Well, that was an interesting day!
We turned up at Puttenham to discover that they had no record of us having booked to play. It seems someone had booked the 12th but told us the 11th. A fine will be in the post, Ian!
After a few negotiations, we managed to get all the groups out, although the tee times were very spread out. It also meant that we were not going to be getting any food afterwards. However, the staff at Puttenham were absolutely amazing. Food appeared beforehand, and while many had already eaten lunch before arriving, several tucked into the meat platters, pork pies, bacon rolls and chips.
Because we were playing on the wrong day, there were no nearest-the-pin markers available, so there were no skill prizes on offer. However, we did all manage to get out and play 18 holes in the scorching conditions.
The playing conditions were certainly interesting. With the ground so hard and the ball running for miles, finding balls after some of the blind tee shots became something of a lottery. There were a couple of particularly interesting examples on the 4th, where tee shots landing in the middle of the fairway, but not quite making it over the brow of the hill, were discovered to have rolled 150 yards back down the hill.
Then there was the 17th. Unless you were particularly lucky, balls landing anywhere on the fairway seemed determined to roll the entire width of it before disappearing out of bounds on the left. Not many players managed to tame the course today, as you'll see from the results!
Despite there being an hour and a half between the first and last groups teeing off, everyone who could hung around afterwards for a drink. Once again, the front-of-house staff at Puttenham conjured up sandwiches and all sorts of other goodies. Nobody went home hungry or disappointed, well, not when it came to the food anyway!
There was no presentation of the prizes, as that will all be done next month. However, as Phil was still in possession of the trophy, it seemed sensible to pass it on to this year's winner.
Captain Dave, this year's winner, receiving the trophy from last year's winner, Phil.
Frazer Webb
