funky_nomad

Played in a betterball trophy with my mate at Ladybank yesterday - we dovetailed really well and a couple of birdies on stroking holes plus a chip-in magic 2 set us up for a really good score. We didn't quite convert down the stretch and had to settle for a 64 which lost out on countback. Gutted as it'd have been a very early invite to the prizegiving, and we missed holeable putts at 16 and 17. I also played in the medal at Tulliallan yesterday afternoon - the greens there are in terrific nick given the recent chilly east wind, but I had played all my good golf in the morning so wasn't surprised to limp round in a nett 76.

If you didn't play that, Bernhard wants a word...

Tiger wants the Masters consecutive cut record on his own, so I imagine the next 11 months of post-op rehab and tournament schedules will be geared towards playing well enough in time for Augusta next year. I don't think anyone will begrudge him that, surely - he deserves the capacity to say goodbye to competing in the Masters on his own terms given how many iconic moments he's created there..

Craig Stadler looks as if he spends most of his time wrestling marlin all day. Widnae argue with him over a spilled pint, that's for sure. Also, Faldo's head looks like it's been photoshopped on before being scaled to size - humungous.

He'll brazen it out with some pish along the lines of "that just goes to show how memorable that goat track is to a proper golfer like me", or equivalent nonsense.

Playing it for the first time in a couple of weeks, eh?

If it works, I wonder why we don't see it pretty much everywhere in Feb/early March to get greens ready for the start of each season...

With a pre-existing CDH number that has been unregistered by your previous club, it's all down to how quickly your new club's administrator/match secretary processes things. It's pretty much instantaneous once the new club have added your CDH number to whatever portal they're using and hit the button. Worth giving them a call and nudging things along, tbh.

It was looking pretty decent for pre-clock change March, particularly given the recent weather. The greens, albeit a bit sparse, were rolling very nicely, and I barely needed a preferred lie on the fairways. They've done some "corrective" work to some of the more punitive run-off areas that were installed as part of the new bunker installations a couple of years back, and these look terrific, much better than before. They've also stripped even more trees out to get more air circulating around the course, which looks a bit odd as you can see some adjacent fairways in full for the first time. I'm sure this will look absolutely fine once the trees are in full leaf. The only bit I don't like is that they've removed the massive rhododendron bushes from the rear of the 14th green - there's no real definition there now, and they looked lovely in full bloom (kinda like Augusta if you squinted). I hope they'll plant an alternative as it looks really bare behind a green which slopes away at the back third (I suspect we'll end up with some extra heather planted there for bonus shits and giggles resulting from an overly-aggressive approach...) Interestingly, we were on a couple of temporary greens. In an effort to get some early growth, they've covered the 2nd and the 8th greens with those white crop sheets you see in fields - I had to check they weren't growing raspberries under there. Can't say I've ever seen that on a golf course otherwise in play before.

After playing far less over the winter than normal, I pitched up at Ladybank on Saturday morning for the opening medal with zero expectations. A couple of swishes to warm up and away - to the surprise of everyone, I started with 6 stress-free pars (with a couple of birdie putts shaving the hole), and I was beginning to think I was a total player and I should just put the clubs away every October. Then came a couple of shanks from the middle of the fairway and, boom, 5 shots gone in 3 holes. Steadied the ship at the start of the back nine before a classic triple-bogey-par-double finish for a nett 76. Reality bites. Worst of it was a shot less down the stretch and I've have qualified for one of the matchplay events that the opening medal doubles as a qualifier for. Golf, eh?

About time. I've never understood the R&A/USGA getting their knickers in a twist about the "we must all use the same technology to protect traditions" nonsense. Bring in restrictions from elite Amateur level upwards (after all, they already have "restrictions" on ability based on ballots for elite Amateur tournaments...) and the vast, vast majority of golfers will not be affected. Ball (and club!) manufacturers will still make a handsome profit.

You're bang on about discovering things on repeated watch - I've recently introduced the missus to the joy of the show and just noticed that sometimes when Phil & Nige leave the pub there's a call coming through on their radio, and the NATO phonetic call signs spell out swear words. I only picked it up when one of the call-signs went on a bit, and when I played it back I heard Alpha Romeo Sierra Echo Hotel Oscar Lima Echo Sierra. Going back, it started on series one, episode one with Tango Whisky Alpha Tango Sierra. There's one that stops at Foxtrot Uniform Charlie... I'm easily amused by the little things...

What happened to the Go-Pro cameras we used to have in the nets? Not that they would have provided 100% proof either way, but an additional angle would have helped.

Sorry, I should have read the context of your response more closely. I found the scrunched up paper quite funny, but chucking stuff like coins, lighters, etc needs to gtf.

I saw the non-flare item land on the pitch and it looked quite a bit longer and thinner than a lighter to me - I thought maybe a vape pen? (Unless these were separate items) It was passed to the stewards by the linesman pretty pronto so I dare say it'll feature in the match report...

If you use HowDidIDo you can get info on fixtures and results for the vast majority of UK clubs by using the drop-down menu on their website - just select Club Directory. I can't vouch for the other 2, but I play at Drumoig several times a year and, having spoken to the starters there a few times, I know they struggle to get more than 30 playing in a club comp. It's certainly not hard to get a weekend tee time there. I'd imagine Kinross must have far more playing in their comps than that.

Finished Full Swing last night. Most enjoyable overall Amanda Renner's jaws must ache from her disturbing rictus perma-grin, though. By the final episode I was hiding behind the sofa whenever she appeared on-screen.

I see they're making yet more changes to Drumoig (they look to be completely rebuilding/relocating the par 3 16th). Their head greenkeeper does love a digger...

Recording every shot you've hit since the age of 15, though - he must be a right hoot at parties...

I've now watched 5 episodes of Full Swing and, whilst it's pretty superficial for the most part, the theming of the episodes have work pretty well for the narrative approach (top marks to Joel Dahmen for giving the continuity guys kittens with his scattergun approach to male grooming...), although I suppose it helps that there's no point using a linear approach to build drama as everyone knows the outcomes. Dahmen and his caddie come across as a guys you'd happily share a few beers with, and Tony Finau definitely has his priorities right. What were the chances that Poulter equates trousers to personality, and that Matt Fitzpatrick is the dullest man on tour, though?

Silloth is a superb course - miles from anywhere, but definitely the best golf course I've played after approaching the entrance via a cement works. I reckon on a clear day you could just about pick out Southerness over the Solway Firth, too.

I've not played Bathgate in a few years, but I seem to remember the middle part of the back 9 had the capacity to wreck a few cards?

You can get a handicap up to 54 these days, but if you're hitting any GIRs with any kind of regularity, that's clearly not for you! Where did you join, out of interest?

We should play it at St Michaels, just to be on the safe side...