A Small White Ball and Several Big Sticks: Sat 28 Dec 2013

At the start of the day M was up by 2 holes with 2 matches to play.

We had an early start booked at 9 so it was an early breakfast at the hotel (they opened early just for us!). Not the best breakfast in the world but it was warm and there was plenty. The night before had been a family gathering in a bar... never the best idea before an important golf tournament but at least we were both in the same boat. M choosing Bombardier and myself choosing Peroni.

The journey to Stoke Rochford was much shorter than we had planned and we were way early for our 9 o'clock tee. I paid 10 quid online and M paid 40 at the desk for the record. Needs to be sorted out by our respective other halves. The man in the shop took our money and made no comment on our 9 o'clock tee time. We were early and it was cold but sunny so we decided to sit in the club house in the warm before going to tee off.

We could see the first tee and we could also see a big queue developing but we sat inside waiting until about 8:50 when we set off to the first. As we walked to the tee I asked another chap what time his tee was..... I was informed that there were no tee times, it was first come first served. The chap having told me this marched in front to claim his 4 ball place in front of us. Miserable git!

Anyway we were happy to stand and watch several groups go off the first tee with varying degrees of success. We were stood in the shade and the ground was frosty so we were cold. We did chat to the group behind us who said that the turn up and play often caused problems. The atmosphere in the queue was good and we were not even particularly scared to go and take our place on the first tee (only 40 minutes late!). M did a bit of a duff and I hit an easy 5i just short of the fairway but we were both safely on our way. In the end we had 4 in front playing normal rules and a texas scramble behind. We never waited long or held up the group behind.

On the first hole M played very well ending with a 5 against my 8 (I gave away one shot here by rushing an easy putt because M's ball was where my feet should have been.. must try not to do this in future!). The sun was shining and as soon as we were out of he shade we were plenty warm enough and the views were impressive. I would say that Stoke Rochford is in very good condition considering the recent rain and time of year. I cant remember any boggy ground, the fairways were close cut and solid and the greens were great. The bunkers were wet but we ignored them with free drops out.

Thanks to a mistake by M going right into the trees just before the 2nd green I managed to pull one back. We both did a nice 4 on the par 3 3rd. I managed to win 2 in a row on the 4th and 5th bringing it back to all square. We both had a nightmare on the 5th up the hill into the sun. Coming down the hill on the 6th I had an unlucky bounce off a tree branch so instead of getting to the green I went left and then over giving away a few shots. Again M was 1 up.

The 7th is a scary shot over a stream to a green in the ditch. M went right of the green and I had a lucky short, M took 1 more shot here but with handicap this was a drawn hole.

The 8th has always been a problem but this time we both managed to get over the stream and to the hole with no fuss (another drawn hole).

I am always scared of the 9th and as usual tried too hard. First I used my mulligan and then hit one into the stream. M made a great start landing on the fairway but had trees between him and the hole. After my penalty I landed nicely on the fairway with a great view of he hole. No problem for me, but M had a spot of golfers luck and hit a tree, putting him in trouble farther away from the hole and behind several trees. In the end this was another drawn hole. (Should have been M's)

So after 9 holes M was 1 hole up.

On the 10th we were into the sun again. I did a steady tee shot and M never saw his ball go right. An orange ball in a million orange leaves is difficult to find. We took several minutes looking and just was we gave up I spotted it behind M. Great (as the 4 behind were just coming off the previous tee). I played a shot down the fairway and M hit his ball. We both saw it hit a tree and bounce towards the fairway. When we went to find it, it had vanished. In the end M had to take a penalty as the 4 behind were waiting. This hole was mine. So it was back to a draw.

On the 11th I played my best tee shot ever (on this hole) as I got a lucky roll to the 150 marker, green in 3 and 1 putt. M played well but the chip onto the green landed in a bunker and I was 1 up.

The 12th is a simple par 3. I went right and M went in a bunker. M played out onto the green and I went over and into a bunker. This was a mistake as the green was long and thin. I took a free drop out of the bunker but failed to get on the green and took 5 to get on the green. This was a terrible 9 so M won taking it back to all square.

The 13th has been a problem in the past but M did a great shot over the valley and my shot just hung onto the edge of the fairway. M did a duff on the way to the green and that cost him the hole. It was back to 1 up for me.

The14th, 15th and 16th are long holes over rough ground going back towards the clubhouse. These have been a nightmare in the past but I was having some luck with my 4r off the tee and I had 3, 1 putts in a row. Most of the shots on this stretch were "social golf" where it was close, but in the end M lost a ball in the leaves over one of the greens and took an odd shot more so I went 4 up.

With the pressure off I got onto the green on the 17th from the tee (It was a long green so I 3 putt). It was good enough to go 5 up as M went right onto the 16th fairway and then in an old bunker on the way back to the green. This was the other hole with a handicap advantage for M.

On the 18th M pulled one back ending with me 4 holes up with 1 more match to play. As I said before we are both serious about winning and each hole is an important ... playing on both our minds. Good job there are not thousands of pounds at stake!

My score is here. I messed up 4 holes (zero sp). The 1st (with a rushed putt) should have been 1 less. The 6th where I hit the tree and then went over the green, should have been at least 1 less. On the 10th I went down the left and did a bad chip landing on the edge rather than the green. (1 more). On the 12th I should never had ended up in the bunker and wasted 4 shots. Thats 7 less on a more luck day. My putting was +2. I think it is my best score to date at Stoke Rochford. I am not complaining.

We must remember about the queue for tee times if/when we return next year!

For now I am 4 up with 18 holes to play... sticks cleaned and bags packed ready for Dummer!

NOTE after M put his score in the results were changed a little. Instead of drawing hole 9 M won. Instead of S winning hole 15 it was a draw. So going into the last game S was only 2 holes up! NOT 4!