Mon 26 Aug 2013 18 more holes at Dummer

Well this is a treat! Saturday and Monday at Dummer.

Tee time 4:32 cost 16 quid each M paid so we owe 2.50.

Just time for a quick 14 balls each before the off. Following Dad and Lad. Dad very good Lad will be! Followed by 2 ball and buggy. Buggy must have given up but 2 ball were eventually called through as M lost ball on 12th (I think).

Started as usual with me going steady and M doing bad 2nd shot while he warms up! M on fire for 2/3/4 with pars on each. Playing like a pro! This did not continue although he did play well. Looking at results the only thing missing is a few more fairways. Perhaps a few 6i off tees would be good?

I played as well as I have every played at Dummer, only messing up the 10th for no good reason.
No mulligan and no time looking for balls in the rough is always good. I could have done better if I had got out of the bunker in 1 on the 7th and avoided 2 silly shots on the 9th, the way to approach the 9th is from the left.. must remember that. I risked my 3W and 4r off the tee on several occasions and it worked well.

So it was my turn to win. We had great weather and not much hassle from in front or behind so great fun! M was a little miffed as on the 16th the 2 ball behind nearly hit us while we were on the green and also due to the lost ball on the 12th. My score is here.

M's 3rd 4!

In rough but did a great straight shot.

A pair of bunker shots.

Nice weather.

The sky at night.

Lone golfer!

Sat 24 Aug 2013 18 Holes at Dummer

With M. Last minute idea as we got home earlier than expected.

Met at 4:20 paid 13.50 each (I paid). Had 16 balls each on the range.

Weather pleasant not quite shirt sleeves and slightly warm with a jumper. We more or less had the golf course to ourselves. We saw 2 people about 9 holes ahead and saw 2 people about 5 holes behind. That how I like it... no pressure. We had a tee time of 5 but probably started about 10 to as no one was around.

We were playing off 26 and 33 and M won the last game.

On the first hole I played well to the edge of the green and then 4 putt. (First for a while). M played well off the tee and then lost a ball left.  After that M played well resisting the driver completely and hitting some very long iron shots and a couple of great 3w's. I played ok except for the 1st. The 16th where I went in the pond for no good reason and also the 18th where I also went into the pond. I should have been at least 4 shots better but thats not too bad.

I made a bit of a discovery that if I stand with my feet wider apart the ball goes straight left. Not sure if its much use but may try it at the range one day.

Because it was last minute we only had oat crunchy bars and Mars bars were required so at the 9th I jogged to the bar and returned with a Mars each... yum!

M beat me to the greens and beat me on actual score by 1 point (I was saved by my putting!) . On handicap he beat me by 2 holes but if I had played better on the 16th and 18th the story could have been different so the handicap is pretty good for match play. My score is here.

Great fun as usual and if we are luck we will get another in before work resumes on Tuesday. For a change I have some photos of me taken by M. (No particular order)

M is a bit of rough on 5th

Chipping over the 4th

The white house in the distance

Nice shadows

Bomber in the sky (Zoom to view)

The colours looked better than this...

Pink sky

On its way.

Plenty space here on 13h

After a duff on the 4th

Fri 23 Aug 2013 9 great holes at Whittlebury Wedgewood

After leaving car in garage for checkup ...

With M (son of S). We had a few hours before the main social event kicked off so we took the opportunity to go on the range and hit a few balls as M had not hit a ball for a year or so. M was pleased as he seemed to have developed a nice draw with a 7i so who needs to practice?

Whittlebury is situated right next to Silverstone and you can hear the cars revving as you play. There are 4 x 9 hole courses which can be played individually or in any combination for 18 holes. We took the shortest 9 to see how we got on. The course was immaculate and the greens were excellent. The Wedgewood is a pleasant parkland course with a couple of lakes and a few areas of rough among the trees but is basically a fun, open (if not a little short) course.

Off the first tee M hit the best shot and was very pleased with how the round went not losing any balls and despite an odd duff made good progress to the greens and learnt the saying "Think two putt". Not sure what handicaps to apply here, in the end I adjusted it so I played off 4 and M played off a few more. I think M won but the handicap committee will be meeting before the next game. I was pleased with my play even though there is always room for improvement. Because there were no lost balls we got round in about an hour. My scores are here.

Great fun would definitely go back here and play some more!

Ready for the off.

Are you sure my ball is here?

Out of the rough.

Sun 18 Aug 2013 - 18 Holes at Dummer

Still no car and the A4 is not ours anymore ... another story. I was in the Corsa.. good old Corsa! Met M at just after 9:30 for 10:30 tee. There was a slot at 10:16 which we took. We had 14 balls each on the range for a warm up, then a few puts and we were off. We had a couple in front who kept ahead easily and then disappeared after 9 and we were followed by a lone golfer who seemed happy to stay behind. We never went slow finishing in 3 and half hours. The lone golfer gave up after 9 so we had space in front and behind.

Today was M's turn  to win (8 holes to 5). I took another off my handicap to play on 26 with M on 33. It was my worst score since May but I did not seem to play bad just had no luck and hit a few too many duffs.

M had decided to stick to his 4i off the tee which was way more reliable than his woods. I always knew he could beat me on distance and the irons improve accuracy. If this continues I expect his handicap to come down from 33!

The weather was odd, one minute scorching hot and the next cold with a chance of a storm. In the end we were lucky and kept dry and played in shirt sleeves.

The course was ok tees and fairways were good but the greens seem to be suffering from the recent drought and were quite lumpy. (Its a good excuse anyway).

Where did I lose my points? For a start I was 2 over on putts this could easily have been 2 under so thats 4 or so. I hit a few more duffs that I have lately, not sure why.. perhaps its trying too hard as Dummer is longer that Quindell thats another 4. I was most pleased with the 18th. A nice 4i to the right of the fairway, followed by a 9i to the left of the lake, another 9i to the centre of the left of the lake, followed by a 7i just short and on the green in 5. I then messed up with a 3 put so thats a shame but I have been so much worse on this hole! No lost balls and no mulligan so thats a plus. Also I was very pleased with my Pw as I used it on at least 5 holes to good effect stoping it on the green for 40-50 yds.

Great fun as usual as haven't played M for a few weeks. My score is here.

Bright with a chance of Storm!

Hmm not easy .. no view of flag.

M on last hole.

Trophy Time!

Tue 13 Aug 2013 18 Holes at Quindell

With R after work. Usual 4 o'clock bargain of 10 quid each. I confused the guy at the desk by saying I had booked, ... then I remembered I had forgotten to book .. not the best start but it was ok.  I still have no car so its thanks to A and R that I can play. We were last minute and R's trolley failed its MOT (screw missing). So we set off with no warmup and R carrying his trolley bag. No on in front, no one behind... nice.

After my last win I played off 24 a new record. Overall I played well except on a couple of holes where lost balls messed up an otherwise reasonable attempt. It was good enough to win though which is always nice. I was 1 under on the front 9 and 3 over on the back 9.

On the 1st I 3 put (should have had a practice putt or 2).

On the 2nd I got a par (first time) but I was lucky as on my 2nd shot I was on top of a mound and on my 3rd shot I was still on top of a different mound a 1 putt helped.

On the 5th I hit one right into a ditch on the right. I took  my mulligan and hit the edge of the green.

On the 6th I lost my second shot with a duff right into the ditch and I had to take a penalty.

On the 7th the flag was on the floor so I had to run there put it in the hole and run back (jog not run). Annoying but not common thank goodness.

On the 14th I hit my 4i well but it bounced short and surprised a duck or goose. The duck waddled off in disgust but it had stopped my ball from going in the ditch. May opt for a 9i here in future.

On the 17th I hit a good 5i to the right of the green expecting it to roll onto the green (as usual), instead it stopped in the deep rough and was a pain as my chip was difficult and caused a 3 putt as it was so bad.

On the 18th I started off with a nice fairway but then hit a shot that bounced on the mound and went right never to be found. Must remember to go left of the mound to be safe in future. I had a "trouble" on the edge of the bunker and finished with a 3 put and a 9! In effect I lost my 3 on the last 2 holes.. thats golf!

Great fun as usual! My result is here.

Car Park to 1st tee

Tough bunker on 5th

Over the edge on the 12th

Nice evening on 16th

Me walking on 16th

View from the rough on the 18th

Wed 7th Aug 2013 18 Holes at Quindell

With R after work. Car still in bits so needed lift.

No time for warm up. We were following a young lad who we recognised from work. No one behind at first. Eventually we were followed by a pair that never caught us.

I set off well and in particular I used 2 7 irons from the tee of the 2nd and go over the ditch in 3 with no problem. My first minor mistake was going in the rough on the par 3 7th and also going over the green on the rubbish 9th hole (temp green). I took my mulligan on the 4th tee when I lost it right (sigh). Perhaps I could have been 2 shots better but I was very happy with my first 9. I did have a bit of luck on the par 3 5th where I got a very lucky bounce off the road just short of the green.

On the back 9 I did not make any mistakes until we joined the young lad in front to make a 3 ball on the 13th. I need to practice this because I hit a duff off the tee and followed it with another. The first of the round. I managed to scramble well and only lose 1 shot. On the par 3 14th I hit my 4i into the ditch but scrambled well again. Managed to play to my handicap for the last 5 holes.

It was my turn to win again with another sub 100 so perhaps the handicap committee will be meeting soon. My score is here.

Scary sky from the 16th green.

The 17th tee.

View at the 18th green.