the Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony...

Day 211 - Earthsearch

Set off from the house at around 09:15, with a smile: it never fails to please me when, if I leave the house on a weekday morning, my Tesla Sat Nav assumes that I want to go to the location I have designated as "Work" and offers to take me there.  In my case, this means Burhill Golf Club.. ;-)

I was heading there today, on this gloriously sunny day, to jon up with other Disorganised Golfers. On this occasion, there were seven of us to battle it out on the New Course.  I was in the group of 4 - along with Peter, Xenos and Terry.  We thought we had quite a good round, scoring 81 points but it proved to be far from sufficient as the 3-ball, once they had drawn one of us to make up their 4, netted an 87... the drinks were on us!

Back home for an Ofwat telecon in preparation for next week's board meeting and then time to cut the grass (the downside of all this rain and sun we have been having!). This time I decided first to download a couple of episodes of Earthsearch by James Follett - my listening of choice at the moment - on the new BBC Radio iPlayer, to keep me company in the garden.

My son came home for dinner this evening, so we had a pleasant meal together, before migrating to the TV room where we watched Stephen Fry meandering around Central America. It struck me that this may be the last time that we don't have a rugby game to watch in the evening for a while...but don't tell Kathryn!

Day 210 - Sean the Sheep

Today was the second day of the Ladies Autumn Meeting - and boy did I feel for them when, at around 2 pm, the heavens just opened and the rain poured down: I had chosen a good day not to play golf!  Instead, it was time for a haircut, where they know I am Captain this year and I was questioned relentessly about what had happened at the Club a few weeks ago at a certain wedding: I remained schtum!

Back home to watch Prime Minister's Question time, Corbyn-style. An interesting watch, after all the hype, and all will probably be satisfied with the outcome. Cannot believe that the radio-phone-in-style questioning will last as the PM essentially gets off scot-free but the quieter tone and absence of MPs' braying tones was certainly welcome.

Duly shorn (or should that be Sean?), my next job was to take the Tesla to the service centre to have its wheel replaced: when the tyre had been damaged the other day, they had simply put a new wheel on and taken mine away to have it repaired. 

A 45 minute hike over to Heathrow went smoothly and I then spent the next 2 hrs in their "customer lounge", using the WiFi and taking advantage of the free coffee to while the time away whilst they worked on the car: fascinating to look though to the workshop and see all those new cars being readied for delivery.

Then back to the Club where I called in at the Ladies Prizegiving: wow! - so many people all dressed up to the nines and lots of silverware on show for the various competitions - it was very impressive. I needed a quick word with the Lady Captain (and Mrs Captain) after which I beat a quick retreat as I was definitely not in the right place.

I had to go to the Club as we had a Club Committee meeting in the early evening. This was the first such to be attended by the new General Manager, Matthew, and all passed off well. We made a number of decisions, of a golfing nature, which I shall have to share with the members. Afterwards, a sociable drink signed off the evening.

Day 209 - Matthew 26:41

The spirit was willing this morning but the flesh was definitely weak: 36 holes yesterday and 27 the day before were quite enough, so decided to take a day off today.  Day off from actually hitting a ball that is, but not from the game itself. I spent the morning doing some preparatory work for the Burhill Challenge, a competition that is to be played next month between all 10 of the BGL Clubs.  My task was to transfer the names of all 80 entrants and to ensure that we had the correct handicap information etc. A fairly mindless task, but satisfying to have accomplaished.

More enjoyable was the chance to do something that I have not done for ages: to build a spreadsheet to record the scores, calculate the results and display them vaguely professionally. Just the sort of challenge I enjoy: trying to work out a formula to calculate the best six scores of eight...

A fair amount of time spent thinking and testing until I had a brainwave: just Google the question!  Yup, you guessed it, the answer there for everyone to see. How did we survive in those pre-Ask Jeeves, Yahoo days??

A trip into the Club to collect something from the changing room turned into an hour;s chat with Mike, the head pro, not only about the Burhill Challenge set up but also a list of other things that need sorting out about the golf in the coming weeks.  Popped into the Captains' Bar and was pleased to see the new General Manager, Matthew, doing some meeting and greeting. Today's his second day, so he must be an expert by now.

Back home to cook dinner. Going to try a Jamie recipe this evening for shoulder of lamb: it looks very simple on the page, and it contains lots of tasty ingredients, so what's not to like?

Day 208 - Yellow Peril

Early doors this morning: never sure about the traffic on a Monday morning and anyway wanted to get up to wish my son goodbye as he headed off to Warwick. Arrived at the Club in plenty of time for my tee off at 08:20.  Today was a Vets "Yellow Ball Competition" - teams of three, drawn to make the handicaps roughly equivalent, with 2 scores to count on every hole.  Simple... except that, on every hole, one player had to use a yellow ball in turn and this person's score had to be one of the two counting.

I was playing with Hugh and Brian and we had a very pleasant game. It was not made any easier by the capricious nature of the weather: one minute torrential rain and only a few seconds later, a warm sun. This meant endless changing of outer gear and umbrellas going up and down (like a whore's drawers...). 

We were further disadvantaged by the fact that the yellow ball with which we had been issued had homing tendencies: it looked for and found sand whenever it was hit! This made life difficult for us and we knew when we handed in our scorecards that we were unlikely to appear in the winners' circle - and we were correct!  There were some fine scores out there and we were never really in the running. It was though a fun morning, followed by a lazy lunch.

Which finished just in time for me to get out onto the other course for another 18 holes!  This time, I was playing with Colin Mayes, the CEO of BGL. He and I had tried twice earlier to fix a time to play together and I think we were going to go out today whatever the weather. As it turned out, we had timed it perfectly to miss the rain, though we had found a very windy afternoon instead. We had a fun 18, barely seeing a soul, and chatted away about a whole myriad of issues. I just managed to keep my nose ahead in the match we played... but have already decided that tomorrow is a day off!

Day 207 - Doh!

Time for another Captain Pro Challenge.  Today was the opportunity for friends Roland and Colin to challenge Mike and me. This was always going to be one of these matches to which I was looking forward, though I was less keen about the fact that we would be giving lots of shots to our opponents. The usual maths followed: Mike was off scratch, I am off 10, Colin 14 and Roland 27 (don't ask!), meaning that we worked out that our challengers were to receive 21 shots.

And that is a lot!  One shot on every hole and two on the three most difficult of them: clearly life was going to be tough. Fortunately, for us at least, for the first few holes our opponents struggled whilst we played solidly. A fine birdie on 3 and a few well placed pars meant that by the turn, we were 2 holes up.

At this point Colin and Roland woke up and started to string some good shots together...and life got tougher as a result. Our birdie on 13 was a high point as it meant that we had won a hole where we were giving 2 shots, but some fine play by our challengers, including a par on 17, meant that we ended up the match all square.  A pretty good result, we thought.

At least until I got home and rechecked the handicap calculations: 41 less 10 is 31 and half of 31 is 16 shots... Doh! 

How embarrassing: all that mathematical training and this is the result... though as Kathryn said - "that means that you played off scratch and still drew". That made me feel much better.

The plan for the afternoon had been to go home to watch the final cricket ODI of the season. This had sounded a great idea until I quickly checked the scores as we sat down for our post-round drinks: 8 wickets down?! How many?  Time for a rethink. I know - how about another 9 holes?

Those played, it was time for a drink on the terrace (courtesy of Tom Parrish's hole in One!) and the opportunity to congratulate Annette and her team of Lady mentors who had each been competing with their Junior Girl for the Acorn Vase. Very impressive and great to see so many girls playing golf together.

Home to make dinner and meet up with Lawrence Junior who had just returned from his vacation in China: lots of stories to share from what sounds like a fantastic time!

Day 206 - Super Twilight

Lazy start to the day - which was fine as we watched the rain front move through to leave us with sunshine and few clouds for the time when we were due to tee off for the final social golf event of the summer season: the Super Twilight.  This year it was to be a 4BBB format game and I was paired with Tricia, whilst her husband partnered Kathryn.

We set off from the 9th tee and had a splendid game: the group behind us were slower than we were and we had nobody in front of us, so it was just as if we had the course to ourselves. We played pretty well, which by definition meant that we played quickly as well.  Both pairs had some great holes: I managed to hole two birdie putts on the par threes, whilst Bryan managed the same on two of the par 4s.  As ever, there were a couple of holes that we felt we had left some shots behind, but we still both came in with a very respectable 41 points - but would that be good enough?

As it turned out, we had a long time to wait to find out: it was quite a while before everyone was in and then it took quite a while for all the cars to be validated, for there were lots of good scores out there. Clearly the fact that we had played off the yellow tees with a favourable wind had helped others too!

After the golf it was time for supper - and what a spread we had on offer!  There was a very generous buffet salad table to start with, followed by an excellent beef/gammon/turkey carvery and then, as if anyone had any room left, a wonderful cold dessert spread too.  By the time we got to the coffee and the prize giving, you could tell that everyone had eaten well!

The only downer on the day was the flat tyre we picked up on the way home.... but that's a problem for tomorrow!

Day 205 - Nedbank

Both courses at the Club today were closed to allow what may be Europe's largest Charity Golf Day (more than 300 golfers!) to be held at Burhill. The headline sponsor is Nedbank, with other South African companies like South African Airways and SAB Miller also playing a supporting role.  Full details about the day are to be found at http://www.sagolfday.com/.

To make the day work, the organisers need large numbers of volunteers. As we had done the previous year, both Mrs Lawrence and I had put our hands up: she as a ball-spotter whilst I was on starter duties. This meant that I needed to be at the Club by 07:30 to get my marching orders plus a cup of coffee and a boerwors roll to fuel me for the day on the 1st tee.  Fortunately, the weather was excellent and it was a real pleasure to be out there for three hours, setting the teams off on their way.

As you might expect, there was a wide variety in golfing skills - from scratch players to the (very) occasional golfer.  Tee shots of all sorts were on show, even including the dreaded miss on the first tee (followed by a quick look up to see if anyone had been watching!).  I recognised a number people teeing off, both professionally and from the world of international rugby (including a certain Jamie Salmon - he who is the answer to the quiz question, who is the only player to be capped for both England and New Zealand?).

Once my stint was over, I enjoyed some of the sponsor's beer on offer (Peroni is an SAB Miller brand) and also some themed barbecue offerings, after which I headed home to watch the 4th ODI between England and Australia.  Exciting stuff right until the end with England getting over the line with one of their better run chases (3rd best ever!).  Nice to finish a game with a six too...

In the evening, Kathryn and I were guest of the sponsors at the gala dinner. This took place in a specially erected marquee on the Walled Garden at the Club.  The Club coped well with the 300+ guests and a good evening was had by all. There was a high-tech silent auction (we purchased a 4 day break in Portugal for next year!) but the highlight was the real one: the auctioneer was excellent - entertaining and I am sure that he earned his fees by the way in which he drove the bids up...

Day 204 - Croham Hurst

Today was a beautiful day - potentially the last of what has been a pretty good summer (if we forget those cold days earlier in the year...)?  Burhill was going to be busy today, because of a Guinness & Oyster event, so six of us decided to find an alternative location for our Disorganised game this week.

Accordingly, we headed over to Croham Hurst Golf Club, just the other side of Croydon.  Most of us took the M25/A22 to get there, which was fine, whist others opted for an alternative approach, coming down from London, which was less successful...

I had met the General Manager earlier this summer when we had played together at Royal Wimbledon. He, Steve, had invited me to come and play at the course. Unfortunately, he couldn't be there that day, but we still received a great welcome on arrival.

All were on site in time for our scheduled 11:00 tee off. The course looked in great condition and had some lovely vistas around its fairways, all limed with mature trees.  The greens were in good shape too, with plenty of undulations to confuse the unwary.  There was a lot more walking uphill than we are used to - too much for some of our players!

We played our usual best-two-balls-of-three format (we shall gloss quickly over the score as one team was streets ahead of the other) and made good time, being back at the Clubhouse for a drink in the sun after around three and a half hours.  Sitting outside, sampling some of the local fare as well as the refreshing Club Special drink (Lemon Barley and Angostura Bitters were two of the ingredients) was a very pleasant way of whiling away the afternoon. We took a long time to get moving !

Day 203 - Song of Solomon

Up bright and early this morning: had an 08:08 tee time and, with all the schools back in session, I wanted to make sure that I didn't get held up on the way to the Club.  This meant that I arrived far too early for the competition - the Vets Championship or Solomon Cup.

I was partnered today with friends Fred and Wayne. They played very solidly throughout, despite the occasional wobble, and both have long games plenty good enough to allow their handicaps to come down in the future.

For my part, I was very solid, alternating 4s and 5s for the first 8 holes, including one horribly treacherous putt down the 4th hole...  Then a miracle birdie on 9 (way left, chip out, chip in!) meant that I was +3 after the first half and sitting pretty.  Unfortunately, I couldn't maintain the good progress and two doubles on 11 (lost ball right) and 16 (ball plugged in green-side bunker) put the mockers on my round.

As a three ball, we had been pretty slow but were still back in the Clubhouse a long time before all the other competitors made it in.  Once they did, it transpired that we had a playoff - not two, nor three but four players had all tied on nett 68. 

Mike, Fred, Mike and Steve

Whilst we were trying to decide on which course to hold the play-off, I wandered down near the 18th of the New and was surprised to meet up with two former Shell colleagues, who were playing in a society event at Burhill - and I shall see them again on Friday week at Woking!

The play-off proved to be a longer and more exciting one than the others we have had this year: it wasn't until the 5th extra hole that we are to separate Mike and Fred - cracking stuff and congrats to Morino-San!

Day 202 - Committees-a-go-go

No golf today - it's Ladies Day at the Club anyway and time to give the body a bit of a rest. Plenty to do anyway (and that's not only watching the 3rd England-Australia ODI!). Ran a few errands in the morning and then came home to make dinner (a great sausage and mushroom meatball recipe if you are interested). Soon after that, it was time to head back to the Club.

First, we had a Handicap Committee Meeting. This is when, every three months or so, we sit down to review members' handicaps. This involves looking at recent winners of competitions, as well as reviewing all of the new members to the Club to ensure that their scores look within the normal bounds and, on the rare occasion when not, to take the appropriate action.  We also spent some time studying the 13 or so changes that are planned for next year as well as doing some preparatory thinking about the annual handicap review that will take place at the end of the season.

A brief gap before moving on to the Men's Committee. This was our first meeting for a couple of onths as we had taken a break over the summer so there was lots to discuss. As well as running through all that had been going on at the Club since we last met, we also ran through some of the proposals for changes in competition rules for next year.  The meeting went on a bit longer than normal and it was almost 9:30 p.m. before I got home.

Back in time to watch the highlights of the cricket and to enjoy those meatballs...

P.S. Was struggling for a picture to illustrate the day: ended up with a camel. Why a camel? - because it is a horse designed by a committee...

Day 201 - Foxhills Return

The weather men have promised us a decent week's weather - very welcome after what had appeared to be the end of summer a short while back. So, it was with a sense of pleasurable anticipation that I headed off for a return Vets match at Foxhills Golf Club.  Never quite sure what Monday morning traffic had in store for me, I headed off nice and early and arrived...nice and very early!  No worries though: time for a few coffees and a chat with the opposing team.

I was paired today with Malcolm, a former Shell colleague, and we were second off playing today on the Bernard Hunt Course .  The whole place was very busy as the other course, the Longcross, was hosting a Pro-Am for the Severiano Ballesteros Foundation.   There was a Pro from Burhill in the field as well as a team of Ams so we were well represented at Foxhills today!

I had the sort of start you dream about: par, par, chip-in birdie, par for my first 4 holes - and this was good enough to give us a four hole lead too.  Another three pars in the front 9 meant that we made the turn 5 up.  An excellent sausage bap at the halfway house didn't seem to do any harm and three more pars followed before we won our match by 6&5!  I am afraid that our opponents didn't really stand a chance - but they were very good hosts and good fun to walk around with.

Afer a good lunch and the usual speeches (two good stories from the match managers!), we headed home.  I have played Foxhills a number of times in the past, but have never seen it looking and playing better. All this rain and sun we have been having has clearly helped.

This evening was spent in front of the PGA Golf - a rare treat, but they are finishing a day later than normal as it's Labor Day States-side: that means that summer is officially over....

Day 200 - Autumn Meeting Mishap

Today was the second day of the Autumn Meeting: yesterday was the competition for the low handicappers and today was the turn of the Foursomes experts.  I was playing with Brian and we were teeing off the 1st tee (as usual - Captain's privilege!).  The weather was simply stunning: not a cloud in the sky nor a breath of wind - a splendid late summer's day.

After a string of double bogeys, we soon realised that we were not going to be in the prizes and concentrated instead on enjoying the day - not difficult given the conditions. We had a few good holes in there somewhere but a four-putt on the 17th was probably the low point...  They say you should never say "sorry" when playing Foursomes: I think we managed that at least!

After the competition, it was time for Prize Giving. The table looked splendid with some of the Club's very best silverware on show: three of the solid silver trophies were simply wonderful.  We were handing out trophies back to the Spring so there were plenty of recipients from whom celebratory drinks were solicited, not always successfully. 

The winner of yesterday's competition (another serious piece of silver!) couldn't unfortunately be there for the prize giving, so then it was time for today's results. At this point, a mea culpa is required: I had inadvertently overlooked one of the cards with the same score as the pair whom I believed to have won.  Oops...

Fortunately, the mistake was soon rectified and was accepted by all with good grace. The only casualty was one red-faced Captain...  All was soon forgotten though because the appearance of the extra card meant that we had a play-off in front of us. This was supposed to take place on the 18th hole of the same course as had been played but, by popular request, we moved it to the New Course - right in front of the 100 or so people there watching.

A daunting task for the two players required to tee off: having had the experience of the Captains' Drive-in, I had more sympathy than most - which soon needed as one of the pairs made a right horlicks of the hole, allowing the other two to win with a solidly played one-over-par 4.  Cue lots of celebrations and commiserations in equal portions. It had though been one of the best finishes to a competition of the year - the atmosphere was terrific!

Day 199 - Vardon, Interlock or Baseball?

First day of our Autumn Meeting today: two opportunities to get your name up in gold available - either today for the best gross score in the Marler Bowl, or else the best nett result tomorrow with your Foursomes partner in the Lewis Kent Cup.

I had been paired with Duncan, the Club Champion and previous winner of today's competition, and Andrew, who also has his name on the Marler Bowl Honours Board. Exalted company, therefore.  And not a little daunting either...

Everything started off well for me with two good solid pars on holes 1 and 2. Then an inexplicable 70y pitch onto the green went short and right into the greenside bunker and that was that. Managed to hang on for a while but then had another couple of "blob" holes and before long it was clear that it was not going to be my day.  I enjoyed the round though, watching the two better players spark off each other and seeing how easy the game can be if you could only drive long and straight (and a few other things as well!).

On the 15th fairway, Duncan posed an innocent question about my grip: did I use the Vardon grip, or interlocking or the baseball version? Wow... I answered immediately that I had always been a Vardon man. And then on the next shot, I paused and looked down: there was no finger overlapping - it was a baseball grip! 

This really threw me and, for the rest of the round, I was mildly spooked.  Back to the range time required...

Homeward bound for a difficult afternoon: whether to watch England/Ireland Rugby, England/Australia cricket, F1, European Golf or the England/San Marino football?  Not watching the last one was the easy choice. In the end I went with the Rugby...

Day 198 - Dear Lupin

A while back we had bought tickets for a play up in London, largely on the strength of its cast: James Fox and his youngest son Jack.  The play was called Dear Lupin, and we hadn't really done much research into it, although we could tell that it was struggling a bit at the box office as there were a number of good deals around.  Today, we went up to London to see it - and, perhaps because of the lowered expectations, very much enjoyed it.

The play was an adaptation of a book from 2012 which had been a surprise hit: a series of letters from the Sunday Times racing correspondent to his wayward son, stretching back for 30+ years.  The latter had gone through really rough times (expelled from Eton, drug and alcohol dependency, HIV/AIDS) so not an obvious source of comedy but the father had a nice turn of phrase and seemed to retain a stoic attitude throughout. Having a genuine father and son play the roles, the final few scenes as the father died contained genuine emotion that perhaps would not have worked so easily otherwise.

After we returned home, I did as I always do and read some of the reviews on-line, which were pretty fair IMHO. A light piece but one rescued by the cast and their obvious love for one another. Dads - take your sons along!

The earlier part of the day was golfing free (a busy few days ahead!) but still involved a fair amount of work, getting everything ready for the launch of what is arguably the premier men's event at Burhill Golf Club, the Auction Foursomes Dinner and Golf. This is to be held on 16th October and needs a good attendance to work properly.  We launched the online sign-up today, so fingers crossed...

Day 197 - Slow Play

If you enter the following phrase into any generic search engine "Golf's biggest problem" or the equivalent and, right up there, you will come across the issue of Slow Play.  I know that at Burhill, whenever we have a competition that takes longer than it should, you can be sure that there will be people in the bar complaining about how slow other players are (it is always someone else who is the cause of the problem...).

A couple of years back, we spent a lot of time at the Club and in Committee trying to see what there was that could be done about it.  We came to the conclusion that the solution was not to be found in one silver bullet, but instead that there were many things that each of us could do (if you're interested, this list can be found here).

Why this topic today?  I was playing a 2-ball with the Vice Captain and we were walking up the 14th fairway when we noticed a large group of people, some in buggies, on and around the 9th green.  We stopped to ask what they were doing when we saw that they had cameras and related equipment as well. It turned out that it was a team from Golf Monthly who were at Burhill to film 10 educational videos addressing Pace of play issues.  These are due to appear shortly on their website - so I for one shall be looking out for them!

I can report that Slow Play was not an issue today!  Steve and I finished our game in under three hours and the two other pairs with whom we were competing were both hot on our heels.  We played a better ball game and my partner and I were cautiously optimistic when we got back with a score of 40 points.  Pride goes before the fall...  The other scored 42 and 45 points (bandits...) which left us picking up the drinks tab...

Day 196 - Brotherly Love

The weather gods decided to smile on us again today: after a few very dreary days, the clouds lifted and the sun shone on the righteous... and also those who were at Burhill today for the Vets Member/Guest Day. This is a great event as it gives us all a chance to showcase the Club, its courses and facilities to other golfing friends.

In my case, I had invited my brother Tony as my guest. He is a member at Haywards Heath Golf Club, where he has just recently re-established his handicap. Our playing partners today were Steve, the organiser-in-chief of the event and Terry, his brother-by-marriage (their children are married..or is there another term?).

The format for the day was a better ball Stableford, off 3/4 handicap.  To start our round, brother Tony kicked off well, allowing me some 4 holes or so to get into the game. A sneaky chip-in for par on 5, a mammoth putt for a birdie on 6: finally, I woke up too!  And even more fortunately, we both stayed awake, coxing-and-boxing well and, with consecutive birdies on 12 and 13, started scoring well.  A good putt on 17 for a 5 and a fine par on the last put the icing on the cake. We had managed to return a round of 2 over par, equivalent to 43 points, and now had to wait to see whether or not it was enough...

Duly showered, suited and booted, we all enjoyed an excellent carvery lunch upstairs and then it was time for prize giving. As Captain, I was on duty and on this occasion, I had no Lady Captain to help me out.  Yes, we had won and I had to present the prize to Tony and then to myself.

Happy as he was to receive his prize of a couple of bottles of wine, Tony was less impressed that he was also required to say a few words to the assembled golfers. His job was to say thanks on behalf of the guests as well as to pay the usual compliments to the green-keepers, caterers and organisers. 

He needn't have worried - he did a grand job!

Day 195 - US Open

After a number of days of consecutive golfing, today was one for taking a break from the course.  Accordingly, I took the opportunity of going up to London to meet a former colleague for lunch. Another day of déjà vu all over again - memories came flooding back as I took the train to Clapham Junction and on to Victoria and the Zizzi restaurant to be found in Cardinal Place. How I miss this journey... not!

A good chat over lunch: amazing how so many of the issues are just the same, albeit with a few different actors; on departure, I wished Jim every success but was glad that it was he rather than I who was tasked with addressing them!

Then back to the Club to sit down with Mike to do the draws for the Autumn Knockout competitions.  These days, the work is not in actually doing the draw: this involves just a few keystrokes on the computer, bu rather in cutting and pasting (literally!) the printouts into something vaguely coherent to put up for general viewing.  The Men's competition has so many entrants that getting everything onto one sheet just wasn't possible.

Back home to watch some of the US Open tennis. Not sure that I shall be staying up for Andy Murray's match in the early hours of tomorrow morning though...