Day 255 - Night and Day Golf

Arrived at the Club this morning in time for coffee and a bacon roll.  Burhill had organised a competition and meet-and-greet for recent new members today and I was there to play and do what I could to make everyone feel welcome.  The format was a two-man team competition and I was paired with Rob, who has recently moved to Burhill for Hampton Court.  Also in our four-ball were Lee, from Wentworth and Mark currently at Guildford.

It was another splendid day for golf: 20 deg, sunshine and no wind - what more could we have asked for? We played the Old Course and, it must be admitted, the greens were a bit slow... not that this did anything to stop our playing partners who amassed a fantastic score of 44 points in the better ball format.  It was a fun event and a good way to meet new members.

Back home for the Rugby World Cup Final: New Zealand were simply too strong for Australia, although the latter gave them a good run for their money.  It has been a great competition - if we skim over the England performance - so much better than the football or cricket versions which both seem to go on for ever, with endless meaningless games.

Hallowe'en Night Golf - what a scream!

At halftime, we made our way back to the Club, both to see the end of the game as well as to get ready for Night Golf.  We were to play 6 holes at 6:30 pm and arrived to find them all lit up: green lights on the tees and around the greens themselves, white sticks in the fairways and blue demarcating all hazards.  All we needed was some lit-up golf balls and we were good to go!

I played with Mrs L, along with Roger and his wife Kate.  We ended up with a very respectable 12 points, or 2 per hole, which I thought was pretty good considering that we were playing in torchlight and hitting golf balls that were definitely shorter than is the norm: we even managed a par on 7, which was more than I had done in the daylight 9 hours earlier!

An excellent supper of ghoul-ash followed by apple pie closed off the evening. It was all great fun and super to see the effort that people had made to get into the spirit of the occasion, with some great costumes on show...

Day 254 - Hayward's Heath

The morning was dedicated to leaf clearing: how do a few trees produce such volumes of the stuff?  It was wonderful whilst they lasted but at least most of them seem to have made their way to the ground...

Leaves still there on a
Haywards Heath fairway

After a brief weather delay, we headed off to meet my brother Tony for an afternoon's golf at Haywards Heath Golf Club.  He joined the club recently, taking advantage of one of the flexible memerbship schemes they now offer.

On their website, the course is described as "A stunning parkland course and clubhouse where a memorable experience awaits", which is perhaps over-egging the pudding somewhat.  The course is though an interesting blend of long and short par 4s, along with some handsome par 3s and 5s.  The area is very much clay based which meant that it was a bit heavy underfoot after the morning rain but nevertheless we enjoyed some late autumn sunshine and played most of the round in shirt-sleeves, which isn't bad for the last few days of October!

Tony decided to put a supplementary card in for his round, which meant that Kathryn and I played along for the ride.  The front nine was definitely easier than the back half and my scorecard reflected that.  Nevertheless a satisfactory round was played by all and I look forward to returning to play there again.

Showered and changed, we moved on to Tony and Jan's for a delicious supper and a catch-up.  My contribution was a magnum of red, upon which we inflicted some serious damage... and Kathryn drove home!

Day 253 - Poppies

Today saw me up in London for a Board Meeting and one of the things I wanted to do was to track down and purchase a poppy for this year's Appeal. I looked everywhere but couldn't find one anywhere: I was looking for one of the smaller pins, rather than the traditional buttonhole.

And then I got to Waterloo Station and I couldn't move but for poppy sellers... There was a bunch of young Royal Marines who were having a great time taking selfies with anyone who was interested: they seemed to be having a high old time!

Time for a quick supper at home and then on to the Club for a meeting. On this occasion, I was sitting down with the Vice Captain, the organizer of the Nations Cup competition and the Captains of the six teams.  This is a competition that is played early in the new year, roughly at the same time as the Six Nations Rugby tournament.

The meeting was arranged to review the 2015 matches in readiness for next year's competition. We had made some changes last time to the way things ran, including increasing the number of pairs playing from 6 to 7, as well as using our Intelligent Golf system to support the managers and to record the results.

We had a good discussion and agreed on a number of ways forward: everybody was very constructive and two Captains had made a special effort to be there. All of this bodes well for next year's Nations Cup...bring it on!

Day 252 - Basingstoke

Autumn trees at Basingstoke Golf Club

A leisurely start this morning:the plan was to meet up at 09:30 for a 10:00 start... but not at Burhill, instead our opponents for the day were Basingstoke Golf Club.  So, first problem was to negotiate the traffic to get there. Trusting Google Maps, I decided to take the M25/M3 combination.... and it turned out to be just fine.

Yes, there was some traffic but it kept on moving and I arrived just on time. And I also had great fun trying out the car's new AutoPilot options: I set the car going at the required 50 mph speed through the lengthy roadworks, pressed the AP button and enjoyed the ease of letting the car do its thing. The only problem was when white dashed lines disappeared and were replaced by studs on the road, which didn't quite work!

Our match today was in the Vets Penang league: a set of home and away matches played through the winter months. A bit of pressure on the team: Burhill won this competition in 2014/15...  I hadn't played Basingstoke before and was looking forward to it: it looked it really good shape.  I was playing with Chris, against our opponents John and Derrick, and was going to be giving shots to the other three.

We were quietly optimistic after the first hole, which we won easily, but this didn't last long as our opponents not only got back level quickly but then drew ahead, achieving a 2 hole lead by the turn.  It was not easy as we were playing against a couple of very steady golfers, who mixed and matched well.  But, we hung on in there until a great/fortunate putt resulting in a birdie on the 15th got us back to level. Another birdie on 17 gave us an unbeatable 1 shot lead, which we sealed with a (three-putt!) half on the last.

In turned out that our win was important: overall, the match was shared with a score of 2 1/2 to 2 1/2, leaving everything open for the return match early in the new year.  Whether we can match the excellent weather we enjoyed today is more questionable...  The golf was followed by a wholesome shepherd's pie and vegetables... and everyone agreed that a nap would ideally be in order!

A slow trip back through the heavy traffic was painful, but I did get back in time for the Social Committee Meeting at the Club at 7 pm. This was mainly a review meeting as most of the events have now taken place: all we have left is the Hallowe'en Night Golf on Saturday...  still place available if anyone is interested!

Day 251 - Driving Test

Contrary to all expectations, it is almost November and we are still playing golf, not only in the dry, but even in short-sleeved shorts (and I even saw someone out there in shorts!).  We cannot complain...  I went out to give the grass a cut and collect up some leaves and within a few minutes had to go back inside to shed a few layers: it was warm out there!

Today was a Disorganised day - and a sad one at that as one of our number, who has been a stalwart over the past months, has opted instead actually to get himself a job: Xenos, we shall miss you!

There were 6 of us out there today: easy for the format as we split into two three and played 2 out of 3 to count: my group, with Jan and Sean, just managed to do enough and came out winning by a solitary point. My game was in a lot better shape than it had been at the weekend.  One reason for this, was that I actually managed to hit most of the fairways.

I put this improvement down to putting to use a small tip that I had picked up from one of the gazillions of golfing emails that I receive in my inbox every morning. I am not sure that it would work for you, but just in case, have a look here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrUybh4V4EU


In the evening - out for a drink at the Running Mare in Cobham - still somewhere that feels more like a pub and less like a restaurant!

Day 250 - Photograph 51

Woke up nice and early this morning (still enjoying that extra hour in bed now that we are back on GMT!) to be greeted by thin sunshine but with the promise of another lovely autumn day. The morning was spent on chores, followed by a trip to Kingston.

We had forgotten that it was half-term week so beat a quick retreat once we had done that which we had to do. Al very efficient though I did fail to find the designated electric vehicle charging spaces in the car park. 

Arrived home just in time to see England fail to play out the draw in Dubai against Pakistan. A valiant attempt by the tail-enders but they had left themselves to much to do. 

Up to London to the theatre this evening. Had a pre-theatre meal at Côte (they must be doing something right as they kept on turning potential customers away!).

The play itself was based on the true story of the discovery of the DNA structure and the role played by Rosalind Franklin. Her work proved to be influential in the Crick/Watson/Wilkins paper though this was only made public posthumously. Nicole Kidman plays the lead role in an understated but intense manner. Not a blockbuster but thought provoking and a great evening out!

Day 249 - Birthday Girl

After the extra hour in bed this morning, we made our way to the Golf Club this morning: Kathryn had some work to do on the Ladies' computer and I wanted a few words with the Pro Shop.  The courses were looking good in the autumn sunshine, but not a day for golf today.

I wanted to get on the A3 as soon as possible... for, overnight, the latest version of the software that powers my Tesla (version 7) had downloaded and I wanted to test it out!  As well as a redesign of all the dashboard and the control panel, this version includes the first steps towards the driverless car: Autosteering.

Wimbledon here we come..
on AutoPilot

As long as the on-board cameras and sensors can recognise the white lines on the left and right of the car, and you are travelling over 24 mph, you can engage the Autopilot and the car will drive itself, following the road's contours and managing the speed within the constraints imposed by fellow-drivers and, if you choose, the speed limit. 

It was a bit nerve-wracking when I first engaged it, but it seemed to work just fine. It was a strange experience though oberving the car drive itself, as I kept my hands on my lap... The next thing is to trial the automatic lane changing... but that's for another day.

A pre-shopping aperitif

We drove up to Wimbledon to give some parental input into The Wedding Dress Choice, and it appears that our views had some merit as a deposit was paid.. one fewer decision to be made!  Afterwards, we headed up to London for lunch with the birthday girl herself and Paul, her fiancé.  They had chosen a favourite restaurant of theirs, NOPI, just off Regent Street.  We hadn't been there before but were very impressed: good decor, fine service and delicious food. The idea is to choose plates for sharing and, unusually, the portions were actually generous enough that this worked just fine with the four of us.

Fully replete, now time to go home to see if the Pumas can achieve an upset against the Wallabies. I doubt it, but who knows?

Day 248 - How the Mighty Are Fallen

After yesterday's excitement, it was back to the Club this morning for the October Stableford. This was one of the competitions that we had chosen to try out different way of allocating playing partners: instead of allowing members to sign up themselves, the system randomly allocated groups within time zones. This has the advantage that it gets people meeting and playing with people whom they don't perhaps know, thus fostering club spirit. The downside is that some people, particularly those who play only at weekends, prefer to spend time with their friends.  As ever, any change to the norm has its problems. On balance, from the feedback received, I think it's a good idea to do occasionally but not for ever time.

My partners for the day were Steve, whom I had not played with before and Martin, my foursomes partner in the Frank Harrison.  We had a fun game, played at a decent pace, but only Steve managed to come anywhere near playing to his handicap. At times, the two Martins were shocking...and after a good game yesterday: how the mighty are fallen! 

The competition was won by the proverbial country mile by Xenos, who saw his handicap (finally!) being cut accordingly, but even off 7 he will still be very competitive.

Home to watch the semi-final of the RWC: a close run thing with South Africa giving the favourites New Zealand a good run for their money.  The atmosphere at Twickenham was a bit intense, without the usual noise, but it will have been a good match to watch - though the rain at the end will have been a nuisance!

In the evening, we went out to dinner with three other couples to plan a golfing holiday for next November: how's that for planning?!

Day 247 - Flitch Salver Final

Winners of the real Dunmow Flitch

Today was the occasion of the Final of the Flitch Salver - a competition open only to married couples (see Blogs passim including Day 16).  Our opponents were Simon and Chris Mortlock, past winners of the competition so it was clearly going to be a tough match!

And it was. When we counted up the handicap differences, we calculated that the Lawrences had to give the Mortlocks nine shots, or one on every other hole. This was not going to make life easy for us... Fortunately, on the front 9 of the New Course, we were very steady both hitting fairways and Mrs Lawrence holing every putt that she was given. At the same time, our opponents were a bit more wayward off the tee and also found the sand a few times.

Had it not been for a miraculous up and down on the 7th by Mrs M, the whole match could essentially have been done and dusted by half time: as it was, we were 5 holes up at the turn and things were looking good.  But it was not to stay that way...  Our opponents had 5 holes with a shot their way on the back 9 and they both discovered their drives off the tee, whilst at the same time, nerves began to play their part and both Mr and Mrs L found a ditch off the tee on holes 14 and 15 respectively.

By the time we came to the 16th tee, there was only one hole in it and things were definitely getting tense!  On both of the next holes, we found ourselves on the back foot but just managed to squeeze a half on each as the dew started to settle and the greens slowed down.  This took us to the 18th, one hole up and it ws definietly starting to get darker and hard to see the ball.

Before we teed off, we agreed that were the match to be all square after the 18th then we would have to come back on another day to finish the game as there wouldn't be time to play the extra hole(s) required.  As things turned out, the Captain found the middle of the green off the tee on the last and this proved to be enough to halve the hole and thereby win the match by just one up.

The consequence of all of this: Mrs L made Mr L promise that he would never convince her to enter the competition again...

Day 246 - Committee vs Staff

A nice gentle start to the day as we were not due to meet at the Club until 11:30 for a 12:00 start. Today was the occasion of the second Committee vs Staff match of the year:a great opportunity for members on the various Committees to play with and get to know representatives from the green-keeping staff, the sales office and the Pro Shop.

Both teams were fielding sides of 12 players: in the members' case, 6 Men and 6 Ladies, whereas on the Staff side the ratio was 1: 11.  I had asked Diana, our Lady Captain to select the pairings and it was clear once we saw the start sheet that there would be some good matches out there. The Staff had three players off 3 or below, but coupled with a number of less experienced golfers.  Diana and I were playing together against a pair that matched that mix exactly: Rob, the Head Greenkeeper, off 3 and Simon, who looks after the maintenance of all the equipment, with a handicap of 28.

Our match was an exciting one: Rob played really well, despite it only being the second game pf his season. He hits the long way off the tee, meaning that all the long par 4s are well within his reach, something that was not the case for the other three of us!  Diana and I started well, winning holes1 and 2 and managed to hang onto that lead, pretty much unscathed, until we got to the 16th when Simon produced a stunning tee shot to give him a gross par, net two, and a win.

Mike Evans, Head Pro, together with the Captain

After a tight tied hole on the 17th, we went to the last hole where a brilliant chip to 9" for par gave Rob the hole and meant that we had halved our match.  I had played at, or one better, than my handicap - my best for a while - which shows that the others played well too.

When we got back to the Clubhouse, it turned out that ours was the only match where the Committee had not beaten the staff, giving our side a victory by 5 1/2 to 1/2.  This means that the two sided trophy for this match will remain on the shelf in the Honours Bar, with the 'Club" side showing for the next six months until the return fixture next Spring.

Day 245 - Time Flies...

Miserable weather, lots of rain, grey skies: a perfect day not to play golf!  Instead, it was a good day to give the Tesla a run... We headed off to East Anglia for the day, to visit my mother. She lives in Lavenham, a village in Suffolk, and is looking at downsizing her property and has found a new cottage to move to, which we were pleased to get the opportunity to visit.

After a difficult journey (driving conditions not easy...), we arrived in plenty of time time for lunch. Fully sated, we went up the hill to have a look at the potential new house. It was built relatively recently (15 years or so) and is located in a quiet close with a nice communal garden for everyone to share. The property itself is charming whilst a lot smaller than Mum is used to, so will require a fair amount of "downsizing", but looks a lot easier to manage and cope with.  Definitely a good move!

My mother is already on the case as far as looking to dispose of some of the things she has accumulated over the years: I was delighted to come home with an early passport of mine. Didn't I look young...!?

Later on in the afternoon, we headed back to Surrey but hit the traffic on the M25, with some form of incident on the Dartford Bridge that meant that we were stationary for half an hour or so. What was fun was putting the new car's Traffic-Aware Cruise Control though its paces: it's great just to turn it on and let it go, adjusting the car's speed as and when required. And we didn't hit anything either!

Back in Cobham, just in time for to get things ready before heading off to Burhill for this month's Club Committee Meeting. I hoped that it was going to be a short meeting but it took a longer than I expected - that being said, we had a good discussion about some of the changes in the Club Rules being proposed. As I drove home, I realised that I only had one or two more of such meetings to chair...time flies!

Day 244 - Last Golfing Day of the Year?

My Tuesday group of Disorganised Golfers was up for the game today: we had a total of 10 keen to play on what looked like being a half-decent day, as far as the weather was concerned.  Balls were thrown in the air and we were split up into two 3s and a 4-ball.  I was in the first group of three, together with Xenos and Steve.

The weather forecast had been accurate and by the 5th hole we were playing in glorious sunshine, down to short sleeves for the rest of the game - not bad in the second half of October! Our threesome played at a fair old lick, completing the round in 3hrs and 15 mins. The group behind us were right on our tails, but the last four-ball were clearly taking things far too seriously; in the end, it was almost an hour before they finally came in, but at least we able to sit out on the terrace and solve the world's problems in the sunshine whilst waiting.  Scores were duly added up, reconciled and audited - and on this occasion, our score of 77 (plus 6 for only having three of us) was just enough to be victorious... not that anybody was really too bothered!

Before heading out to golf, I had had a number of errands to carry out: collect fresh bread, treat myself to a new winter coat (yup, back to Weir Rhodes in Guildford!) and a visit to the hygienist (never a favourite!).

After golf, it was a case of rushing home for a speedy turn around: we had a Men's Committee meeting at the Club at 7 pm, which I needed to be back for. Fortunately, Kathryn had a speedy dinner planned (the best swordfish I have ever eaten in the UK!) which worked out perfectly.  The meeting itself took longer than normal: we had a few issues that need time to explore, a number of them about changes to next year's calendar being proposed by the Vice Captain, who is in charge of the 2016 diary.  I think by the end everybody was content with what we agreed...but that's next year's Captain's problem!

Day 243 - The Old Smoke

Off to the Club this morning: first task was to pick up all the clobber that I had left behind in the changing rooms on Friday evening - and from the look of things, I was not the only one with that task!  Second thing was to pop into the Pro Shop to make sure that all went well with the draw for the October Stableford next weekend - not exactly an onerous task (only a few clicks of the mouse required) but best to do it together to make sure everything ok.

Home for a quick, early lunch snack and then up to Town on the train, where I bumped into the Lady Vice Captain's husband which helped make the journey more pleasant. I had a meeting just near St James's, which took me through part of the Burlington Arcade and then down Duke Street. 

This meant walking past all the art galleries there and looking into the windows of Christie's at some of the pieces coming up for auction soon (£2-3 million for what looked to me to be a very ordinary piece of art?).

My meeting lasted a bit longer than I expected, so I missed the train home that I had hoped to catch. This meant that it was a bit of a rush to get down to Guildford in time to help Kathryn pick up her car, but the absence of traffic meant that it was no problem in the end.

Back home for some preparation for the Men's Committee meeting tomorrow: no peace for the wicked!

Day 242 - Wentworth

View of 1st Fairway on West Course
at 08:00 this morning

To complete what has been a great weekend's golf, today we had our annual match versus Wentworth, on this occasion away at theirs. The two clubs have been competing for the Brooker/Simmonds Salver since 198, which is currently in our possession after our win last year.  The Away match is always played on the West Course - always a test of golf but at least they allowed us to play off the yellow tees (off the whites, it is more than 7,000 yards!).

Our team of 12 turned up bright and early as we were invited for breakfast before the game. This was to allow for a more casual lunch, watching the rugby later on.  Most of the talk among the Wentworth members was around the AGM they are holding next week, which may give them greater clarity as to the future of their club and a number of them referred to the article in today's Daily Mail. It does sound as if they are in for changing times.

As far as our match was concerned, I was to play against their Captain but a mix-up on their side meant that instead my partner Ian and I found ourselves facing two very useful looking players: Phil off 6 and Suresh off 4.  After only 5 holes, their score was a gross two under par, we were 4 down and things were looking very bleak (and that was including a fine birdie from Ian to halve the second!).

We hung on in there however and managed to get the match back to level on the 17th tee only to lose that one.... so, we were on to the famous 18th needing a win for a half.  I managed to get on the green in a regulation three and just watched as gradually all other players self-destructed: I was therefore conceded the birdie putt and we had managed to square the game.  Grand stuff!  As the other matches came in,it emerged that Burhill had eked out a win by 3 1/2 to 2 1/2 and therefore retain the Salver.  There is a scenario whereby none of us ever play the West Course again, but I hope not!

Over lunch, we witnessed the Irish being knocked out of the Cup by a very fluid looking Argentine side and then I got home in time to see the brave Scots just get pipped by the Wallabies in the Twickenham rain.  This means that there in no Northern hemisphere representation in the RWC Semi-Finals... ouch!

Day 241 - Auction Foursomes II

After a relatively brief night, I was up early and back at Burhill by 07:45 this morning. The mood in the Clubhouse was buoyant, even if there were a few bleary-eyed individuals in evidence. One member was even spotted going into the changing rooms in his DJ from last night (had he not gone home?).  After a couple of wobbles, everyone turned up and was ready on their tee for the 08:30 shotgun start.

My partner for the morning as Neville - who was feeling very chipper (here's why!). Our other playing partners were James & Will (my table owned 75% of them, so I was keen to see them do well!) and Andy & Tom (many people's favourites for the competition).  We had a very convivial round and it wasn't long before it was clear that Andy and Tom were going to have a good day, whilst the rest of us were not; despite a relatively short putt missed on the 17th, they returned a score of 37 points which would have been good enough to win last year.

Handing prizes to half of the winning pair, John

Once all the cards were in and had been checked, it turned out however that there was another pair with 37 points, but with a better back nine, allowing them to take first prize.  This was, however, not all bad news for me and my table as the pair in third place was one of those of which we owned a 75% share.  Once we had divided up our share of the pot, this paid out at around £200/man, meaning that everyone was around break-even on the event and, in my case, I had a further £200 win from a judicious bet on the winners in the Tote.  This means that I have ended up in credit in each of the past three years' Auction Foursomes!

That was the end of participation sport for the day, but once home, I managed to catch up on the First Test in the UAE (where England just failed to manufacture what would have been a remarkable win) and then switched over to the pulsating RWC QF between Wales and South Africa.

Later in the evening, the second QF between France and New Zealand was less close....

Day 240 - Auction Foursomes I

Today was the occasion of the Auction Foursomes dinner - one of the premier events at the Club. In order to finalise some of the arrangements, I visited Simon at home to review the draw for the following day's golf. we had been planning to meet at the Club, but he was not in a position to leave the house as he was looking after a new puppy (a very sweet black cocker spaniel called Guinness).

Next stop was lunch at the Club followed by 18 holes of golf with two former colleagues from EDF Energy, Sid and John. We had a very pleasant game in autumnal conditions, during which my knowledge of the Old Course greens manifested itself and I was able to win our game reasonably comfortably. Here's hoping that I can repeat the feat tomorrow...

A shower and a change into my DJ/Tux later and it was time for the evening's festivities. A total of 96 people had signed up for the event (down from the 108 a week ago, but that was probably just as well...) meant that we had a record turnout: 48 pairs!  After a fine, and deliberately filling dinner upstairs, we repaired down to the lounge for the Auction itself.  Gavin did a great job trying to keep some form of order and by the end of the evening we had a pot of almost £16,000: another record.  (If anyone interested how the evening works, look here).

Our table of 9 had the advantage of input from both the Captain and the Head Pro - but would this actually make any difference?  Our strategy was to buy back a quarter share in everybody at the table as well as to look to pick up a few other pairs.  This we achieved for around £150/man, ending up with 75% shares in two pairs and 25% in nine others.  Value?  We shall see tomorrow...

On completion of the auction, we all made our way to the bar, and I eventually arrived home by around half-past midnight (thanks for the ride, Sue!) - quite a bit earlier than some of the younger and/or more resilient participants. But how are they going to feel at 08:00 in the morning?

Day 239 - Retirement

It's now some 22 months since I retired..and today was very much how I thought I would be spending my time, but in practice it happens very rarely.  A lazy start to the morning, after which we dropped Kathryn's car off to have its electrics checked out (David at http://www.hammondauto.net/ - really nice guy and excellent service too!).

Thence, we headed off to Burhill to play 10 holes on the Old Course together: we just managed to squeeze in between the Ladies match and a society. The weather was a bit chilly but warmer when the sun came out.  We played at a good pace (we had to, as there was a two-ball behind us on our heels the whole time!) completing our game in under two hours. Not something we have done for a while, but great fun just to play together for a change.

On the way home, we decided to stop off at Silvermere: located just down the road from Burhill, this must be of the best golf retail outlets in the South of England (apart from Burhill of course!).  We went in looking for some waterproof golf shoes and a winter sweater for Mrs Lawrence... and came out with a pair of trousers and a hat for me!  Result!

Back home via Waitrose (I was on cooking duty tonight: roast shoulder of lamb with garlic and rosemary, with mashed potato and carrots & leeks in a white sauce... and delicious it was too!) and some errands in the village.

And then I was back in the car to the Club: on arriving home, I couldn't find the remote control for my trolley anywhere, but when I got back to Burhill there was no sign it there either. So if anyone comes across a Stewart remote control, it's mine!

Day 238 - Woburn

All three Woburn courses in
Top 100 in GB

I was fortunate enough today to have been invited to play golf at Woburn - not the Marquess course, which had recently hosted the European Tour event won by Matthew Fitzpatrick, but the Duchess one.  At first, I was disappointed but the starter told us that actually the championship course had been quite badly chewed up by the spectators and the Duchess was certainly in great nick.

Woburn is not easy to get to from Surrey but I was very fortunate that the M25& M1 were behaving, so made it in plenty of time for my 10:15 tee time.  I was playing with Colin, my host from BGL, together with Matthew, our new General Manager at Burhill.  Matthew plays off scratch and Colin off 14, so it was always going to be a tight match.

And tight is the right word as every fairway is tree-lined and any shot vaguely off-kilter gets punished (Jan - you would not have enjoyed it!).  My game was behaving so I managed to hit most fairways and didn't lose a ball. This meant that I was going to be hard to beat and, certainly on the second half, I played at or better than my handicap too and eventually won the game we played: yippee £10 to the good!

After lunching, we had a tour of the Clubhouse and facilities from the Wogurn GM, Jason. It was interesting to contrast and compare with Burhill - some similarities (clubs owned by the aristocracy, 1,000+ members, more than 1 course) and some differences (Burhill older, more traditional with a much more impressive clubhouse, Woburn has catering facilities for groups of 200+) yet many similar challenges.  All in all, a really fun day!

Before leaving, I picked up one more logo ball for my collection - and am already looking forward to going back to play the Duke's and Marquess courses!

Day 237 - Playing Fields and Pastures New

Back on the course today: and yet another dry autumnal day, though this time with a bit more of a wind to keep things interesting. There were six of us and we played 2 3-balls on the New Course. The latter is very much in the middle of the bunker renovation project: this year 4 holes are being done. It was the first time that I had seen what was actually planned (it always looks different in real life rather than on paper!).  With the notable exception of the 14th hole where i have no idea why the bunker is being moved, all of the other work looks great - am sure that it will achieve the double aim of less maintenance (smaller bunkers) and and improvement too in the visuals (in particular the new fairway bunker on 1!).

We were pretty much the only ones on the course so jetted around in 3 hrs and 15 mins - and even managed a decent score too with our team recording 80 Stableford points in a 2 out of 3 format. It was the first time for a while that I had actually played to my own handicap, which was heartening!

On completion of my round, Mike, our Head Pro called me in for a chat and told me that he and his new wife had decided to relocate to California where they were going to join his new father-in-law's restuarant business.  We had talked about this opportunity for a number of years, so I was well acquainted with the challenge but of course when the news actually comes, it's a bit of a shock. I have really enjoyed working with Mike this year, so shall miss him, but it sounds a great adventure and I am already looking forward to visiting one of his outlets when we go to California next summer!

Just before the meeting starts in the
splendid Reigate Town Hall

Afterwards, I headed off to the Town hall in Reigate where I had been invited to attend the AGM of the Surrey Playing Fields Association. I was invited because every year we hold a competition whose entry fees are donated to this charity, whose task is to promote the maintenance and growth of sports playing fields in the county. I knew nobody at the AGM but very much enjoyed the talks and discovering a bit more where our money goes. it's definitely a good cause!

Day 236 - Next Year

Another beautiful day and, shock horror, another day with no golf...  Instead, it was an opportunity to catch up on some errands and to purchase a couple of pairs of trousers for the winter (Weir Rhodes in Guildford - the best Gents outfitters around!).

Then time to make some supper before heading back to the Club as it might be a long night...

I was right!  We met up at 4 pm, together with Mike, Tom and Matthew from the Club as well as the Vice Captain, the Lady Captain and the Ladies Vice Captain.  The task for the day was to review the golfing calendar for 2016.  Up to now, this had been put together independently by the Men, the Ladies, the Vets, the Juniors and the Mixed/Social sections - and this was the first time that the diary had been examined holistically.

What we were very keen to do was to identify potential course congestion dangers: when matches or competitions might overlap thus restricting access to the course(s) for members who opt for casual golf.  We talked through every day of next year, checking every time what was or wasn't in the Club diary.

This might seem like overkill but I do hope that, by taking the time required, we have done our best to ensure a smooth transition to 2016. And take our tine we did: it wasn't until 9:15 pm that I left Burhill.  At least I had a delicious meal of veal meatballs in tomato sauce over pasta to come home to...

Day 235 - Captains' Day

Despite the Fall sunshine, decided not to play any golf today - time to give the old limbs a bit of a rest...  Not that there was no golf on the agenda as, during the day, I did manage to catch up on the televised version. The President's Cup appeared to be much closer than in recent years, though I was not tempted by the 3 am start time to watch much of it live. I did see the final few holes: sad to see a top player "chunk" a chip to lose the Cup on the final green...

I also managed to follow the goings on at Woburn: in mid round, it was anybody's game with 10 or more players in the running, and great to see the young Englishman achieve his first ever Tour title on home soil. Matthew Fitzpatrick looks a good prospect: important that we have some quality names coming through as the likes of Donald, Casey, Rose and Poulter start the "second halves of their careers...". Am looking forward to visiting Woburn myself later in the week.

Whilst Mrs L plays golf in the rain in Portugal, I am spending a few days looking after myself: a chance to cook some of the things that she less keen on so I had some delicious stuffed green peppers for supper tonight.  I got these in the oven before heading off to the Club for a meeting there at 4 pm.

The Constitution of the Golf Club requires that the current Captain, his VC and the immediate past Captain be tasked with nominating the next Men's Vice Captain for 2016/17. This proposal needs to be positively supported by the Past Captains (the group of all former Captains who are still playing members of Burhill). 

This was the subject for the gathering in the Honours Bar yesterday afternoon.  A good discussion was had and I am convinced that we have ended up in the right place: there are a few more steps before the identity of the individual can be shared (including him saying yes!) and of course it is not until the AGM in February that the process actually gets formally enacted.  And anyway, I am still in situ for the next 130 days!

Day 234 - X Country

Having stayed the night in Reading, I had an early start this morning but on a Saturday, with no traffic, this was no problem and I was at the Club in plenty of time.   Another day of good weather greeted me, which was great as we had a fun day planned: the annual Cross Country competition.

This year, as last, it was played on the New Course (see attached picture) where our course designer for the day, Kevin, had designed a series of holes designed to test everyone.  In this competition, we play the course in a topsy-turvey fashion - for example playing to the 18th green not from the usual tee box but instead from the tee box on the 1st hole. This makes the hole a rather more challenging one than normal... as was the case with many of the case with many others we played today.

Sometimes we were crossing two fairways, on other occasions going around high trees or else over them. It was played as a Texas Scramble and was an enjoyable day for all.  My team of Xenos, John and Joe looked very good on paper but, as things turned out, we didn't hole enough putts nor get our approach shots close enough to challenge for the winning places.  We played very tidily (scoring 5 birdies) apart from a very messy last hole about which the least said, the better.

A filling lunch of fish pie/cottage pie followed by apple tart closed off proceedings and then it was time to go home for some serious rugby watching: we are almost at the end of the group stage of the RWC.  The English result against Uruguay left a bitter taste: it would have been enough to put the home side through had they gone for the penalty kick at the end of the Welsh game...

Day 233 - West Byfleet Bobs

Up bright an early this morning: left the house at 05:30 to deliver Mrs L to Gatwick for her flight to Portugal. She is off there with a group of Ladies from Burhill for a few days golf and relaxation, which sounds great fun!

I got back home just in time for a swift turnaround and then back into the car to meet up at West Byfleet Golf Club for coffee prior to our return match against their seniors, the Bobs.   We had won the home match earlier in the year by an embarassingly wide margin and it was very soon obvious that our opponents had not forgotten about the result and were up for revenge.

Ian and I were paired against the same opposition as the home game, where we had had an honourable tie.  That was not to be the case today however, as the Burhill team went 2 up after just 2 holes and pretty much hung onto the lead for the remaining 16 holes.  Our Byfleet opposition tried everything they could: good conversation, jokes in abundance and even an excellent egg and sausage bap at the halfway hut all proved to no avail - on the day, Ian and I were too strong. He drove imperiously all day and I managed three up-and-downs from 100 yards - they didn't really stand a chance...

We played the game in glorious autumnal weather: no wind, blue skies throughout and, whilst it was a bit nippy first thing, by the middle of the day we had warm sunshine too: what a great way of spending a Friday!  A fine carvery lunch followed, washed down with the news that Burhill had prevailed by 4 1/2 to 3 1/2, so not as good as the home leg but very respectable nonetheless.

I then headed off for Reading for dinner with my aunt and uncle, where my son joined us too. The traffic was Friday-miserable and, whilst I mused over the one glass of wine that I would permit myself because I was driving, my aunt made the brilliant offer of a bed for the night... no having to drive back in the dark, an extra glass of win: it was a very short decision process!  Cheers!

Day 232 - Hicks, Centenary and Pearson

After the grey gloom of the past few days, it was a treat to wake up this morning to blue skies and sunshine: it looks as if we shall have a little bit more of this Indian Summer that we have been enjoying.  This was good news for me this morning as I had another early start: I was due on the tee at 08:30 and had to be in the Clubhouse for coffee and welcome by 08:00.

I was playing today for the Burhill Vets (that's the guys aged 55 and over!) against representatives from the Ladies' teams: the Hicks, Centenary and Pearson teams who all play in Surrey competitions with various handicaps, the first being off scratch rising through to those with higher allowances.

For my sins, I was the player with the lowest handicap in the Vets team, which meant that I was to play against Scynthia, the similarly low player from the Ladies.  As per normal, the match was to be played off the Men's card, meaning that we were to give the Ladies 3 courtesy shots, which was fine. What was less fine however, was that the match was to be played off scratch - thereby negating the difference of 6 between our handicaps. And what was even less fine was that the Men were to play off the White tees.

I would clearly have to be very much on my mettle to stand a chance. As things turned out, I wasn't and my opponent, despite having recently suffered a nasty fall, still had her putting boots on so that by the time we reached the 16th tee the game was all over. 

Once we got back (in 3 hours: we had cantered around!), we found that most of the other Vets had suffered similar fates: essentially giving their Lady opponents shots, only Hugh had managed a win and the match result was a loss by 1 to 6.  Matters were different though for the gents playing the higher handicap Pearson ladies where the format allowed them to play off the Yellow tees and with full handicap allowance. Here the Vets performed much better, winning by 5 to 2. This meant that we had lost one match and won the other, so had escaped with an honourable draw....

Day 231 - Kingswood

At the beginning of the year, I decided that it would be appropriate for me to seek to say thank you to the men who serve on the Men's Committee and invite them out for a golf day together. This is something not uncommon at other clubs but has not been the norm at Burhill (at least since I have been on Committee!).  I first made the suggestion in the Spring but finding a date that worked for all proved to be a challenge and we had to go all the way into October to agree one... and then the Vice Captain had to pull out as a result of a rescheduled board meeting... aargh!

As things turned out, it was not only the VC who was absent but also two others (doctor's appointment & work commitments...), which meant that we were only scheduled to be nine on the tees this morning.  We had agreed to meet at 09:00 for coffee beforehand but a major incident on the M25/A217 intersection meant that at the allotted time there were still four of us (yes, including the Captain) who hadn't arrived.  Fortunately, the emergency services cleared things up promptly and we all made it to Kingswood Golf Course on time.

We had invited Pip Elson to join us today as he had been on the Men's Committee when the idea was first mooted and it was great that he was able to join us for the day.  I had decided to go for a team game, with the make-up of the teams to be drawn after play to keep things interesting.

As we teed off, the heavens opened and for the first hole or two, the conditions were miserable. Fortunately, the clouds lifted and, for most of the rest of the game, we played in good autumnal weather.  Kingswood is a long course (especially if you favour the heavy rough...) and all were delighted that we were put on the yellow tees for the day.

Once all the scores were in, it turned out that the scores were pretty close but the clear winners, by 3 shots, were the grouping of Duncan, Jan and Colin.  Bottles of wine all around!  A good carvery lunch followed, with the usual golfers' desserts, and all washed down with a particularly robust Rioja as recommended by the waiter.  All in all, a great day out and to be repeated next year (please, Steve!).

Day 230 - Snobs

Apparently, in years gone by, there used to be an annual match at Burhill between the "Giants" and the "Dwarfs" but this fell into abeyance. Two of the members who remember these matches (Geoff and Hugh) decided to seek to recreate the conviviality of these games by setting up a new fixture: the "Snobs" versus the "Yobs".  This was to be played between two teams, the former made up members who were educated at public schools, the latter who went through the state system.

The first fixture was played today and I was invited to play for the Snobs.  The two teams met up at the Club at 1:00 pm, to tee off at 1:30.  I was in the first group off, partnered with Mike against Ronnie and Graham (otherwise known as Big G).  We set off in splendid sunshine and were briefly optimistic about staying dry for the round... until we got to the second hole that is....  After that, it was a question of "umbrellas up, wets on" and then "umbrellas down and wets off" - all of which made for a very disjointed game.

The match itself was a tight one: Ronnie plays of 8 and is a very canny player and he and I squared off for much of the game, with our partners coming to the party at crucial times.  By the time we got to the 18th tee, the match was all square and by the time we reached the green, all four of us had longish putts for (nett) pars and we all agreed that decided that we would take the half: a great way to finish off what had been a very convial game.

As we got back to the Clubhouse, we all realised quite how wet we were, but we could not really complain as we have had weeks of great golfing weather of late.  After the match, we all met upstairs for tea and sandwiches as well as to hear the result - on this occasion, the Yobs had beaten the Snobs by 4 to 1.  Maybe we shall do better next year...?

Day 229 - Polesden Lacey

A good day for fishes, amphibians and parched lawns, but not for venturing out on the golf course... There was a Monday Stableford for those who needed their fix (and apparently some people scored well too!) but I managed to resist the temptation!

Instead, after a brief visit to the dental surgery, Mrs L and I decided to make use our our lifetime National Trust memberships (thanks again, Mum and Dad!) and pay a visit to Polesden Lacey. 

The motivation was to see the photography exhibition advertised on their website but when we got there this roved to be somewhat minimalist: 11 photos of autumnal colours, all of which were pleasing. 

Far more interesting was the look around the house itself: it was clearly one of THE places to be in the early 1900s. Lots of photos and a few magnificently decorated rooms gave you some perception of what life was like for those living here.

That being said, the two highlights of the visit for me were the excellent pianist playing Chopin and the opportunity to play some billiards on a full-size table. The latter was particularly welcome given the preponderance of "Do not touch" signs all around the rest of the house!

Day 228 - Burhill Challenge

Woke up this morning to check out how much clearing up had taken place the previous evening: answer not a lot... and by the time the first bodies appeared, it was time for me to head off to the Club for today was the occasion of the Burhill Challenge. This is an annual competition played every year between the 10 clubs of the BGL Group, and on this occasion there was also a team made up of the General Managers of the Clubs.

It was played on the new Course, which was in great condition though the speed of the greens certainly proved to be too much for some - at least according to the chat in the clubhouse afterwards!  I was playing with Ian, Kate and Carol, representing Abbey Hill, Ramsdale and Redbourn respectively.  I am not quite sure where my golfing brain was to start with but after 5 holes, I had recorded 0,0,1,1,1 for a total of 3 whole points. What my playing partners must have thought was going on, I have no idea. I managed to hit bunkers on virtually every hole and also 3-putt whenever the opportunity arose.

For a while, I was seriously worried about recording a score at all, but did manage to pull things back together, courtesy in part of 2 birdies, and ended up with what was a very respectable 32 points (make that 29 over 13 holes!).  My playing partners had some troubles on the greens but Ian in particular, playing off 9, was exceedingly steady recording a fine 38 points.

We had a very pleasant lunch afterwards, with the Burhill team joining up at the table.  Everyone had tales to tell and even the home team had struggled on the greens, some more than others.  When the scores were read out, it appeared the team had not done too badly even if we had not managed actually to win.  What good hosts we are!

Arrived home to discover that my favourite European golfer Thorbjørn Olesen had managed to win the Dunhill Masters to secure his Tour card for the following year. Ever since he had a 6th place finish in the 2013 Masters (when I had put a few pennies on him to finish in the top 10!), I have enjoyed watching him play: I shall have to back him next year now...

Day 227 - 13-33

Today is the occasion of the annual match vs St George's Hill: we usually play an A (scratch) match and a B game on the same day, one team home and the other away.  I had been scheduled to play in the second game, home at Burhill, but opted not to for a variety of reasons and managed to find a replacement. I look forward to finding out how hey got on: of one thing I am certain, they will have had a chilly start though the sun did come out later on.

My reasons for not playing were threefold: general over-golfingness, continuing toothache and the fact that my son was coming home with 10+ friends for his birthday party. The latter required all hands on deck to get the house ready as they were also planning n sleeping over. And a very pleasant time as had by all: the sun eventually allowed croquet to be played and the opportunity to sit outside, though it got much colder later on.

By then, we had finished the bbq and had done our best to support Scotland vs South Africa, to no avail.  Despite our support, the evening match went no better and by half time, things looked pretty gloomy: could we really come back from a 14 deficit?  Despite flattering to deceive for a while, the answer was no.  Somehow losing to the Australians is particularly galling.  Where is the next RWC?

Day 226 - Banstead Downs 2

8 days: 8 rounds of golf, but given how wonderful the weather is, who can complain? Actually, I can - or rather more accurately, my body can!  I was back at Banstead Downs with Bryan today for our very late match against Paul and Colin in this year's How-did-I-Do competition. The closing date for this round was a couple days ago but the organisers (kindly?) allowed some flexibility as there was not a single date when both of our opponents were in the country in September. Bryan and I both thought that we should have been conceded a walk-over, but at the end of the day, the reason for entering these competitions is to play some competitive matches, so no real complaints.

Our opponents played off 7 and 12, but after the first half they had managed to go around in level par - and, in truth, should have been at least one better. We were hanging on by our fingernails (mostly due to Bryan's play, I should admit!) and were just the 2 down at the turn.  We managed to get it back to 1, but a number of killing 10+ foot putts by Colin during the round proved to be too much. By the time we had finished the 16th, we had lost the match and it will be Paul and Colin heading off next week to the regional finals.  Shame...  but there's always next year!

We had a pleasant drink in the sunshine afterwards - fascinating to hear about Pauls' future son-in-law: Nick Easter, who is back in the England line-up for the big game against Australia tomorrow. The nerves are jangling already...

Back to the club this evening for the first Bridge Supper of the season. We were playing with Brian and Margaret and had a very pleasant game. And if the Captain could remember some very simple instructions, we would even have won the slam pot...

Day 225 - XL Club

A couple of months ago, I received a charming invitation from Burhill member Geoff to be his guest at the Autumn Meeting of the XL Club: he wanted to thank me for my efforts as Captain this year.  A few questions followed: 1) what exactly is this society, 2) where was the golf to be played and 3) in what format?  In reverse order, this turned out to be 36 holes of Foursomes on the Red and Blue Courses at the Berkshire and the XL Club has nothing to do with Extra Large clothes sizes, but rather was set up for former cricketers aged over 40 (XL in Roman numerals).

I arrived in plenty of time (the M25/M3 were behaving) to have a classic English breakfast to start the day and the we were out on the Blue Course at 09:15.  Our playing partners for both the morning and afternoon rounds were Richard, a member at St George's Hill, and Tony, from Tyrells Wood.  I very much enjoyed hearing from Tony about the wine tours company he and his son have set up (and as soon as I got home, I looked them up at http://www.smoothred.co.uk/ - what a fun business!).

Geoff and I played very steadily in the morning: off a combined handicap of 11, we scored 35 points with only one "blob". The course was in great condition and, once we had survived the daunting opening 210+ yard par 3 first hole, seemed to suit our game well.  Yes, of course, we left some points out there but were still well satisfied.

A classic Berkshire carvery lunch followed: a tasty starter, followed by a succulent roast beef with all the trimmings and finished off with treacle tart and ice cream, washed down with a fine red Rioja.  All of this meant that we were perhaps a little slower to our afternoon tee time than had been intended... but we weren't the only ones!

Despite the extra ballast we were carrying in the afternoon (and maybe because of the Spanish red we had ingested?) we started off very fast out of the blocks and by the end of the first nine had already racked up 21 points.  We couldn't maintain this pace though and rather faded towards the end: the wine had worn off.... but still racked up a creditable 33 points to give us 68 for the day.

Somewhat to our surprise, this proved to be easily the best score of the day and we ended up the proud winners of the Rolles-Stollery salver and a pair of splendid XL crystal glasses each. What a great ending to a wonderful day!