UK Classic Club Thread - John Letters, Ben Sayers, Slazenger, Dunlop, George Nicoll, Swilken, Petron

[DM70]

5300 is perfect as a secondary course as we're doing no2 and no3 on one day. I'll probably bring along some classic gear and do that course with a wooden 3-wood and a half-set.

[elwhippy]

If you want a fine test, on a shorter course get yourselves to my distant cousins course. Kilspindie. It plays a lot tougher than the yardage suggests. If you are nearer to Edinburgh Duddingston and Mortonhall are excellent parkland courses and both very welcoming. A recent article in the Scottish press said Golf was declining at a worrying rate, much faster than other countries across Europe. And looking at the green fees being asked for what I deem second string courses I am not surprised. Scotland's championship rota courses are not remotely interested in Scottish or other British players unless you arrive in a Bentley and don't mind being second class to Japanese and US high rollers.

[mahonie]

5300 is perfect as a secondary course as we're doing no2 and no3 on one day. I'll probably bring along some classic gear and do that course with a wooden 3-wood and a half-set.

 

Played #2 & #3 combination a couple of times. #3 is one of my all time favourite courses and really is fun to play. The short yardage belies how difficult it is...difficult but fun at the same time.

[stixman]

The BGCS played the Scottish Hickory Champs on No 3 for many years, quite tight, but position off the tee was everything.

[Chris122]

To add a bit of colour I thought something from the top shelf might be exciting,so I proudly present;

"Old British Bags!"

They NEVER know when they've had enough!

They go FOREVER!

SATISFACTION guaranteed!

They're also cheaper than ever!

[Jiggered]

Nice Chris!

 

I feel I should show some of mine but they're full of clubs in the garage and right now I've got to make dinner.

[Chris122]

Where in the midlands do you play?

I'm a Warwickshire boy exiled to the east coast of Yorkshire known for beer-bellies,vests,sweaty armpits and stubble.......that's the women.

I love seaside golf for the scenery and links type courses but occasionally miss the more tranquil surroundings of good parkland courses I used to play.

[Jiggered]

You wouldn't be loving parkland courses right now, it's been a terrible winter here with courses being at best waterlogged and at worst flooded, give me some links courses now and I'd be happy, course closed again today and unlikely to be open tomorrow....

 

Leicestershire boy me and never lived anywhere else, I play at Ullesthorpe, an average midlands, clay based, parkland course, but the membership is friendly!

 

Were did you play in Warwickshire?

[Chris122]

Learned at Stratford-upon-Avon,never a member there though I played a lot,Newbold Comyn muni,Welcombe Hotel where I was golf co-ordinator,Stratford Oaks.

While at the Welcombe a group of us had days out and club matches,Olton,Kenilworth,Maxstoke Park,Ladbrook Park,Tadmarton Heath,Rye Hill,Copt Heath,the Warwickshire and twice a year a full day at Frilford Heath.

If I had to pick just one course to play forever it would be Tadmarton Heath.

Not a long course but very well laid out and lots of gorse,heather,trees and trouble with possibly the most frustrating greens I've ever played on,so many small,subtle breaks that 36 putts in a round feels like you saved 9 strokes!

Didn't travel east very much,more north,south and west.

[Jiggered]

Played quite a few of those, but it's funny you should mention Tadmarton Heath as I'm also a fan, even though I've only played it once. But more to the point, I'm organising a persimmons and blades day at Tadmarton on Sunday 25th March.

 

That's only two weeks away and you'd be most welcome should you wish to join us, especially as I've found it pretty hard to rustle up players.

 

We're currently numbering 7; myself, three guys from the Golf Monthly forum, Blade Junkie and two from the Persimmon Golf Society Facebook group plus a couple of maybes.

It's not a serious competition or anything, format still to be fully defined but likely to be Stableford, and there'll probably be some piece of vintage golf tat for first place.

As for clubs, as long as your woods are wooden, your irons are blades and your putter doesn't look like a Klingon star ship then you'll be fine.

 

I realise that it's a fair trek for you but it would be great if you could make it.

 

(Forgot to say, 12.00 tee time, £35 or £30 with a County Card, bargain!)

[Chris122]

Thank you!

Don't know if I can do it at the moment,I'll make some enquiries and p.m. you asap.

[Chris122]

Well,I am unable to join the guys at Tadmarton but are any of us in the UK playing any golf at all or are we all slowly going round the bend?

At the risk of declaring myself mentally unbalanced I did take the 9.00am train up to Filey yesterday with my new Macgregor Custom driver and 4-wood,5,7,9 Wilson Staff 'Adjustaback' and a Golden Goose putter.

The main course was closed but the short course remained open even though waterlogged.

The cycle ride from the station to the club gave some indication of how much stronger the wind was there in an exposed location,whipping straight in from a very turbulent,crashing North Sea on to the Filey coast at 25-30mph.

It was bloody freezing!

But faint heart won sweet FA,so on to the course which opens with a good par 3 of about 130 yards across a pond.

I would like to tell you that I hit a sweet 7-iron on to the putting surface but sadly got it slightly heavy and it 'splooshed' about 10 yards short of the bank.

Playing 3 off the tee I produced an ungainly lurch resulting in a low,skipping shot across the water which briefly gave some hope of reaching the far side until it too disappeared.

For shot 5 I regrouped and reconsidered the options,deciding that a punched 5-iron would be a better shot.

Mother Earth took the punch like a man and reciprocated by clinging on to the club head,the ball made it about halfway.

Looking in my bag I found I only had two balls left,I hadn't bothered to make an ammo check before coming out so I bottled it and scurried round the pond to the next tee!

On the third I hit my 4-wood,two tee shots straight into the wind,about 100 yards each,I felt happy with that,played up to the green and then spent 20 minutes rummaging through the bushes looking for some reloads!

3 Titleist,a Pinnacle yellow,a Noodle and A N Other later I continued play.

The 7th is the longest hole on there and was again,straight back into the wind,both tee shots with driver were about 140 yards but given conditions I considered it acceptable,freezing cold (my hands by now were bordering on numb),howling wind and waterlogged fairway,what was great was that both clubs felt solid and playable.

I spent about an hour or so out there,it was ridiculous really but I felt satisfied that I had at least made an effort and the Macs had a run out.

I may have been the only golfer out in the north of England yesterday and my appointment with the trick-cyclist is the end of next week.

[stixman]

Aye, it's grim oop Norf.

Similar meteorological tale today at notso sunny Morecambe. 30 mph out of NE, gusting to 40 with frequent snow showers. If the snow had the decency to settle we could have gone in, but it didn't.

 

Well played Chris, good story well told. Liked the bit about the bike, a splendid flavour of golf from bygone days!

 

Formby tomorrow, with the sticks, omg.

[Jiggered]

Nice one Chris, can't beat that smug feeling of satisfaction you get after battling against the elements.

 

I ventured out today with half a set, a mix of good and bad, probably more of the latter including a couple of Shermans. Did hit two or three nice shots with the Petron 1 iron though.

 

I had to question my sanity playing the fifteenth though when it got pretty bad for a few minutes with the wind and snow cutting into my face, there certainly weren't many other idiots on the course.

[elwhippy]

Snow returns to Cumbria. Another Stableford bites the dust. Booger. Mind you as wind chill is about minus 6 I fear the ball would struggle to get airborne. Oh well off to Sainsbury then mysteriously arrive at mothers house about lunchtime....hehehehe

[scruffynick]

Aye, it's grim oop Norf.

Similar meteorological tale today at notso sunny Morecambe. 30 mph out of NE, gusting to 40 with frequent snow showers. If the snow had the decency to settle we could have gone in, but it didn't.

 

Well played Chris, good story well told. Liked the bit about the bike, a splendid flavour of golf from bygone days!

 

Formby tomorrow, with the sticks, omg.

My goodness, playing Morecambe today with this baltic freezing weather wind..yikes! Dont thin it!

[stixman]

We wimped out of playing Formby today. Frost greens, me, and my hickories are not a happy mix!

[teevons]

Man I am a wimp, 60 degrees and windy yesterday, no desire in those frigid conditions

[Chris122]

That's rubbing salt into my frostbitten fingers!

 

Today I've watched 1991 Masters dvd,I remember it well but had forgotten just how well Tom Watson played so in his honour I dug out 5,7,9 Ram Tour Grinds and Ping Pal putter for tomorrow.

Yes,I'm braving it again,temperature up to + figures (2!) and winds easing to around 23mph,what we call a breeze at Filey.

I know this is a UK based club thread but Tom Watson is almost British and I'll use the red Dunlop bag above.

[teevons]

Chris, I remember when you were visiting the states and were in LA and did not want to play here in the desert because it was going to be in high 80's 90's f. . When its August here that temp is dream like when it is close to 120. So we just swap what we are use to.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Does Filey have the opening holes along the top of a cliff? I played a course around there years ago that was on the top of a cliff and very exposed, though some of the later holes went a bit inland. May have been Scarborough or Whitby? What I remember most about it is that as a single I got paired up with a family (granddad, son, grandson), and the son was Mr. Ping. Ping Eye2 Woods and irons, Ping putter, one of those white Ping staff bags (on a trolley), and a Ping visor. Heck, he might even have been playing one of those two-tone Ping balls for all I can remember.

Not the best course I've played, but certainly not the worst, either. There was a little valley or gorge that we had to hit over at one point.

[stixman]

Chris, I remember when you were visiting the states and were in LA and did not want to play here in the desert because it was going to be in high 80's 90's f. . When its August here that temp is dream like when it is close to 120. So we just swap what we are use to.

 

The forecast then was 100 in the shade.....and there wasn't any shade!

[oldschoolrocker]

The worst conditions are when the temps are around 100F and they are matched by the humidity.

[scomac2002]

The worst conditions are when the temps are around 100F and they are matched by the humidity.

 

I think you might be right. I played golf for the first time in Venezuela about 30 years ago. It was 105°F at tee off and it was humid. Somehow managed to last nine holes walking and carrying. It was a real ordeal as I recall. Young and stupid were the watch words for that outing.

 

A couple of years ago, the owner and the superintendent at the course I work at took two of us out for a round at a high end course about an hour's drive from home. It was hot and humid that day too, mid 90's, but we rode and there was a nice hot breeze blowing through the trees. All the pines that demarcated the boundaries for each hole had been trimmed up about 6 feet from the ground. It was amazing what that did for airflow and didn't hurt pace-of-play either. (The superintendent was so impressed he has adopted that practice on our course at least partially. Great for play, but no treasure trove of lost balls to be found by staff.) We survived the day quite nicely and I had one of my better rounds. No worries about getting and keeping loose!

 

[Added] The flip side of that is playing in a cold windy mid May day with intermittent sleet and ice pellets. It was ridiculous, but it was an outing that had been planned for a while and cancelling wasn't really an option. It was the coldest I have ever been golfing and I played terribly. The front nine was bearable, but the back was awful!

[Fellaheen51]

Our bodies adapt to the climatic environment we live in. Live in hot weather areas, you get use to it. Conversely, the same for cold. WTS, I can golf in the cold comfortably down to about 40*. Have the proper clothing that will keep me warm enough. And walking will keep your core temperature up. Once the temps reach 95*, with the humidity that typically accompanies it here, playing becomes miserable. Staying hydrated, finding some periodic shade if possible, a bit of a breeze and carting helps. But I find no pleasure in the play. Closest I've ever come to heat stroke was trying to play a round in excessively hot weather. Stopped sweating, felt like I was going to pass out. Quit after about 15 holes, and was taken to the clubhouse where cold towels were applied to the back of my neck. Scared the crap out of me.

 

Usually will avoid play at either end of the extremes. Unless showing up to play is something of a necessity. Like league night. Over the years, we've played in snow squalls (easy points do to no-shows from the other team). And a couple of times in extremely hot weather (which is typically rare here in the northern latitudes.) But the league is late afternoon into the evening, so temps have declined a bit. And its only 9 holes, so doable.

 

Can always stay warm, not the case for staying cool. But fortunate here. Most of the time in the summer, temps range from 75* - 85*. Perfect.

[oldschoolrocker]

Going to try to get in at least nine this afternoon. Slight chill and drizzle, but, judging from the forecast will be the best bet for the next few days. Possibility of tornadoes and large hail on the way. It’s been a crazy start to the new year weather wise.

Sorry, not trying to thread jack this from you UK lads.

[Chris122]

Does Filey have the opening holes along the top of a cliff? I played a course around there years ago that was on the top of a cliff and very exposed, though some of the later holes went a bit inland. May have been Scarborough or Whitby? What I remember most about it is that as a single I got paired up with a family (granddad, son, grandson), and the son was Mr. Ping. Ping Eye2 Woods and irons, Ping putter, one of those white Ping staff bags (on a trolley), and a Ping visor. Heck, he might even have been playing one of those two-tone Ping balls for all I can remember.

Not the best course I've played, but certainly not the worst, either. There was a little valley or gorge that we had to hit over at one point.

Sounds like Filey although Whitby has some similar holes on the cliffs and over a ravine,the first hole at Filey has an uphill drive,the green is high up and has stunning views of Filey bay.

I love Mr Ping!

I'm going to be studying all the members from now on LOL

Every club has one,in York it was Mr Titleist,in the summer I do a Mr Hogan (the look NOT the golf!).

[stixman]

Going to try to get in at least nine this afternoon. Slight chill and drizzle, but, judging from the forecast will be the best bet for the next few days. Possibility of tornadoes and large hail on the way. It's been a crazy start to the new year weather wise.

Sorry, not trying to thread jack this from you UK lads.

 

I think it's rather sweet that our little corner has an international coterie of followers. :taunt:

[Chris122]

Thanks again Jiggered for the heads up on Masters footage,I've just finished watching Bernhard's '85 victory,it's taken me so long because I'd forgotten how bloody s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w he was and kept dropping off while he was lining up putts.

In fact on the 12th where he was off the back edge,I had time to go for a pee,make a cuppa and a sandwich and still be back in time to see him fudge it.

I had also forgotten how much better the commentary was then,Ken Venturi,Tom Weiskopf and Jack Nicklaus in the Butler cabin throwing in the odd gem.

Compare with Peter Alliss,Ken (on the course) Brown,Mark James,Andrew Cotter.

Anybody know what the spat between Langer and Seve was?

Will Brexit mean we revert to original Ryder Cup format?

[stixman]

I thought Dave Marr was the Dawgs Boll***s. Very sad loss.

Can't help with your questions.