Aldwickbury Park Early Birds

The weather report for Harpenden, UK. Becoming cloudy in the afternoon.. High temperature of 11degC with a low temperature of 5degC. No rain with a relative humidity of 80.6%. Wind speed of 16.9mph gusting to 28.2mph. Cloud cover was 41.7% with a visibility of 6.2%. UV index was 5. A cold start to the day as temperatures had finally dropped and we have had a little rain. Very windy on the course made golf difficult. Course condition is improving as the netting had been removed from the 10th and 11th greens. The fairways are still quite poor especially the eighth. The club is introducing the optional use of mats on the fairways later in the year and a selection are available in the Pro Shop. Order yours by the 26th October for a discounted price. Some issues with double booking as another group had the same time as us, 8:28. They had a booking on EliteLive and we had a confirmation booking on Jock's phone. Obviously a glitch in the matrix. Some excellent recovery shots today from An...

Weather was fair today, no rain, no wind and pleasantly warm. The course changes are looking great with the new bunkers, however the 10th, 11th and 13th greens have all suffered due to some maintenance issues. Some of the holes looked like a crazy golf course mixed with a building site with all the orange netting around them. Quite difficult to navigate your way around on some holes. Fortunately a number of drops zones have been made available.  A small field today of 10 players with a few on holiday and James and Duncan playing in the Family Foursomes, Chris Pearce couldn't quite hide his delight in beating James and Duncan. The main battle today came from group 3 with Paul, Martin Deery and Andy all fighting for the lead. Andy cheering Paul along as Andy would win the front 9 if Paul won overall. Martin Lythgoe was a contender until he decided to change his split ball on the sixteenth and then put his brand new ProV1 out of bounds never to be found. Paul, Martin Deery and Andy sp...

Good weather greeted us today and the last group was Paul Gardner, Tony Froud, Roger Gibbs and James Miller who would be our winner? An early start of 9:30am would mean we finish at a reasonable hour and we would not catch any traffic on the way home. The course was much quieter than yesterday and we managed to get around in just over four hours. Ground under repair on the 9th hole Baby bunny rabbits in the ground under repair on the 9th hole Prizes were awarded after the round with nearest the pins getting a sleeve of Titleist ProV1 each. Overall winner and second place and winners, second, F9 and B9 for each day also getting monetary prizes. The trophy for the winner of the Autumn cup was awarded to Martin Lythgoe well done Martin. Best gross of the day was a fine 84 by Jason, no prizes for best gross though, sorry Jason. Everybody said what a great time they had but based on the condition of the course they would prefer to go somewhere else next year. Martin has the pleasure of arra...

So back to Wokefield Golf Club for the Earlybirds Autumn Cup. This year organised by last year's winner Martin Deery. We managed to make 15 starters this year with Roger Small being allowed out to play and Coenraad joining us late due to a misunderstanding that he had entered but hadn't.  The weather was fair but quite windy and the course, like most others, had suffered due to the very hot summer. The worst part by far were the bunkers full of footprints, both human and animal. Greens were somewhat inconsistent, some fast, some slow and some fast and slow depending on where you were.  Anyway onto the golf , Paul won the day on countback from Roger Gibbs on a mediocre 33 points. The whole field was covered by eight points if you ignore one outlier. Could either of them or indeed James or Tony maintain their form through to the second day and take the trophy? After the golf we had a very nice meal but unlike last year there was no Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup didn't seem to...

This was the last Swindle golf before the Earlybirds Autumn Cup who would be the inform golfer today and take it forward to the Autumn Cup? Dan Smith put on a splendid show taking first with 38 points, unfortunately for him he is not playing in the Autumn Cup but second place Jason his can he maintain the form? Dan had an amazing 22 points on the front nine before slipping back slightly with a 16 on the back. Roger Small winning the front nine with some consistent form of late. Well done to Steve Brewerton taking the back nine with 16 points, actually tied with three others but won on countback, Steve had a very solid last four holes which helped. Other news, after analysing the "data" the club has decided to go to 28 days booking rather than 14 days. Not sure how that is going to help anybody! The average gross score today was 95.50 and the average Stableford score was 30.88. Best gross of the day was from Jason Landau with 85. There were 0 Eagles or better today. There...

The course is undergoing a lot of maintenance work with new bunkers being installed or repositioned, the greens have also been hollow tyned and sanded. I'm sure all this work make the course much better in the future. Last week's Captain's day resulted in a haul of prizes for the Earlybirds and ex Earlybirds. Duncan, 1st team Paul, 2nd team Andy, 4th team Roger G, nearest in 2 on 18th Peter C, 4th team and second best stableford Coenraad nearest the pin On to today's golf, James is our winner today with 33 points and Martin Deery coming in second with 32. Well done to both of you. Some fine front nine scores of 18 points apiece for Dan and Coenraad. Reports of Roger's lost Pink Panther head cover had a good outcome after he found that he had dropped it loading his car in morning. From on course reporter Roger Gibbs "On the 2nd Hole, drive just short of the bunkers. Hit a 5 iron dead straight on the flag and caught a rather large branch on the tree on the left. ...

The weather was very kind to us today, dry with a light wind. The few days of rain we have had have turned the course green. The tee boxes looking very good and fairways to, as long as you don't look to closely. Talked to greenkeeper Kenny and he said they would be spiking the fairways and overseeding so hopefully that will improve things. The next phase of bunker renovations are due to start on Monday 14th September, and are scheduled to last 3 weeks. The holes affected are 1, 5, 6 & 7, in addition to this the old bunker on the 3rd hole which had pooling water over the winter, will have drainage installed to resolve this issue. A very up and down day for some with the winners not being decided until the early evening. This being due to some incorrect scores being entered for both Roger S and Martin D. I myself went from not winning anything, to winning something and then to not winning anything. Some of the confusion came on the ninth for group three where all but Martin went ...

The weather was somewhat different to what we have become use to over the last few months, we had some rain. The forecast was worse than the realty as it was mainly drizzle rather than the heavy rain forecast. The forecast did reduce the number of players but we still had 9 players, one dropping out early however. The golf was difficult as the conditions seem to change as we played, less run on the ball and greens were slower. After a few days of on and off rain the fairways even seemed a little greener. There was a hard fought battle for the win today with Martin Lythgoe starting with a fine 19 points but a few zero pointers on 11 and 12 set him back. Steve Reynolds was doing well until his last three holes only yielded three points. The contest was then between Paul and Roger Gibbs, Roger driving well today, always hitting the fairways. It came down to the last, Paul hit his second just off the back off the green, Roger hit a fine second but it trickled over the hump at the back and ...

AI-Content Roger escapes with the spoils It was billed as a fairly ordinary Saturday Swindle, but ordinary went out of the window somewhere around the first tee. Roger Small emerged as the winner with a fine 37 Stableford points, including 18 on the front nine. Jock Hunter was runner-up on 34, while Coenraad Fourie and Martin Deery both managed 33 and 32 respectively. The official scorecard tells only half the story. Roger’s round featured five pars and eleven double-bogeys-or-worse — a statistical combination that suggests he spent much of the afternoon alternately finding pars and finding himself. Enter Roger the Dodger The accompanying report put it rather better. Roger was apparently producing pars for four points even after some decidedly unpromising tee shots, with balls having to be found along the way. The running joke about The Beano and The Dandy eventually led to the perfect nickname: Roger the Dodger. The grand finale came on the 18th. After losing a ball and visiting two b...

Yet another dry and hot day on the golf course made playing difficult. Very tricky to hold the ball on the fairways especially on the 13th. No problems for Steve Brewerton though who scored a fine 37 points to take the win with Roger Gibbs hot on his heals with 36 points. Roger had a poor front nine with 15 points but came back in 21, what could have been. Some very fine nines with two people scoring 20 points on the front and Roger scoring 21 on the back. Richard won the front nine with 20 points but missed so many putts by an inch or so. Paul won the back nine with a measly 16 points as the other high scorers took first and second places,  Entertainment on the course from the second group that decided that the new hole plan on the 6th was the wrong way around and took it on themselves to up root it and swap it. Unfortunately they were caught unawares by Ed Wilkinson who decided to phone the ProShop to complain, subsequently the group where chastised by the course Marshall.  ...

Another hot day on the course both with the weather and the scoring, well at least for one person! As you can see from this overhead shot of the 4th Green the fairways are scorched but we are not alone all courses in the area are suffering the same fate. The following article from the Times shows more overhead shots from around the area. No let up insight over the next two weeks looking at the weather forecasts. Scorched golf courses across country as heatwave takes toll — in pictures So back to the golf, a depleted field this week with only eight players, the CBL took four of our players this week although Steve Reynolds had to pull out at the last moment due to injury. Hope you get better for the Autumn cup in a few weeks Steve. Well done to the bookers this week especially those that don't normally book but stood up and had a go. As we now have only sixteen player it is quite difficult to ensure we have enough each week so please put your name forward, it's not that difficul...

Another hot day on the golf course as the drought continues. Fairways are dry, brown with cracks,  greens are still green fortunately. Some very good scoring this week with Martin and Steve tying for first, Steve winning on countback for a change. Eight birdies which must be a record also each birdie was made on a different hole. Stories from the course From Roger Gibbs "I know it’s not swindle But Jason and I saw the greatest ever birdie on 18. The lead guitarist from ZZ Top was about 130 yards out. His shot flew the out of bounds posts and smashed into the buggy of the group in front in the car park. It bounced back, went through the rough, rolled onto the green, just missing the pin and leaving a 2 foot birdie putt. He nonchalantly holed it as if nothing had happened!!!!" The average gross score today was 94.00 and the average Stableford score was 31.50. Best gross of the day was from Steve Reynolds with 79. There were 0 Eagles or better today. There were 8 birdies to...

Excellent weather today, light wind, hot but not as hot as it has been. Course looking quite good considering the amount of heat we have had this week. Greens slow but they are probably being saved for the Club Championship next weekend, expect them to be much quicker. Today was more than golf but the farewell to three of the Swindle, Peter Williams moving to another club and Peter Laurence and Tony Froud moving to 5 day members. Peter Laurence has been with us since 2006 so twenty years, Tony Froud since 2010 so sixteen years and Peter Williams 2021 so only five years. They will all be missed as they all added something to the group. We will see Peter L and Tony around the course and no doubt occasionally grace us with their presence on our away weekends. Peter Williams is also welcome to join us as once a Early Birds always and Early Bird.  First and second was tight today with Martin Lythgoe taking the spoils with 36 points, well done Martin. A solid 35 gave Richard second. That...

Gardner Masters the Course While the Rest Master the Excuses Another week, another gathering of golfing optimists assembled with dreams of glory, tales of miraculous practice sessions, and a variety of brand-new excuses already prepared for the clubhouse afterwards. Fifteen players teed it up hoping for a place among the prizes, but by the end of the day there was one clear winner and plenty of stories involving unlucky bounces, missed putts, and "the best round I've played in years despite the score." Gardner Produces a Masterclass While the rest of the field spent the afternoon alternating between moments of brilliance and moments best described as "character building," Paul Gardner quietly went about compiling the round of the day. His winning total of 39 Stableford points was built on consistency, smart course management, and a remarkable ability to avoid the sort of catastrophic holes that featured prominently in many of his competitors' scorecards. A...

Great weather today fairways were running fast and greens less so. Excellent win for Martin Lythgoe this week with a solid 38 points and two birdies. Andy a commendable 37 points to grab second, poor bunker play scuppered a win for Andy. Praise must go to Roger Gibbs who was the only player to score a par on the 6th hole, the hardest hole on the course, well done Roger. Paul received rapturous applause from the patio when he hit his second onto the green to within 10ft and score a fine par, Paul didn't think it was that good when he hit and threw his club to the ground in disgust before seeing the ball land on the green, forever the optimist Paul, not. Next week is the Swindle Challenge, a competition we have never won. We have 11 players participating, could this be our year! The average gross score today was 90.13 and the average Stableford score was a very respectable 32.38. Best gross of the day was from Richard Hyne with 83. There were 0 Eagles or better today. There were...

Great weather this weekend heading into the bank holiday, somewhat rare as it normally rains. A great win for Martin Lythgoe with 38 points, closely followed by Richard on 37 points. Thanks for the contributions from a number of guest writers this week From Steve R Sighted, the rare occasion of Tony hitting a wood, it went straight and true, must have been lucky. A very dapper hat. From Richard The weather was lovely which lead to a fight to get a shady seat on the patio. Golf was good in parts with Jock keeping up his recent form. Roger not so much. But Roger did excel with his impressive command of Anglo Saxon. If Jock and I were younger, less worldly wise, men we might well have blushed. Guest writer this week was ChatGPT! The Unfortunate Case of Andy’s Round Subject: A catalogue of avoidable misfortune, suspicious circumstances, and general golfing injustice during Andy’s round. Andy’s latest golfing outing provided compelling evidence that there is, in fact, no shortage of things ...

Weather was fine today with little wind and no rain. The greens were much better than of late with far fewer bumps. Quite a good turnout of 15 players with a few missing due to Summer Knockout commitments and holidays. Some excellent scoring again this week with the winner Jock scoring a mighty 41 points and one of the best gross scores of the day 82 shared with Peter Laurence. Not much to write about this week apart from Steve B having a few tantrums and throwing the odd club. From reporter Duncan on the course "For those that don't know. Andy found a secret par 6 hole at Aldwickbury yesterday. We've all been playing the 8th as a 508 yard par 5 up the hill but there is a secret 585 yard par 6 hole in the same area with invisible trees which you have to navigate around. I've drawn out how Andy played it yesterday to help you all visualise it." From reporter Roger Gibbs on the course "Jock misses out on hole in one on 14th" The average gross score today w...

The weather was kind to us today, no rain, warm and no wind, something we have been plagued with for a while. The greens are much improved but still slow, I'm sure they will be faster for the Coronation Cup next weekend.  A good turn out of 17 players this week making it a worthwhile week to win. The winner this week with a magnificent 42 points was Peter Williams, Peter played a fabulous round and was sinking putts from all over the green. A huge one of 20 feet or so on the 12th gave him a well deserved  birdie. It's the first weekend of the Summer League, I'm sure his team will be very pleased! A commendable 37 points for Steve Brewerton gave him second place. Some good scoring this week with half the field scoring 34 points or more. An injury for Richard who managed to hit his ball into the hedge on the 13th and cut his head whilst retrieving it. Carried on as it was merely a scratch. The average gross score today was 92.41 and the average Stableford score was 32.00. Be...

Beautiful day for golf, dry, warm and no wind. Surely a day for high Stableford scores, unfortunately the green had been hollow tyned and covered in sand, making it really difficult to putt consistently. It didn't seem to hold Dan Smith and Roger Small back with their fine first and second places. As there were only six players, no points are awarded for the Player Of The Year, the prize money is still awarded and winners handicap cuts are half normal. The reason for the low numbers was that a number of swindlers entered the Brian Farr trophy. This is not easy to win as it is the lowest gross score that wins. However well done Steve Reynolds for coming second. Steve shoot 75 gross and lost on count back to James Lawrence who plays of a handicap of +1. This is probably Steve's lowest score ever. It also means Steve has had three second places in a row, two from the JJ Cup weekend and this one. Definitely the bridesmaid! The average gross score today was 92.67 points and the aver...

For Day 2 we once again had good weather, no rain but windy conditions. A late start at 12:56pm meant a lot of sitting around after breakfast, very similar to last year. The golf was played on the Championship course which was looking splendid. Plenty of water to contend with and we played off Swindle handicaps. Again we were 14 players as unfortunately Dan Smith was unable to join us. Prizes were the normal swindle money for 1st, 2nd, front 9 and back 9. Winner today was Paul with 34 points with bridesmaid Steve Reynolds missing out with 32 points after having a nil score on the eighteenth. unlucky Steve. No longest drive or nearest the pins today. High for Paul at least was his first hole where he hit a seven wood 107 yds into gale force winds to come up 1ft away for a knock in birdie. Well done Paul. Final words from Duncan the JJ Cup winner this year "Thank you to Roger for organising and sorting the prizes, Paul for doing the cards and last minute adjustments. John James for ...