Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Oh well. My participation in the Volvo singles matchplay didn't last too long.
Played like an absolute prat to be honest. I thought I knew Lamberhurst but obviously not well enough.
It was blowing a hooley, off the back tees and the layout of the course has changed very slightly since I last played there.
Won the first, courtesy of my opponent hitting out of bounds with his second shot. I parred the hole anyway, so that's a result. We both parred 2 so I stay one up. I somehow scrambled dodgy halves (with bogies) on 3&4 to stay one up, and then the shite started.
Lost 5 to a par, cocked up 6 off the tee and conceded the hole, 7th (par 3) missed the green right, dodgy chip and 3 putted (did I mention that the greens were sloooow?) to go 2 down. Hit one of the best drives of the night down 8, beautiful draw around the corner. Hit a superb (or so I thought) wedge into the green which I forgot sloped away from me. Clattered out through the back, another iffy chip and 3 putt for a double but salvaged a half to his bogie courtesy of the SI (5).
Cocked up 9 off the tee courtesy of the biggest slice you have ever seen into heavy trees whilst he parred it. 3 down at the turn and not looking good.
Stood on the 10th, tried to muster some sort of game together and hit a nice 3 wood to the corner of the dogleg. Sitting nicely in some semi rough with a clear view of the pin, I checked my Garmin and had 188 yards to go. All downhill to the green, wind behind, and remembering the mistake I had made overhitting to 8 I hit a 9 iron, looking to land a bit short of the green and let it bounce down next to the flag. I flushed it. In the air it looked superb, landed just where I wanted it to and it ran down the hill. And ran. And ran. Straight across the green, I think it may have clipped the flag on it's way and again went out the back. 188 yards with a 9 iron...
Another "iffy" chip and 3 putt and 4 down now, really in trouble.
Next hole is a toughie, 388 yards into a howling gale with a severe dogleg right. Hit a so so drive up to the corner, I was still about 190 out and hit my 5 wood as best I could. Pulled it left but had a fairly easy chip onto the green and canned a really tricky putt to make par to his 5 and was back to three down and felt a little better with myself.
Next hole was a new one on me. Par 3 which had been lengthened considerably since my last visit. Was now a tricky 217 yarder over a pond to a green surrounded by bunkers. Pulled out my hybrid. Teed it up a bit to get some height on it and proceeded to top it into the lake. He hit his tee shot to about 8 feet. I was gutted coming out with a shot like that after making a good 4 at the previous hole and feeling totally dejected I conceded. Back to 4 down but with only 6 to play.
Next hole was a downwind par 5 and he absolutely murdered his drive down there. Was probably the best one he had hit all afternoon (and he had hit some good 'uns) well over 300 yards. I wound myself up to try to match him as I wasn't getting a shot down this one but all I did was proceed to pull my drive into a copse of trees about 200 yards off the tee. We went to look for my ball but couldn't find it so I again conceded the hole. Dormy 5. Balls. He won the next hole with a 5 to my bogie and we shook hands.
He was a really decent bloke, played off 8 and really hit the ball well. He'd been down to 3 or 4 at his peak and had only just crept out to 7.5 so had a good game in him. Better than mine anyway!
To be honest, the way I played we could have played this one at any course of my choosing and I'd have lost.
Never mind. It's only a game.
Just off to slash my wrists
Played like an absolute prat to be honest. I thought I knew Lamberhurst but obviously not well enough.
It was blowing a hooley, off the back tees and the layout of the course has changed very slightly since I last played there.
Won the first, courtesy of my opponent hitting out of bounds with his second shot. I parred the hole anyway, so that's a result. We both parred 2 so I stay one up. I somehow scrambled dodgy halves (with bogies) on 3&4 to stay one up, and then the shite started.
Lost 5 to a par, cocked up 6 off the tee and conceded the hole, 7th (par 3) missed the green right, dodgy chip and 3 putted (did I mention that the greens were sloooow?) to go 2 down. Hit one of the best drives of the night down 8, beautiful draw around the corner. Hit a superb (or so I thought) wedge into the green which I forgot sloped away from me. Clattered out through the back, another iffy chip and 3 putt for a double but salvaged a half to his bogie courtesy of the SI (5).
Cocked up 9 off the tee courtesy of the biggest slice you have ever seen into heavy trees whilst he parred it. 3 down at the turn and not looking good.
Stood on the 10th, tried to muster some sort of game together and hit a nice 3 wood to the corner of the dogleg. Sitting nicely in some semi rough with a clear view of the pin, I checked my Garmin and had 188 yards to go. All downhill to the green, wind behind, and remembering the mistake I had made overhitting to 8 I hit a 9 iron, looking to land a bit short of the green and let it bounce down next to the flag. I flushed it. In the air it looked superb, landed just where I wanted it to and it ran down the hill. And ran. And ran. Straight across the green, I think it may have clipped the flag on it's way and again went out the back. 188 yards with a 9 iron...
Another "iffy" chip and 3 putt and 4 down now, really in trouble.
Next hole is a toughie, 388 yards into a howling gale with a severe dogleg right. Hit a so so drive up to the corner, I was still about 190 out and hit my 5 wood as best I could. Pulled it left but had a fairly easy chip onto the green and canned a really tricky putt to make par to his 5 and was back to three down and felt a little better with myself.
Next hole was a new one on me. Par 3 which had been lengthened considerably since my last visit. Was now a tricky 217 yarder over a pond to a green surrounded by bunkers. Pulled out my hybrid. Teed it up a bit to get some height on it and proceeded to top it into the lake. He hit his tee shot to about 8 feet. I was gutted coming out with a shot like that after making a good 4 at the previous hole and feeling totally dejected I conceded. Back to 4 down but with only 6 to play.
Next hole was a downwind par 5 and he absolutely murdered his drive down there. Was probably the best one he had hit all afternoon (and he had hit some good 'uns) well over 300 yards. I wound myself up to try to match him as I wasn't getting a shot down this one but all I did was proceed to pull my drive into a copse of trees about 200 yards off the tee. We went to look for my ball but couldn't find it so I again conceded the hole. Dormy 5. Balls. He won the next hole with a 5 to my bogie and we shook hands.
He was a really decent bloke, played off 8 and really hit the ball well. He'd been down to 3 or 4 at his peak and had only just crept out to 7.5 so had a good game in him. Better than mine anyway!
To be honest, the way I played we could have played this one at any course of my choosing and I'd have lost.
Never mind. It's only a game.
Just off to slash my wrists
