Slingers bestest shots!

Wendy

My most memorable shot was a massive duffer, so we won’t go into that.  The 3 aces are memorable too but although 2 of them were well-struck shots, I don’t consider them my best shots.  This may be stretching the thread,   but my most memorable & bestest shots were on one hole right here at my local course.  Back in April it was the Vets vs Ladies Matchplay.  The Vets have never lost the overall match.  I was paired with an excellent partner & we were 3 up with 5 to play after the 13^th.  Next up was the long uphill par 5 14^th hole, which I have only made par on a couple of times in “hundreds”  of years.  My partner suddenly went awol on this hole,  I had a shot in hand over the men to win it, but I didn’t need it.  BAM, BAM, BAM, 3 GREAT SHOTS IN A ROW,  a long putt to the edge of the hole for a tap in.  The looks on the men’s faces was wonderful.  The hole was ours & we were dormy.

OK we lost a couple of holes on the way back but we still won by 2.  The Vets retained their winning record but we ran them closer than ever before.  I have played golf several times since then with one of the men from that round & he still whispers “Bandit” in my ear when we meet. If he ever tries to forget, I’ll keep reminding him!  PS Haven’t made par on it since.

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8’ed

You all know I play a little golf once in a while. OK, I’m addicted, it’s my crack. I’d rather play golf than have sex (with my wife). HA!
(I’ll leave that to my Editor to leave in or cut)

I’ve had 2 holes in One, and the ultra-rare Albatross, a deuce on a par 5. Number 8 on Lassing Point in Northern Kentucky, the first time I’d seen the course. The flag was blocked by trees, so I hoisted a 5 wood over them, & we looked all around the green before my mate walks by the hole & says we won’t have to look for my ball anymore. I didn’t believe him, but yes it was in the hole. The yellow srixon z-star-x #2 is still in my undie drawer.

However, that wasn’t my “Best shot”, neither were the 2 aces. When a ball lands, it’s chaos. It bounces, spins, rolls…you can’t control that, it’s truthfully “luck” when it goes in.
My best shot - Number 12 at Lakeside Golf Course, a 515 yard par 5, that bends gently to the right, with a smattering of trees down the right. Fairway slopes right…this was a few years ago, when my cut shot drew 15 yards (Tugoo can attest). Anyway, I block a drive hits a tree & it’s blocked by a small tree 40 yards up, but on a great lie in the first cut of rough on the right. I’m maybe 250 from the green into a bit of a wind, but have no shot at it. It’s a hanging lie, so I might be able to start something 80 yards left of the green…I choose Driver off the deck because my 3 wood couldn’t move right to left if my next round depended upon it. There’s also a hanging branch 20 yards up, that forced a very low shot. My other option was to punch something low to 100 & have a wedge in, but….what’s the fun it that?

I take a rip, aiming at long grass left of the fairway. I can’t see the green, but know exactly where it is. The last 50 yards are up a steep hill, a good 35 feet above the fairway. The ball is hit in the center of the face, takes off like shot from a cannon, flies below that branch straight as a arrow, it starts to rise, & amazingly, starts to cut, the more it rises the more it cuts, it’s slicing by its apex, and I’m sprinting to my left watching it bend around the grove of evergreens that guard the right front. I see it hit just in front of the green, but cannot see where it bounces but feel really damn good about it. Get up to the green, it’s 2 feet just behind the hole. A tap in Eagle. Not the best score I’ve ever got on a hole…but, I hit the shot that I envisioned, against all my tendencies. I may be weird, I think a big fat slice is the best shot I’ve ever hit.

EMC

I remember these shots like they were ‘played’ last week.  2 good….and one bad.
1960?    I was in high school.  Was playing on a Monday at Ozaukee C.C. in Mequon, WI.
It was ‘caddy day’. The caddys could play for free.  Rules were simple. If members played that day you had to let them play through, and you had to help them if they were looking for a wayward shot. However, the members seldom played ! But, the Caddy Master, and pro’s might. It was a big day for the club pro’s giving lessons…..to the members….at the range.

I was on a par 5.    In the fairway maybe 230-40 ? The hole had few flat areas.     An the green was slightly elevated.  And small. Yes, I remember.  I caddied and played there a few hundred X. I grabbed my 2 or 3 ‘wood’ (Wilson Staff) and set up for a shot to anywhere close to the green.    Hole was 485 (?) and I would have to nail it to get close to home.  I remember the shot. The ball ‘flew off’ the club. I hit it right on the screws.  I carried it to the green and I watched as it bounced, hit the pin and it settled close to the pin.  I was in a ‘rush’. I had a chance for an eagle. It would be my first real chance !!
I walked up to the green and there it sat.  Less than a foot from the cup. I MADE THE PUTT.
I’ll never forget my first eagle !! Did I mention I cannot remember if I was alone ?  I think I was alone ?

Really, I played alone quite a bit back then.

I985 ?  Out with my buddies for a Sunday am round in the Kettle Moraine hills about 30 miles outside of Milwaukee.     It was Autumn.  I remember the leaves. I remember the shot of my lifetime!     Truly a hero shot. Better than any earlier’ hero shot’ I had pulled off. I could never duplicate this shot…..ever.
My tee shot went straight to the right.    Up a hill and into a cove of oak or maple trees. I found my ball and looked to the green….down, and let’s face it….impossible to get it out of jail.    HA !!    Logic and reason were never my best friend !!  I remember it like I just did it.     In jail….and I had no chance.    But, I pulled a 3 or 4 iron and aimed for a minuscule opening near the top of one of the trees. Did I mention ‘small’ ?

I set up and pasted a sweet hard hit shot……and waited for that ‘crack sound’, the ball hitting one of the 200 branches.  I saw the ball travel like a song, yep…right at the green, which was down maybe 40 feet and surrounded by traps. The ball hit the right side of the green and rolled slowly (it seemed) left to the pin, and rested about 2-3 ft from an improbable birdie.  AGAIN….I made the putt.     Just the biggest golf high I’ve ever had.

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EM

When I was 10, my Mom bought me a set of Sears golf clubs, and from that point on I always wanted to be a professional golfer.  From the start I was a natural at the game.  The swing and the understanding of the game came easy for me.  Unfortunately there were no junior programs, and we did not belong to a private club, so I never got the chance to see how good I could play.  The desire to play in a professional tournament for money was always there.  During the 90’s I tried to qualify for the Colorado Open a couple of times, but bombed.  In 2002 we moved back to Louisiana.  There was a local “money tour” that played the courses near my home, so I signed up to play.  It was fun, I won a few times but the champions check was never more than $500.00.

In late 2003 my small tour merged with a larger tour out of Dallas and we played what was called the National Championship, with a first prize of $7,500.  I played well enough on Saturday to be 3 strokes behind and I was in the last group on Sunday.  The first hole was a dog-leg par 5, reachable in 2 if you hit your drive to the right spot.  I hit a good drive, but I was too far to the left to get home in 2.  I had about 220 to the flag, but I would have to hit a perfect high draw to get any where close to the green.  The guy who was leading had already hit 2 bad shots, so I was in great position to make up some ground.  I told my wife to help me keep an eye on the shot because I was really going to have to go after it.  I took out my 4 iron and hit the most beautiful high draw you could imagine, almost exactly as I had visualized.  We knew it was good, but had no idea how good.  We got to the green and I was about 12 feet from the hole….not sure how it got there.  When my turn came, I stepped up and rolled the big breaking putt dead into the heart of the hole for Eagle.  The leader was so nervous that he doubled the first hole, and just like that I was leading the tournament.  I had a couple of other memorable shots on my way to winning the tournament by 3 strokes, but that 4 iron on the first was what got me going.  During the trophy presentation they gave me a nice trophy and handed my wife a check for $7,500……my life long dream had come true.

Metro

My best shot was a chip. Sorry 8!
It was the Metropolitan GC Club Championship 36 hole final and I’m up against Annie Johnson. Annie and I were good mates. She was/is a country girl in every sense of the word, didn’t have a bad bone in her 6 foot tall body and man, could she play!  She was long – stupid long in the nicest possible way! She was an Aussie rep several times and was playing at her best when we met in the first of our 3 time finals
The morning 18 had me 4 down. I wasn’t playing bad, but not great either. I’m a couple over and she was just rockin’ along, a couple under, doing her thing – think a sweet version of John Daly and you are getting there….

Lunch done and after 9 holes, I’m two under and have cut into the 4 holes down deficit by two. I birdied 10, 12, 14, 15 and 17 to get to one up!  She matched me on 10 and 14 with birdies of her own. No bogeys from either of us us since the front nine in the morning…. Hooley dooley and game on!!!
The last hole at Metro is a long par 4. She was 30 yards past me as was normal. I’ve hit a pretty good 6 iron that has come up just a wee bit short leaving me a nasty chip to a front hole location. She duly knocked in a wedge or 9 iron to 15 feet, but above the hole.
Now putting was never Annie’s strength, so I figured if I could get it close with my chip, I may just about have it done. The greens were at Metro’s normal 14 on the stimp and the lie was tight, very. I hit the sweetest little chip that caught the lip, stayed out, but only a couple of inches away. She made a decent putt, but missed and I had won my first Club Championship at Metro and against one of the best players in the country.

Chevy

I’ve had 2 holes in one but I don’t think they were my best shots, although the second in 2010 might be since it was a perfect tee shot of 185 yards hit with a 5 iron that took 2 hops and rolled right into the hole. The first happened in 1995. It was my first year playing in a league and the first ace they had since that league started 31 years prior. It was only a 140 yard par 3 and the ball actually landed 20 feet left of the flag but the slope of the green took it into the hole. I didn’t actually see the ball go into the hole since I was picking up my tee. I thought it had stopped moving until the other guys in the group said it’s in the hole! But my most memorable shot was when I was on a golf weekend with 7 friends up in Garland Michigan back in 2003. We were in the second day of a 3 day weekend filled with 72 holes of golf. We were playing 4 man captain’s choice and were on the second hole on the Reflections course, a relatively short par 5 dog leg left and we were only 205 yards out. I was using a Cobra baffler 5 wood back then that was actually a wooden club. But I loved that old 5 wood and used it until it fell apart. I hit a nice high shot right at the flag and it landed right in the hole and stayed in. It actually took a little half moon chunk out of the side of the hole. It was a 2 on a par 5, a double eagle or an albatross if you will.

Easy

My shot that stands out in my mind was at the Old Course, St Andrews, the first time I played it. Not my only hole in one. None of the five 8 irons I have holed from the fairway. This was St Andrews, I was 40 years old at the time, but nervous as any golfer could be. The Home of Golf. The one course most people in the world travel to play. And I was there. I had only been playing 7 years at that point, but I followed golf since the age of 10. I knew the history, even then. My golfing hero, Nick Faldo, won there at a canter 8 years earlier. I went up with my two uncles and we teed off on a cold October day. Uncle Pat was a 9 handicapper, Geoff was 18, I was off 15 then. Pat had a caddie I later learned was asked by Anika Sorenstam’s sister to caddie full time on the LPGA, but he had 5 kids and didn’t want to leave .
It was an amazing experience playing the Old Course. You know every hole from TV and it is surreal. On the way home, you begin to think about the Road Hole, probably the most famous par 4 in the world. You get to the tee and have to aim over the Old Course Hotel sign, formally the railway sheds. I played safe, hitting it a bit left into the rough. So I decided to lay up with a 9 iron. I almost hit it OOB toward the hotel, but was left with a wedge to the green, off a sidehill lie, above my feet. Thinking of the road behind the green, I hit a terrible shot, into the larger bunker 60 yards short of the green. How did that happen ? When I got there, the pin was tucked behind the Road Hole bunker, so I hit a 52 degree wedge, just behind the ball. The lip was 2 feet, not so bad. But after that, I was just hoping to get it somewhere near the green.
Well, the ball flew over the pin, toward the road, but hit the green and spun back 20 feet, I kid you not. The caddie was gobsmacked a hacker like me pulled it off. I have never seen a pro hit that shot there, but then again, no pro would have been in that bunker ! Even better, I holed the putt and Uncle Geoff on the right, even raised his hand as the putt dropped.
I was so pumped up after that, I drove down the 18th over the road, leaving 70 yards to the green, which I then 2 putted for par with a dozen people watching. What a feeling !
I got out of jail with that bunker shot, because of where it was, was my greatest, most memorable one. I still look at that bunker when the Open is there and still smile 🙂

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Fruit and Nutz part deaux

Radar

Played with Cal , my son Chad who can legally drink beer in 9 days and my buddy Tony who just moved here 2 weeks ago. He worked with me for the last 9 years in Arizona  and was one of my best guys ,I’m very happy he joined my team here.

Radar decided he wanted to get together and play Monarch Dunes “THE CHALLENGE COURSE”, he was hoping for around 1 or so, but I had work planned for that day, and asked if we could meet at 4. Reaching your 58th birthday, you tend to forget little things, like that Saturday was my birthday, and didn’t realize it until the night before. So I texted Radar to let him know I could play earlier, since he made plans to play with his son Chad, and his business partner Tony, at Pismo State Beach Golf Course their par 3 course first.( I chose to blow work off completely that day and enjoy my 29th birthday-haha)

The four of us met at Pismo State Beach, and played this flat, par 3 course, with just a few obstructions (3 water hazards). It is pretty forgiving if you miss-hit, and can usually up and down for pars, although the greens are really slow, and they don’t have much break at all. Chad was striping the ball, and if he didn’t have 3 bad holes, he would of played lights out for him. Myself, having blown of work realizing it was my birthday, I chose to surf early morning first, and true to form, it affected my touch with the putter and game a little. I wasn’t doing too bad, but one hole, number 8 thinned my tee shot, and hit this 18 inch chicken wire fence they put up at the hazards edge to keep the Coots of the course. My ball would of run up, but NOOOO, into the drink. I ended up playing bogey golf, where on this course I’m usually only 3 or so over. Tony was hitting it well, and ended up taking this first 9 holes. Tony shot a 32, I a 35 and I believe, Radar a 37 or 38, and his either a 38 or 39….gotta admit the age thing, i’m losing it……haha . Great day for Chad, for he has only been playing for a few months and he was hitting it well

About 20 years ago, I would play out there a bunch, go out late in the after noon, by myself, pay 4 bucks, and hit 3 balls, and play until dark. This is actually where I honed my short game, and for a year kept track of what I played this course to, and averaged a 29 for the entire year. As much as everybody thinks shooting par on these par 3’s is easy, they will get humbled quickly, especially on this next course we were about to play.

This was a good warm up for what was to come……………Monarch Dunes Challenge Course; a 12 hole par 3, that really tests your game, no matter the skill level. I will post some photos……..

Tony and Radar did “BITCH” in the beginning how quick the greens were, and how hard they were to putt on. I forewarned them about that, but seeing and doing in this case, was actually believing. They have now put two pins on each hole, one with a larger cup where the red flag is in an easy location to hit, while the yellow and black checkered flag is a regulation hole, but the placement on each hole, tucked tightly back in a tough pin location. Every green on this course has a ton of break, lot of elevations, and changes in directions. They all have tiers and sometimes impossible to stop a tee shot close.

The first hole is over a large swale, and if you hit pin high, your off the green, if you hit short it hits the back side of this swale and also lands off the green. If you hit the middle of the green, you have this huge ridge with a gnarly break to get to the hole. (Mind you this is hole 1). So, pick your poison. We have these young kids on the tee, that let us play ahead of them, the one guy hit at both pins and was waiting on his friend and his friends girlfriend. I teed up with my 22degree 6 wood, where I play a slight fade, and hit it out left of the green, but faded right back into the flag. The kid said…….great hit!! If I go left, there is almost certain double or triple bogey, if my club didn’t fade back in. Cause it’s all swales and gnarly grass as you will see in the photo’s……….Sure enough I run 15 feet off the green, but proceed to chip within 4 feet and make the putt. These 4 foot putts are a bitch!!!

Hole 2 playing 162 yards, with wind at your back, bunker on the left and right, and trouble all the way there except for about 30 yards right in front of the green. I hit my tee shot middle of the green, make a great lag putt to within 3 feet and make par.

Hole 3 is usually the charity hole out here, cause it’s very short, and the only one short. It was playing 77 yards over water, and sure enough I came up 2 feet short, and ended up in the water. I proceeded to take a drop, and think I doubled this hole, not sure, but I know my chip was close, but the pin location on a ridge you had to putt up.

Hole 4 played about 142 yards, pin tucked on left side, but knowing the course, don’t go at it, cause if you pull a little your in trouble, everything funnels to front center, just hit center. Sure enough, I hit it, ran up to the ridge and settled back down giving me a 30 foot birdie putt. I was not trying to MAKE the birdie putt, cause I know if you go past, you very rarely make the putt coming back, so I left it 3 feet short up hill for par……..3 par in 4 holes. (should of been 4 pars).

Hole 5 down hill, today playing about 210 yards, but very small landing area short of the green, and water all on the right side of the green. I hit my tee shot solid right at it, but caught the last swale before it, and PLUGGD. I have a picture of it, one foot higher, I run close to the pin probably. I got lucky on my out, and popped It forward about 15 feet, back into the fairway, and up and downed for bogey. Very, very lucky here, that I stiffed my chip.

Hole 6, I hit a tee shot pin high, but it was about 50 feet right of the pin. I went right at the stick, but the wind pushed it way right at the end, Tony was surprised, he said you were right at it, but the crosswind once it gets past the Eucalyptus trees, the wind will get a hold of your ball and push it right. Well, I had to navigate keeping it up on a ridge, but right on the line, so it wouldn’t roll away, but then had 3 breaks in the putt. I managed to put it about 2 feet or less of the pin, and tap in for par. Another miraculous save……if I was to putt that same putt 10 times, I don’t think I would of gotten another one to come that close. Brutal…..just brutal.

Well, to sum it up, and keep this somewhat short, I ended up with a stretch of double, triple, double, which KILLED my round, and ended up winning with a 12 over score. I will post a photo of 3 balls I putt on a tee shot on number 4 from a week earlier when I played there, having not played this course in a year. The pin tucked on the upper tier left edge, yet I put 3 tee shots right there. I was out practicing having fun, and shot 4 over. Well, I was well on my way to the same type of round, but came unglued in a 3 hole stretch which is easy to do.

Radar and Tony could not believe how tough this little par 3 course was. Tony hitting greens, but one green he hit, he 4 putted. Radar got it together on the last 5 holes, and shot 3 over during that span. But I think he said something like he was 15 over after 7…….

It was another great day of golf, and want to thank Radar again for picking up my round at Monarch Dunes Challenge as a birthday gift. It was fun playing with everyone that day, even though I literally played bogey golf………..aaargh, but then again I’m on opinon8ed about my game………..HA!

Cheers Mate…………..here’s to more outings in the future, with more Slingers!!

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Blacklake fruit and nuts

Radar

Having played with Slingers before it comes as no surprise that the boys back East had such a great time. Superb write ups,  pictures and videos. I’ve played with Doc, Metro, EMC and Billy and always have fun with my fellow Slingers, I don’t care that I get my ass whooped ,playing the game and having fun is what counts.

Yesterday I played for the first time with Rick aka Calsurfer. He’s a couple of years older than me but the ocean breeze has done him good, he’s in damn fine shape. Also met Dirck ,his 17 yr old son. One of these days I’ll have to play a round with him. I should really get pissed off at these kids that can hit it straight for 500 yards but I happen to enjoy watching it.

Both of us played pretty crummy on the front nine , I could use the excuse that we were hurried a bit but really both of us were talking up a storm getting acquainted and really weren’t focused all that much. Blacklake is a course were good golfers should really be able to score on. I didn’t feel like I played all that bad on the front nine but I didn’t score at all and completely butchered one hole for a snowman + 1 …and a few triples to add to the misery.. Had at least one shitty shot on all holes, bladed about 4 short pitches that all flew off the green on the other side and didn’t sink a putt.

Back nine was much better, started off with my first Gir on the par 3 10th and finally sank a  4 foot putt for my first par.  Had some nice irons, with my new clubs I don’t think I’m all that much more consistent but my good hits are much better that what they used to be. I had a nice drive on 14 I believe it was and had about 150 -155 yards left slightly down hill. With my old clubs that would have been a solid 6 to get there, now I took my 7 that I hit sweet and it sailed probably at least 40 -50 ft past the hole. And then I sink the birdie put from  a mile away…definitely the one that will keep me coming back.

Also had a few great shots with my new favorite club the approach wedge  and unfortunately I had a snowman on 18 ending up shooting a 48 ,other than that the back nine were above average for me. Again, the score really didn’t matter, I had the privilege yet again to meet a fellow slinger and had one hell of a time. To be continued soon !!!

Cal

OK………Radar and I had a LOW KEY EVENT at Blacklake Golf Course in Nipomo….Sent metro some picks and couple of videos….Here’s my story, and I’m sticking too it. Way to go guys…..NICE OUTING……..but you can’t beat the price we paid……….NADA ZIPP ZILCH
That’s right, our outing was free, and er done in under 3.5 hours. I played another 9 after Radar left, and in less than 5 hours played 27.Metro……..sent ya a bunch of pictures and a few video clips…..of the outing with Radar………good times. Struggles at first, but I got it together later. I played 18 holes with Radar, best thing, the entire outing free…..haha.We sucked to begin the front 9, but got it together on the back 9. Then he had to leave, I played another 9.
I started double, triple, double, finished with 5 doubles and triple on the front 9 for a 52. OUCH!! I was telling Radar, I never golf well at first if I surf before, like I did (gonna have to stop surfing before golf….kills my game). Back 9 missed a couple of easy putts, but shot a 42. Then I became a machine on the next 9. This course has 3 different 9 holes you can play. I shot a 39, hitting a ball deep into a hazard having to take a drop and a double bogey on number 8. Still pretty stoked to finish 42, 39. That 52 way out of context for me.
Radar struggled mightily on the front 9 as did I, but regrouped big time on the back 9. I’ll let him share his side of the story. He got to meet Dirck, and sent you a photo of the two together.

Enjoy………Good Times!!

BTW……….we were gonna LIE about the front 9…………man did that eat us alive. I shaved 10 strokes on the back 9……that is hideous if you can do that……..haha
Gotta love my last 9 though, a 39, and should of been a 37 cause I got COCKY, cause I was hitting it so pure at that point……I went for it………………….DUH!!! haha
Son just called, I’m outta here, I HAVE TO GO PLAY GOLF with my son………..note the YELLING ON I HAVE TO PLAY………………..haha

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Midwest with Doc and GGS – by GGS

My side of the story

I realize that I do not spend much time on this site. This is mostly because the times that I get on, most of you are saying good night. Metro was suggesting that I should consider posting a few notes from time to time. I believe I can probably do that. So here goes.
For my first attempt, I will attempt to summarize my encounter with Doc and being subjected to a thorough thrashing on the golf course.
First of all, if the rest of you are anything like Doc, then I am sure we could have lots of fun if we ever managed a get together. The only caveat regarding that is I have about a six hundred mile range that I travel in. In my other life I travelled a lot and that is not something I really care for any more. One day by car is about my limit nowadays. Doc is an interesting individual and a formidable golfer. We found common ground on many levels. After all, he is a doctor and I am sick.

We were talking about the Fox blog and he mentioned that some folks look upon me as a fence sitter. This does not happen to be the case but I do understand why people would assume that. I have no issue with seeing another’s point of view, even if I do not agree with it. I am also not that smug to believe that my view is always the correct one, even though, at the time, it happens to be the correct one for me. There are several folks on the Fox blog that would definitely dispute this. I believe that a person has no hope of growing as such, if they are resistant to changing their point of view, if a better one happens to come along. Many people allow personal feelings to cloud their judgment. That is to say, their opinion of the person providing the point of view. In most cases, I do not. So much for philosophizing.

Now for the nitty gritty which was definitely not pretty. This is strictly a synopsis of my play….or lack thereof. Doc felt the course was too short and I thought it was a stretch for my ability level. Normally 6000 yards is within my comfort level. We played Hawk Hollow at about 6200. Only a couple of hundred yards more you say. What’s the problem? Problem is I am 68 with no golf skills. Sure I can talk a great game. After that, all bets are off. First of all the par threes averaged around 185 yards and most had water involved. When my best drive (driver) only carries 180 yards you should realize the issue. Again that is not a complaint because there was nothing that said I had to play the same tees as Doc. It was actually fun. There were no broken clubs and I managed to keep my vocabulary reasonably proper, although that did take some doing. At the start I figured I could likely achieve shooting bogies. Sadly I managed +19. The annoying thing was that I had a makeable birdie putt on 18 which I botched. In any case, I sent Metro a couple of pictures of the course. It is a nice track in my opinion. I will leave it to Doc to give you his view. Oh I almost forgot my excuse. It normally takes me four holes to get the kinks out. We finished three holes and were called of the course due to lightening in the area. There was an ensuing Monsoon however the course drains well. Mind you when we got back to number four, I had to go through the getting the kinks out routine all over again and I never really did. And that folks is my story and I am sticking with it no matter what Doc may say.

G. G. Sturm

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Doc

Pretty much nailed it GG….did i really call you a fence sitter ? I probably did, but there are times when i forgot what i did 5 minutes ago. We did have a great day….both on and off the course. We started of at the range with the hope of loosening a few bolts. I was lamenting to GG that i hadn’t played in about 3 weeks, which is ultra rare for me, because of my fly trip to Montana and some work related travel to AZ….but i don’t think he was buyin’ it. We both hit a few rocks and before you know it, GG was playing Butch Harmon to some Chicky probably taking her first swings….paused for a bit to admire his style.

Golf was a lot of fun with my new friend….until the weather police told us to take a break after we finished #3. A pretty good rain storm blew through while we sat it out in the Clubhouse laughing about some of the characters on Focks….i wonder if that was when i said fence sitter….still dont remember?? We played on after a 45 minute delay rarely seeing many other groups as our twosome moved pretty quickly.

Don’t let GG BS you about his game. I’m sure he doesn’t get the distance he used to, but he hits it straight and rarely did i find him wondering off the track. He chips and putts aggressively and didnt often putt more than once after a pitch from around the green. As for me…actually thought i hit it ok for not having played much recently….thats probably why, didnt have time to let my brain get in the way. Made a bunch of pars, but most of lost strokes came on 3 or so holes where brain farting was the rule. I guess i can attribute that to some rust…..did i mention my dog ate my homework ?? We did have a mini “Tin Cup” moment. Think it was # 7….about a 195ish par 3 downhill protected by the water front and right. Was either even or +1 heading in. Club choice was a challenge….wind was swirling and the pin was about 10 paces from the right front. Grabbed a 6 and hit what i “KNEW” was a perfect shot…straight at the pin….but, alas, about 2 yards short and right in the bathtub. GG hit a lovely shot as well…probably landed about 3 inches from my ball at the bottom of the drink. No way i was going to the drop area. Long story short….same club, same result. My 2 and GG’s first would have been considered a good grouping on a dart board. GG hit a great 2nd attempt play a smart shot to the left side of the green taking the water out of play. Older ? Yes…but definitely wiser.

We followed up golf with some dinner and a cocktail at a local sports bar up the road a bit….with me moaning about Hunter Mahan doing the WD dance. I picked him first in the Canadian….RATS!! All in all…a good day playing golf with a good man. Quoting GG…”what you see is what you get”.

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LPGA Marathon – a photographer’s view – by TAF

Last week, when I was out of town, I was attending the practice rounds of the Marathon Owens Corning LPGA event up near Toledo, OH. This used to be called the Jamie Farr Classic. Now, it is the Marathon Owens Corning Classic. I attended the practice rounds because I wanted to photograph the golfers, and, as in the PGA events, the LPGA forbids cameras during the actual tournament. I don’t know if this is leading anywhere, but I am definitely exploring getting press credentials and maybe doing this to bring in some extra income. Not just golf, but Cincinnati has an upcoming tennis event, and a beach volleyball tournament. Too many variables right now to fully understand what I am getting into, what it takes, if it will lead anywhere, and will it be worth it. Regardless, I had a terrific time at the Marathon.

When I shot the Memorial tournament up near Columbus, Ohio, fans didn’t see many big name golfers until the Wednesday Pro-Am. Granted, Monday is traveling day for most of these guys. But, Vijay was out both Monday and Tuesday. Kuchar, who won the event, was out on the course on Tuesday. Webb Simpson, Bill Haas and a few others also made Tuesday. But, for the most part, one didn’t see the marquis golfers until Wednesday. That is why I was so surprised to find out that, at the LPGA tournament, a Pro-Am tournament was scheduled for Monday morning – at 7:30 am. Keep in mind these were not big names. Still, after learning that, and seeing nearly every big name golfer there (even if they were not in the Pro-Am) on Monday morning, I have a newfound respect for these ladies. Do you think Tiger, Rory Luke, and others would be there on a Monday – in the morning? But, there was Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko, and others on the practice greens, the driving range and chipping area.

Things went from good to better very early on. Jee Young Lee’s caddie saw me outside the roped-off fairways, and waved me out onto the fairway. Here I am walking down the middle of the fairway, with Jee Young Lee’s caddie chatting it up with me. He couldn’t have been nicer. I saw him later in the day and he waved and called out, “hi, Steve.” The next day we ran into each other again, and he stopped and chatted with me for a few minutes. As Monday went on, I still didn’t take as many liberties as I probably could have. I didn’t want to push my luck. And I was still trying to get a feel for things. I didn’t want to get in trouble. It was a little difficult trying to take photographs of the pros without also getting the amateurs, their caddies and the scorekeepers somewhere in the photo. But I persevered.

Tuesday was practice rounds for nearly everyone. That was much more enjoyable. No amateurs getting in the way. Just the pros and their caddies. I had some misfortune in that when I ran into Lydia Ko, she was walking off the #9 green, signing autographs for everyone. I asked her if her round was complete, or if she had 9 more to play. She said she had just finished all 18. There was a Pro-Am on Wednesday, but, since she is not a pro, she was not entered in that. That kind of stunk. On the plus side, a rookie golfer from Canada, Sue Kim, asked me if I wouldn’t mind sending her some of the photos that I was taking of her. She gave me her email address (I thought that was unusual), and I plan on doing that. She was very nice, as was her caddie. I sensed her mother, who was walking outside the roped-off areas, kept her eye on me, though. I followed her (Sue) for a few holes, in the fairway, of course. The #5 hole is a par 4, 400 yds. After a 250 yd drive (she is 5’2″) she pulls an iron out of her bag, and holes out from about 150 yds away. After jumping and celebrating for a few seconds, her caddie yells over to me, “did you get that on film?” I told him I did. Stills, not video, though. But that was really cool to see. I will send her some photos. She is a struggling rookie. I’ve made more money this year than she has. 5 tournaments. 2 cuts made. She missed the cut here. For me, it was a rewarding day from both perspectives – fan and professional.

Wednesday rolled around and the weather just kept getting worse. Low 90’s, high humidity, little breeze. Very hot and muggy. The Pro-Am that day started at 7:00 am. Every big name in the field was there. The Memorial Pro-Am had 24 pros in it. This one had 60! And it wasn’t a shotgun start, either. One group teed off on #1. Another on #10. 10 minutes later, a 2nd group teed off. It made it longer for the marshals and volunteers, but much better for me. I also found myself taking more and more liberties with the grounds and roped-off areas. I was still trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, but I also adopted the policy that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. To be honest, many of the marshals and volunteers thought I probably had press credentials and didn’t bother asking if I did. Many of the pros and amateurs thought so, too. I bet I was asked 10 times who I was shooting for. I was able to get away with a lot more than I thought I would. There is absolutely no way I could have done this at Jack’s tournament. I couldn’t see me walking down a fairway behind Lee Westwood or Adam Scott. But here? Yeah, the ladies don’t draw the crowds that the guys do. But the atmosphere seemed so much more relaxed. Everyone was so nice, from the golfers, the caddies, the volunteers (supplying me with water, and even some food, all day long) and even some of the amateurs who paid to play with these ladies. The photos I took here are so much better than the ones I took at the Memorial. Some of that is a learning process. At Jack’s tourney, I didn’t pay as much attention to the backgrounds as I should have. This time, I was much more cognizant of everything going on. At Jack’s, I felt rushed because the marquis names were all on the course at the same time. Not nearly as much in Toledo. Yeah, there were a few times when I had to decide which golfer to shoot, and which to pass up. In some of those cases, the “golf fan” in me won out over the “professional.” Still, I had photographed some of them the day before, so I could justify it. And lastly, as I said earlier, I had much more freedom to move around. I did not abuse it, in my opinion. I was constantly telling myself I do not want to be a distraction. These pros, even though these were practice rounds, are on the job. They are working. The last thing I wanted to do was wear out my welcome. I never set foot on a green. I rarely spoke to any of the golfers. To me, I was working as well.

Now, my perception of some of the golfers I saw. It may not be fair to judge someone after watching them for a few minutes for one or two days. But, here it goes. World #1 Inbee Park seems about as lifeless in person as she does on TV. I like athletes who keep their emotions in check, and conduct themselves with a little dignity and class. But, c’mon, Inbee, show a little emotion, especially when people are paying good money to play with you. Christina Kim; kinda how she appears on TV. Loud, and entertaining, if you like that. Paula Creamer; I saw her on a few holes and she was really mixing it up, laughing and interacting with the group. However, there was a fan I had been talking to for quite some time. He was there with his 12 year old son and was getting autographs and a quick photo from nearly every pro that went by. He had asked me if I wouldn’t mind taking a photo, with my camera, of him, his son, and her, and email it to him. I said sure. Paula was his favorite LPGA golfer. When walking from one green to the next tee, she did give him an autograph, but she gave off very negative vibes. I thought it might be my imagination, but he felt it, too. He didn’t even ask her for a photograph. She just seemed very distant. I felt bad for the guy. The other thing I thought very strange was she putted before the other golfers did, and she was the first one to tee off, too. She was the only one I saw do that, with the exception of Jennifer Rosales. Jennifer teed off before the amateurs in her group, but that was because they had all just gotten food and drinks at a caterer’s tent set up on course. Natalie Gulbis; very personable. She almost had an entourage around her, for obvious reasons. Yet, she seemed to give back as much attention to her fans as she received from them. Always chatting and engaging. A lot of interaction among her group. This was quite different from Hee Kyung Seo. Although she is one of the more striking women on the tour, to me, she seemed rather aloof. Her group was waiting on the tee box for the group ahead of them to clear. Complete silence from everyone. She didn’t speak. None of the 4 guys (all the groups had 4 amateurs) spoke. None of their caddies. Silence. I finally went up to her and asked if I could get a posed photo of her while they were waiting. Normally, I do not like posed photos. I like the action shots. But I thought, why not? They were all just waiting and I wasn’t interrupting anything. She obliged, was very nice, and turned on the charm. Then they teed off and went on their way. In all fairness, they had been out there for some time, were close to completing their round, and the weather was rather miserable.

IK Kim is my favorite golfer. I followed her group for 3, maybe 4 holes. While she wasn’t quite as lively as some of the others, she did interact quite well with her group, gave a few golf tips, and at one point, livened things up by putting ice cubes down the back of her caddie’s shirt. Hands down, the golfer with whom I was most impressed was Hee Young Park. She was extremely animated, clapping and cheering when someone in her group hit a good shot and displaying playful, spirited anguish when they narrowly missed a long putt. The 3 or 4 holes I followed her were the most entertaining I saw. When I found his ball in the rough, one of the amateurs waved for me to come out into the fairway. We were walking up the fairway, behind everyone in her group. I asked him if the amateurs, when they sign up for this Pro-Am, can choose who they want to play with, or is it a random draw. He told me it is random. I told him I think he did pretty well. He replied – and this is pretty much a quote – “Are you kidding? I hit the jackpot. She just won a couple of days ago. She has a ton of talent. And she is bubbly as can be. And… well… just look at her.” I told him I agreed with him completely. Granted, winning a tournament a few days before and cashing a big paycheck can do wonders for your disposition. Still, you have to give her credit for the way she entertained her group. That same hole, they had to wait a few minutes for the group ahead of them to clear the green. So, I am looking through my lens, checking the ISO, f-stops and shutter speed, and she starts doing tricks with her iron. She was doing the “bounce the ball off the club-head” trick. Okay, pretty cool. But I have seen others do that (although never in person, so that was cool). Then, instead of bouncing the ball maybe a foot and a half high, she bounces it about a 15″ high. Then, she bounces it 1 foot. Then, about 6″. And then, and I still can’t believe it, she catches the ball on her club-head and holds it there for a few seconds. She caught the friggin” ball on a flat pice of metal. Maybe it is easier than it looks. Maybe a lot of golf pros can do it. But, to be honest, I think it might be more difficult than it looks. Regardless I was thoroughly entertained. Then she starts doing something with the ball lying in the grass with a very slight backward swing. I don’t know what the hell it was, but it was cool. And she did this facing me. Almost, it seemed, for my benefit. The guys in her group were all behind her. I am not sure if they were even watching her. I took one blurry photo. What I wanted to do was record a video, but I never take video with my camera, and I couldn’t remember how to do it. Aacchh!! The first hole I saw her on was the one with the caterer’s tent. Volunteers were telling the golfers what they had on hand; hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breast sandwiches, water, soft drinks, beer. She gets a big grin on her face and says, “Beer?!” She didn’t get one, but everyone was laughing. In my book, her stock rose exponentially. This may sound sexist, but I think the tour might get a boost if she was the face of the LPGA instead of Inbee Park, Yani Tseng, Jiyai Shin or Lorena Ochoa.

Everything considered, I had a great time. My biggest disappointment is that this tournament is probably not one of the marquis stops on the LPGA tour. I am not sure but I think it would be in the bottom half of the schedule. You might have noticed that I have not mentioned some of the bigger names. That is because they were not in the field. No Suzann Pettersen (sorry, Mike). No Karrie Webb (sorry, Lee). No Ai Miyazato. No Jiyai Shin. No Christie Kerr. No Catriona Matthew. No Jessica Korda. I wish more of them had been in the field. Oh well. I still had a blast. Now I have to sift through tons and tons photos and add the best to my portfolio. Thanks for reading all of this. I never dreamed it would be this long. I apologize if you fell asleep halfway through.

Steve

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The desert, old gold mines and tools – by EMC

It’s 5:OO am. Sun is rising just over the eastern Henderson Black Mountains. Beautiful reflections. With clouds,
there are reds, pinks, yellows and whites. Drop dead gorgeous.
I take my last sip of that brown hot shit called coffee, savor it, and swallow with a smile. I’m off to the foothills…
and if lucky, way up further !
I pack my gear. Shovel, hand pick, blanket, water, hat and put on my heavy boots. This is what I live for. Prospecting.
The hazy early morning blue sly tells me it’s gonna be a helluva day. Just me, the elements and the critters.
What could be better ?
I drive west to I15, turn left south and head maybe 35 miles to the Ivanpah turn-off. Then, heading due east to one of the most incredible areas on Earth. The range of the Ivanpah and New York Mountains. Some in NV, and most in CA.

About 15 miles from another jewel, the Clark Mountain Range. Hey, it’s all in a 40-50 mile radius. If it’s dark, and you look in the rear view mirror looking north, you can see the lights of Las Vegas. Incredible !
I pick up my cell, and dial my best friend, Kristen. My daughter. Another 5 miles and I would have no signal. ‘Hi sweetie’, I say, ‘It’s Daddy. Out and about to the gold mining district called, Vanderbilt, CA.’ PAUSE.
She asks, ‘oh wonderful…..you’re alone ?’ I say, ‘of course.’ She yells at me. Really. I just love that girl.

I run 12-13 miles due south on an asphalt paved and winding county road, across RR tracks and into the New York Mountains. The road turns to gravel….for 10 miles. Goldome Mine entrance is in clear view. Proven gold, silver and copper rich. Except the Feds (NPS and BLM) have mandated toxic waste improvement. Most mines are shut down or abandoned. Meaning, I can go anywhere I want. As long as the National Park Rangers don’t catch me. It’s cloak and dagger out there. I pull in to the abandoned Goldome Mine. About 1 mile in, over a small hill hiding it’s secrets, and then I park the truck. It takes a few minutes for the highway sounds and dirt road dust to disappear.
DEAD SILENCE. There isn’t a sound. You sit there, windows open, and hear nothing. Then, a howl….a yip….and more yips. The coyotes are still roaming. I open the door and move to the rear of my truck to get my gear. I love it !! My heart is racing. I’m where I belong.

Looking for precious metal (ores) is not an easy task. You must be half knowledgeable, patient, able, and inclined to separate fact from fiction. What one might think is silver ore, is actually lead ore. The lines are fine. Gold ….WOW….could very well be pyrite.
The tale I’m telling is, 2007. I was again in the old mining district of Vanderbilt, CA. A ghost town. I mean, a REAL ghost town. No people and no buildings. Just remnants ! I had parked the truck and walked a dirt road maybe 1+ miles to an area where there were 3 separate old heavy timber head frames (look it up) hovering over shafts that went straight down. One went down (using my heavy duty lamp) maybe 50-70 ft. Dark and ominous. I stopped to think it over. Do I venture down ? Or, bring another to work with me ? I scoured the area and found serious ore samples showing gold and silver. Google, Vanderbilt, CA mining district. Says it all. It once held 400 people, a church, 3 saloons and a post office. You would never guess that was true looking at the ruins ?

I drove home. It was dark, the sun was now behind the Spring Mountains…glaring bright red, pink and yellow….and I was tired. Hey, scaling 5 to 50 ft. high mounds of mining tailings and hills over an 8 hour stretch is work for a bag of bones like me. I called Kristen and I explained the ‘find’. I asked if she would like to join me next trip there ? HA ? The problem wasn’t the dirt….it was she was ‘afraid’….of the complete and utter stark wild. She declined…..she’s an ex-night clubber. Prospecting is not good for hair, make up and nails. AND….she again yelled at me for wanting to go back there. Likely, alone.
So, I called my golf friend, a relative from the ‘other side’ who just happens to be a good guy, and asked if he would help ? He said….SURE. He jumped all over it ! 2 weeks later we ventured out to find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This was ultimately my best ‘FIND’ ever !!! Asking him to join turned out to a classic good decision. The man had all the tools I didn’t have. Like, ‘no fear’, and tons of rope and climbing gear.
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Marc and I headed out to Goldome. The best kept secret in Southern California gold mining. Remember,
the actual CA 1849 +/- gold rush was up 400-600 miles in the Grass River country. Sutter’s Mill. And anything south of that. Goldome was hard rock mining. Digging into rock…carving tunnels and shafts. Underground. Hear me…..underground ! The 1849 goldrush started with nuggets on the riverbed surface. Then it spread to river panning and flushing.
We got to Goldome. Drove in slow. The winding dirt road to the old Vanderbilt ghost town had been washed out in areas, dangerous…where the washes (dry river beds 98% of the time) had flooded with big rain, and undercut the man made dirt road ‘gravel bridges.’ The terrain had changed somewhat !! After starting and stopping repeatedly, we finally got to the 3 wood head frames. It was time to shit or get off the pot !
Like I said earlier, my heart was racing. And Marc broke out the gear we had talked about….and we needed. We sat by the shaft that ran maybe 70 ft down. We talked…looked down….discussed….agreed. We decided to do it. Yes, we were alone, and we didn’t care.

The head frame and it’s supporting members were old but, we thought, sturdy. I mean, these timbers were oiled and treated. The old miners didn’t just take (10) flimsy 2 x 4’s, add super glue and a half dozen nails, and risk their lives ? These head frames were/are 6” x 6″ timbers, held together by nuts and bolts, and nails…heavy duty. Wire rope able to lift tons was tied to the lift mechanism. The cable that lifted the ore to the surface. True ingenuity.
Then, we slowly went down.

The ladder that the miners used was still in tact. What we did was wrap our bodies to the max with contractor grade construction gear, and then tied to heavy duty link and rope. Both of us tied the same. And then we had the safety rope tied to each other. We went down. First Marc (younger and stronger) and then me, the bag of bones. Maybe 10 ft apart. It took the better part of an hour to get 30-40 ft. down. Surprise !!! There were horizontal tunnels going in different directions. Down 70-75 ft. we hit bottom. No Tunnels ? We went back up 15-20 ft. and started the journey into the center of the Earth. Man….I almost shit in my pants. Not because I was ‘paralyzed’ but, because this was something that was beyond anything I had dreamed of ? We walked/crawled maybe 30 ft horiz., and we entered a different world. Damn, the dark was beyond dark. Without lamps, we were dead. Those early miners had balls. They had no fear ! I was in complete awe. Marc screamed…….’I can’t believe this…!!!’ The stark rock passage and support structure took your breath away. We found writing on the tunnel walls. Obviously from the mining crews. I hope I can find these and post with the article. This added later…I did !!

We poked and picked….all the time, we said nothing to each other. It was a day in the life of a fool ? We shouldn’t be there. We didn’t really know what we were doing. But, we DID !! Know what I mean ? For the most part the mined tunnel was free of loose ores. Not until we got to the end did we find the obvious reason all this blood, sweat and tears had taken place to begin with ! We stuff our pockets. Took a dozen photos and we turned around and left what had to be both hell and heaven to those poor souls 75 to 100 years before.
We came up maybe an hour later with a few samples that were much like what I had found 2-3 weeks earlier. It all made sense. And later, after taking the ores to UNLV for a panalytical spectrometer analysis….we identified our find.
SILVER ! Not crystal or massive silver but, heavy grams per ton of real silver. Man…..what a find ! What an experience. Not until I almost fell from the cliff, was this beaten for excitement !!
The history of this mining area was gold. We found silver. Fantastic…but, I’ll tell you what ? The adventure was better than having sex with a 5 lb gold nugget. I say that without hesitation.

Thanks for reading. All is true.
Mike

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The Open – By Easy

Well, it is July and the Open is almost upon us.

I always love the Masters. I have played some beautiful courses in my time, but I can’t imagine what it would be like playing the Augusta National. As someone who also loves the history of golf, Bobby Jones is large in my golfing life. He based his idea of Augusta National on the Old Course at St Andrews, his favourate golf course. The rest is history. The fact the year’s first major is there, every time, also adds to the excitement.

The US Open, the other great major after the Open, in my humble opinion, is usually the toughest to win. Often eliminating shotmaking and imagination from the game, one marvels at the incredible difficulty trying to shoot par, but little else. It is always a relief when the winner collects the trophy. Sort of like winning a war.

The PGA, well, I think it should be in Australia, it seems too much like a US Open set up that didn’t quite make the grade. It is usually too humid, with golfers looking like they fell into a water hazard toward the end of their round. Plus, I don’t like the fact that 3 majors are played in America, I know that has been the case for a very long time. But I think too much golf in the USA is hurting golf, not just because countries like Australia don’t see the best players in the world compete there, but also because of the style of American golf that the whole world plays now. Hit it high with stop. Golf through the air. There are not enough tournaments on links courses, the purest form of the game. Harrington had to change his game to hit it high, won 3 majors. Funny, Faldo changed his game to hit it lower so he could win the Open. But equipment was different then. Now, everything is geared for the target type of golf. Is hitting a punch shot becoming a lost art ?

Hopefully the Open, at Muirfiled, will be a classic. It is seen as the fairest of Open courses and one of the few I haven’t played yet. The holes change direction so the wind is always something to think about. In such conditions, shotmaking comes into play. I miss seeing tournaments at courses like these. For those of you who haven’t been to a links course, they may appear ugly at first, compared to classic parkland courses. But to me, there is a wild, natural beauty to them that can’t be found on other courses. they fit the landscape like Mother Nature made them. And Mother Nature usually does a better job than we can do.

My golfing year is just taking off. After my shoulder operation 4 months ago, I am almost pain free when playing golf for the first time in many years. Still a way to go yet, it’ll take the rest of this year. But I’m playing well and enjoying working hard on my swing.

To Wam and Metro; next week is your turn to get fixed. Be good and do as they say. It will be a very frustrating time during re hab. There were times in the last 4 months when I could have gone nuts. I wouldn’t come in the Treehouse when things are shitty, you lot don’t need to see that, so I stay away. Be patient. Like golf, it is easy to lose the plot whenb we aren’t patient. Do what the doctors/physios tell you and in no time you will be fighting fit again. Plus, don’t let those people with those skills waste them on you by not following their good advice, and doing too much, too soon. Please.

To all Slingers and the ones who golf too. Have a great year golf and otherwise.( In know it’s July but it’s April to me ) Good luck to Golf on his semi final. Wendy in her quest for more trophies, ( proud of you lass ) Scrums, keep at it mate. A good welcome to the new Slinger Danny, hope you beat Billy and Mike 🙂 I hope 8ed breaks 70. Chevy, c’mon mate, lets see you and I break 80 more often. Hope the swing is coming along. And anyone I missed,

Finally, I hope a European wins the Open !!! Some things never change

Easy.

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My First Tournament – From Wendy
Phew! Glad that’s over and done with. OK, “It’s not life or death, it’s only a game, go out and there and enjoy it”. Yada, yada, yada. Tell me about it.

A couple of weeks ago I foolishly agreed to be one of a team of 5 representing our club (Wickham) in the national tournament run by “The Mail on Sunday”. The first match was to be played away at Southwick Park (an ex-naval establishment where our Easing was stationed for a short period). The match was postponed twice as the non-stop rain meant that some holes were closed. (This helps enormously with the tension). Finally we had a couple of dry days so the match went ahead yesterday. It had rained all night and it was bitterly cold (some light snow) and pouring with rain when we arrived at Southwick but if we hadn’t gone ahead they would have had to give us a bye as no more time extensions were possible.

How I bitterly regretted agreeing to play. I’ve only managed two and a half rounds this year and have never struck the ball so badly. Trusty driver and putter on major sulks Only winter mats; I hate winter mats. It was carry only of course. Ladie(s – didn’t someone on here have a sex change?) and gentlemen I tell you here and now that I am too old and too unfit to carry a bag up and downhill in the freezing cold in pouring rain with 4 layers of clothing and two pairs of trousers. The format was singles matchplay. I was introduced to my opponent – a Laura Davies lookalike – someone had a sense of humour pairing us together. Team captain whispers in my ear “She hits the ball a country mile, but she can make mistakes” and then announces I would be first to go. Not based upon my sterling play, I hasten to add, but as I had never played in a tournament before and the others had, it was deemed better for me to get it out of the way and there would be less pressure than going last where the match might depend upon me. Made sense. Standing on the first tee with everyone watching, taking deep breaths and praying “Please, please, just let me connect with the ball” And we’re away with a decent, albeit not great tee-shot!

I shall spare you (and me) the gory details except to say that she made very few mistakes and I got a sound thrashing. If the weather had been better we would have continued to play on, but it would have been crazy not to beat a retreat back to the clubhouse to get out of wringing wet clothes and warm iced hands. I stupidly had only got one pair of gloves in the carry bag – spares back in the big bag. “Laura” was as lovely as the person she resembled too. Her response when I apologised for not giving her a better match was to give me a hug and say “Wendy, I know you didn’t get your handicap or be chosen to play based on one horrid round in terrible conditions”. Team captain was next in – she had gone one hole better than I. Two down. Obviously the two Southwick players were feeling very jovial and invited us to play a freebie round with them later in the year when the weather conditions would be better and we would have a chance to appreciate the course more.

It was a heck of a long wait for the next two groups to come in, but we had won both of them. Match all square. Finally our last member stuck her head round the clubhouse door and gave us a thumbs’ up before disappearing to change. Match won 3-2. GO WICKHAM!

OK, it wasn’t exactly like losing my singles match but the team winning the Solheim Cup but it felt like it for the rest of the day. The team have been inundated with congratulations today from club members which feels great. I know I’m going to take some teasing on Tuesday re my game, but I can take it. Did they play the tournament? No, they did not. In fact no one even turned up for a club trophy tournament the same day because of the atrocious weather conditions. Ha! Will I play in the next round of the tournament if asked to do so? Not unless my standard of play gets back on track, but if it does, I may actually be as daft to put myself through the whole thing again.

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