Day 281 - Walton Heath

A number of months back, I was playing with a fellow member at Burhill, Peter, and we were discussing the challenges of finding a truly waterproof golf shoe (or indeed two...). He shared with me that he had purchased a pair from Nike which were ideal for his home course in the state of Washington in the USA, itself well known for the occasional rain shower.  He did warn me that he got some stick for the color/style of the shoes, but that they were very effective.

Nike Lunar Bandons

Accordingly, when in the US last week, I looked around and managed to find a pair of said shoes at a knock-down price of the equivalent of £50 (very reasonable as I have seen the latest models on sale here at £149...).  They got their first outing today and I am very pleased with them: yes, they look a bit space age, but they kept my feet warm and bone dry...

I was playing this morning in a Surrey Captains fixture at Walton Heath, just down the road from here.   I always enjoy playing there, not only for the courses themselves but also to look around the memorabilia in the Clubhouse celebrating the holding of the 1981 Ryder Cup there.

It was a large gathering today (~130) - so many that we took over both the New and Old Courses. My tee-off time wasn't until 10:04 which gave me plenty of time to enjoy the splendid English Breakfast that was on offer.  The golf itself was played in far more benign conditions than I feared: yes, there was a chilly Northern wind but no rain and we even saw the sun briefly.  My playing partners were David and Richard, former Captains of West Hill and West Byfleet respectively, and we had a very convivial round.  I played pretty steadily and might even have won the whole thing if I could have handled the fast greens better in the first few holes.  As it was, visits to fairway bunkers on my final two holes took their toll and I ended up playing to my handicap, just 1 shot out of the prizes...

On the way home, I drove past the gates for the new top-tier golf course being built just down the road from Walton Heath: the Beaverbrook. It looked as if good progress is being made on the construction but it will be some time before the place has the same traditional atmosphere of Walton Heath...