Golf Things That Gladden The Heart

[moogie]

First game off the whites at my new club today, very wet and no roll out on the fairways so it was playing long plus some white tees are well back from the yellows, greens were good though given the rain we’ve had.
36 points with a lost ball blob and some silly 1 pointers. Loving my new irons, hitting them really well at the minute, I reckon I’ve gained almost a clubs length from my old set, long may it last…
Played the last two rounds with Stu (Kraxx for the forum) and a couple of members we’ve been paired with, really nice blokes. Looking forward to a great summer of golf

We'll bring you back down to earth tomorrow mate....

 

[Beezerk]

We'll bring you back down to earth tomorrow mate....

After you’ve said you’ll probably top everything tomorrow I hope I draw Paul or Jeff in the ball drop

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Got friends who’ve just bought an apartment in Alicante. Group of eight of us are going out in October to visit them…we‘ll be staying hotel or airbnb, and my Mrs has said I can take my clubs as two other lads going out also play. Hopefully their OHs will be likeminded.

 

[moogie]

After you’ve said you’ll probably top everything tomorrow I hope I draw Paul or Jeff in the ball drop

Haha
I carried Jeff to a 5&4 against stu and Paul last week

 

[Orikoru]

First shorts and t-shirt round of the year! Course was still sodden underfoot but the weather today was superb, warm and with no wind, and hopefully signals an end to the shocking wet weather we've been having. Roll on summertime!

 

[venger]

Twilight golf fees

 

[HeftyHacker]

Two things for me.

1) Played in a group with an old boy in a 4bbb comp on Saturday. He was in his 80s and still playing off 7. An absolute joy to play with and listen to for 4 hours. He was telling me his eclectic score for our course was 41 gross (par 69) - he'd eagled 10 of the holes and birdied the other 8. I asked him what his lowest handicap was and he said he'd got down to 3 in the 70s and 80s using hickory clubs.

He was also telling us how he won the seniors championship at 70 and had driven the green on 12 and gone over the mounds on 18 in the process. I can only assume that there was a strong wind that day as they're both 300+ yard shots. At 70!

2) Packed my clubs last night for my first time playing abroad. Over in the US for a wedding and two 23kg baggage allowance for only a 6 day trip meant it was a no brainer to pack the clubs up. Certainly got one round booked with the rest of the grooms side and then I've got another couple of days to kill so I'll be trying to get out then as well I think.

 

[IanM]

Booked in at Saunton this morning worh 3 old guys. Nice weather not a breath of wind and a few peeks of sunshine.

We tend to get a move on, one said. That's great I replied. Dot on three hours later, we're stood on the 18th tee.

Really fun game (off yellows) which made some holes a not short, but turns the 15th into a tough par 4, rather than a comfy 5.

 

[Pants]

Booked in at Saunton this morning worh 3 old guys. Nice weather not a breath of wind and a few peeks of sunshine.

We tend to get a move on, one said. That's great I replied. Dot on three hours later, we're stood on the 18th tee.

Really fun game (off yellows) which made some holes a not short, but turns the 15th into a tough par 4, rather than a comfy 5.

Sorry Ian but were these Seniors??? I though that the Forum wisdom was that apart from hokey cokey and all other evils, seniors couldn't get round in under 5 hours - apparently.

 

[IanM]

Sorry Ian but were these Seniors??? I though that the Forum wisdom was that apart from hokey cokey and all other evils, seniors couldn't get round in under 5 hours - apparently.

One guy was over 80.

 

[Imurg]

Eagles.....made my 3rd at Ellesborough today
Brings my eclectic to 50..21 under par....

 

[Orikoru]

Eagles.....made my 3rd at Ellesborough today
Brings my eclectic to 50..21 under par....

I've eagled two holes at mine, since then one of them has changed from a par 4 to a par 3 - does that mean I can claim an eclectic hole-in-one?

 

[Steve Wilkes]

Eagles.....made my 3rd at Ellesborough today
Brings my eclectic to 50..21 under par....

I've yet to register one at The Darenth this year, but have eagled 10 of the holes for an eclectic 44 (28 under),
I've eagled all but 2 on the back nine (The 2 longish par 3's), but only 3 on the front nine, I might need to warm up better before starting

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The remodelling of last 100yds of our par 5 14th hole started back in October - through all the deluges and freeze it’s been worked on, and on Friday we’re planning to bring the green back into play. But boy has the last 100yds changed. A couple more cuts of the fairway and it‘ll be ready - with its swales (for water management as well as added complexity and decision making to second shot) and three brand new bunkers.

 

[Bdill93]

The remodelling of last 100yds of our par 5 14th hole started back in October - through all the deluges and freeze it’s been worked on, and on Friday we’re planning to bring the green back into play. But boy has the last 100yds changed. A couple more cuts of the fairway and it‘ll be ready - with its swales (for water management as well as added complexity and decision making to second shot) and three brand new bunkers.

View attachment 47414

Truly the only way to christen it would be to hit at least 2 of the bunkers the first time you play it. I could easily hit that front right and follow it up with the top right or left no problem.

On a serious note - love the way that looks! Certainly a hole that you don’t want to be short and wide on now!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Truly the only way to christen it would be to hit at least 2 of the bunkers the first time you play it. I could easily hit that front right and follow it up with the top right or left no problem.

On a serious note - love the way that looks! Certainly a hole that you don’t want to be short and wide on now!

..and what you don’t see are the rainfall holding depressions/ponds just out of picture to the left and right. When empty they will be depressions full of rough, when full after a lot of rain they are ponds. Anything wide left or right will be in deep rough or water trouble. I don’t yet know how we are going to classify these two areas for rules purposes.

Just a bit further on from where I am standing is about where, for most handicappers, a decent 2nd shot after a good drive would land and it would then bounce straight towards the green. We’ve raised the fairway to be almost level with front of green (there used to be a 2-3ft step up from fairway to green) from where you can see the new turf.

This has enables us to create a narrow mown swale across the fairway to the LH rainwater holding area (just past the roping and GUR sign) which will capture a slower moving rolling or bouncing ball, and, closer to the green, a diagonal change in level that will throw a bouncing or rolling ball to the left and behind the new LH bunker, and towards the holding area

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

First shorts and t-shirt round of the year! Course was still sodden underfoot but the weather today was superb, warm and with no wind, and hopefully signals an end to the shocking wet weather we've been having. Roll on summertime!

T-shirt? Take 100 lines Orikoru Jnr…I must not wear…

 

[Fromtherough]

The remodelling of last 100yds of our par 5 14th hole started back in October - through all the deluges and freeze it’s been worked on, and on Friday we’re planning to bring the green back into play. But boy has the last 100yds changed. A couple more cuts of the fairway and it‘ll be ready - with its swales (for water management as well as added complexity and decision making to second shot) and three brand new bunkers.

View attachment 47414

That looks great, really pleasing to the eye. Do you think the SI will change with the added difficulty?

 

[backwoodsman]

..and what you don’t see are the rainfall holding depressions/ponds just out of picture to the left and right. When empty they will be depressions full of rough, when full after a lot of rain they are ponds. Anything wide left or right will be in deep rough or water trouble. I don’t yet know how we are going to classify these two areas for rules purposes.

Just pass where I am standing is about where, for most handicappers, a decent 2nd shot after a good drive would land and it would then bounce straight towards the green. We’ve raised the fairway to be almost level with front of green (there used to be a 2-3ft step up from fairway to green) from where you can see the new turf.

This has enables us to create a narrow mown swale across the fairway to the LH rainwater holding area (just past the roping and GUR sign) and, closer to the green, a diagonal change in level that will throw a bouncing or rolling ball to the left and behind the new LH bunker, and towards the holding area

Out of interest only, after the depressions/pond do get filled, how long will it take them to drain again? (ie how long will the water be in there?)

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Out of interest only, after the depressions/pond do get filled, how long will it take them to drain again? (ie how long will the water be in there?)

Don’t really know Tbh.

They are at a low point of the course and immediate area. The rhs one has always been there but behind high and thick hedge (now completely removed) so we couldn’t see it, but if our ball headed over or through the hedge we’d have a quick glance and if full not bother looking, and even when empty it was not worth battling in to look as the growth in the area was dense and deep.

LHS one is new - with additional new flood/wetland area extending flood area further. Pic below from Sunday (with my finger joining in) looking across the LHS pond and extended flood/ wetland area to side of tee, with green and new approach to 14th behind. I’m guessing maybe a few weeks if things stay fairly dry or at least not too wet, but it’s gone down a fair bit just in a week of lower rainfall and it was completely full. It is designed to take overflow water from the main one on the RHS so when dry should stay that way unless continual downpours overflow the RHS. The idea is that overflow is channelled across the fairway in the swale which will have a simple bridge built across it.

I shall provide an update when LHS has drained fully