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?

That's what I call a golf course

This weekend we played a very nice course in West Midlands. As it had been frosty, all greens were temporary i.e. holes were short (yippee!) but putting was a nightmare. (You win some, you lose some?) Look out for the thirteenth tee over the water on this picture, but that was just for the men. The photo was taken from the ladies tee -now that's what I call a golf course!

Golf, ladies, but not as you know it

From Victoria
In case you are imagining that we play on manicured greens and fair fairways, we need to let you know that GCNY is more of a workaday golf club which right now is also being 'remodelled'. Funnily enough, we are the only lady members. I wonder why?