Mail on Sunday Golf Classic 2013

It's a year or two before I thought I would get there but I'm in the MoS team this year.

Our first match is at home to Milford next Sunday. I'm going out 3rd.

I'm already full of nervous excitement.

We are away to Clacton On Saturday 16th February. I've had the nod for the team, not sure of the batting order yet.

After such a blank start to the year for golf, I'm just hoping that the weather will be a bit better now so I can get some practice.

Good luck guys. Must say I'm a little envious of you guys, not just because you're playing golf at this time of year, getting to play competitive golf. We play hardly any comps at my club and if we do play team matches they're mickey mouse affairs that I really can't be arsed with.

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:if we do play team matches they're mickey mouse affairs

Well what do you expect, you're a lot closer to Disney World than we are

It didn't help when I was always paired with Dopey...

That's no way to talk about Padraig, you can't win 3 Majors and not be a decent player

Mercurio wrote:Our first match is at home to Milford next Sunday

Good luck for Sunday Merc. How is your course holding up to the poor weather conditions, is the match likely to be on?

Cheers, BC. We're still playing tomorrow.

I played today for the first time in 3 weeks and the course is not coping well - I'm getting quite sick of the seemingly never-changing conditions, tbh. Squelch, squelch, squelch.

Played a match today. Lost 2&1. All square after 15, lost 16 to a birdie then missed a 3-footer to take the match down 18. After a bout of good golf before the break, today was a come down. 28 points after 17 holes, three 3-putts after finding greens in regulation, two shanks and numerous fat shots.

But tomorrow's another day!

Good luck tomorrow Merc. Hopefully you've got the bad golf out of the system.

Sunday was close to being my worst golfing experience ever.

We were leading 2.5 - 0.5 with two matches left on the course. In the remaining matches, I was 1 up with 2 to play and in the other match we were 2 up with 3 to play. In other words, between the two of us, all we had to do was half one of the remaining five holes and we’d won the tie. As you may now be expecting, we lost all five holes and it had to go to a sudden-death play-off between the Match 5 pairing. Our man was just about to start on his second pint when someone came into the bar and told him he better go and warm-up again.

Thankfully, we won it on the 1st play-off hole otherwise me and my teammate may have had to leave the club.

Merc, I remember being in the final of a club Ladies Greensomes and was in a similar position to you except we were 5 up with 5 to play. We made the mistake of saying "all we need is a half" and proceeded to lose the next 5 holes. We went to the 3rd extra hole before we finally - and thankfully - won. By this time it was virtually dark and the chaps in the clubhouse kindly came and turned on their car headlights in the car park so we could see where we were going as the 3rd hole was alongside the car park! Both my partner and I were in full-time work and we had agreed with our opponents to play after work - it was in the summer but we still ran out of daylight.

Well done Merc, it will be good experience for you in the end in how not to get ahead of yourself. I had a similar situation in an away match I was 4 up 5 to play and didn't close it out. I was thinking the same thing when I was dormie 3; just halve a hole to win. Three putted the last to lose everyone of them

I've had the same in reverse a few years ago. 10 players in each team, 5 foursome matches in the morning and then 10 singles in the afternoon so 15 points available. Match was tied at 7-7 and I am last game on the course and 2 down with 3 to play with quite a large crowd following. Managed to win the last 3 holes and nick it for us.

Don't know if I could cope with the pressure nowadays! Would probably duff a couple and be shaking hands on the 16th green

Well done anyway Merc, all good experience for next time as Grumps has said. Have you got another home draw in the next round?

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:I was 4 up 5 to play and didn't close it out. I was thinking the same thing when I was dormie 3; just halve a hole to win. Three putted the last to lose everyone of them

I shall have to remember when we play our match in June that you are just a bottler

Ha, I should also mention then Blue that I have been 4 down with 5 to play and won on 18. The next game I was 4 down with 6 to play and won on the second extra hole.

Anyway with an admission like this:

BlueCoverman wrote:Don't know if I could cope with the pressure nowadays! Would probably duff a couple and be shaking hands

I don't think I have anything to worry about

I only said probably

Are you really coming over in June Grumps? Always a game for you at my place if you can get away from family duties long enough

BlueCoverman wrote:I only said probably

You said duff a couple, one duff will be enough

Davie wrote:Are you really coming over in June Grumps? Always a game for you at my place if you can get away from family duties long enough

Thanks Davie, I am heading back to Blighty this year. Tentatively scheduling the overnight flight on May 30 and returning on June 16. The first weekend is my anniversary, the end weekend is a birthday party, so around the middle weekend is free. Would love to sort something out if possible, would be happy to do during the week if that also works for you.

Just looked at club diary and the middle weekend is a big comp on Sunday and Ladies club champs on the Saturday but should be tee times in between their two rounds. Mid week also looks pretty free either the week before or after the middle weekend (avoid Mondays and Fridays though)

Long time to go before then but I'm sure we can work something out if you are available (the same goes for anyone else here too) - the club has been very stingy with free tickets this year but I can get good guest rates and I'll buy the beers!

Mercurio wrote:Sunday was close to being my worst golfing experience ever.

We were leading 2.5 - 0.5 with two matches left on the course. In the remaining matches, I was 1 up with 2 to play and in the other match we were 2 up with 3 to play. In other words, between the two of us, all we had to do was half one of the remaining five holes and we’d won the tie. As you may now be expecting, we lost all five holes and it had to go to a sudden-death play-off between the Match 5 pairing. Our man was just about to start on his second pint when someone came into the bar and told him he better go and warm-up again.

Thankfully, we won it on the 1st play-off hole otherwise me and my teammate may have had to leave the club.

Well done Merc, the team won which is the main thing

I am making my debut this coming Sunday which might be interesting depending on which game I decide to take with me.

J

Well that was, errrr ... wet!

My first tee shot was greeted by hysterical laughter from the 'gallery'. My wife had turned up just in time to see my drive sailing up the middle of the fairway and annouced in a very loud voice that she could tell it wasn't a bl**dy mixed match.

My opponent started very well so I was two down after three but a nice birdie on the 4th and a steady bogey with a shot on the long 6th got me back on terms. We then exchanged a few holes so I turned one down. A good up and down over a bunker on 10 levelled things up again and I went on to win 11, 12, 13 and 14, all long par 4s, to go dormie. My opponent made a good par on the 15th and I just missed an up an down out of the sand which would have won it. The 16th is a fairly short par 5 which I can reach with a good drive. I hit one out of my boots, straight up the middle and probably within range but as my opponent was still 150+ yards away in 2, and I only needed a half, I decided to lay up. He then put a good shot to about 15 feet and all of a sudden my 80 yard pitch looked a bit scarier. A couple of deep breaths though and the ball flew high and straight stopping dead about 6 feet from the flag. He missed his birdie putt and we shook hands.

We got into the clubhouse to find that with my point we had won the tie which made 3.5 hours in the cold and rain seem much more worthwhile.

Looking forward to seeing who we get in the next round now.

J

Nice work Jethro, well done mate

Clacton's golf course is closed so our match tomorrow has been transferred to ours where I can't imagine that it will be any dryer! Hopefully though home advantage will give us a better chance of progressing through to the next round.

Trolleys are banned at the moment due to the conditions, so it is carry bags only. Any volunteers to caddie?

All the best BCM, hopefully home advantage will see you through.

How many Golf-Chat members are playing in the MoS? It would be interesting if any of us ended up being drawn together.

J

Cheers J, well done on your result last weekend

Jethro wrote:Well that was, errrr ... wet!

My first tee shot was greeted by hysterical laughter from the 'gallery'. My wife had turned up just in time to see my drive sailing up the middle of the fairway and annouced in a very loud voice that she could tell it wasn't a bl**dy mixed match.

My opponent started very well so I was two down after three but a nice birdie on the 4th and a steady bogey with a shot on the long 6th got me back on terms. We then exchanged a few holes so I turned one down. A good up and down over a bunker on 10 levelled things up again and I went on to win 11, 12, 13 and 14, all long par 4s, to go dormie. My opponent made a good par on the 15th and I just missed an up an down out of the sand which would have won it. The 16th is a fairly short par 5 which I can reach with a good drive. I hit one out of my boots, straight up the middle and probably within range but as my opponent was still 150+ yards away in 2, and I only needed a half, I decided to lay up. He then put a good shot to about 15 feet and all of a sudden my 80 yard pitch looked a bit scarier. A couple of deep breaths though and the ball flew high and straight stopping dead about 6 feet from the flag. He missed his birdie putt and we shook hands.

We got into the clubhouse to find that with my point we had won the tie which made 3.5 hours in the cold and rain seem much more worthwhile.

Looking forward to seeing who we get in the next round now.

J

I'd missed this - well done, Jethro.

And good luck to BCM over the weekend.

BlueCoverman wrote:Trolleys are banned at the moment due to the conditions, so it is carry bags only. Any volunteers to caddie?

Big, strapping bloke like you can't manage it on your own? Anyway I thought home advantage doesn't count as you're all Essex boys

Thanks Merc

Now don't get all tetchy Grumps, just because you can't play until April

Actually it's next month

Okay, so it's almost April as we're opening March 29 but it's still March

Good luck for your club match Blue.

So how did you get on Blue?

I was told by the team captain today that he is looking to drop me and himself for the next round to enable more players to be eligible to play should we get to round 5 (I think it is). You have to have played twice by a certain round to be able to play in the later rounds, apparently.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence we both lost our first round matches

I'd love to be good enough to play in these but it's never going to happen - however I like to hear how others get on in them and also follow the progress of my own club - they had a good win against Sonning (I think) yesterday!

I know all the guys that play in our team and they are a dangerous outfit on their day

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:So how did you get on Blue?

We had a surprisingly comfortable victory against Clacton Grumps, undoubtedly assisted by the change of venue to our course. We ran out winners by 4 1/2 to 1/2 and so now looking forward to the second round draw.

I played a 5 handicapper and I must admit we were both pretty rusty. Fortunately me slightly less than him and I managed to win 4&3

Well done Blue, bet you both played to about 10.....

Well done, BCM.

All forum teams are through to round 2, then

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:Well done Blue, bet you both played to about 10.....

More like 12 Grumps...

BlueCoverman wrote:

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:Well done Blue, bet you both played to about 10.....

More like 12 Grumps...

Was that what you were when you match finished? Chopper

None of your business, whatever I was it was good enough to win 4&3

So 12 with 3 holes to play..... He must have had a vanity handicap. Congrats on the win by the way

Thanks. 9 over after 15 as you persist and I parred the last three as we played in. I'm sure that a similar score will be more than enough to see you off in the summer

Hmm, you think?

Undoubtably once I've given you a few dodgy yardages!

And no doubt the wrong direction too plus mixing up left and right. Told you there would be home advantage!

We've been drawn away to Gatton Manor in the next round.

They knocked us out in the first round last year.

Will you still be dropped Merc or can you play your way back into it?

I don't mind being dropped for this one, actually. I don't like the course!

Ha, ha, nice one. I'll take it for the good of the team. Hope your boys make it through so you can get the nod for a later round.

Next up for us is against Birch Grove next Saturday. We are at home again so hopeful that we can do enough to progress a bit further.