boggybop
Assistant Pro
Sunday Rant!
I'd been looking forward to the game all week. After days of careful and considerate planning, checking the long range weather forecast, cleaning my gear up etc, I decided to venture up to the golf course for the first time in over 3 weeks. Prior to my last visit we had seen some pretty horrendous weather, and the course demonstrated this by the appalling winter greens and tee boxes. Nothing had changed!
Due to the 'decent' weather experienced of late one would hope/expect the course to be open as usual - by that I mean on the greens, and the clubhouse open. This was not to be; although it looked as though new pins and flags had been purchased, my heart sunk to see these driven into the buckets that are temporary greens. This was due to the real greens being fertilized - surely too early in the season?
Anyway, any golf is good golf you would think.
Again this was not the case! As my home course is only 9 holes, this means that the course can get fairly busy at the weekends and there are only limited tee's to commence the round from. We were going to start at the first, until a gaggle of women arrived, claiming that they had the tee booked – we couldn't allow this to disrupt the round so we were happy to oblige in the knowledge that the 5th tee would be free.
After an unusually good tee-shot, splitting the fairway, and somehow managing to scramble a par on the hillocky temporary green, I walked triumphantly onto the par 3 6th, with an eerie air of excitement surrounding me. Here the spiralling decline began. On the 6th tee 2 other groups were backed up in front of our group, the cause of this - 4 ladies searching for one another’s lost cause golf balls. I was later informed that the search had already lasted the best part of 15 minutes…..
The groups queuing were a slightly motley crew to say the least. The first consisted of 4 junior golfers, each of whom looked to be aged 9 or 10 (wearing trainers and jeans!) with no regard for the rules of golf or simple etiquette; and the second was made up for 2 elderly men and 2 elderly women (possibly out for a spot of dogging?). After a 25 minute wait on only the 2nd hole of the round, we were away again.
This stop and start play lasted for the whole front nine, and at no point was my 2-ball able to play through. Eventually the 4 female offenders decided to call it a day, hallelujah! Normal play resumed, and we were allowed through on our 14th hole, by then the damage had been done, the enjoyment factor had completely dissolved, and the annoyance level had gone through the roof! A usual 3 to 3 and ½ hour round had taken over 4 and ½ hours. The scoring was ridiculously high, and the clubhouse was closed. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother?
RANT over!
I'd been looking forward to the game all week. After days of careful and considerate planning, checking the long range weather forecast, cleaning my gear up etc, I decided to venture up to the golf course for the first time in over 3 weeks. Prior to my last visit we had seen some pretty horrendous weather, and the course demonstrated this by the appalling winter greens and tee boxes. Nothing had changed!
Due to the 'decent' weather experienced of late one would hope/expect the course to be open as usual - by that I mean on the greens, and the clubhouse open. This was not to be; although it looked as though new pins and flags had been purchased, my heart sunk to see these driven into the buckets that are temporary greens. This was due to the real greens being fertilized - surely too early in the season?
Anyway, any golf is good golf you would think.
Again this was not the case! As my home course is only 9 holes, this means that the course can get fairly busy at the weekends and there are only limited tee's to commence the round from. We were going to start at the first, until a gaggle of women arrived, claiming that they had the tee booked – we couldn't allow this to disrupt the round so we were happy to oblige in the knowledge that the 5th tee would be free.
After an unusually good tee-shot, splitting the fairway, and somehow managing to scramble a par on the hillocky temporary green, I walked triumphantly onto the par 3 6th, with an eerie air of excitement surrounding me. Here the spiralling decline began. On the 6th tee 2 other groups were backed up in front of our group, the cause of this - 4 ladies searching for one another’s lost cause golf balls. I was later informed that the search had already lasted the best part of 15 minutes…..
The groups queuing were a slightly motley crew to say the least. The first consisted of 4 junior golfers, each of whom looked to be aged 9 or 10 (wearing trainers and jeans!) with no regard for the rules of golf or simple etiquette; and the second was made up for 2 elderly men and 2 elderly women (possibly out for a spot of dogging?). After a 25 minute wait on only the 2nd hole of the round, we were away again.
This stop and start play lasted for the whole front nine, and at no point was my 2-ball able to play through. Eventually the 4 female offenders decided to call it a day, hallelujah! Normal play resumed, and we were allowed through on our 14th hole, by then the damage had been done, the enjoyment factor had completely dissolved, and the annoyance level had gone through the roof! A usual 3 to 3 and ½ hour round had taken over 4 and ½ hours. The scoring was ridiculously high, and the clubhouse was closed. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother?
RANT over!
