Sat 30th Aug 2014 - Train and Breakfast before 18 Holes at Dummer

With M after catching Train to Basingstoke. Thanks to M for the lift from the train station so that I could have a beer later! We had time for breakfast at the Dummer golf club before our 9:30 tee time. Not a bad butty! (perhaps not quite as good as Chichester).

Golf was quite expensive 27 quid I think (and very expensive including a buggy). We had time for 14 balls each on the range. I was pleasantly pleased with 13/14 good shots from PW to 4i. Wonder if its a bad omen?

Just time for a couple of putts before we got off. We were following a 3 ball playing off white tees. They were quick enough and finished after the 9th, perhaps they played starting from he 10th? Anyway it was fine as we had a few holes while we caught up a slow 4 ball but never waiting more than a few minutes.

The weather was one of the nicest this year for golf, warm not hot with perhaps just a bit too much wind. The fairways and greens were in great shape and there was plenty of sand in the bunkers which makes a change from recent courses I have played.

We decided to play stableford points for a change to hole play. Its a bit more complicated to score but we will get better as we practice. I set off nicely on the first 3 holes despite a couple of shots in the green side bunker on the 2nd. On the 4th I decided to try to get a bit farther right than usual and ended in a bit of trouble in the big hole to the right of the fairway. Make mental not never to do this again. On the 5th across the lake I was pleased to land just short of the green and avoid the bunker with a 5i (the wind was behind so this helps!). I had a bit of bunker trouble an the 6th which is a pity as this could have been a good score on the hardest hole. For some reason I messed up the 9th by going in the big hole right from the tee and then going well right of the green as M went off to find an out of bound ball. No excuse just lack of concentration.

M played particularly well on the 3rd and 4th holes going ahead by 1 point but this was reversed at the end of the front 9 as I was 1 point up. On the 10th I got another point up and this is how it stayed. The trophy stays here which is nice. My handicap goes back to 26 as I have won 2 in a row. Maybe we should make it 3 wins in a row before changing handicap to stop flip flop between 26 and 27?

We both had a nice run of holes 12 to 17 with acceptable scores all round. Sadly we both messed up the 18th. M from the tee and me into the lake. M did however get applause for his shot from the 16th to the 18th fairway. M's driver worked well on several holes and he had great par on the 3rd. My score is click here.

I got to the green in time to make 7 proper golf scores and I made them all. I made 1 extra with a 1 putt at the 17th. (No pars though). My putting was better than usual saving 3 and I had a couple of very near misses so could have been a bit better with some extra luck! (I am thinking of adding a new shorthand + to indicate the the last putt was a 'drop in' or gimme.) I only messed up the 9th through lack of concentration and the18th with my only lost ball in the lake. I was pleased with my tee shots only letting me down on the 4th and 9th. If only I could hit a 3W I could improve a lot.

Great fun!

Before the off.

Only reference to hole in 1 to date!

Concentration!

Sun 24th Aug - 18 Holes on a Sunny Sunday morning at Rother Valley

With B on a weekend visit to see the folks.

An early start for a 7:45 tee time. The weather was fine. We were following 2 lads in a buggy and were followed by a 3 ball. Neither slowed us down of speeded us up. We had played this course earlier in the year (click here) but neither  of us could remember any holes. There was a reason for this .. last time we played in the fog.. this time the visibility was good.

With the early start the fairways and especially the greens were damp and this caused us a few problems with lack of roll and odd putting. The fairways and greens were in good shape however the bunkers were more like soil than sand and this caused us some problems.

I set of nicely with 5's and 6's until the 9th where I took 9. B had lost his favourite tee and was struggling to find the right tee height for his usual accurate tee shots. After the front 9 I was up by a few shots. On the back 9 I played steadily and had quite a bit of luck. We both got caught in bunkers and I took 3 to get out of one on the16th. In the end I won by a few more shots but with a bit of luck it could easily have gone either way. Great fun and good to catch up with my old Sunday running mate.

My score is click here. 

I was very happy with this score I had 8 chances to make proper golf scores and ended up with 7 so not too bad. My putting was better than average for a change. I only messed up one hole the 9th and I can't remember what caused this. I had a couple of holes where I got stuck in an unreasonable bunker. I would have need some exceptional luck to improve  my score to go less than 100.

I like this golf course and will try to play again soon. The holes are interesting but are fair. I remember the 9th green was like a roller coaster. I like the long down hill hole and today I liked the18th as I had a near miss with the lake and scored a par.

Great fun, no photos this time...

Wed 20th Aug 2014 - 18 Holes for 3 at Paultons

With M and R after work. It was 16 quid each as usual we had a tee time about 4:30. M arrived with 5 mins to spare and we just managed to get to the tee on time. There was no one in front or behind so we were not rushed.

For a change we had decided to play Stableford Points as hole play for 3 is a bit confusing. I set off well and didn't really make any mistakes until the annoying par 3 8th where we all went in the bunker and poor scores for all. M had a bit of a nightmare 4th with lost balls from the tee and in the lake and it took until the back 9 to recover. At the half way point I was ahead and aside from the par 3 over the pond where I messed up the tee shot and lost 2 balls I continued more of less to par and it was my turn to win again. M made a bit of a recovery charge at the start of the back 9 but collapsed as the driver was not working on the last few holes and R played pretty much to handicap with just a couple of poor holes.

We were caught by 2 golfers on the 13th and we decided to let them through which turned out to be a mistake as they played terrible while we watched. After that we had 2 golfers waiting behind for the last few holes. The weather was very pleasant, the fairways were ok but the greens were terrible as they were full of holes for some sort of maintenance. We all suffered from poor putts!

My score is click here.

A typical round for me at 105 with 9 possible proper golf scores by getting to the green but due to poor putting I only made 5. But funnily enough this included 3 pars and best of all I managed a par on the 13th, I think this may be a first! My putting owed me at least 3 and some time soon I must try to practice a bit as I am sure there is a 5 point improvement possible. I messed up 3 holes: the par 3 8th due to bunker trouble and poor putting, the 9th due to bad putting and the 16th lake with double stupidity as this was the only really bad tee shot of the day.

Its starting to get dark well before 9 now and we finished at 8:30 in the gloom.

No photos from me.. M may have some…?

Sun 17th Aug 2014 - Par 3 + 18 Holes at Chichester Tower

With M on Sunday at 1ish. The Par 3 was busier than usual perhaps due to the super-mini-golf? We did them in the wrong order and neither of us was concentrating very well. We only managed a couple of 3's between us. (No wonder we struggle a bit at real golf!).

The 18 hole was as quiet as I can ever  remember. We payed 20 quid each + a buggy. We set off with no one in front and no one behind and that was how it stayed. Can't blame anyone else! The weather was hot to start with, we had a downpour after hole 5 and then it was fine. The wind was a bit of a problem but it died down toward the end of the round.

I set off very well with 4,5,4 went 2 up after 2. However on the 4th I hit a great tee shot then went onto the Cathedral fairway to the left. That never happened before! This was the start of a bad run of 4 holes with 7's and 8's. At the end of the front 9 M was up by 1 hole and we were tied on shots. By the 11th we were all square. From this point in M only messed up one hole (the 17th) and ended up winning by 5 clear holes and 4 shots. I played average and collapsed on the last 3 holes losing 3 balls. So the Geller trophy stays North yet again. My score is click here.

Even though it was just less than 110 it was very messy and could have been better. I only got to the green with any chance of a proper golf score on 6 holes. My putting let me down as it has recently and I was 2 over par. I only ended up with 5 proper golf scores (all bogeys). I messed up on 4 holes.
Hole 4 was spoilt by my great tee shot going to far and getting lost. Hole 5 was destroyed by a 3 putt.
17 was caused by a lost ball on my 2nd shot after a great tee shot over the tree. The 18th was a disgrace as I decided to use a chip and run 4i into the wind... it ended in Beaches Brook and was lost serves me right. So I should have saved 2 puts and lost 3 less balls, who knows I may even have won!
As usual I failed on the 16th in thepond but I have decided to take a PW next time and just go left perhaps 40 yds... lets see if I can remember.

This strange shot is of the hay making in the next field.

M's view of the flag

This shot shows the evil sky after the downpour

But it did brighten up later.

Wed 13th Aug 2014 - 18 Holes at Paultons

With R after work. We arrived late to discover that the first available tee was at 5:25. This would give us a problem to finish before dark especially if we got behind a slow 4 ball. Anyway we paid 16 quid each and decided to be ready for any gap at the 1st tee.

The weather was very pleasant, warm with just a bit more breeze than we would like for golf. The fairways were looking a bit sorry and the greens looked good but played odd. Perhaps because of a few recent downpours?

At 5 o'clock we noticed a 2 ball in a buggy set off and as no one arrived we quickly followed with 2 decent iron shots. We never saw anyone behind so not sure what happened to all the tee times after us? We were never help up until the last 3 or 4 holes and we were called through on the 17th where we both hit respectable golf shots. I almost got to the post and R went over the hill.

I set of very nicely playing to my handicap or better on every hole on the front 9 except the par 3 8th. Must make a mental note to play an 8 iron to get a good chance of a scrambled 3 next time. As a result I was up by a few holes after 9. My steady play almost to my handicap continued on the back 9 where I never went more than one shot over my handicap. Particularly on the 13th and 14th where I took a few shots in bunkers. I even managed to get over the lake with a nice 5i. So in the end it was my turn to win again. My score is click here.

I was happy with my score of exactly 100 as with a bit of golfing luck it could have been 3 or so better. I got to the green in acceptable golf scores on 12 holes which I think may be a first. This only translated to 9 proper golf scores as my putting was poor. I had way too many 3 puts and only a couple of 1 puts. I could blame the greens but I need to practice this! Very unusually I did not mess up any holes completely (this is rare). I could however have scored an odd point less if I had avoided the bunkers. I lost no balls and had no penalties.

Great fun! No pics this week as I was experimenting with not worrying about the photos .. concentrate on the golf!

Sat 10th Aug 2014 - 25 balls and 18 holes at Chichester

Sat lunch time with M. We had a 12:54 tee time so we met in time to play a few holes of par 3. For the first time I can remember the par 3 was full so we opted for 25 balls each on the range. The range worked well for me and I don't think I hit a bad ball.

When we went to pay (20 quid each and 24 for a buggy) we found M had booked to play the tough Cathedral course. We panicked and were quickly re-booked on our favourite Tower course. The chap in the pro-shop was quite encouraging to us and suggested we give the Cathedral a go sometime soon... Perhaps...

We were following a 3 ball in 2 buggies playing off white tees. They were good and had no trouble keeping ahead of us. The 3 behind were a bit slower than us so after the first we had no audience at the Tee.

I set off well with a 6i onto the green (wind behind). On the 2nd M hit a great drive and I followed steadily along the fairway. M's 2nd went too far over the green and we ended up with 6 each. We drew several holes on the front 9 including another pair of 6's on the most difficult hole (5th). I had a bit of a problem on the 6th with a duff from the tee followed by 2 more. This knocked my confidence a bit and M won holes 6,7 and 8 giving a 3 hole lead at the end of the front 9.

On holes 10 and 11 M was on great form (driver working well) with a par and a bogey (proper golf scores). I steadied the ship a little as M hit a duff from the 12 tee and I won a hole. M was quick to recover with another par 4 on the 13th with a chip into the hole that got some respect from the 3 golfers in front. On the 14th I did a great PW from 75 yds to within a couple of feet of the hole and got a round of applause from the 3 in front. (Good job they missed some of our less impressive moments!).

In the end we drew several more holes but M won by 5 clear holes. Thats 2 in a row so my handicap will be back at a more realistic 26. My score is click here.

I would be happy with any score less than 110 normally but this one was bad for many reasons. First of all my putting was terrible I lost 4 on the front 9 and 1 on the back. So even an average 36 would have saved 5 shots. I only managed 6 proper golf scores (4 bogeys and 1 par). I only failed to get to the green in regulation on 1 hole but had scores spoiled by poor putting. I messed up 3 holes. The 6th with 3 duffs could have been 1 or 2 better. The 10th had 2 duffs and a bunker (I put this down the the aerobatics in the light plane just above our heads). The 16th as usual I went into the lake from the tee (not unusual.. must remember to aim left!). On the plus side I played the17th as well as I ever have.

Great fun even though I was a bit knackered on the last few holes.

Lilly pond looking good on 8th

Buggy cam almost on the 5th Fairway

Buggy cam on the 5th Fairway

Approaching the 9th

Wed 6th Aug 2014 - 18 Holes at Paultons

With R after work. We arrived without booking and got a tee time just before 5. (16 quid each). we were following a 4 ball so it was slowish. The weather was overcast and threatened to rain but very hot.

I set off well with my best tee shot ever on this hole and managed an easy 5 to go 1 hole up. Unfortunately I messed up the tee shot from the 2nd and struggled down the left hand side to score a poor 9. Still early days and I settled down to play well over the rest of the front 9 only messing up the easy par 3 by getting in the bunker and ending up with a 5.

On the back 9 I won 3 in a row which makes a change because I usually struggle on these. I went right into the trees and ended up with another 9 on the 13th. In the end I won easily so maybe I have to drop my handicap next time by 1. We passed the 4 ball on hole 11 when they were looking for balls, we both made good tee shots and scored 5 each so thats confidence!

My score is click here.

I was quite pleased as it was just over the 100 and could easily have been under. My putting ended up par despite chipping straight into the hole from 20 yards on the 5th. I managed 9 proper golf scores including 2 pars (all before hole 13, pity I couldn't carry on!). I messed up the 2nd and 13th as described above. I could easily have been 4 less. As usual I lost a ball over the pond.. no idea how to play this one!

Great fun if not a little hot. I only took this moody picture.

Looks like rain - it never did!

Thu 31st July 2014 - 18 Holes for 3 at Meon Valley Golf

With R and M!

R had played here before but it was new for me and M. It was 20 quid each and 10 quid for M's buggy (although they did try to charge 30 for the buggy). We had a tee time of 5:12 but they asked us to go a bit early before a couple of late comers. We were met at the tee by a representative who instructed us when to go and chatted about some holes. At the tee we felt some pressure as we had an audience. I went first with a decent 5i, R was next with an average 3W and M went last with a brilliant 4i that almost got an applause from the crowd!

The weather was very kind.. not too hot and even though black storm clouds threatened it kept dry.

We were following a 3 ball who turned out to be quick after the first few holes and we never had to wait. We were followed by a 3 ball with a buggy who were almost quick enough to let through but not quite…

I set off very badly but M was on good form winning the first 2 holes. But I recovered winning the 3rd and 4th. The 4th was a nice par scramble out of a bunker with a hole from the edge. We decided that hole play was tough for R but he managed to win a few. In the end M won easily. M was using his driver quite a bit and in general it worked well. (He took advantage of having the buggy when the ball went on the wrong fairway).

The course was quite tough compared to our normal stomping grounds. On the front 9 there were quite a few tight fairways lined with thick trees. For me the biggest problem was the challenge of getting onto the large greens as they all seemed to be hidden behind lakes, ditches or bunkers. Not best suited to chip and run! However I think it was fun and would go back for another try.

My score is click here.

One of my worst scores for a while but I will put it down to first time on a tough new course. I only managed 6 proper golf scores including 2 pars. My putting was better than usual (only 1, 3 putt). I messed up 6 holes. The 1st I laid up for the green but did a poor 9i costing 2 shots. On the 2nd I lost one on my 3rd shot as I went a bit too far left. I can't remember the 5th but it looks like I had bunker trouble. I did 4 bunkers and managed to get out in 1 each time. The 11th was the dog leg left with a sloping fairway this is just a tricky hole .. could do better next time. The 16th was just poor play. The 17th was another tricky hole not helped by a duff from the tee and a lost ball in some short grass. I would hope to improve by at least 4 or 5 shots on another day.

From this pic it looks easy?

M in a bit of trouble on a par 3