Posted under Stan's Blog
Arriving in good time and introducing myself to the professional Robert Evans. After explaining the challenge he found it intriguing what I had set myself. I then proceeded to see the secretary Beverley Cronin who introduced me too the Captain, he too was unaware of the challenge. This was partly due to the changeover of secretaries.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Trudy Carradice, editor of the Welsh golf magazine who played for Wales during the 2006/7 season, and is a member of the club. The advice given was to stay on the fairways, otherwise high scores would be the order of the day, for which I was yet to find out.
A true links course with gusting winds blowing across many of the holes would mean finding the fairways would be no mean task. As there was a senior’s competition on I started on the 10th . Playing my first shot on a stroke index 1 hole into a prevailing wind and missing the fairway from the tee left an echo in my mind as to what advice Trudy had given me. A lost ball making a triple bogey 7 was not a good start. Missing the fairway on the next two holes meant dropped shots were building up to quickly. By the time I got to the 15th I realised that I had left a sleeve of balls in my car and with just the one ball to play with, being very conscious that if I put this one off the green then it would mean along walk back to the car to get replenishments. Pulling my shot left and short of the green I couldn’t see where it landed due to a hillock in my line of vision. So off I trundled to try and find it, to no avail. So it was off to the pro shop to buy some balls. So as not to hold up play, I was told to play the front nine and finish the last three at the end, which made sense, and saved some time too.
With it being very open to the elements and close to the sea this links course will always play difficult in the wind, and today would be no exception.
Conditions: Sunny spells, overcast and windy
Results: Lost against the course
Out: 44
In: 47
Gross: 91
H/Cap: 13
Net: 78
Par 71
Putts 17 / 15 = 32
Stableford: 16 /13 = 29