Total, Utter Humiliation

If you ever need to be taken down a peg or two can I recommend a round of golf at Royal St George's in Sandwich, Kent. It's a venue for the Open Championship and now I can see why. I have only ever played a links course once before and after today it will take a lot of courage to do so again. I was utterly, totally and completely humiliated. But I greatly enjoyed it nonetheless! For the golfers among you, we played foursomes and my ever patient partner and I lost 5&4. At one stage I thought it was going to be 7&6, and it was all down to my appalling play. I couldn't drive to save my life - and that's normally what I am best at. My fairway shots were, shall we say, inconsistent. I won a couple of holes by holing putts, but man cannot win by putting alone.

I put it down to tiredness! I had to get up at 5am to drive to Sandwich, which was a good two hours from Tunbridge Wells. That's my excuse, and I am sticking to it.

Getting into Practice

There are days when you are just meant to play golf - and this was one of them. I have rarely, if ever, had a game in February, but today's bright sunshine and clear blue sky meant that it was perfect weather to go for a five mile walk - and for it to be interrupted by a few golf shots. I won't pretend it was my best ever game, but it certainly made me think I ought to try to play more this year - especially as I need to up my level of exercise.

Linking back to the previous thread, I always view golf as a sporting equivalent of culture. There is a real art to it (which I have yet to fully master, it has to be admitted) and it lacks the vulgar philistinism of certain other sports - most of which I love too!