In which golf101 proves to be the 'missing link' when it comes to contributing to a better ball score, and ponders other recent and notable misses.
Greensomes golf is not a format I have played very often.
Both golfers in a pair tee off, chose the tee shot they prefer, then from that point play alternate shots to the conclusion of each hole.
It requires a bit of trust in you partner.
A shared undertaking that, whatever happens, the round wont be littered with apologies whenever a mistake or missed opportunity occurs...aka 'NO SORRIES'.
And until two weeks ago I'd never played mixed golf.
So it was with some trepidation that several months ago I agreed to play Greensomes in the Piltdown Mixed Open with the very lovely Marion S.
Marion and I are fellow Marshalls at East Sussex National.
Well, when the date of the competition came around (23rd July), I needn't have worried.
As it turned out we were playing with Marion's good friends, Rob and Swati. All three were delightful companions for the day.
And Piltdown - wow what a course! Home (piltdowngolfclub.co.uk)
I hadn't played it for over 25 years and it has certainly been improved in that time. A succession of well thought out and financed 'five year plans' have been responsible for significant renovation and improvement to: greens; tees; fairways; trees and foliage.
The course was in great condition despite the lack of rain; the greens were some of the best I've putted on this year; and the competition was well subscribed, well organised and well catered for...we enjoyed a most delicious buffet meal after our round!
I'm not sure I fully deserved my lunch mind you.
I hit a good drive down the first, and an even better one down the 18th, but in between I never really found my mojo.
And along the way I missed the shortest putt of the season.
I'd hit a good tee shot about ten feet from the pin on a tricky par three, Marion just missed the birdie attempt, and I proceeded to miss the 5 inch tap in return.
'Nearest the pin' contender' to 'bogey' in three easy steps.
It was a short miss of epic proportions.
And here's a few other notable misses since Piltdown...
Miss One.
Playing at Piltdown meant missing out participating in The Golden Sausage at Eastbourne Downs.
'TGS' is a stableford competition played over fifteen holes followed by a barbeque at the home of the organiser. It's a great day and a brilliant recent addition to our swindle's 'major' tournaments.
Well done Mark (centre) for hosting, and Dave and Kath for taking the sausages home this year.
Misses Two and Three
Two: Playing in an Inter-League match at Seaford Golf Club (https://www.seafordgolfclub.co.uk/), birdies at the ninth and tenth holes left Pete and I four up in our match.
But a couple of missed putts, missed fairways and missed greens on the way home meant we ending up drawing the match.
Three: And that draw is all the harder to take given that we won the 14th hole, (having lost the 11th, 12th and 13th), in spectacular fashion.
Pete missed out on putting at that 14th by holing his second shot from 154 yards. A brilliant Eagle that really should have spurred us on to victory...
All in all a real missed opportunity.
Miss Four...?
Playing the 14th hole in a team event as part of Littlestone Golf Club's (Home (littlestonegolfclub.org.uk) excellent Open Week....
My team mates and I watched my tee shot clear the front right bunker and emerge rolling right to left on the middle part of the green.
The ball rolled slowly, ever closer to the bottom of the pin, and then at the last minute diverted to the left of the hole...
...it finished about 5 inches from the hole...seemingly a strong bid for 'nearest the pin'...
...only to find that up at the hole the 'nearest the pin' marker was actually shoved in the hole after an earlier 'hole-in-one'.
The marker was stuck on the side my ball had approached the hole...is that what had caused the last minute change of course and denied me a first 'ace'?
We'll never know...
And finally.
Miss(es) of the year
What a momentous few weeks it's been for all those involved in the Women's Euros.
A brilliant tournament with the best of all outcomes for our Lionesses.
Undoubtedly this lot are golf101's Misses of the year.
Next Time...
It's Club Championship weekend.
Surely golf101 can improve on last years efforts and negotiate two days of medal play in less than 192 shots.
Surely...
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