Back in January, I had committed my thoughts to blog about what the golfing year would have in store for me. Now, re-reading that entry, some 11 months later, it's interesting to see what transpired and, as I will outline here, how many great things happened that could not have been predicted. I hope you enjoy reading it.
April
My golfing year actually started earlier than I had anticipated, thanks to the demands of a new job. I inherited a global team and, as a result, paid some of the folks in the US a visit. As the itinerary of the trip fell into place, it became apparent that I would be spending Masters weekend across the pond. Clearly, with the weather looking half-decent (brilliant, as it turned out) and Virgin Atlantic still willing to transport your bats gratis, it was inevitable that I would be getting some golf in that weekend. Only questions would be where and, more importantly, with whom?
Having previously declared a desire to improve my Twitter-followers-I-have-met-in-real-life ratio, and having discovered that weekend was when Bethpage Black opened for the season, I threw out a casual invite to Herb McNally to see if he wanted to get together. For some strange reason, the prospect of a 4hr drive, followed by an equivalent queue in a pitch-black car park, to play golf with a near-total stranger didn't appeal, so I briefly toyed with the (hugely antisocial) idea of repeating my solo sojourn of 2012 and play Bethpage again, before suggesting that we find somewhere halfway between our respective bases. Herb was quick to suggest Broad Run GC, a bucket list course of his own, located about an hour west of Philadelphia and eminently accessible for both of us (if you are willing to count a three-train, four-hour schlep at 5am as accessible...which I do). The date was set and would become a bit like a blind date, the two of us being joined by Courtney Wolpert (Herb's better half) and Matt Salmon, a local Twitter connection. Herb & Courtney met me off the train for the short drive to the golf club and, blessed with unseasonably warm weather, four pairs of knees came out to play. What followed was one of the most enjoyable days I have experienced on a golf course, our lack of golfing prowess easily forgotten due to the quality of the company. I am also forever grateful for the post-golf/pre-train refreshments which certainly helped pass the journey back to NY...and quite a bit of Sunday too.
May
Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Grasp every opportunity. No regrets. Say yes. All of these mantras were running through my head when the opportunity - the perfect, couldn't have planned it better, once in a lifetime opportunity - came up to take a small detour, en route to a work conference, to experience a half-decent pay & play course on the Californian coast. You may have heard of this course before - it's called Pebble Beach.
Having committed to the idea of a day in Monterey, I did experience a momentary wobble when faced with the financial reality, plus I had also received whisperings that Spyglass Hill, for example, is actually a better course to play than its more famous neighbour. Despite the barriers to playing, I felt it was an opportunity I had to take, or risk regretting it forever and a day. So, how did I go about making this a reality?
I had read about how difficult it was to secure a tee time, especially if you aren't a resort resident (at $800 a night, I'll pass thanks) - the website explains how tee times can be secured only 24hrs in advance and this, logistically, presented me with a bit of a challenge. I would be arriving in LA, and available to make a phone call, late the previous day, which meant I would be risking being committed to a Monterey flight with no PB golf at the end of it. I could have booked a tee time at Spyglass (open 2 weeks before) but I wouldn't have been able to cancel this on arrival in the US. Hmm - tricky...what to do?
The best solution I could muster was to simply ring them up, a week ahead of the trip, turn on the English gentlemanly charm and ask if I can book a tee time...to which they said yes! Ok - now the reality bit home. I previously thought my Loch Lomond trip was pricey, but I'd just chumped $500 on a green fee...which was non refundable and my attendance was in the hands of a Sunday morning flight leaving on time and baggage handlers at LAX doing their thing. Gulp.
Thankfully, logistics all went smoothly (though the descent into Monterey airport is best described as 'aggressive'), and I enjoyed a leisurely spin along 17 Mile Drive to the #1 public golf course in the world. I had time to take in the atmosphere, hit some balls on the range and warm up the putter before go time, grouped with a father/son pair and another solo player, we were ready to take it on. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hugely relieved to get a good tee shot away - the smattering of polite applause from the assembled groups & spectators made it all the more special a moment.
All in all, my round was steady, if unspectacular. I redeemed a certain level of pride, stringing together three pars on the final three holes to salvage a gross 90 - considering the jet lag, the travelling that morning and the absurd amount of coffee I had drunk, it wasn't too bad. What of the course itself? Did it live up to its billing? Was it the greatest golfing experience of my life? Well, I am absolutely delighted to have ticked it off the list, playing considerably better than I did at Bethpage and Loch Lomond as a bonus, that's for sure. Would I do it again? Probably not - I believe playing at Pebble is a one-time thing - it'll be Spyglass next time then...
So, having blown the GDP of a small island nation on the Pebble Experience, what else could May possibly have in store worthy of documentation here? It's the annual pilgrimage to Southport for the Invitation at Royal Birkdale - keen to banish the memory of administrative errors that prevented an inevitable march to victory in 2013, Mark & I took our preparation incredibly seriously, with a (beautifully constructed) practice round the day before, followed by range & putting sessions prior to the off. We were confident. We were composed. We were...absolutely knackered.
'Peaking too soon' is, I think, the right expression for this outcome, our fine play from the day before completely deserting us both, allowing Simon & Nick, our playing partners for the day, to dish out a comprehensive gubbing. Cue much banter & merriment over the post-round beverages, obviously. Despite the abject crapulence of my golf, it was a fantastic couple of days, the course bathed in summer sunshine, with the added experience of a Royal Birkdale club dinner to boot. Thanks chaps - we'll get you back in 2015.
2014 was nearly halfway through and there was still more to come - to break up the heavyweight text, I'll tackle the rest of the year in part 2 of this review of my golfing year. Stay tuned....
I am the Part-Time Golfer
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