Beaten By Talent

I played in a club match versus Tylney Park yesterday at Royal Ascot and was partnered with Peter Hitchcock who is a regular in our Saturday swindle so on paper we should have gelled nicely. The problem came in the shape of the opposition and in particular a guy playing off a 4 handicap.

Tylney Park Badge

This guy played superbly. We managed a half thanks to Peter getting a shot and making a nett par after Mr 4 handicap had rolled in a six footer for par. However on the 2nd he was an unstoppable force. Taking the tiger line off the tee and flying over the corner of the dogleg, he had about two hundred yards left. His approach never left the flag and stopped six inches away from an albatross two. Even with a shot on the hole our par, nett birdie couldn't contend with a tap in eagle.

We battled hard. I made a par at the third after a decent drive but we made foolish errors to gift our opponents holes. Peter three putted the 4th and I made a real pigs ear of the short game after my approach to the 5th sailed over the back. Even when their number one had a rare poor hole, his partner, a senior gentleman off a 19 handicap came storming in. Having done very little to date he hit a great tee shot on the 7th and followed it with a shot to the front edge. In the end I scraped a half but it was a hole we were hoping to win. We could tell we were out of luck when Mr 4 handicap thinned his second along the ground at the 9th all the way to the green and about fifteen foot way. We turned three down.

It was four down at the next when this guy, who quite frankly was becoming a right royal pain the bum stuck his second to a foot for another birdie. Quite simply he was unplayable. The swing was elegant and simple and he was very long and accurate off the tee and rarely missed a green all day. Peter managed to nick a hole back on the 11th but by the time we both found trouble off the tee on the 14th we were dormie 4 down and the writing was on the wall. The end was swift and it was all over on the next hole.

Sadly that defeat meant that not only did I lose my unbeaten record at Caversham Heath last week, but my unbeaten home record followed this week. Still all good things have to end sooner or later. Peter in fairness played a lot steadier than I did but we simply got rail roaded. The club lost on the day 3-2 but having won at Tylney Park by the same score earlier in the year meant the match was halved overall.

I really didn't hit the ball well and so the lesson booked for today (Sunday 2nd October) can't come quickly enough. Naturally I don't make it easy and with the National Final of the Golf Monthly Centenary event at the Forest of Arden a matter of ten days away, my teaching pro Paul Harrison won't be able to perform major surgery on the swing and leave it usable for next week. It'll be interesting to see what he makes of it all. Bring it on.