I previously wrote a semblance of a season preview, outlining what I had to look forward to during my golfing 2013. The time has flown by so quickly, it's hard to believe that I am writing this just a couple of weeks shy of November (did I really write that piece in April?).
Rather than produce a warts-and-all review of what golfing adventures I have experienced this year, I thought I would try and document the highlights & lowlights of 2013, whilst also looking ahead to the Harey Cup, the final piece of the puzzle taking place in Spain next week.
April
As predicted, not a huge amount of golf took place in April. All I could muster was a round with some of my fellow Harey Cuppers at Bushey Hall which, when all said & done, wasn't too terrible. A greater achievement during that particular round was convincing Richie Munro that La Cala would be the perfect venue for the Harey Cup later in the year (clearly if the other players don't enjoy it then it was all Richie's idea)
May
Anyone who has taken a holiday in the UK in May can appreciate the significant gamble that you take regarding the weather. If you choose to holiday in Wales, the risk of your days being moist increases significantly. When I last visited Anglesey in 2010, we were blessed with some fantastic weather and, luckily, 2013 was a similar story. Not as hot and definitely windier, but generally dry. I managed to get three rounds in during the week away (an amazing result), two of which were at Henllys Hall GC and one at Nefyn & District GC which was about an hour's drive away.
High point? Definitely shifting a 13-month-old monkey off my back by finally breaking 80 (2nd round of the trip; 1st at Henllys), despite making things difficult for myself with a fugly double on #17
Low point? Not so much a low point as an disappointment. It's probably sacrilegious, but I wasn't (metaphorically, anyway) blown away by Nefyn. Yes, it's a spectacular setting and, yes, it has plenty of history, blah, blah, etc, but, as a golfing experience, I just wasn't all that enchanted with it. The yardstick for me is 'Would I make the effort to go back and play again?' and the answer is, regrettably, no
June
The golfing focal point for June was expected to be the Men's Invitational at Royal Birkdale, preceded the day before with a round at Southport & Ainsdale but, for a number of comedic administrative reasons, it didn't quite work out as planned. To cut a long story short, I did play both courses, just not part of the competition on the Saturday. Did that have a detrimental effect on the weekend? Not in the slightest.
I really enjoyed S&A, despite the biblical rain immediately prior to teeing off and which, upon its return some four hours later, caused us to leave the course after 16 holes. I am very keen to play there again, particularly having seen the layout and knowing where not to put your ball.
Birkdale was even more enjoyable than I had hoped. Given, just 10 months previously, I had experienced my worst round in recent memory on the very same links, I was desperate to give a better account of myself and thankfully, despite only hitting one fairway all day (and 'achieving' five double-bogeys), I did just that. An 85, including an eagle-birdie finish, put a smile on my face that would last nearly a month until my next round.
July
As would appear to be the norm, the golf clubs went back in the shed upon my return from Southport and remained there for the best part of a month. I was unexpectedly invited to join a golf day hosted by ex-colleagues of my father-in-law at Brent Valley GC and, having not played for a while, it seemed rude not to get out whilst the sun was shining. I was not prepared for what would transpire that day.
I'd not played Brent Valley before and, frankly, it's no Augusta. It's a bit rough & ready but it was in good condition and the greens were well looked after, despite the prevailing hot conditions, they weren't burnt to a crisp. It's not a long course, but it's tight - the par is only 67. In short, having topped my opening 5-iron no more than 140 yds, resulting in a messy bogey, I wound up shooting 69, just +2 for the round and 43 stableford points.
Quite where this round came from, I still do not know. I certainly hadn't expected to play especially well, considering I hadn't touched my clubs since the middle of June and had only broken 80 once since April 2012. But, it was what it was, and I'll take it.
Am I counting this round as achieving one of my long-term goals, which is breaking 70? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I want to - yes, I've shot a 69 so I have achieved what I wanted to achieve, but it would be something else to achieve it on a course where the par is, at the very least, 70 if not 72
August
This month was all about the Woodhall Spa trip. There were five of us in total and the weekend comprised of Stoke Rochford GC on the Sunday afternoon, en route to Woodhall Spa, followed by the Bracken course on Monday afternoon and, finally, the Hotchkin course on the Tuesday morning.
Stoke Rochford was a lovely course - really nicely laid out and it had some real hidden dangers, chief of which was the knee-high wispy grass which formed the main body of rough on each hole. If you went in there, which we did (a lot), then it generally resulted in a lost ball or, if you were lucky, an ungainly chop back on to the short hairs.
Both courses at Woodhall Spa were incredible. The Bracken is a little easier off the tee (less carries over heather) but the greens are very undulating and tricky to navigate. Finding the right spot on the green would be the key to a good score around this course. As for the Hotchkin, it was a delight to play this course and, despite my appalling golf off the tee, I managed to negotiate it without entering a single bunker (a very important lesson to take away, as you can see below)
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| Hole #4 - Hotchkin |
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| Hole #6 - Hotchkin |
If you have an opportunity to schlepp across the Lincolnshire plains to reach it, I urge you to play Woodhall Spa - it's not as exclusive as you might think it is (green fee discounts for UK golf club members) and, if you use a golf travel company, the package deals available including accommodation are fantastic (we paid £250pp for 2 nights b&b plus the 2 rounds)
September
A proper continuation of my status as a Part-Timer, with just the one round to report from the whole of September. Thanks to the generosity of the club, and of course fellow Twitterer Matt Holbrook, I sampled 27 holes of Stapleford Abbotts GC nr Romford in cohorts with a number of Twitterati (plus my father-in-law)
Expectations were low, considering the now-familiar situation of not touching the clubs for the preceding month but, to my surprise, I actually got it round quite well. I still had the (now increasingly frequent) habit of throwing in too many doubles (four in a round of 84) but played some half-decent golf and I certainly felt like I putted pretty well.
Of the two courses on offer at Stapleford Abbotts, the main Abbotts course is certainly the more impressive, with some tight lines & careful positioning required off the tee. The Priors course is a great deal more forgiving, with an open layout and plenty of space if you are McIlroy-esque off the tee in terms of accuracy.
October
And here we are, charging headlong into autumn and the final lap of October. It won't surprise you to know that, since the Stapleford Abbotts day, my sticks have been resolutely entombed in the shed with absolutely no golf played. Thankfully, that all changes this coming weekend, with my long-awaited return to the roster of the Harey Cup at La Cala Resort, Spain.
I last played in the inaugural event, held in Portugal in 2008, so it's taken a good few years (and a LOT of brownie points, some of which are yet-to-be-earnt) to get involved this year but, having persuaded Richie of the merits of La Cala, it would have been rude not to play. There are ten of us taking part, split into two teams, contesting 11 points over the three rounds, so 6 points is the magic number to win the Cup. We also have a cumulative individual Stableford comp running through the weekend, plus a sweepstake for total lost balls (probably a lot) and gross birdies (probably not a lot), so it's a veritable feast of golf
In addition to the three planned rounds, myself and three other protagonists are taking early flights on Thursday morning, with a view to squeezing a few practice holes in that afternoon prior to consuming a cold beer or three whilst waiting for the others to arrive. With views like this on offer, what's not to like?
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| Campo Asia - La Cala |
It's my intention to provide as many Twitter updates as the event unfolds (wifi signal permitting, naturally - I'm not made of money) so, if you are a Twitterer, do make sure you follow me and the other players for the developments & banter (Scho, Nick, Richie, Tom, Matt, Andy)
I am also intending to provide a full update post-event on this blog although, if my previous form is any indication, it'll be a surprise if I get that done before Christmas.
I am the Part-Time Golfer
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