Day 259 - Bondur Golf I

Our house in Florida is located at University Park, in Sarasota.  We originally moved here in 2006 (at the height of US house prices...) after looking all over the state for possible locations. As soon as we drove through the entrance at UP, we were hooked: they developers have done a fantastic job of creating a community around 27 great holes of golf, which has a super mature feel to it.

And to make it even better, all the neighborhoods have been given English names!  We now live in Richmond Park, having moved here from our first house in Hampton Green...

I have also been very fortunate in being accepted into a great bunch of guys who play golf every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. The golf is organised by our great leader, John Bondur, who does a fantastic job of keeping everyone in order (just about...).  Wednesday is the most popular day of the week and I was very much looking forward to meeting up with everyone again.

Scoring after the game is complicated...

Social golf is very different here in Florida compared to back home: no bits, no roll-ups, no better-ball. Because the US handicapping system requires every round, even the friendly ones, to be recorded, play is by definition medal, but with lots of variants. John will organise team games, skins, nearest the pins etc all of which require a detailed reckoning-up after play (see photo).  Today I started off brilliantly, managing the first 9 holes in 2 over but things disintegrated slowly and the 83 I booked will do nothing to help my handicap!

It was great though to meet up with old friends, all as welcoming as ever,with the constant references to The Captain amusing but I am not sure that they really understand what is involved...

I had to leave the golf promptly at the end as we drove up to Tampa Airport in the evening to collect my son, Andrew, who will be joining us here for the next week and a half: great to see him too!