I played Irvine a few years ago. It's a really nice links course regularly used for Open Qualifiers.

When I played it I used to carry my clubs, and my mate Alan and I played 36 holes so it was deffo a while ago!

Playing this course tomorrow. It's quite short, but my aerial survey shows ponds and bunkers in front of the greens, clearly saying "If you think you're going to thin one and scuttle it on to the green on this course, think again!"

Designed by Old Tom Morris no less!

Described in my book as a challenging parkland course with some interesting holes and tight fairways.

Looking forward to your report.

PS I think the etiquette thing is purely second nature having  played since I was 14 and been brought up the right way on the golf course.

I hope we get a game sometime Ralph,  you are still one of the coolest people I.ve met. I really need to come down and visit that baldy guy and his odd pal sometime....

Seriously James, you really should try & get a game with Ralph. I'm not bsuha, or in any way demeaning my regular partners, but playing golf with Ralph is one of the best things ever, he's SO correct as to etiquette/protocol, which is something that matters a great deal to me, perhaps more than it should.

You really should try & get a game with Ralph. Trust me.

It's hopefully something I can manage next year pretty much used up all my holidays for golf or holidays where I golf . Like Ralph I'm pretty big on playing by the book etc and have even passed the R&A level 1 exam. Something I reckon most people should do it's a CBT course and doesn't take long https://www.randa.org/rules-academy

You just have to let me know anytime you're planning to be in this neck of the woods James and it'll be a pleasure to arrange a game.

Ralph, chip in on 10? what club? how'd you play it?

The 10th is a 527 yard par5 off the whites and it was into a fair 2-club breeze that day - I hit a decent drive and barely made the fairway, followed by a couple of pretty good 3woods which left me just short of the green with a fairly simple pitch over a greenside bunker to about 4 feet.

It's great being able to see everyone's scores on howdidido I'm looking forward to asking a mate to talk me through the 13 he had on our 16th last week.

Nice birdie, birdie finish on Saturday Jim. I'm sure the guy you beat on the countback must have been thrilled.

Well played Tom. I'm sure that won you the money!

good scoring tom! 

I had a look at your seniors on thursday, eck, but it seems to be 24 hcp limit.  Hopefully I can get back down to the low twenties by the end of the season and be able to enter most of the seniors next year.

You can still enter them Dave but you'll have to play off 24.

Thanks guys.

It just goes to prove that if you play crap enough for long enough you eventually become competitive via the WHS handicap system.

There's always one isn't there. I'm now 2/101 with 2 scores yet to be entered.

We played the competition from the white tees and despite hitting three poor chips from just short of the greens on 5,6, and 7 to make bogey on each of them I still managed to play the front nine in 42(+6) for 20 stabbos as I get 15 shots, so as long as I can avoid double bogeys I feel like I'm always going to be competitive. Played better on the back nine getting up and down a few times and was in decent shape until I had my Ryan Fox moment on the longish par3 17th. I pulled my 5wood into the left greenside bunker and it ended up about a foot from the left-hand edge in a footprint(grrr). I had to play out backwards and failed to get up and down despite going very close with my putt for my one and only double-bogey of the day. Made a par4 at the last to come back in 40 for another 20 stabbos making 40 total and shooting a season's best 82 off the whites. The guy who pipped me must have had a good back nine as he got 40 points too off a similar handicap.

Not really that far off shooting my age for the first time since I deffo left a few out there today. Encouraging.

Well done Kev.

I had my best round of the year today too.

These are ideal conditions for scramblers like me if my ball-striking is anything like it should/used to be.

With 82 scores entered and 21 remaining I am the leader in the clubhouse for the Thursday stabbo..

tbc

36 holes!

 

Nice going Dave.

It looks incredibly green up there.

The courses around these parts are all a yellowy-brown colour apart from the greens. On the plus side I've hit a few pretty long drives lately.

The Open this year is a stoater!

The guy played like a man possessed and thoroughly deserved the W!

And I was on Cam Young 

Much better day for me today in the senior medal. I actually played quite steady golf on the front nine going out in 41(+5) and started the back nine par, bogey, par, meaning I was +6 through the first 12 holes. Had a bit of a collapse after that with three double-bogeys on the spin which irked me somewhat although the first two were a little unlucky, I stank the par5 15th out after a big drive for me, playing four crap shots in a row!
Steadied the ship somewhat on the last three holes for a 44 on the back nine so shot 85/13 net 72. Completing the course made a pleasant change too.
The Veterans Cup is for those in the senior medal who are 70+ and I think I came 2nd(again) which is a shame as I've never won it.

Well done Kev!

It's a senior major for me tomorrow at Wollaton in the form of The Veterans Cup, a medal off the yellow tees. I've hardly played during the last ten days or so due to not handling the persistent hot weather so well and not having much get up and go either, which might well be related. Hoping for the best!