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Country: United Kingdom Where you play: Sutton Green GC, Surrey Handicap: 14.1 Irons you play: Callaway X20 Driver you play: Callaway FT-i Shoes you wear: Adidas Tour 360 3.0 Golf Magazines you read: was GP! Where has it gone? Your favourite player: Tricky one........at the moment it has to be Rory. The lad is class! Your best round: 72 at Bigbury. The score card is on my wall. Your favoutite drink: Coke |
| Description:Live for fun. And usually, fun means Golf. So really, I live for Golf. |
I haven't blogged for a while due to a number of good (ish) reasons. However, I love Bunker stuff, still love the sport and will update you with our latest activities very soon. Watch this space.
This will be short. I entered into my first Sunday Stableford at the weekend and triumphed in Bunker Gear!
Tonight I will drink from the Keg of glory and eat the finest pizza's in all the land.
Thanks
Alex
Golf ruined me last weekend. I have a job now (which is why I haven't blogged for a while), and spend most of my week looking forward to playing at the weekend. But here is the kicker, because we only get two days off per week, and most of my uni friends live miles away, when people visit I can't play. Having lived in my new place for two months, I have played four times at most.
That is less than I would have played in two days at home, back in the Shire.
We haven't picked a new club because we haven't really played enough to judge them all and the costs vary dramatically. Turns out you really can pay over the odds for some fairly ordinary golf courses in the south east. It is almost like they are charging you for the privilege of playing the sport at all, regardless of the track you are on. Is there a golf tax I don't know about? I was under the impression that you pay more money for better stuff, and less for not such good stuff. Not in Surrey and not with golf.
So anyway, last weekend. I had been to the range mid week; I had been watching golf night and mentally preparing for the first tee. We were off before a society and there was a full on gallery watching us go off, needless to say, my drive was anything but good. Power slice/top doesn't quiet do it justice. Great start then.
So the round went like this. Tour winning shot, rubbish shot. Tour winning shot, rubbish shot. Great hole, bad hole. In the end you have to laugh, because otherwise you will cry. One factor in this (I don't mean to make excuses) is that most of the fairways were so deep in water the ball stopped dead with a splash even when the tee shot was straight up the middle. The drops we had to take were in some cases 5 meters back to find some only mildly soggy ground. Why would the course open when it is that condition? Green fee revenue can be the only answer. I ask, is it worth the damage that it causes and does it not giving a bad impression of the course? Maybe it's me moaning, like a little school girl with wet pig-tails because I played like I was giving birth, but I would rather have been told up top how wet it is so you can make a choice to play somewhere else or proceed in the knowledge that it's going to be sub aqua.
All I know is that I have booked from the 18th December – 4th January off work and I will play as much golf as the winter weather allows.
Screw sitting in front of a fire eating chocolate, I am going to catch up with three months of golfing graft.
We have found our new club. Sutton Green GC is a delight. The front nine has variety of challenges; it handsomely rewards good strategic golf and forgives (to some extent) some miss-guided enthusiasm.
I knew the club we chose was going to have to be a special blend of local friendliness (it excelled), good condition for the winter (someone buy the greens keepers a pint) and a course which presented ample opportunity to improve. It exceeded expectations and unbelievably I had never even heard of it and we only live three miles away. They probably have the same postman.
Please don't get the idea that I played well because I really, really, really did not. However, not even the threat of rain and impending doom of floating away did not dishevel a great round. As I have stated before, I am competitive and I do not like to play badly, but a test of a fun course is how happy you are when you walk off, even after you have played with limited ability. The mix of fun, tricky par threes with greenside bunkers and water to fly, coupled with the tree lined fairways for the 500+ yard per fives which took distance and precision, made all players think. The greens were fast and true, all of which were generously sized and could punish if putts were left short. This course could teach and reward, all the way through making the player consider the position of shots.
So the course was great, but you wouldn't guess the best thing about the club. Atmosphere. It is an independent club, not owned by an investment group of property developers. It has character, there was a good section of juniors off behind us who looked like very tidy players, and it had such a buzz in the bar afterwards.
I work in Sunbury, so home is en route to the club, and I can imagine finishing work in the summer with sticks already in the back, heading down to the club and having a very tricky decision to make. Front or back. Life isn't bad when I consider that to be a hard decision.
As I sit here, sober, on a Saturday night enjoying watching the Race to Dubai conclusion, I have to say that golf is on the up. Rory McIlory is going to be the best golfer in the world in the not too distant future, and there is a strong junior team at both the clubs I play at, so one has to think that the future can only be bright. One pro I played with a while back disagreed with the sentiment that children are the future in sport because they do not perform the functions to make sport plausible and organised but I disagree. Juniors and youth teams should be a strong presence in the club, and they will hold the enthusiasm to get people involved going forward.
They say you know a right thing when you see it, today, this golf club, is.
There are two types of Golfer for me; ones who enjoy good company and the round itself, regardless of score and those who are forever pursuing a handicap which they think reflects their ability and gives them a challenge.
I am the latter. Since I started this addictive game, being a competitive person, all I ever wanted was a single figure handicap. I did lessons, I spent a fortune on kit, I have done the hours of practice at the range, and my handicap remained around the 20 mark. I always wondered why I couldn't stick one good round together, one where I didn't hit that ******* tree, or at least one without a three putt. And then it happened, all at once, every good shot I could play happened in a round and it was the easiest game of my life. I was aiming for single figures, and I started reasonably well, then I took a birdie up SI one. I went level. Another couple of pars and birdies and I find myself at the turn one over par and with the best chance I have ever had to shoot my holy rail score. I don't know about anyone else, but I always play to my handicap. So when I'm going round, I find myself saying, one over, two over, one under - level. So when I found myself 8 strokes ahead I was almost relaxed. I could drop shots
and I would still be on course. With this attitude I ploughed on and guess what, nothing bad happened. Putts kept sinking, and my playing partners were more excited than I was. I am a Portsmouth FC fan, and under Adams we could only play 80 mins, and I didn't want to celebrate and then concede a goal, so coming up 17 at three over scratch, I was to say the least a little nervous. But still, I had 7 strokes to play with. I could bogey these two and still finish 5 over. What a prospect. The tee shot on 17 was a pearl, straight as you could wish for and left me 12 footer for a birdie. Well, turns out, it was my day because I sunk it. 18 at Bigbury is an uphill par four, its long and there is mild peril up the right so left hand side of the fairway is perfect, then it can kick right and still leave a good shot in. Well, my trusty driver, with which I have numerous disagreements on other rounds, was my ally. It boomed one right up the middle, and the second shot was a comfortable mid iron, which only had eyes for
the green and low and behold two putts later and the deal was signed. I had shot not only single figures, but a truly astonishing round. 72, (par is 70) and the Pro, a great guy called Nigel, slashed my handicap.
So, how did it feel, to finally jump over the top? Well, to be honest it was awesome, but ironically, an uneventful round. Nothing was amazing. It was solid golf. One club less, which I know I can hit straight and consistently, meant the difference between being stuck in the sort of bush you expect to never emerge from, or at the least find something lurking in it with really big teeth, and hitting the green in reg because a nice, tight lie, allowed was some good golf and ultimately, a conscious choice.
So now what? I'm off a much more appropriate handicap, and I must admit it is more than a fraction frustrating, knowing for sure that I am capable of such golf, to not keep reflecting on the magic round and comparing every shot I hit to its counterpart.
Well, I am playing later, proudly sporting my Bunker gear, and relishing the challenge of knocking those two shots off. It might be a very long time until it happens again, but in the meanwhile, I will keep doing lessons, buying nice things, and practicing and then although there is a no guarantee, it raises the probability, which is enough for me!
So I was rubbish at golf today. For those who had the patience and time to read my other blogs, you will fondly remember me saying that my best ever round was positively uneventful and easy. Well some things change and oh how fast it happens. For some reason, when addressing the ball, I can't decide what to think about. Dinner? House? The weather? I can't seem to make that half second of concentration which it takes to hit a good shot count or happen at all. Is my own attention span so short that even the sport I adore doesn't capture my full imagination?
Well, I read in a golf magazine sometime ago about the best way to blow your hard earned cash to lower your scores. Some recommended lessons (tick); others thought that custom fitted equipment (tick) was more essential. Some additional advice and suggested methods included the gym (tick) and psychological training. Interesting thought, but we play this game for fun right? I'm really not that good. What self respecting sports psychologist would take a 22 male who considers 11.00am to be an early tee time seriously? None that I know of. That said I've never met one; but you get my point.
So anyway, there's me on the tee, thinking about Nando's chicken and I'm wondering why I don't hit the bugger straight! I think it's to do with how much I play and the notion of membership. Bear with for this part: If you pay ?4.00 for a lovely cold pint of Staropramen you enjoy every last cold and refreshing sip of its Prague goodness. If you paid 20p for the same pint, would you hold it in the same reverence? We play the same course 4 times per week, usually the only variable is weather and every other day pin position, so half the time you whip the club out of your bag which you assaulted the ball with on the previous round. How much brain does that take? Not so much. Does the fact that the round appears to be free change our perception about how much time effort and dedication it needs. I can't play medal competitions very well. I freeze up as if my life depends on the next shot and guess what? I hit the ball like toddler with a broom stick. This implies that the magnitude of the occasions affects my co
ol, my yang, and my inner peace. Does the same principle apply to when you have converted your hard earned guineas into a round at a guest club?
Next week, I think I will encourage my best mate to come with me and play a different course. Something which requires more thought, some fresh ideas. This could be the remedy which helps bring back my concentration. "They" say that variety is the spice of life, and I believe "they" are right. If we settle into some golfing routine, same people, same handicap, same course then it becomes almost mundane. That's not to say I have mastered the game because I clearly haven't, but I can understand why clubs securing memberships are having so much trouble. There are some really amazing deals around, no joining fee, minimal amounts per year for the pleasure of it but you have to ask yourself, is the same 19 holes what I want? Something new on tap down the road, might try that one next time.
Welcome back to my blog. By now, you will know that I kick off fairly soon and get into the fun stuff, so here goes. I'm looking for a new club in Surrey and this begs a few questions. Do I want a difficult course? Do I want a fancy clubhouse and shiny cars in the car park so when guests join me they assume I'm part of some prestigious gathering? Do I want a sense of community, and friendly local players who don't mind the occasional faux par? When we look into buying something large, like a car for example, we check the amount of boot space. Does it fit in the garage, and is it going to be cheap to service. For me, this isn't a good example because the car I have eyed up next is insurance group 19, does 15mpg and is not great to drive. So why I hear you cry, do you want to own one? Simple answer, it's so pretty all its other woes can be forgiven.
So do we, ultimately customers, ask enough from our golf clubs? Do they satisfy all our requests or are choices based more on their geographical location or membership than facilities and management efficiency? I will tell you what I'm looking for. A good pro shop helps, I like fresh kit. New things to look at and spend my money on. I like an alternative to American Golf for a change. I need a good solid members club of regular competition players. I would like there to be more than one 18 hole course, so that when you haven't played for a couple of weeks, you can play on the least preferable of the two and get you eye in again. However, there is one thing which I now look out for. Corporate golf days. Hear me out, because I have arranged them, played in them and as a business practice, thoroughly believe in their successes and positive attributes. I don't need to be sold on that, but, and there is a very big but, most people who go on them usually do it to be out of their dingy grey office on a work day and
aren't usually good golfers. I'm not referring to handicap here, I'm referring to etiquette. Repairing pitch marks is a prime example. Members nearly always make a significant effort to repair the damage, and subsequently, their greens are beautiful. However, if the players don't have a vested interest, and they aren't playing a competition the following day, they may not even visit again, then why would they bother? It's a common thing, to play a course which is near a city, lovely cars in the car park, and then you spot the thing which you dread. Like a fat aunt at a wedding, or a former primary school teacher who wants to ask how you came to be six foot two. I ate Weetos, that's how. It is there, loitering on the side of the club house...a massive conference room. This means two things, firstly, it's over run with visitors and secondly, the golf course comes second because no course I have ever played with conference facilities made more profit than the room does. They make a fortune, one big empty room
with uncomfortable chairs. Golf courses make a great view, so why not host a wedding there? Let me ask you a question, if a manager is delegating tasks out to their staff on a Saturday in August, which will take priority, the medal competition or the massive slap up wedding where there are children in suits? Usually crying. Yeah, you're right.
So, shall I start playing all the ones in the local area, meet some members or find out whom from my new job attends what tracks? All good ideas, but it seems a little clinical. However, what else do we spend that amount of money on per year for pure joy? I know I say this lot but food for thought. I have none of the right answers; I will have to keep you posted. See you soon.
Fitness and Tiger,Having written my first blog, and received mild plaudits about its effectiveness, grammar and entertainment qualities, I have given some thought to what a blog should and shouldn't be. I would like ideas on this, and I have been reading (with great interest), other ambassadors blogs. Some are factual, descriptive and functional; some are more knee jerk writings about bemusing events and others have their own style which does not fit category A or B. Having made these three types of blog category (honestly, it's how my mind works, file everything in my brain so I can find it again with minimal prompting), I decided to go down a different route. Rather like those one line motivational posters with very little connection to the sport about which they are preaching (which by the way our gym seems to have more than can ever have been spoken), I would like to link my golfing adventures to real life things going on.
The thing is, unless you are a tour pro (or a student living off the Royal Bank of Mum and Dad); Golf is part of our lives, rather than our lives being part of golf. Therefore, for you to get to know me, and understand where it fits in my list of priorities, it kind of makes sense to put it in perspective. This means in weeks to come (when I uproot from the sunny shire of Devon and move to pastures new ((looking like Surry at present)) my life choices will include things like new club, new faces and the ordeal of membership.
So on that happy and rather deep, verging on philosophical view of the world, I move into my next entry.
Since posting my first blog, I have decided two things. One, it's really therapeutic to voice thoughts and ponderings about the world in a forum which isn't uncomfortable or confrontational. The second is that the gym and golf go together very well, but the timing is essential and the specific workout routine even more so.
This afternoon, in precisely an hour and a half, I am playing in a medal competition. It is reasonably serious because I always want to go out there and shoot a good score. I also, like many other 22 year old lads dedicate a good deal of effort to getting ripped (It hasn't happened yet, beer is just too damn good), but hitting the gym hard and doing lots of reps of very heavy bench press does some serious damage, which in turn means that playing golf for next time can only be likened to being a senior and clubbing up. It hurts a lot. The sort of pain associated with child birth. OK maybe not that bad but I was exaggerating for dramatic effect; but still, to improve core fitness, athletic ability, flexibly and strength, the gym is excellent but it takes a while to recover and at the moment, it is a rare luxury I know, but I am playing golf every day. So is my fitness bad or am I pushing too hard at the gym in the wrong direction? Should I be stretching muscles to the point of nondescript injury, or shall I sa
crifice the beach body for more pleasurable golfing time?
Fitness and Tiger cont'd,Well, as of yet I haven't got it right. Maybe I need to be more patient and wait for my body to catch up with its new and somewhat grueling routine, so I can do both. But in the meanwhile, it does beg some questions about how hard and what exercises guys like Tiger (Who looks absolutely stacked at the moment) actually do. Watching Cabrera (a rather "portly" middle age chap) beating all those young fit whipper snappers at the Masters made some bald Daily Mail readers very happy indeed, but what did it say about sport in general, more specifically golf and ability compared to training. Even Phil "lefty" Mickleson has some serious guns on him these days (he must have sat in a dark room and powered out a thousand curls a night for all we know to get those sculpted arms of battle), and he is one of the old guards of talent. Did he do it to stay competitive or to get ahead of his younger and more athletic counterparts?
Anyways, not that it's my place to comment on such events, but was anyone else cheers for Yang to win so hard it gave them a sore throat the next morning? I for one was. And it's not because I don't like Tiger. I really do, he is a hero and has done great things for the sport, but isn't it nice to see someone else win due to their own ability and merit rather than some nobody commentator putting their victory down to Tigers mistake? Food for thought I suppose.
Until next entry, I will do some research and get back to you with some answers on fitness and our beloved sport. Enjoy your Golf this week.