Hi Monda,

How does it feel not to get mentioned by Greekstein in Tikay's thread?

Gutted

Cheers lads, its not till late in the year but hopefully will remember and get a few good pics.

Agree Ralph can't think of one I've not really enjoyed and you can hardly move up here for Braid courses. My club is one and I know there is the association where you can get reduced fees but we generally are playing opens when we go somewhere else so have never used it to see if it works well.

Dunno about proper golfer but I'm getting a bit more consistent, doubt i'll repeat that on the full course but gonna enjoy trying.


In other golf news and in quite a bit of a contrast to Verndog's trip I've talked six of the morning game boys into a long weekend in the North.

Off to Muir of Ord for there seniors open stableford on the Friday. 3 hour drive to get there but hey what a drive    https://muirofordgolfclub.co.uk/   

Staying outside Elgin in a big converted farm building looks lovely. Not been out for a drink in Elgin since I played in the under 18 rugby sevens looking forward to it

Saturday is at Buckpool for a gents open and were are on to strokeplay (think some harsh realities will appear when some can't get a gimme).
Buckpool recently listed as one of the top 100 courses in Scotland, really linksy https://buckpoolgolf.com/

Sunday- Hopeman, just a delightful course to play, click on the link and there will be lots of shots of the 12th their signature hole which is a short par 3 where the green is 100 feet below you. Now I've played this course twice and we've had at least one buggy so I've had a Taxi all the way back up, at least there will be a nice view when i'm gasping for breath.


All this great golf, they are all cracking courses played them all before, for the ridiculous price of £65.  (plus accomodation £200). Gonna set up a travel business   "By Eck Travels"  'copyright Red Dog'

Thanks for that always wondered what an eclectic was when I see it on our HOWDIDO app. If you need a hand keeping it Tony I'm a plus handicap with excel just send me your card everyday and I'll send you a monthly automated update

Been getting out at least once or twice a week during all this depressing weather and playing a load of winter greens at times as it's raining so much up here. Been playing ok, Had a remarkable round couple of weeks ago. 13 normal greens 5 winters just in front of normal greens. Tees are up to the  front of yellows and a couple of the longer ones on the reds. Turns what is par 71 of white, 69 0f yellow to a fairly easy 68. Shot 70.

HNY to all hackers. Last year was a disaster hcp index moving from 21 to nearly 28 

So being fairly sure it can't get any worse, I've already entered 5 senior opens. Unfortunately more and more clubs are joining in on the imo sharp practice of opening entries in autumn '25 for opens in summer '26. So they have chunks of money in their bank account getting interest, but people pulling out close to the event. 

Where you playing? Been scanning the lists trying to plan out the year. Played quite a few new places last year and loved it.

If you ever have a space or you fancy a game I'm not that far and hate working. Would be nice to put a person to the name

Yeah, more than easy it's to be expected. Unless you are booking out a 4 ball time for a group obv. I have been doing this quite a few times now just myself and also a Week with my brother in law and we were nearly always paired up into a full 4 ball. sometimes you are joining a 3 ball sometimes a pair and another random. Language can sometimes be a problem but they get used to the swearing after a while   Seriously though even when they haven't got much English which is rare I have enjoyed all the company of people I've met. Its generally a lot of retired couples predominantly from Northern Europe and met some really interesting people and often stopped after the round for a few beers together.

Good to see you're back at it Kev and Tony is still a bandit..

Tiny trip report for anyone wanting to golf on holiday. Went to Gran Canaria for a fortnight. Stayed at a Lopesan hotel and played their 3 courses. Never been there before and although I booked a lot of golf wasn't expecting great things.

I've Played in Portugal, Spain and Tenerife lately and prices were more than Spain which I found great value in June but less than the the courses I played in Tenerife (which were probably the poorer ones on the island) and way behind Portugal.

These 3 courses were in fantastic condition. Yes they could do a better job making it a better experience, 8 minute gaps between 4 balls of retired couples makes for a slow round but hey your on holiday and a beer cart turns up. 3 different courses

Maspolamas everyone will love, totally flat has its traps but as a par 73 if you are going to get one this is it (here we go chirp - 79  ) .


Anfi Tauro is some kind of Disneyland of golf. feels like you are playing in the red rock desert, have a google quite nuts. Not sure if I love it or hate it, played with a couple of English guys and after 5 holes I think I was now called Rocky as that was all I hit . Second time we finished in near darkness and about 12 beers deep...

Meloneras, Standard first 9 like a lot of holiday courses but decently challenging lot more up and down and shape of holes. Then you hit the back 9 playing along the side of a cliff looking down on local ports hitting over huge drops into oblivion (if you can't hit it 150 then do what my partners didn't every time and move up a tee ffs).

All stunnning courses and the greens are as good as I have played on. Hardly used a pitch mark repairer, they were incredible. I've found a lot on holiday are really sandy and your ball makes a big hole but these took a ball, didn't run out like a links. Guys working like hell on every course and all the kit they were driving look out the box these are looked after so well, Seemingly Mr Lopesan loves golf.

Think I'll be back but think 12 games in a fortnight was maybe a couple too many, not that Mrs E ever showed signs of missing me

Sorry for the long post but these days the most fun I have is getting in a golf cart in a pair of ridiculous pair of shorts.

Thanks for posting that.

I was blissfully unaware of how the system has been so underfunded which is surprising as my wife is an NHS budget holder. I read the secret barristers book a couple of years ago and one of the things that jumped out was how the advice will be go to trial. Reason being that the system is so broken there's a good chance the prosecutor might not turn up given the mess of legal aid etc.

That looks cracking Boo! Nice job.

If I was to bring the clubs to Nottingham next week, would anyone fancy a round on Sunday morning? Happy to go out early, as planning on making day 2 at 3pm!

I don't play golf at weekends, only Monday to Friday. Weekends are poker. 

Life remains challenging.

It does sound it! I can’t really comment either. Have to try organise something soon?

I’ve just booked 3 days in Scotland for next June

Trump old
Trump new course
Royal Aberdeen
Cruden bay

Could be some trip !

Please tell me you have got a good deal somehow. That must be at least £1500. Could do about 3 weeks of good golf in that region for that amount

Nice going Ralph crazy how it goes from bad to good or vice versa.

Had a similar feeling this week played a bounce game on Thursday at Alloa and needed a par on the last for a 75 would have been my best score there by 2. Obviously blew the tee shot into no mans land and made a 6 (triple bogey) for a 78. Drove it great all day and somehow managed my big leak on the longer irons which is a turning it over to the left well to keep it on line. Chuffed with the round but that 18th is beginning to annoy me, an incredibly tough par 3.

So was looking forward to stableford on Saturday. Needed to play early so was out at 8am with a couple of guys I hadn't played with before and both were quite a bit lower handicaps to me. For some reason felt nervous on the tee as if I had something to prove, I dunno. Anyway sprayed it all over the place off the tee scrambled ok and played some decent short stuff but quite a few really bad ones for an 89. Still made 30 points as there was a few big numbers on that card .

Played a 3 man scramble today at Pitreavie just next to my old workplace at Sky in Dunfermline. Strangely had never played there before we had a couple of works outings back in the day but they were at another local course. Started off well birdieing the first 2 which were par 5's and turned 4 under. Back 9 it went cold and we came in at 3 under with 7 strokes a net 61 and at least 6 off the lead when we left with a lot to come in. Course was really good maybe a bit too many blind tee shots for my liking but the greens were great. So many tiered greens it was no surprise that it was designed by the same guy who did Augusta (Alister MacKenzie). Again another gem up here if people are looking for a trip and don't want to pay ridiculous fees for a game.

Crikey, hope your healing well Kev.

Steady stuff Ralph. Just did a flyover of Wollaton, looks lovely, I really like when the tree lined holes have the grass cut short it gives me a chance of doing something stupid when i find them . Reminds me a bit of Ladybank up here great course maybe about half an hour from St Andrews and if anyone is doing a trip that way its a must imo (not cheap prob about £100 but compared to the prices of the surrounding popular destinations a snip).

What was the strategy of the tee today Tom did we go with the tailed back drive, how did it go?

We played a 4 man scramble at Muckhart, which is just on the south side of the Ochil hills from Gleneagles. Keep forgetting to get some photos some cracking views. We played ok started with a birdie but couldn't get enough good looks but was a really windy day. Don't recall hitting so many 4 irons into par 4's for a while. We had a couple of guys that don't hit it long and we obv had to get our required drives in but I'm sure a couple of them were of some of my tee shots. Finished one under gross for a net 60 and mid table anonymity, lots of 59/60's.

Now here comes the rub. We were off 10 shots I think I'd get 10 couple of guys who would be about 14/15 and one guy about 22/23. As you know 4 man scrambles are generally 25/20/15/10% of the handicaps as they go up. The team that win got 17 shots now I'm sure the limit was 28. I haven't done all the permutations but they would have to average about 24+ and if they had a low handicapper he only gets 6 drives at most. They must have had the round of their life in that wind to come in with a net 55. Yes its only one over gross but Someone must have chipped or putted like a god 

Looks like you are generally hitting a baby fade their Tom which is nice. Would suggest your swinging it slightly from out to in across the plane but nothing crazy (obv a guess as I'm only looking at your trackman pics). The misses to the left your launch direction is negative (left) so with a slight out to in shape thats gonna result in a pull. Your big block to the right the face is wide open to the right. The majority look great you want it +/- 2 degrees ideally.

Again total guesses but for me when the driver goes off I am rushing it from the downswing and not hitting through the ball properly. My thought is effectively I am trying to throw the driver through the line (that make sense? If you were to actually try to throw it you would kinda whip your hands at release?). If that was a set of drives in a round you would be fine no-one stripes the fairway every hole.

Your launch angle is a bit low which would suggest you are hitting down on the driver which may be due to having too far back in your stance? again just a guess.

I am very similar Tom always tinkering, I watch a lot of golf and regularly get myself into bother when I notice something that I feel I'm not doing and try to change stuff. The set up stuff is incredibly familiar to me and I suspect the majority of us. Can't tell how many times after a poor drive I or a partner will say that didn't feel right from the start and I should have stood away. Hard skill to master but would be a good one.

Kev the driving and irons will improve with perseverance and yeah get a session with your club pro. I had a couple with our young assistant which if nothing else was great to clear my head of a lot of nonsense and focus on a few simple things. The putting thing - I would just make sure you are taking practice swings on each put but not just a waft with the putter actually swing it as you would do for the shot you are facing.

Ladies and gentlemen I have done it. I started out this year about 12 and went up to nearly 14 on WHS. Played a lot and truly wasn't inspiring but was getting a bit better, driving got better and I now am under double figures for the first time ever.

Sorry if this seems like I am always chirping but it has been coincident with my best run at golf and i'm playing so much more, probably about 3 times a week now when before when it was maybe once or twice a week.

Anyways i did it, Chuffed to fuck.





Should get someone to video my swing and Tom can take it apart like he did with my fry up....