Day 194 - Pop Rees Shield

Late to bed last night, but it was at 07:34 this morning that I received my first email (thanks, Xenos!) about today's competition: the Pop Rees Shield (a Mixed foursomes event in which you are not allowed to play with your wife/husband) due for tee off at 1 pm. This was warning me that the overnight rain would make the Old Course difficult to play and that we should consider switching to the New (the sand-based greens are much less susceptible to flooding)....

Throughout the morning, the rain carried on relentlessly and everything looked bleak.  A pow-wow with the Pro Shop at around 10 am led to the decision to take a final call at 11:30.  In the interim, a flurry of emails and text messages flying back and forwards, as well as a general warning to all players that we might have to call the whole thing off.  Advice on which of many weather apps to rely on followed and, after due reflection, and basing our decision on the website whose forecasts seemed the most positive, we made the decision to carry on with the competition.

It is fair to say that this was not received with unbridled enthusiasm: as it turned out, some 36 of the original players threw in their proverbial towels, leaving 44 of the original 80 to battle things out.  I was paired with Lisa, whilst her husband Kevin partnered my other half.  We were due off from the 1st and were there on time at 1pm, suitably kitted out to cope with the rainy conditions.  By the time we had reached the middle of the 2nd fairway though, the rain had abated and we had pretty good playing conditions for the rest of the round. The New Course played well, given the rain, and the greens were wonderful.

Our four-ball belted around the course, completing our foursomes round in 3hrs and 10 minutes.  This was a good pace and reflected the fact that both pairs were playing well.  We got back so far ahead of the others that we even had time to go back home for a shower (and in my case, shave) and still be at the Club in time for supper.

After some delicious lasagna and garlic bread, it was time for the Prize Giving, on this occasion to be orchestrated by the Lady Captain. It turned out that our score of 37 points was enough to secure overall victory in the competition: an excellent end to a great day! 

And England beat Australia in the T20...

Day 193 - Remedy Oak

A few years ago, Burhill started playing a regular home and away match against a new club called Remedy Oak.  This is a course located in Dorset, some 10 miles near Bournemouth. It is a spectacular track, set in a tranquil sea of trees, with each hole isolated from the others. Although a relatively new course, it has fast acquired a great reputation, already hosting Qualification Tournaments for the Open Championship.

Today was the occasion of the return match: I had been unable to play the Home leg due to illness and had instead been substituted by my son. Fortunately for me, he is on vacation in China so I had a clear run for selection for today's match. 

Given the distance, many of decided to carpool and I, too, gave fellow member Jan a ride. It was great to give the Tesla a proper run and I am pleased to report that we made it there and back safely, albeit with only 34 miles left in the tank by the time I got home. No worries though: there was a Supercharger in Winchester available had we needed it!

The golf itself was tough: I was playing with Kevin against Selwyn and Richard; our hosts played off 3 and 4 respectively - and more than that, they were on top form. We hung on for the first seven holes, after which a birdie spree by our opponents put them ahead and at the sixteenth tee, they were three up with only three holes to play.  Selwyn then put his second shot to within 3 foot of the hole, giving him a putt for his 5th birdie of the round. Kevin though achieved the impossible, holing his own birdie putt from some 50 ft away, just off the green. And he had a shot - putting us to dormie two. We couldn't repeat the magic, though, and ended up losers 2&1 - actually a very creditable performance given our opponents' score!

I hope that I get the chance to play the course again some time...

Day 192 - Broken Sword

When he was younger, my son and I used to play a series of point-and-click computer games together. We started with King's Quest and then moved on to the adventures of Guy Threepwood in the classic Monkey Island series. We also played the Broken Sword games series - another set of classics of their genre.  Hold that thought...

Today was the occasion of the Three Clubs and a Putter competition. This was something I had instigated to fill up an otherwise empty slot on a Bank Holiday Saturday. the format was simple: each player to play their own ball but only using a putter and three other clubs of their choice.  I was pleased that the event was fully subscribed and had been looking forward to the competition.  So much so that I had even purchased a club specially - see Day 178.

The weather played its part and we had a splendid day. There was a real buzz in the bar beforehand with everyone swapping their reasoning for their club choice. My enthusiasm for the day was dampened when I messed up the first 2 holes but after that I settled down until we got to the 9th when, what I though was a half decent tee shot disappeared right into the trees...(?)

I looked down at my club to discover that the head had separated itself from the shaft!  So much for that great idea... Not wanting to spend the second half of the day playing with only a 6 iron and wedge, I repaired to the Pro Shop to borrow a rescue club for the rest of the round.  But, by then, the damage had been done and my score did not feature anywhere near the top of the results.

Back in good time for Prize Giving in the afternoon sun: I think that everyone enjoyed the different format and it was great to see the winner achieve a score better than par with the limited club selection!

Then home for dinner preparation and a visit to to local multiplex to watch The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - retro nonsense but good fun!

Day 191 - In Memoriam

My father passed away some 12 years ago now and, every year, my three brothers and I get together on a summer's day and have a game of golf together in his memory.  This year, I was hosting at Burhill and we met up for lunch at around midday.  I had been up since the crack of dawn. First, to ferry my son and friends to Heathrow airport for their two weeks vacation trip to China and, then, to drive down to Eversley to collect my brother Matthew for the afternoon golf.

After we had eaten, we headed to the Old Course, Yellow Tees (carefully chosen as  Tony and I shall be playing these together next week in the Vets Guest Day!).  The traditional negotiation on handicaps kicked off proceedings (Brother 3 does not belong to a golf club..) and off we were.  History has taught us that the fraternal rivalry that is created by any form of individual event is best avoided, so instead we have played a fun format for the past few years.  Today it was Wolf that was agreed upon.

For the first three holes, my putter decided to do everything that was asked of it;  holed long putts for par on each and I suspect that the brothers;'collective spirits fell.  They needn't have worried: normal service was returned and a great birdie two on the short 6th by Roger meant that he established an early lead.  Matthew then repeated the feat on the 16th, by which time we had each had our four drives as the Wolf.  On the 18th, I was on point and went solo, blind (that is opting to play against the other three even before I had teed off). On the green I holed another long putt fro my par, won the hole and....

And nothing: we didn't even bother to see who had won (I think it was Roger!) and instead just enjoyed the fact that we had had a great round of golf on a course in great condition, with weather to match.  We shall though gloss over quite how long it took us to amble around - just be thankful that we never saw anybody else and, as a result, didn't hold anyone up either!

Back home to Cobham for a BBQ with all the brothers' wives and families: great fun and so lucky that we could sit outside until well past 8 in the evening: Jan and Andrew, we missed you!

Day 190 - Country Days

More by luck than anything else, we had chosen a fine day after all the recent rain for our semi-final match in the Flitch Salver (see posts passim).  Our opponents on the day were Anne and Kieran, with whom we have often played n the past, but not before in this competition. We were required to give them 7 strokes so knew that it would be a tough challenge...  A view which was reinforced on the first, where we both scored creditable 5s, meaning that we were 1 down straight away.

The match was a ding-dong battle for the first half, with each side trading wins on alternate holes.  We did though manage to get our noses in front after holing most, if not all, of our make-able putts. And we managed to hang on to the end, winning the match on the final green.  This puts us through to the final of this competition: opponents as yet unknown.

Home for a few hours of intensive domestic chores in anticipation of family visits on the morrow and then up to London by train for a pre-theatre supper (back to the Archduke!), followed by the short walk to the National Theatre. We were taken by how busy all the bars and restaurants looked on a Thursday night: there's clearly plenty of holiday spirit still around!

We went to see Three Days in the Country, a modern interpretation of a work by Turgenev's presumably longer version (A Month in the Country). This was a comedy about love and was wonderfully acted out by a cast who were on stage the whole time, sitting on seats in the back when not actually speaking. There were a number of familiar faces - Mark Gatiss, he of Sherlock fame, and John Simm (State of Play, Life on Mars etc.) - both of whom were in fine form.

A very enjoyable evening... and we caught the earlier train back which will make the 05:45 alarm tomorrow that bit easier...

Day 189 - Busy Diary

Another deluge day: this August potentially the wettest ever?  It doesn't feel that bad to me though, just a lot of rain concentrated over short periods. At least the forecast for the next few days looks brighter.

So, no golf today, but still work to do. I had a meeting with the General Manager at the club, reviewing progress on the new Halfway Huts (not sure that they will actually get built during my captaincy year, but it's been fun following their progress!), general membership issues and reviewing the last few weeks' operations at the club.  There have been times at weekends of "congestion" in the morning, often when one course is out of action for a competition.  We shall have to find a way forward that works, because the threat is always out there to introduce fixed tee times at weekends - something I cannot believe that any members want!  I have agreed to give the matter some thought.

Back to the Club again in the evening for a Scoial Committee meeting. For the first time for a while, we had to hold it inside as it is no longer feasible to sit outside on the terrace in the evenings: a sign that summer is approaching its end.

We reviewed recent social events and took pleasure from the the fact that the attendance this year is running higher than recent years, though not yet back to the peak of 2011. Still trying to work out what we did right then!

We also looked forward to a busy calendar: Bank Holiday Pop Rees Mixed Foursomes, Super Twilight on 12th Sept (still places available!), Cross Country in October and Hallowe'en Night Golf at the end of that month.

And we want to squeeze a Rules Night Quiz in there too.  At least, nobody can complain that there is not enough going on!

Day 188 - Pace like Fire

A look at the latest weather forecast last night led to a rethink: we had been due to tee off in the afternoon, but instead moved our start time to 08:00 this morning.  As things turned out, the met office had their predictions spot on and we managed to avoid the latest deluge...just...

There were five of us today: a two-ball set off at 08:20, with the three following right behind them. Once we had negotiated our way through a slower foursome (had they not seen the same weather forecast that we had?) we cantered around, playing some good golf along the way.  By 11:30, we were all back in the Clubhouse comparing scorecards.  Playing golf at that pace (like fire?) suits my game and I wsih it were possible every day.

One of our group, Mr X, had a particularly good round, which helped ensure that my team emerged victorious: no money involved, just a round of (soft) drinks.  All good fun and a great start to the day. As we left the course, we watched the Ladies finishing off their Texas Scramble, and getting rather wet in the progress.

A quiet afternoon beckoned: even quieter than I had planned when the rain put paid to the live cricket that was supposed to be on the box.  Instead, I ended up watching a Sky Sports series on the history of fast bowling: Pace like Fire.  Frightening stuff.... and in those days, no helmets either!