Will try not to go on too long here, but in essence I was involved in a foursomes match today the like of which I can't remember playing in before, giving 12 shots away to a pair off 17 & 18. Story of the first 12 holes was that we'd been incredibly clumsy and holed nothing; they'd been fairly steady and holed four or five of those 4-8 footers you have to make, and when they then holed a 12-footer for a winning par on 13, we were 3-down, five to play and in a fairly low, dark place mentally having to give shots away on four of the last five holes (17 was our only respite if we could take it that far).
Anyway, they got in a bit of trouble on the par-5 14th and we won that fairly comfortably, with a similar scenario on 15, although their 15-footer for the half gave us a fright by hitting the hole hard before lipping out. Back to just 1-down, but they played 16 (with a shot) almost textbook, and although we gave ourselves a good chance for birdie with a 12-footer I couldn't convert. Dormie with two to play
17 at Crowborough is shortish uphill par 3 on which they came up just short of the green, but still within putting range, and the way they'd been putting it was an almost certain 3 at worst. My partner then hit it a great shot to 8ft, which I was pretty certain I would have to make to keep the match alive. And so it proved. They knocked it stone-dead and I then rolled the 8-footer into the heart of the cup having done nothing with the putter all day. 1-down. 18 is a tough hole at Crowborough, and being considerably longer than our partners off the tee we knew it wasn't quite all over as they wouldn't be able to reach in 2 - but giving a shot away, we needed to win it be two clear shots to take it to extra holes. We played it pretty textbook, but I just missed the birdie putt from 25 feet, leaving them two putts from 15 feet for the match. They left the first one three feet short... and then somehow missed the next one. Extra time.
They had a shot on the 1st, but again couldn't reach in two while I had a straightforward 7-iron in which I semi-duffed 15 yards short of the green. They then pitched to 12ft in three before my partner played a great recovery chip to 4ft. When they missed, I had to hole to keep it going, and didn't fancy it much on a scrappy bit of green... but in it went, dead-centre.
Down the 2nd and another shot to them, but they made a bit of a mess of it and ended up 30 feet away in 4 with us on the back of the green some 50ft away in two, probably two putts from victory. I contrived to leave it 8ft short, they then rolled it stone dead, and my partner lipped out. Another half.
Finally, giving no shot away on the 21st hole, my partner hit it to about 20ft and they then duffed their tee-shot and recovery pitch before chipping to 15ft above the hole. I rolled the putt up to about a foot and when they charged their putt for four well past, it was handshake time.
A quite extraordinary game, and an extraordinary feeling to be involved in something like that and for once come out on top. I can only remember one similar match in the past where I'd clutched victory from the deep, deep bowels of defeat...
very satisfying. I quite like golf (most of the time!)
Sorry - did go on a bit after all...
Anyway, they got in a bit of trouble on the par-5 14th and we won that fairly comfortably, with a similar scenario on 15, although their 15-footer for the half gave us a fright by hitting the hole hard before lipping out. Back to just 1-down, but they played 16 (with a shot) almost textbook, and although we gave ourselves a good chance for birdie with a 12-footer I couldn't convert. Dormie with two to play
17 at Crowborough is shortish uphill par 3 on which they came up just short of the green, but still within putting range, and the way they'd been putting it was an almost certain 3 at worst. My partner then hit it a great shot to 8ft, which I was pretty certain I would have to make to keep the match alive. And so it proved. They knocked it stone-dead and I then rolled the 8-footer into the heart of the cup having done nothing with the putter all day. 1-down. 18 is a tough hole at Crowborough, and being considerably longer than our partners off the tee we knew it wasn't quite all over as they wouldn't be able to reach in 2 - but giving a shot away, we needed to win it be two clear shots to take it to extra holes. We played it pretty textbook, but I just missed the birdie putt from 25 feet, leaving them two putts from 15 feet for the match. They left the first one three feet short... and then somehow missed the next one. Extra time.
They had a shot on the 1st, but again couldn't reach in two while I had a straightforward 7-iron in which I semi-duffed 15 yards short of the green. They then pitched to 12ft in three before my partner played a great recovery chip to 4ft. When they missed, I had to hole to keep it going, and didn't fancy it much on a scrappy bit of green... but in it went, dead-centre.
Down the 2nd and another shot to them, but they made a bit of a mess of it and ended up 30 feet away in 4 with us on the back of the green some 50ft away in two, probably two putts from victory. I contrived to leave it 8ft short, they then rolled it stone dead, and my partner lipped out. Another half.
Finally, giving no shot away on the 21st hole, my partner hit it to about 20ft and they then duffed their tee-shot and recovery pitch before chipping to 15ft above the hole. I rolled the putt up to about a foot and when they charged their putt for four well past, it was handshake time.
A quite extraordinary game, and an extraordinary feeling to be involved in something like that and for once come out on top. I can only remember one similar match in the past where I'd clutched victory from the deep, deep bowels of defeat...
very satisfying. I quite like golf (most of the time!)
Sorry - did go on a bit after all...
