Saturday 21 November 2009

Test for schedule

A post to publish later

Friday 20 November 2009

Wednesday 4 July 2007

This blog is no more





I am now to be found out on the course, and on my website at



Thursday 8 March 2007

Endangered Species


For all its faults (including close proximity to a major motorway interchange) GCNY does quite well for wildife. As well as the ubiquitous water fowl (who take great enjoyment from sh*tting on the greens while we hit into the lakes) we've spotted the occasional deer and many green woodpeckers. In times gone by we've even had a scoring system, a bit like those old I-Spy books, which we've used to bolster our Stableford scores.
It goes a bit like this:
rabbit or squirrel - 1 point
woodpecker - 2 points
cowslips or bluebells - 2 points
lady golfer - 3 points
Apparently there are actually four lady members at the moment, i.e. ourselves and two others, but it's no good. I still feel like a member of an endangered species!

Worth a boast

Okay, the ninth is (was, two weeks have gone by!) a par 4, 327yds, an uphill dog-leg affair with a nasty looking hole half way along ringed by warning signs of the ‘Danger Steep Drop’ variety. On the first day my drive had been a bit too far right, but I did well with a second shot that went around the top of the quarry thing and trickled towards the green. Think I got down for 5 which was fine by me. Well, on day 2, after my drive, I had to hit on a line between the quarry and some trees. So, 3 wood in hand, I gave myself a talking to and for once got it spot on. The wind was behind, and when Mo (standing at the top of the hill) started waving his arms, my heart sank. I thought I’d gone through. But no, there it was, only three feet from the pin. And I made the putt. I’ll just say that again. I actually made the putt! Worth a boast, I think.

Wednesday 28 February 2007

Ups and Downs


Just back from a weekend in south Cornwall. The hotel (chosen by Winnie and Reg) was fab and the course very scenic with no dastardly water hazards (unless you count the sea, and even the boys didn’t hit it that far).
I think I’ll be polite about the weather and call it mixed, though horizontal rain and a brisk sou’ westerly were both pretty much in evidence. Still, between great breakfasts and dinners we managed two rounds and a trip to a dismal looking Truro. (Sorry, residents of Truro, I’m sure it’s lovely in the sun!)
As for the golf, on the first day, competition centred on who had the wettest clubs/bag/legs by the time we got back. (Luckily the hotel had its own drying room).
The second day started better and soon got spectacular for me when I managed to birdie the ninth hole in three. (This was so astounding it’s getting a post of its own. Look out for the soon to be created 'boasting' tag, no doubt to be followed by 'weeping', and 'gnashing of teeth').
After that things went down-hill. Having waved through the couple behind us on the twelfth, one of them proceeded to take three shots to get past the ladies’ tee (no we didn’t hold him up by insisting on the usual penalty) and another eleven shots (roughly) to get to within 100 yards of the green at which point he gave up. We then marched purposefully up to where our balls lay in a neat four (all very respectable drives for a change) only to discover that in the interim some of us (mentioning no names) had forgotten how to swing a club or hit a ball. From then on it could only get worse. On the next hole (par 5 - up hill - wind against!) I had a poor drive, the rain came down (or rather across) and I started a nose bleed which was difficult to staunch with one damp and disintegrating tissue. By the end of the day I had quite forgotten the birdie.
But it's all coming back to me now!

Dramatis Personae


Now that this blog has got going, time for a few introductions.

We started playing golf five or six years ago, four of us that is. We don’t always play together (see below re work commitments), but we have a tradition of going on golf breaks, preferably the cheap Sunday night variety, though lately we have moved up to some quite posh hotels. We also take ourselves abroad from time to time and have terrorised the natives in various bits of France, Ireland and Scotland (where I am actually a native myself).
The Girls
Victoria and Winnie. We play off the same handicap (on principle) which at the moment we are calling 28. This keeps it friendly though we often find it even friendlier just not to score. Winnie’s sanity has recently been tested by a course of golf lessons that might have been called ‘how to forget the things you knew without improving the things you wanted to learn.’ She also has the disadvantage of a real job, whereas I just potter around doing part-time this and that along with chewing my pencil or keyboard while writing novels and blogs.
The Boys
Mo (where did I think that one up?) my Lower-Handicap-Half is now retired and plays most days. He’s off 16 at present (though we think that should be a lot less). Where Mo’s golf has a solid dependable look about it, Reg has more of an artistic temperament and hits either (a) wildly or (b) with astounding flair and accuracy. His temper(ament) depends on how much of (a) is mixed in with (b) on any given day. Think of him as 25 (handicap, that is, though we can all dream).
An interesting aside? Winnie is a left-hander who plays right-handed, Reg is of the opposite persuasion (right-hander playing left). Is this a unique combination?