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That's twice in December now that I have had to get the trousers on, brrrrrr temperature must have dropped below 20 degrees C some mornings!!
Winter golf is what the courses are made for in Dubai and the Els is looking fantastic after the overseeding period. A couple of competitions this month, the Major qualifier and the December Stableford.
The goal for 2009 was to qualify in the top 16 for the club Best Net Championship and with a net 72 and a net 75, I have been lucky enough to make it by a few shots. The net 75 included an awful 9 on the par 5 fifth after I duck hooked the drive into a 6 bedroom Villa (luckily still under construction). The Net 72 was the result of my best ever back nine.
December's stableford was also a close run thing. The cart match saw Jeff and Kevin face off against Modest Moiser and Brechin's very own Malcom Wood. Moisers two gross birdies on 13 and 14 brought them back into the match and Malcom's par on the SI 1 15th saw them go 2 up with three to play. A couple of awful shots on the 16th and the boys were Dormie going into 17.
In the Stableford, Malcom snuck himself into 2nd place with 37 points with yours truly missing out on a prize with 35 points.
Tomorrow's Xmas eve scramble beckons, followed by a boxing day 8 ball match which could very well involve, Champagne, black pudding and the famous Pink Ball challenge.
Merry Christmas One and All.
Jeff
2.24pm tee time and onto the course with our favourite four ball.
It's the September Member Stableford and I am in a buggy with Honest Kev (13) and we have a cart game against Magic Moiser (4) and Jose "The Special One" Morrin (11).
The story of the begins on tee one with three boomers down the middle from all except our Honest Kev who unfortunately tops it forward and into the sand.
From there on in a superb match develops with Moiser and Joe going one up on the first, we go level on the 3rd thanks to a raking putt from yours truly. We go back to one down on four and then levels again on five, eventually pulling ahead to go two up after nine, when jammy ginger jeff bangs a two wood 233 yards onto the elevated 9th green and holes out for par.
It's also tight in the stableford with Jeffo (22), Moiser and Joe within 3 points of each other. Admittedly had a huge smile on my face going out in gross 40.
The back nine went the same way with holes going tit for tat. The long par 5 13th proved tough for the Moiser. He normally hits driver, 3 wood but after the head came flying off his 3 wood on the range he had to revert to hitting one of his new Ninja irons to the front of the green and getting on in 3 like the rest of us.
Worst drive of the day came at 15 with a total swipe into the water, worse was to follow from the edge of the drink when the 4th shot also went straight in and nil points on the card.
Honest kev played a superb hole though to win the match for us on 15th and all Moiser and Joe had left to play for was the back nine.
And so it went to the last hole. Jeff is 1 stableford point ahead of Paul and Joe and they need to win the hole to half the back nine.
Moiser only goes and creams his drive to easily win the longest drive prize, everyone else is respectable middle of the fairway.
The big man then proceeds to pull out a new ninja three iron and screams a shot 245 yards to within a foot and a half of the hole and putts for an eagle.
Half's the back nine and gets a four pointer for a total of 37 points, stealing the September Stableford from me on a count back.
A great day out with three great guys.
This was the day I was undone by Modest Moisers Magic !
This golf course is officially AWESOME.
Parked up and it was pouring down. I can tell you I was thinking it was going to be a soaking day, trudging round, brolly firmly in hand.
Retreating to the very traditional golf club for a sneaky pint and a sandwich, low and behold the sun only begins to break through and wouldn't you know it, we have a crackin' summers day on our hands.
A very enjoyable four ball with Colin, John and 'Norm' from Matchplay Championship indeed. Eleven handicappers, John and 'Norm' took on Colin and I in a stableford better ball.
The course is really terrific and well worth making the effort to get here.
The 7th, 8th and 9th are amazing holes. 7th off the tee is tricky, then it turns slightly dog leg right and the green is just beautiful.
The 9th - wow - I can imagine this is a huge hole when the wind is blowing hard in your face. Luckily we had a calm day and I managed a bogey 5 on what could be a very long par 4.
11th is also lovely - a very tight approach to the green. I was well happy with three pars on the trot on 10, 11 and 12.
'Norm' had an unbelievable back nine finishing one over gross, the poor lads putt slipped by on 18 as well, so inevitably the match was won by John and 'Norm'.
If you get the chance, get down to Formby and play this course. I will definitely be back.
Saturday the 8th August was the perfect end to a great week.
News came through early Friday morning that I had been successfull in the round one ballot for 2010 Ryder cup. After registering the pictures online we need to part with cash for two season passes for Team Europe. C'mon Monty. Let the planning for accommodation begin.
Saturday was the August Stableford and on the 1st tee we ended up in three competitions. Me and Derek v's Kevin and PJ, a 50aed in the pot stableford between us and also playing in the club comp.
A par on the 1st was a good start, 16 points on the front nine BUT Derek and I were two down at the turn.
A gross birdie on 12 and a gross birdie on 16 saw us two up on the back nine and level on the match and both good 4 pointers for the stableford. We are all square going down 18, winner takes all.
Thankfully Big Derek, screams a drive, hits a well placed 2nd and bangs his 3 wood 6 feet from the pin, lags his putt up and knocks in for a par, match halved, no cash exchanged.
21 points on the back nine meant 37 points was enough to win the pot and 1st place in the club comp as well.
What a good week and can't wait to see the BM Ryder Cup collection !
Fresh from (well pretty unfresh actually) from a 7am tee time start this morning, it was 47 degress c when I got back in the car at 11.40am !! We could really do with Stella and her friends with a tray of ice coolers for the guys and a bag full of breathable Bunker Mentality shirts.
Not much of a round today but managed to get a few strokes to help in the overall standings in the summer eclectic league. Should be sitting at a net 58 now, although there are two Korean members already sitting on 51 and looking like running away with it. Need to find 7 strokes from somewhere. The good news is, I have till the end of September to find them.
A pro, never misses his chance for a sale huh. Straight after submitting my card today, Mario, all round good guy and assistant pro at the club decides to try and persuade me that a series of lessons with him would be good value. Do they train that at pro-school. Find the guy with a rotten scorecard and make a sales call on him, he is at his most vulnerable !!
Maybe next time Mario, but not this week.
A few more weeks in the heat and then a week of summer golf at the end of August, when I hope to play in Lewes, on the Wirral, on a fine Scottish Links and at Hanbury Manor.
The summer is well and truly upon us. Well over forty degrees outside and humid as !!
So it was in the furnace that is Dubai, that we arranged a friday challenge.
Jeff (17) & Kevin (Satch) (12) versus Martin (Grifter) (7) and Keith (Chopstix) (24) - best net matchplay. 30 dirhams for the front 9, 30 dirhams for the back 9, 40 for the match.
The match was halved all the way to the 5th when a par five from Satch saw us 1 up. A birdie 3 net 2 on 6th form yours truly saw us go two up and eventually win the front nine four up.
Big Grifter managed to lose his second shot at 10 to see us go 5 up. Dormie on the 14th, a haunting green for the grifter who lost on the same green a few weeks ago to a Jeff & Jim Sim combination in the same format.
And so it was to the 18th when the big grifter made a shout of double or quits. man o man o. Off Scratch.
The big man hit a great drive and super second shot on the par five to the front of the green. Wee keith was three to the front. Satch three into the greenside bunker. Yours truly hit the third into the heart of the green.
Thinking the grift would knock his twenty foot chip close, I took aim over the put and low and behold tickled it about 7 feet short of the hole. Disaster. No !
Big grift chunked his chip short and then was short with his putt.
Me to play and knocked in the putt for a five. The agony was to watch the grift put for a half and half the match. Oops, he slipped it by for a six. Double the money - yes, yes, yes.
And so to next week. Saturday is the July Stableford and a chance to submit another card in the summer eclectic after this weeks 88.
Cooking in the heat - you bet.