Aldwickbury Park Early Birds

  We waited a little longer than a year this time, 13 months in fact, but it was not such a long wait as the 2 years where AndMe Simpkin was custodian of the JJ Cup. In a break from recent tradition most of our troop headed off for a special away weekend at The Belfry. Reviewing the slope and scorecards prior to the trip and taking a look at the pro visualizer link provided by this year's organiser (AndMe) left us in no doubt that we should definitely doubt our own ability to master these courses. Friday as we set off up to the midlands for Day 1, the weather was sketchy to say the least. Heavy rainfall was forecast overnight Thursday and well into Friday morning. It didn't disappoint and the rain made for difficult driving in more ways than one.  Most arrived in good time, presumably fearing being stuck in traffic and missing their start times. Unfortunately JJ himself was unable to join us due to course conditions being unsuitable for buggies but we were promised the pleasur...

  Well spring is definitely here but you cannot legislate for a bit of early morning fog. The weather has not been kind this winter and there's been a sting in the tail these past few weeks. Rain cancellation last week followed by fog delays this week left a few feeling a little frustrated. Coenraad for instance chose to be in Serbia rather than turn up, obviously had some insider knowledge being a local! Anyway 12 intrepid die-hards stuck it out and finally teed off after about 2 hours delay. Once the fog lifted it was a beautiful day but the golf was less so. Perhaps all the waiting around upset the pre-match routines but the scoring was not great. Average stableford score was down at 27.75 and average gross score up at 94.3.  There were only 3 birdies today: James (6,7) and Pete Laurence (13) Well done both. Our winner today had a practice round with yours truly on good Friday and it clearly paid off. James went round in 79 to score 34 points. He was 1 under after 6 holes b...

  It was a little windy this week which I guess is to be expected as the seasons change. The weather was otherwise warm except on the 18th hole for the last group where we suffered a brief hail storm as we approached the green.  The weather took it's toll on most of the field again, particularly Roger Gibbs who celebrated beating Andy's lowest score on the 14th hole leading us in the last group to think that he was celebrating a rare birdie on one of the most difficult holes. Average scores were down at 27.53 for stableford and up at 94.7 for gross.  I had reserved a slot for a story from Roger Gibbs but it hasn't materialised at time of going to press so I'll leave him to share that one via WhatsApp.  I had the pleasure of a round with the Miller bros. this week and have a few stories to share. First was the remarkable start they both had. James started off in his usual style and smashed a drive down the middle of the first fairway, on in regulation then a nice bird...

Yes the rain came down and we all got a little damp. Thankfully it was not cold, the wind was light and when it eventually stopped raining it was quite pleasant. The course unfortunately was very squelchy underfoot, the bunkers were awful and the rough was dreadful making for some very ordinary golf for the most part.  That said, the receptive greens made for plenty of birdie opportunities. There were several in our group although only two managed to be converted and it was a tale of anything you can do I can do better. James and Pete both found the 10th green in regulation but Pete was within a few feet and James had a long put. Having played with Pete last week when for at least the first nine I was referring to him as 3 putt Pete, his 3 footer was by no means a certainty on one of the flatest greens on the course and James is normally a lot closer for his converted birdies. James hit a great long put which dropped in the hole putting the pressure on Pete to make his "tap-in....

Yes, it feels like spring again but it could be short lived, I think the following picture is probably more appropriate for this week. There was a 20 degree difference between the lowest and highest temperatures in the UK last night!! The lamb (small sheep) has some other relevance for me this week as on Monday I received my freedom of the city of London.  A nice ceremony at Guildhall in London allowing me to go ahead with my full Liveryman application this summer. It doen't quite give me the right to drive sheep across London Bridge, it in fact allows me to avoid paying a tythe for entering the city. Obviously this is not so relevant these days but marked you as someone of importance in days gone by. I did ask if I could avoid paying the congestion charge but sadly I didn't get the answer I would've liked.  Today the weather was rather pleasant. After the uncertainty regarding whether the course would be open and the morning booking fiasco, all was well. Richard has sorted...

  Yes for some early birds there were plenty of birdies today. 9 in fact coming mostly in the early groups. It included one special birdie worth a mention from Steve Reynolds on 18 who drove into the first bunker on the left, hit his second shot onto the bunker and sunk his put. Lucky hey Tone? The conditions were cold but fair today. Cloud was keeping away the frost but the cold northerly wind was still present and has been drying out the course a lot. The course itself could do with some warmer weather to allow the grass to grow as knowing where the fairway is takes a bit of local knowledge at present. So much so, that on 2 they've gone to the trouble of marking it out with a nice red line.  Personally I found it very hard going today. Driving was ok but irons were somewhat problematic with plenty of wayward shots and most shots coming up well short. This led to my attempt at Andy's record low score although I would say that my scoring was mostly down to 1 pointers as I coul...

  Yes the similarities are quite striking - the hat, the top, the kneeling on the course to pray for divine intervention. I'm afraid that's where the similarities end. The top picture is of course Tiger Woods, possibly having one of his off days, the bottom picture is none other than Roger Small. This was Roger's approach to not being beaten by his sciatica pain. His scoring on the front 9 was excellent for 7 holes, playing within himself clearly having some very positive outcomes. It went down hill after that unfortunately but well done Roger for getting around despite the obvious discomfort.  The turnout this week was excellent with 15 players turning out on what was a very cold morning with a brisk northerly wind to keep us chilled. The impact was that it was difficult to stay warm and the wind was not helping the golf either.  We had 1 birdie this week or should I say I had a birdie on 9. Well done me.  Our winner today was clearly inspired by a mistake in the sc...