TW Open - 20th August, Regents Park, Bolton

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:23 am

Bruce Rioja wrote:Yep, I'm up for doing my bit to keep the 'pond-washed and hit-once' golf ball industry bouyant.

I presume you are talking about the old 14th hole at the Muni Bruce. Don't know which hole it is now, but it was like a fascination to put the ball into the water there. Straight forward 8 or 9 iron and two puts, no sweat....until you looked at the water. I believe Atlantis is down there somewhere. Must be, because the sirens start singing half-way up the backswing and suddenly you're in there. They live around the green under that bit that suddenly becomes a bouncy castle every time it rains heavy. Ah, the joys of winter golf at the muni...I remember it well.

hisroyalgingerness · Post by **hisroyalgingerness** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:42 am

communistworkethic wrote:
hisroyalgingerness wrote:what we doin stableford or gross strokeplay or what?
stableford, it's the fairest way given the range of playing ability. (eh, MWCIEC?? )

cool cos i don't have a handicap anymore

max handicap 18 then?

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:56 am

Perhaps Mummy or Commie would like to define the rules of Stableford just to avoid confusion on the day?

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:12 am

stableford works on points....

Based on your NET score for the hole you score points as follows..

Bogey - 1pts
Par - 2pts
Birdie - 3 points
Eagle - 4 points
Albatross - 5 points

The advantage to stableford is that ifyou have a really crap hole then you aren't out of the competition. If you get a 10 an a par 4, you just don't get any points as opposed to being 6 shots behind someone with par.

e.g. YOu have an 24 hanicap so on the following hole you get 2 shots
Hole 1 356yard par 4 stroke index 3

you hit 6 Gross, netted down to 4 with your two shots. Therefore a net Par, you score 2 points.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:28 am

Had a peep through your window Commie. Please explain why this is sitting on your mantlepiece.

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:39 am

Now hang on this is getting libelous! There's a very nasty rumour flying around that I'm some sort of bandit (no not an arse-bandit either before some wag comments).

youngmc · Post by **youngmc** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:49 am

Does not matter what we play i will come last. only hadicap i have is me playing golf itself...

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:28 pm

hisroyalgingerness wrote:max handicap 18 then?

Now you're talking!

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:28 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:
hisroyalgingerness wrote:max handicap 18 then?
Now you're talking!

What? A mere one shot per hole?

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:16 pm

I played my first ever round of golf on Regents Park (The Muni) more years ago than I care to remember. In those days you had to be there before it got light in order to get a round in. We used to always hang around the ball trough so that some smartass couldn't walk up and push all the balls back up the spout and drop his own at the front (not an uncommon practise then).

Oh, the joy of hiring a set of "professional" clubs (actually, a barmcake driver (check to make sure it had a soleplate and someone hadn't nicked the lead out of the base), a wooden shafted putter and four ancient irons) "Trolley sir?" Oh yes, we needed a trolley for all that weight. A piece of streamlined engineering if ever you saw one: Two pieces of 1" square bar, welded into a T shape, with a cracked leather strap, a tray in the base to sit your bag (a bigger laugh, green canvas tubes made from old army kitbags) and two wheels from a child's doll's pram. Every time you went over a bump the lot went all over the deck. Some of the "divot holes" were so big they had to put red lights round them at night to stop people falling in.

At the famous "Pond hole" In summer, I have seen kids in snorkel masks and flippers ( I kid you not) diving down for errant golf balls then selling them back to you at half price.

Down by the old second there was a bungalow right beside the green. If a wayward shot put a ball into the garden the irate owner would throw it back as far as he could in any direction. Very sporting when you were marking a card.

At first light the cavalry scouts would thrash their happy way up the first fairway (and often the second) whacking twenty yard iron shots and taking out divots as big as hearth rugs. Twenty minutes later the second lot would drive off, and woe-betide any showoff who his one up the middle. Roars of rage and much shaking of fists resulted from this insult. Six hours later, (on a good day) you wearlily carded a 12 on the last hole (mainly due to sheer exhaustion) and tallied the scores.
You might also run into "Bunker George", a golfer so keen he had a netting enclosure in his bedroom for practise. He also always carried a box of matches even though he didn't smoke. Much later, we found out why. If he went in a bunker he would slide the sleeve off the matchbox and make a tube from it to stand his ball on in the sand. Real bunker specialist was George.

A coffe, soft drink or cup of tea in the clubhouse cafe ( no beer then) and off you went, glowing in the knowlege you had gone round in less than 120. Good game this golf.

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 10:22 am

TANGODANCER wrote:Good game this golf.

Indeed it is. Some great memories of the auld sport there Tango.

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 11:06 am

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:
hisroyalgingerness wrote:max handicap 18 then?
Now you're talking!

no chance because it penalises only the weaker players!

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 11:18 am

communistworkethic wrote:
mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:
hisroyalgingerness wrote:max handicap 18 then?
Now you're talking!
no chance because it penalises only the weaker players!

I know I know, I'm only messing. Though do you think you could use your shots a bit more evenly this time, rather than stinging me with an 11-points-in-three-holes charge through 14,15,16?

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 12:00 pm

I got 2 points on 17 too

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 9:30 am

TANGODANCER wrote:I presume you are talking about the old 14th hole at the Muni Bruce. Don't know which hole it is now, but it was like a fascination to put the ball into the water there.

That's the fella, Tango. It's now the 7th. Just as you go into your backswing some bugger from the council comes along and replaces the bit of boggy swamp and scattering of scruffy bushes that lie in front of you with Lake Mitchigan and The New Forest. It's the truth I tellz ya!

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 9:54 am

Bruce Rioja wrote:
TANGODANCER wrote:I presume you are talking about the old 14th hole at the Muni Bruce. Don't know which hole it is now, but it was like a fascination to put the ball into the water there.
That's the fella, Tango. It's now the 7th. Just as you go into your backswing some bugger from the council comes along and replaces the bit of boggy swamp and scattering of scruffy bushes that lie in front of you with Lake Mitchigan and The New Forest. It's the truth I tellz ya!

As a round million would-be Tiger Woods devotees will attest to. There is a rumour that Bill Gates started his business by selling golf balls recovered from there. The phrase "Three off the tee" was also coined there. Don't look at the water; it's haunted. Hum a quick chorus of Bing Crosby's "Straight down the Middle" shut your eyes and trust your swing.

Played with a bloke once who cleared it by a mile....then put his return shot straight over the green and back in there. True story.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:38 am

I am currently in deep sh-t over this lot. A 9 iron practise shot removed a large divot from my back lawn. Wife not amused. The dog found my hurried attempt at hiding it (by replacing the divot ) and buggered off with it. Had to confess. Now I use a carpet tile. Too late the cry.

youngmc · Post by **youngmc** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:32 am

I will appoligise now for the poor bugger who ends up playing there round with me, i can confirm i will see parts of that course no one as ever seen before.

Last four years i have tried to play 4 times, and the last 2 times walked from the 12th to the club bar to get pissed as i was playing so shit.

hisroyalgingerness · Post by **hisroyalgingerness** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 12:49 pm

hit some balls on the range and irons were going straight as a die but fork me my woods were going everywhere, bizarre

did some pitching and hit 2 balls into the net they put out so i figured "hell, this is easier than it looks"

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 12:55 pm

I went to the range yesterday too, and I was truly shocking. Even the girl-beginner in the next bay was doing better than me.

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TW Open - 20th August, Regents Park, Bolton

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