Time Out

No apologies for neglecting the blog over the last week. A holiday is a holiday after all, and as soon as that choir boy piped up in Cambridge on Christmas Eve, I decided it was time to down tools for a few days. If you have missed your blog fix since then, here are a few snippets from over the water, where they are much too industrious to have more than a day off and where glamoruos Golf Girl is still on the hunt for new clothes while Golf Blogger has found the silliest golf gift ever (and possibly the least tasteful!)

Most interesting (and encouraging?) post of the season is a report on the Golf Blog on the Wendy's Three Tour Challenge between an LPGA team and teams from the PGA and Seniors Tour - won by the women, I'm pleased to say!
Meanwhile I have ventured out on the course, so I'm relieved to discover that golf is a more serious addiction than blogging, and have got in some reasonable if not outstanding rounds in increasingly muddy conditions. I have also popped in to the Golf Monthly Forum once or twice which had the shortest of rest periods - barely long enough to get those presents opened and eat a turkey dinner - though I'm pleased to report that some members (you know who you are?) are conspicuous by their absence - a healthy sign, I should say.

Next we're off to Chepstow for our New Year round at St. Pierre. Here's a picture of last year's festivities. Does my bum loook big? Do I care?

Happy New Year!

A Happy Christmas to all golfers (please!)

Not sure how much blogging I'll be doing between now and the New Year which we're spending at Chepstow St. Pierre (gala dinner followed by golf on the old course)which I hope will be as good as last year.
But as I celebrate my first Christmas on the blog, I thought it might do golfers a service to list all these things we really don't want to find in the Christmas stocking, but which it seems like we usually do (not just my own ideas but gleaned from other bloggers and golf afficionados!)

The wrong golf balls
Silly headcovers
Uselss gadgets (anything that works, we probably already have)
The wrong tees
Any clothes that can't be changed
Bargain clubs (unless tried and tested)

Yes, golfers are fussy, and what pleases one will rub another up the wrong way, so if in doubt, do your homework!

Meanwhile

A green and pleasant Christmas to all my readers.

Have fun, play golf (and try to smile when any of the above come your way!)

And finally, if you get really fed up, take a look at the Ross-on-Wye Christmas Eve Golf video, Part Two.
I censored Part One in case there are any ladies out there with a delicate constitution, but I'm looking forward to the 2007 episode!

Sunburn at the Dubai Ladies Masters

Last week although the ladies of the European Tour were all sporting headgear, most of them seemed to be caught out by the heat in Dubai: pink arms and red faces all round. Seeing the TV coverage after a morning of frozen greens and keen winds, it was hard to imagine we were all on the same planet. It was an exciting competition, though, with Anika Sorenstam managing to post her first win in a while, and Laura Davies coming in joint second after some fantastic rounds.

Meanwhile we had our own prize-giving which brought its own memories of warmer days, so long ago I'd forgotten about winning the May monthly medal - amazing! - as well as two second places in Stablefords. This put me ahead of MOH in the 'prize money', though I'm proud to say we shared the Doubles championship and the two trophies have pride of place on our mantlepiece.

I was going to treat you to a seasonal photo of same, but unless Blogger's image upload system recovers, you'll have to imagine them for yourself, artistically placed among the Christmas cards.

Dress code for winter

Twice this week I've forgotten to take my camera out on the course to record the frosty weather, including a disconcerted duck standing on a frozen lake, and other scenes that would grace any Christmas card.

Don't fancy sub-zero golf? As someone said recently on Golf Monthly Forum, there's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing, so girls, here is my recipe for winter golf (without going out and spending a fortune).

• Long vest - silk - from Patra (longer than is strictly necessary but perfect for bridging that sneaky gap between jumper and trousers!)

• Roll neck sweater - wool & cashmere - from Next (bought many moons ago as a fashion item, now put to much better use).

• V-neck sweater - Shetland wool, by Cross Creek - extravagant? From a Pro-shop discount rail - good buy!

• Goose down duvet - oops - gilet - from Landsend, as shown above but in dangerously lurid pink. Might not pass muster with the Solheim Cup ladies, but perfectly adequate, with good deep pockets for balls, tees, and for the other occupational hazard, tissues for a runny nose

• Woolly hat - from Pringle (Xmas gift from way back, still warmest)

• Winter golf mitts - Masters - pop them on between shots and never have cold hands again - well worth the hassle.

Thus attired, I have learned to putt positively on frosty greens and shot two very respectable rounds (so far). What's your excuse?

Turkey (or not) Trot

Like most clubs, ours has just had the annual Turkey Trot (or Trott as for some reason it says on the notice-board). However many T's it should be, the competition was played with three clubs only and followed by a chicken dinner. Owing to damp weather, there were quite a few no shows, and following a mishap in the kitchen, the chicken was commuted to ham, egg and chips. Despite these minor problems, all that the prizes were awarded, though sadly our house will be paying for its own turkey this year. I am absolved from all responsibility, being safely tucked up in the day job (yes I do have one) at the time.
Meanwhile, the bad weather has sent me on a bit of a blog tour and I was cheered by Golf in London's picture of crazy golf in Florida, which you can see for yourself if you visit Neil Martin's photostream on Fickr. We have done crazy golf in Florida, but it was some years before we discvoered the 'real thing'. Right now, who needs reality? A course comprising pink rocks and waterfalls woud suit me fine, especailly if bathed in warm sunshine.

Whatever happened to spiked wellies?

Her we go again: mud, mud and more mud. We sneaked in a round last Friday at Henllys Hall, Anglesey, and even then things were pretty boggy. With another few days of torrential rain I don't see what there is to look forward to in the immediate future apart from course closures, or, at best, trolley bans and aching shoulders. And I still haven't worked out how best to dress in muddy conditions, the choices being:
(a) get on the wet gear and let the mud congeal on it for a few weeks
(b) tuck my trousers into my socks and hang the style statement
(c) invest in plus fours.
MOH says if I go for (c) I'll be playing alone, so looks like it's back to washing muddy trousers.
One thing that has me flummoxed is why it's well nigh impossible to get those winter golf boots that are designed for mud. My local shop claims Adidas Mudskippers are no longer available, and a bit of phoning around reveals that spiked wellies are no longer being manufactured, much to the despair of the pro at Aldersley Green who used to sell them. I could understand that last January all these boots and shoes shoes were sold out, but since there's obviously a market, isn't someone missing a trick here? Meanwhile I have persuaded the shop to get hold of some Hi-Tech boots, so fingers crossed for dry ankles, sooner or later.