Mid-Handicap Matchplay

[Bdill93]

Next round of the four-ball comp with my pal Ben (13.1). Up against JC (14.8) and CP (15.9), so the only shots were three of us getting one on the S.I.1 12th.

1st (p3): I hit first and knock a 5 wood just off the back of the green. I usually go 5 wood if it's first shot of the day, and the back is much better than being short or right. Ben effectively tops his. JC is long and left (but luckily lands in GUR) and CP is short in a bunker. JC gets up and down really well out of the bunker for par, and I have to hole a good four or five footer for half, which I do.

2nd (p4): This is a can't-go-right hole so I pull mine left into the trees, everyone else is on the fairway. My punch out of the trees goes high and right of the green in a pretty impossible position. Ben and JC both make lengthy two-putts for a half.

3rd (p3): I miss a fraction left and go in a bunker but Ben hits the green. JC is just short of the green on the fringe. Surprisingly he opts to chip it, but does well and gets up and down. Ben three-putts so we're 1 down.

4th (p4): When the wind's blowing at our place, 9 times out of 10 it's the same direction, which is chaotic left-to-right wind on the 4th and 5th. If I fade it, it's gone, so I do that and go out of bounds, then do almost the same thing with the provisional and end up in a bush. Ben is just shy of the green in two but knifes his chip miles through the back. Recovers well and makes a good up and down from there for bogey. JC also makes bogey for them for the half.

5th (p4): CP toes his drive straight out of bounds which was rather comical. I'm wary of the wind so use a lower tee and aim well left, unfortunately it does clip a branch which takes some length off it, but it's in play. Ben tried to hit a low one through the wind (I think??) and hit a bizarre slicing stinger that looked like a Roberto Carlos free kick. It nearly hits where we left our trolleys but hits a tree instead and pings into the fairway but a good 100 yards short of where he would normally be. He smashes a hybrid and misses the green left, I hit a bloody awful slicey thin with PW to miss the green right, and JC finds the very back of the green. Unfortunately we're both inches away from getting up and down while JC two putts to win the hole on his own. 2 down.

6th (p3): Straight into the wind here. JC knifes his, but it hits the pin which prevents him going miles off the back and leaves him in the fringe. CP is down the bottom of the green with a 25 foot putt (at least). I'm on the green but I've faded off the pin and run down the hill leaving me about 20 feet. Ben went in a bunker, admirably almost holed it but it ran down the slope and away from the hole. CP then drained his 25 foot putt - rather annoyingly. I miss mine an inch right of the cup so we're 3 down.

7th (p4): Three long ones coming up now so we weren't too worried, Ben is a longer hitter than me so I was hoping his length would benefit us in this stretch. Unfortunately he hits a high ball so when it's windy it kills him and completely nullifies that length - ultimately all our drives went about the same distance. I actually hit a lovely 7 wood onto the top tier of the green, where the pin is. JC hits hybrid to the bottom tier. His 30 foot putt going up the slope on a two-tier green lips out - we honestly thought it was in. I roll mine up to a couple of inches for a par and a half.

8th (p5): Pretty routine hole - CP makes a par, then I make a par. Ben has an 8-footer for birdie but doesn't make it. Half.

9th (p5): All of us make the green in regulation. I'm closest to the pin but still a good 12 or so feet away, again I miss the cup by an inch. We all make par for half pretty much. Still 3 down at the turn.

10th (p3): It's wind behind and front pin. JC is a little long and left, CP is just short. I hit a beauty of a hybrid with a little bit of fade, honestly looked like it could have gone in, but when we get up there it's just two foot past the pin. JC gets up and down of course, so I have to make my birdie putt to finally win us a hole - and I do. Back to 2 down.

11th (p4): This is another one where the wind is annoying. I tried to tee it lower again but my ball still goes right. Ben hits his big high drive into the wind which kills it as per. Opponents both kind of hit draws through the wind so they go up the left. I have to punch mine in between trees so I can only get to about 40 yards short of the green. Ben doesn't hit enough club so he's left himself 20 yards short. CP has hit a wood or hybrid onto the green nicely. I pitch it just off the back, Ben knifes his chip into oblivion. CP lags it across the green for par, so I have to make a 10 footer from the back fringe - which I do not. 3 down again.

12th (p4): Our opponents and I all hit tidy drives, Ben, knowing that he's giving a shot away to the others tries to absolutely annihilate his drive, and kind of pulls it over the left trees which wasn't much use to us really. From there he has to hoist over another few trees but misses the green right and in a bush. JC has hit his second just short of the green, while I miss it right. I wish I'd missed it where he did as it's a much easier up and down from there. He pars and I bogey - 4 down.

13th (p4): JC uncharacteristically pushes his drive well right. CP hits a little fat but straight. I go a bit left but luckily goes the wrong side of a tree and leaves me a decent line in. It's a short par 4 and wind behind, Ben tries to absolutely rip his drive but carves it so far right it actually carries clean over the trees and onto the 9th hole - genuinely never seen anyone do that before. He has a bit of a mare over there, but I managed to wedge mine onto the front of the green. CP finds the back left but we both have long putts because the pin is back right-ish. I hit a great putt to about 5 inches for a gimme par. CP lags to two feet, we can't really give anything at this point but he obviously drains it anyway.

14th (p3): This is the new par 3 that I haven't yet parred. JC pulls his miles left, and CP fats it short. I hit a punchy 7 iron which hits the green but runs just off the back right. Ben once against hasn't taken enough club into the wind so he's short and left. CP plays a brilliantly chip and run which rolls up to about 2 or 3 feet. I hit a hybrid bump and run which runs a bit too much and leaves me about 6 or 7 feet. It's an absolute must-make so we spend some time reading it - decide it's pretty straight so I take dead aim and give it a whack - it's a good read and it drops. CP rolls his in for the half. It's dormie 4.

15th (p3): Big par 3 up the hill. CP hits a good one just short of the green. I hit a drive that just cuts in time to miss the bunker and rolls up to the back of the green. Ben goes long and left, but hits a nice flop shot onto the green leaving him about 12 feet from the pin. CP putts up, rolls past the hole and leaves him about 8 or 9 feet away. I've got a huge sweeping left to right downhill putt from about 20 feet, I make a great attempt that just swings inside the hole by an inch, narrowly missing the birdie. Ben actually knocked his in for par which saved me the bother. CP however, does what they've done all day long and knocks his putt in the hole for the half and the match.


As I said on the Played Today thread, I played superbly well other than the disaster at the 4th - counting that one as a triple I was only 7 over par for 16 holes (we played the 16th after the match, and I got up and down for par there as well - but it had started raining so we didn't finish the last two). These two were absolutely lethal on the greens, and their combined score was level par. Of course my partner didn't have a good day, but even if he did he'd have needed to be making birdies to give us a chance of winning. Just have to hold our hands up and say our opponents were near as unbeatable on the day. I really enjoyed the match, they were both great guys who we had a good laugh with, so that's the main thing. And we got one stage better than last year's effort in this competition, so... here's to next year I guess.

Nice write up!

Sometimes its just not your day/ totally their day and not much you can do about it!

 

[Orikoru]

Nice write up!

Sometimes its just not your day/ totally their day and not much you can do about it!

Just knew I shouldn't have partnered a feller called Ben. You can never trust a Ben.

 

[Bdill93]

Just knew I shouldn't have partnered a feller called Ben. You can never trust a Ben.

Dodgy fellas!

This Ben has a quarter final tomorrow night to play.. and barely played for a couple of weeks.. bodes well

 

[SteveW86]

Fount out my opponent for the next round of our scratch knockout at the weekend, 2nd lowest player in the club off +0.2. He’s won his games 10&8 and 9&8 so far .

Still, it’s a free hit for me and I should get to see some very good golf get played.

 

[Bdill93]

Fount out my opponent for the next round of our scratch knockout at the weekend, 2nd lowest player in the club off +0.2. He’s won his games 10&8 and 9&8 so far .

Still, it’s a free hit for me and I should get to see some very good golf get played.

Hey if you manage to get further on the course than anyone else has against him it’s a win in itself!

 

[Orikoru]

Dodgy fellas!

This Ben has a quarter final tomorrow night to play.. and barely played for a couple of weeks.. bodes well

Are we to assume you lost?

 

[SteveW86]

Hey if you manage to get further on the course than anyone else has against him it’s a win in itself!

I'll celebrate if I make it to the 12th tee.

 

[Bdill93]

Are we to assume you lost?

Oh yeah. Guy off 12 shot level par front and 2 over back. Absolute bandit, used to be off 7 apparently but due to a bad back his handicap had come up recently… sureeee

 

[Orikoru]

Oh yeah. Guy off 12 shot level par front and 2 over back. Absolute bandit, used to be off 7 apparently but due to a bad back his handicap had come up recently… sureeee

Christ. Nothing you can do about that. Did he have the decency to be embarrassed at least?

 

[SteveW86]

Hey if you manage to get further on the course than anyone else has against him it’s a win in itself!

Played it this morning. I lost 4&3, so relatively happy with that.

I was 3 down after 9, then won 10 and 11 to get back to 1 but I then lost 3 of the next 4

 

[Bdill93]

Played it this morning. I lost 4&3, so relatively happy with that.

I was 3 down after 9, then won 10 and 11 to get back to 1 but I then lost 3 of the next 4

Decent effort mate! And a good job dragging him back to just one after being three down and not just falling apart!

 

[Orikoru]

Mixed foursomes semi-final this morning. Me and partner G (off 14.6) given 3 shots to J (7.5, male) and M (26.2, female).

1st (p3): G bounces it nicely onto the green off the left bank. M does something similar but a bit longer down on the fridge. Both me and J roll our putts up for a half in pars.

2nd (p4): I slice my drive into the ditch down the right. J hooks his into the trees on the left. We have to take a drop and G knocks it up, short of the green and with a bunker to go over. M punches theirs out to the fairway, where J finds the green. I knife the chip over the bunker to the back of the green leaving a challenging long downhill putt that G puts long by 6 or so feet. I do not hole it from there so it's a 7 for us and 1 down.

3rd (p3): Blind par 3, both women hit similar shots but M's rolls down onto the green while G's finds a bunker - unlucky for us. I knife the chip out of there as well so our opponents are now nearer the pin than us for a shot less. Again G has a downhiller a bit long which I don't hole coming back. Double bogey and 2 down.

4th (p4): J hits his drive a bit skinny and squirted down the right. I hit mine a bit fat and down the left, so we've covered all bases between us. G leaves me a 75 yard pitch, our opponents are long and right of the green in three. I play my first good shot of the day with a nice pitch to about 9 feet. G rolls it up for a bogey while our opponents don't get up and down. One back for us so 1 down.

5th (p4): Both ladies hit decent drives but G is longer. J misses the green long and right. I hit a nice wedge straight at the pin but rolls down the back leaving an uphill putt. G again rolls it near the hole, for a par, which our opponents don't match. All square.

6th (p3): I hit what looked like a great shot but I'm a club short, just about make front edge. J hooks his though leaving a tough downhill chip, which M duffs. G hits a good putt to about two feet. J then knifes his chip off the other side and gives us the hole. 1 up.

7th (p4): Shot hole for them. G's drive goes a bit left meaning I can only hit a mid-iron due to trees in the way. They get on the green for three while G unfortunately finds the greenside bunker. I actually play a decent bunker shot but we can only make 6 and it's their shot hole so we lose that one. All square.

8th (p5): J hits it left but safe. I hit my second rubbish drive which turns too far right and surprisingly reaches the pond. G takes a drop and punches it back up to the fairway. With our fourth shot I try and make up for it by reaching the green with 5 wood but pretty much top it 100 yards - what an absolute plum. We ultimately make 7 and lose to a bogey 6. 1 down.

9th (p5): We're just off the green for 3 and I overcook the chip from the long grass a little. M, having already played a good fairway bunker shot, drains a 15 foot left-to-right putt for par. G can't match it so we're 2 down at halfway.

10th (p3): J finds the right hand bunker. My shot is bad enough that it even misses that, further right. The grass is long and G duffs the chip. I think I need to be delicate with it so as not to fire it too far, but somehow I go too delicate and it just dribbles onto the green - one of those that if the pin was there on the near side you'd feel you had no chance of leaving it there. They make bogey coming out of the bunker and we've made a very poor double. 3 down.

11th (p4): M pushes (leftie) her drive left and hits a tree, while G hits a good one. J has to pitch out to where we are for one. M can't reach the green from there - I hit an awful thin hybrid but it gets lucky and is just shy of the front edge of the green. G tries to ease one the hill but leaves me a tricky downhiller. Luckily opponents have only made a 6 so we have two putts for it. Ironically I hole the putt by trickling down the hill, so the only putt I make all day is one we didn't even need. 2 down.

12th (p4): Shot hole for them. I finally hit a good drive onto a fairway. J's is fine too, a little left of ours. We're a little bit too far for G to go for the green (it's a tricky hole divided up by two ditches). She tries to lay up and actually fats it, luckily hopping the first ditch. It leaves me 100 yards and I hit a decent gap wedge onto the green. Their pitch is long though and they three-putt. G makes a good roll up the hill and I knock it in from two feet to claim the half. First half since the first hole in fact.

13th (p4): Unfortunately G tops her drive and it doesn't quite reach the fairway, while M hits a good one. From the lie I've got I don't think I can reach the green so I hit a hybrid up the left hand side of the hole. G chips it on but opponents are on in two. Two-putts for both teams means we're back to 3 down.

14th (p3): J and I hit similar shots to the front right but his just kicks onto the green while mine holds up in the rough. Typical. G knocks it to about 4 feet and I fail to put it away. We lose to a par. 4 down with 4 to play.

15th (p3): It's a long uphill par 3, G hits a good drive to leave me 70 odd yards, while J is hitting from just over 100. He hits the green but I hit a very nice pitch to about four feet. Pitching is about the only thing I've done quite well. G holes it and we win the hole as they only made bogey. Not dead yet. 3 down with 3 to play.

16th (p4): Joy is short-lived as we remember this their third shot hole. I play for a fade and hit it dead straight over the left trees - J is straight down the middle as usual. G punches it back through the trees and almost OB on the other side but it stays a yard in. M duffs her shot - a rare mistake as she's played very well today. J hits the green though. I hit the green with a 9 iron punch, but I can't get anywhere the pin because of the angle and overhanging trees. G needs to hole a 25 footer for par to give us any chance, but she leaves it short. They are 12 feet away with three putts for the match so we shake hands.

I am extremely gutted with my performance today - we had a real chance to get my name on a board in this competition, especially after we breezed through the first two rounds. Very disappointed that my drives cost us two drops on the 2nd and 8th when hitting drives in play is normally a strength for me. Going through it again for this has made me realise G didn't play her absolute best either, but I can only be responsible for myself and I just didn't perform well enough today. Nice to reach the semis though and G said she's happy to team up again for this competition next year, where we'll hopefully go even further.

 

[chrisd]

Mixed foursomes semi-final this morning. Me and partner G (off 14.6) given 3 shots to J (7.5, male) and M (26.2, female).

1st (p3): G bounces it nicely onto the green off the left bank. M does something similar but a bit longer down on the fridge. Both me and J roll our putts up for a half in pars.

2nd (p4): I slice my drive into the ditch down the right. J hooks his into the trees on the left. We have to take a drop and G knocks it up, short of the green and with a bunker to go over. M punches theirs out to the fairway, where J finds the green. I knife the chip over the bunker to the back of the green leaving a challenging long downhill putt that G puts long by 6 or so feet. I do not hole it from there so it's a 7 for us and 1 down.

3rd (p3): Blind par 3, both women hit similar shots but M's rolls down onto the green while G's finds a bunker - unlucky for us. I knife the chip out of there as well so our opponents are now nearer the pin than us for a shot less. Again G has a downhiller a bit long which I don't hole coming back. Double bogey and 2 down.

4th (p4): J hits his drive a bit skinny and squirted down the right. I hit mine a bit fat and down the left, so we've covered all bases between us. G leaves me a 75 yard pitch, our opponents are long and right of the green in three. I play my first good shot of the day with a nice pitch to about 9 feet. G rolls it up for a bogey while our opponents don't get up and down. One back for us so 1 down.

5th (p4): Both ladies hit decent drives but G is longer. J misses the green long and right. I hit a nice wedge straight at the pin but rolls down the back leaving an uphill putt. G again rolls it near the hole, for a par, which our opponents don't match. All square.

6th (p3): I hit what looked like a great shot but I'm a club short, just about make front edge. J hooks his though leaving a tough downhill chip, which M duffs. G hits a good putt to about two feet. J then knifes his chip off the other side and gives us the hole. 1 up.

7th (p4): Shot hole for them. G's drive goes a bit left meaning I can only hit a mid-iron due to trees in the way. They get on the green for three while G unfortunately finds the greenside bunker. I actually play a decent bunker shot but we can only make 6 and it's their shot hole so we lose that one. All square.

8th (p5): J hits it left but safe. I hit my second rubbish drive which turns too far right and surprisingly reaches the pond. G takes a drop and punches it back up to the fairway. With our fourth shot I try and make up for it by reaching the green with 5 wood but pretty much top it 100 yards - what an absolute plum. We ultimately make 7 and lose to a bogey 6. 1 down.

9th (p5): We're just off the green for 3 and I overcook the chip from the long grass a little. M, having already played a good fairway bunker shot, drains a 15 foot left-to-right putt for par. G can't match it so we're 2 down at halfway.

10th (p3): J finds the right hand bunker. My shot is bad enough that it even misses that, further right. The grass is long and G duffs the chip. I think I need to be delicate with it so as not to fire it too far, but somehow I go too delicate and it just dribbles onto the green - one of those that if the pin was there on the near side you'd feel you had no chance of leaving it there. They make bogey coming out of the bunker and we've made a very poor double. 3 down.

11th (p4): M pushes (leftie) her drive left and hits a tree, while G hits a good one. J has to pitch out to where we are for one. M can't reach the green from there - I hit an awful thin hybrid but it gets lucky and is just shy of the front edge of the green. G tries to ease one the hill but leaves me a tricky downhiller. Luckily opponents have only made a 6 so we have two putts for it. Ironically I hole the putt by trickling down the hill, so the only putt I make all day is one we didn't even need. 2 down.

12th (p4): Shot hole for them. I finally hit a good drive onto a fairway. J's is fine too, a little left of ours. We're a little bit too far for G to go for the green (it's a tricky hole divided up by two ditches). She tries to lay up and actually fats it, luckily hopping the first ditch. It leaves me 100 yards and I hit a decent gap wedge onto the green. Their pitch is long though and they three-putt. G makes a good roll up the hill and I knock it in from two feet to claim the half. First half since the first hole in fact.

13th (p4): Unfortunately G tops her drive and it doesn't quite reach the fairway, while M hits a good one. From the lie I've got I don't think I can reach the green so I hit a hybrid up the left hand side of the hole. G chips it on but opponents are on in two. Two-putts for both teams means we're back to 3 down.

14th (p3): J and I hit similar shots to the front right but his just kicks onto the green while mine holds up in the rough. Typical. G knocks it to about 4 feet and I fail to put it away. We lose to a par. 4 down with 4 to play.

15th (p3): It's a long uphill par 3, G hits a good drive to leave me 70 odd yards, while J is hitting from just over 100. He hits the green but I hit a very nice pitch to about four feet. Pitching is about the only thing I've done quite well. G holes it and we win the hole as they only made bogey. Not dead yet. 3 down with 3 to play.

16th (p4): Joy is short-lived as we remember this their third shot hole. I play for a fade and hit it dead straight over the left trees - J is straight down the middle as usual. G punches it back through the trees and almost OB on the other side but it stays a yard in. M duffs her shot - a rare mistake as she's played very well today. J hits the green though. I hit the green with a 9 iron punch, but I can't get anywhere the pin because of the angle and overhanging trees. G needs to hole a 25 footer for par to give us any chance, but she leaves it short. They are 12 feet away with three putts for the match so we shake hands.

I am extremely gutted with my performance today - we had a real chance to get my name on a board in this competition, especially after we breezed through the first two rounds. Very disappointed that my drives cost us two drops on the 2nd and 8th when hitting drives in play is normally a strength for me. Going through it again for this has made me realise G didn't play her absolute best either, but I can only be responsible for myself and I just didn't perform well enough today. Nice to reach the semis though and G said she's happy to team up again for this competition next year, where we'll hopefully go even further.

Do you seriously think anyone is interested in a 16 hole description of your match. I quickly learned many years ago when told in the clubhouse that just the result will do

 

[PNWokingham]

Mixed foursomes semi-final this morning. Me and partner G (off 14.6) given 3 shots to J (7.5, male) and M (26.2, female).

1st (p3): G bounces it nicely onto the green off the left bank. M does something similar but a bit longer down on the fridge. Both me and J roll our putts up for a half in pars.

2nd (p4): I slice my drive into the ditch down the right. J hooks his into the trees on the left. We have to take a drop and G knocks it up, short of the green and with a bunker to go over. M punches theirs out to the fairway, where J finds the green. I knife the chip over the bunker to the back of the green leaving a challenging long downhill putt that G puts long by 6 or so feet. I do not hole it from there so it's a 7 for us and 1 down.

3rd (p3): Blind par 3, both women hit similar shots but M's rolls down onto the green while G's finds a bunker - unlucky for us. I knife the chip out of there as well so our opponents are now nearer the pin than us for a shot less. Again G has a downhiller a bit long which I don't hole coming back. Double bogey and 2 down.

4th (p4): J hits his drive a bit skinny and squirted down the right. I hit mine a bit fat and down the left, so we've covered all bases between us. G leaves me a 75 yard pitch, our opponents are long and right of the green in three. I play my first good shot of the day with a nice pitch to about 9 feet. G rolls it up for a bogey while our opponents don't get up and down. One back for us so 1 down.

5th (p4): Both ladies hit decent drives but G is longer. J misses the green long and right. I hit a nice wedge straight at the pin but rolls down the back leaving an uphill putt. G again rolls it near the hole, for a par, which our opponents don't match. All square.

6th (p3): I hit what looked like a great shot but I'm a club short, just about make front edge. J hooks his though leaving a tough downhill chip, which M duffs. G hits a good putt to about two feet. J then knifes his chip off the other side and gives us the hole. 1 up.

7th (p4): Shot hole for them. G's drive goes a bit left meaning I can only hit a mid-iron due to trees in the way. They get on the green for three while G unfortunately finds the greenside bunker. I actually play a decent bunker shot but we can only make 6 and it's their shot hole so we lose that one. All square.

8th (p5): J hits it left but safe. I hit my second rubbish drive which turns too far right and surprisingly reaches the pond. G takes a drop and punches it back up to the fairway. With our fourth shot I try and make up for it by reaching the green with 5 wood but pretty much top it 100 yards - what an absolute plum. We ultimately make 7 and lose to a bogey 6. 1 down.

9th (p5): We're just off the green for 3 and I overcook the chip from the long grass a little. M, having already played a good fairway bunker shot, drains a 15 foot left-to-right putt for par. G can't match it so we're 2 down at halfway.

10th (p3): J finds the right hand bunker. My shot is bad enough that it even misses that, further right. The grass is long and G duffs the chip. I think I need to be delicate with it so as not to fire it too far, but somehow I go too delicate and it just dribbles onto the green - one of those that if the pin was there on the near side you'd feel you had no chance of leaving it there. They make bogey coming out of the bunker and we've made a very poor double. 3 down.

11th (p4): M pushes (leftie) her drive left and hits a tree, while G hits a good one. J has to pitch out to where we are for one. M can't reach the green from there - I hit an awful thin hybrid but it gets lucky and is just shy of the front edge of the green. G tries to ease one the hill but leaves me a tricky downhiller. Luckily opponents have only made a 6 so we have two putts for it. Ironically I hole the putt by trickling down the hill, so the only putt I make all day is one we didn't even need. 2 down.

12th (p4): Shot hole for them. I finally hit a good drive onto a fairway. J's is fine too, a little left of ours. We're a little bit too far for G to go for the green (it's a tricky hole divided up by two ditches). She tries to lay up and actually fats it, luckily hopping the first ditch. It leaves me 100 yards and I hit a decent gap wedge onto the green. Their pitch is long though and they three-putt. G makes a good roll up the hill and I knock it in from two feet to claim the half. First half since the first hole in fact.

13th (p4): Unfortunately G tops her drive and it doesn't quite reach the fairway, while M hits a good one. From the lie I've got I don't think I can reach the green so I hit a hybrid up the left hand side of the hole. G chips it on but opponents are on in two. Two-putts for both teams means we're back to 3 down.

14th (p3): J and I hit similar shots to the front right but his just kicks onto the green while mine holds up in the rough. Typical. G knocks it to about 4 feet and I fail to put it away. We lose to a par. 4 down with 4 to play.

15th (p3): It's a long uphill par 3, G hits a good drive to leave me 70 odd yards, while J is hitting from just over 100. He hits the green but I hit a very nice pitch to about four feet. Pitching is about the only thing I've done quite well. G holes it and we win the hole as they only made bogey. Not dead yet. 3 down with 3 to play.

16th (p4): Joy is short-lived as we remember this their third shot hole. I play for a fade and hit it dead straight over the left trees - J is straight down the middle as usual. G punches it back through the trees and almost OB on the other side but it stays a yard in. M duffs her shot - a rare mistake as she's played very well today. J hits the green though. I hit the green with a 9 iron punch, but I can't get anywhere the pin because of the angle and overhanging trees. G needs to hole a 25 footer for par to give us any chance, but she leaves it short. They are 12 feet away with three putts for the match so we shake hands.

I am extremely gutted with my performance today - we had a real chance to get my name on a board in this competition, especially after we breezed through the first two rounds. Very disappointed that my drives cost us two drops on the 2nd and 8th when hitting drives in play is normally a strength for me. Going through it again for this has made me realise G didn't play her absolute best either, but I can only be responsible for myself and I just didn't perform well enough today. Nice to reach the semis though and G said she's happy to team up again for this competition next year, where we'll hopefully go even further.

Very detailed write up. I reckon I have played 18 holes quicker than that took to write!

 

[Orikoru]

Do you seriously think anyone is interested in a 16 hole description of your match. I quickly learned many years ago when told in the clubhouse that just the result will do

That's literally what this thread has been for the last 6 or 7 pages, if you don't want to read it then don't.

 

[chrisd]

That's literally what this thread has been for the last 6 or 7 pages, if you don't want to read it then don't.

Thanks Ori, I don't and I won't if you don't mind. I'm busy trying to put my 96 shots this morning into some sort of story !

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Do you seriously think anyone is interested in a 16 hole description of your match. I quickly learned many years ago when told in the clubhouse that just the result will do

Maybe that just because it was you telling the tale?

 

[chrisd]

Maybe that just because it was you telling the tale?

 

[Depreston]

fourball matchplay is absolutely class mind. Had a belter of a match last night me and my partner had a putt to go 4 up after 11 and ended up losing the hole

They won the next then we thought it was job done on the 15th when they still had 150 yards in and we were chipping on. Ended up with a half after the classic 20 handicapper who hits it a mile but can chunk it a yard or hit it off the planet proceeded to stiff it to a tap in for par and then played 16 17 18 under par he also had a 8 foot lip out for the win on the 1st playoff hole.

Then up the second extra hole the 20 handicap in him came back and he smashes it into the thick heavy rough. I hit the best two shots of my life to win it. And his partner nearly halved it with a 40 footer up a two tiered green

 

[Orikoru]

Had a fantastic match yesterday that went right to the wire, so I'm resurrecting this thread to give the write-up. As always, if you don't like long write-ups of matches then please close the thread now rather than moaning about it.

---

First round of the mixed foursomes cup. My partner (GS) is the same partner I had last year, but her handicap has gone up a bit, she's off 17.5 now. Our opponents were PM (male, off 23) and JM (female, off 30). We're giving them 12 shots.

1st, par 3, Shot Hole: GS slightly tops hers and is short of the left bunkers, JM does similar but finds the bunker in the middle. I play a nice chip up to the elevated green, PM thins it a little out of the bunker just past the back edge. They get up and down and GS holes a nice 5-footer to earn us the half.

2nd, par 4: I've been bricking it this week because I've had a slice problem lately, and my first full shot of the day was this tee shot, where you CANNOT go right. So I aim miles left and this does the job, finding the left edge of the fairway. Both ladies are short of the green with their approaches, PM punches a chip to the back of the green, whereas I hit a more delicate one 5 feet below the hole. They've got a long downhill putt and end up three-putting, whereas GS rolls it up to the hole to put us 1 up.

3rd, par 3: GS hit one through the back of the green; JM tops hers into the bank, then PM finds the greenside bunker. With a short-sided downhill chip, I try and be much too clever and leave it short of my landing spot so it doesn't actually make it onto the green. Muppet. GS putts on and it runs a long way past the hole. Both teams make a 5 and we've wasted a good chance on that one. Well, I did.

4th, par 4, SH: Me and PM both play decent drives and the ladies play decent second shots (we are each longer than them though, so PM has over 100 yards in while I have about 50). PM played a worldy shot to about 8 feet, I hit a very good pitch but only a fraction nearer. JM holes the putt so they're 4 net 3 and nothing we can do about it. All Square.

5th, par 4, SH: Because it's a walk back to the tee box, the non-teeing players tend to wait up by the fairway on here. Surprisingly GS takes a swipe and her club bounces over the ball, complete airshot so I have to walk back! However this does mean I get to hit driver off the red tee, and I pipe one down the middle to only about 60 or 70 yards short of the green. GS slightly duffs her chip leaving me short of said green which slopes down away from you - fair to say she hasn't really got going in the match yet. Opponents are just off the back in two. I played a perfectly weighted putt from off the green, down the slope and it stops just two feet past, which in all honesty was a great shot. Our opponents manage to duff a chip and three-putt for a double, so GS holes out for a very grateful half. Got out of jail on that one.

6th, par 3: Amusingly both me and PM both hit too much club here and smash them way over the green. A short-sided downhill chip for the ladies, they are both unlucky and leave them just short of the hump that surrounds the green. PM duffs the next one for them, whereas I make a better job of it and leave my partner an uphill 5 footer. They end up making a 6 and we make a 5 so somehow we win it with a double bogey. 1 up.

7th, par 4, SH: My second shot puts us just in the right hand rough, and GS finds a bunker from there. I don't manage to get it out of said bunker and leave it right up against the top edge; they are on the green for three with a shot, so we simply give them the hole. Poor hole for us. All Square.

8th, par 5, SH: PM slices it a bit and goes dangerously close to the pond. I react to this by aiming about 90 yards left of said pond. It turns out a tree has kept them dry but they're chipping out. We both get on the green for 4 (us) and 5 net 4 (them). I roll one up and narrowly miss the hole so they have a 6 footer for the win. However, they give us a gift as JM runs it well past and PM misses the one coming back! 1 up.

9th, par 5, SH: We played this very nicely and make a straightforward par. PM has a 12 or so footer for bogey and a half, I wasn't backing him to be honest, but he leathered it straight at the middle of the cup and it drops!

10th, par 3: I find the front left of the green, but the flag is back right. PM misses the green left and JM duffs the chip. PM then chips it long. GS leaves her putt well short, and I shave the edge of the hole from 6 feet, but a 4 is good enough as they only make 5. 2 up.

11th, par 4, SH: GS hits a good drive and JM tops her into the long stuff, so PM has to hack out. We make a nice steady bogey, and they only made an 8 in the end I think, so we go 3 up.

12th, par 4, SH: We were in a good position as JM tops their second shot, but I hit an awful nearly-shanked pitch, so we only get onto the green for four shots, and to make matters worse, GS misses a 2 and a half footer so we make a 7. Opponents also make a 7 and win the hole. Poor from us. 2 up.

13th, par 4, SH: I hit a nice 50° onto the green and we make par, they make a bogey though for the half.

14th, par 3: Definitely my lowest moment in the match as I take 8 iron, don't commit properly and duff it, leaving us 70 yards short of the green. We can only make 4 from there, and our opponents get up and down from just short of the green to win the hole. 1 up.

15th, long par 3, SH: I mention that it's long because the ladies can't reach the green so it effectively plays as a short par 4. Unfortunately GS slightly duffs her tee shot, so I have a full pitching wedge in - I miss slightly right which is the wrong side to miss. They manage to make a four, while I have a 3 footer for the same but their shot has already won it. Back to All Square and panicking now.

16th, par 4, SH: Another poor moment for me as I fat a 60 yard pitch, GS then chips on but leaves that a long way short too. Our opponents make a bogey so we're well off the pace and spiralling now. We go 1 down for the first time, with two holes to play.

17th, par 4, SH: It's crunch time now. Thankfully we rise to the challenge with the pressure on - GS hits her best drive of the day, and I follow it up with my best shot of the day, perfect pitching wedge yardage for me, and my ball pitches one foot from the hole, runs on a little and finishes around 6 feet away. PM pulls their second left into trees. GS shaves the edge with her birdie putt so it's par for us. JM actually has a 3-footer for bogey & half, which I felt she would make, but she bottles it and leaves it short. All Square.

18th, par 4: I was a little nervous here, but decide to hit to driver (I sometimes hit 5 wood for position when playing on my own, but I knew GS would prefer to be nearer the green). I pipe one of my best drives of the day, couldn't place it any better. Relief! Better still, PM skies his and turns it left over the trees. They try and play up the left where the 17th is, and make a mess of that too. Ultimately they only make the edge of the green for 4, and GS has hit a lovely shot to roughly the same spot for 2. It's a downhiller and I overhit it (let's put it down to adrenaline), and GS misses the one back up but a 5 is good enough for the win and to take the match 1 up.


Unreal match to play in. Had some real nerves going after we tossed away a 3 up lead, but I'm proud of how we stepped up and took it back at the end. Into the quarter-final, where we'll only be giving 7 shots this time.