On Monday we had the next match for the Shield team, this time home to Whitefield, looking to make it 5 wins out of 6 for the team. I had a lovely game which I managed to win by 5&3, again I played steadily keeping my good run of form going. The team won the match 5-2 and we are very close to winning our group now, although we have two tough away matches left at the moorland courses of Oldham and Saddleworth. However the way the other results have been going in our group, there is a good chance that we could lose them both and still finish top.
On Tuesday three of us went down to play the Portal Premier course in Tarporley ahead of the clubs match there in the Archie Preston, Manchester and district mixed knockout. Portal is a really nice course, it is set on a ridge with great views over the Cheshire plain. The course itself is an undulating course, in great condition, with some very interesting holes, including the long par 3 15th, which is the picture at the top of the blog. We were fortunate with the weather, little wind and lots of sunshine and all in all it was a very enjoyable day.
As I haven't been happy with my longer irons, I decided to give in and buy another wood, so after trying a few out I decided to but a Wilson staff 26 degree fybrid, which I was hoping would give me around 140 yards to negate the need for using my 5 or 6 iron so much. On Thursday I took it onto the course for the first time in the Ping 4 ball better ball qualifier, My partner and I won this qualifier but did not have sufficient points to make the finals as only the top 132 from all the clubs in the country actually make the finals, so if we won this year I was hoping for a better score.
I played my best round of the season with 3 birdies and 7 pars and for once I kept it going through out the round. The conditions help and I even hit 2 par 5s in 2 shots, both resulting in birdies and also holed a couple of putts from the fringe. Unlike last week when I played well but struggled to get up and down from close to the green, I chipped a lot better too. The result was that we scored 45 points off 3/4 handicap. The scoring was good all round, and two other pairs also scored 45 points, we actually came second on card playoffs and our scores will go forward to see if we make the finals this year, we certainly have a better chance than last year, so fingers crossed.
Friday saw me playing in the Flixton team open, Flixton is a 9 hole course and is rather flat, also the greens are not in the best condition and are not even paced. I didn't actually play that well, although I did have a nice birdie where I hit my new wood to with 4 feet of the hole. Despite me not playing very well my partners play well and we came 2nd, which was nice.
Saturday took us back to Portal for the Archie Preston match, I played with the same man I had partnered in the previous round. We started well with a par followed by a birdie where I hit a lovely wedge to about 6 feet, but some poor holes around the turn saw us fall to 2 down with 4 holes play. A superb tee shot from my partner on the 15th gave us a conceded birdie and we followed that with a win on the 16th, where I hit a lovely 5 wood to the back fringe of the green, so we were all square with 2 to play. Sadly, despite me holing some nice putts throughout the round, I missed from 18 inches to go one down and a superb chip to 6 inches on the last gave our opponents a win by 1 hole. The team match came right down to the final couple on the last hole and fortunately the Ellesmere pair won to give us the match 4-3 and see us into the last 16.
All in all a bit of a mixed week, where I followed my best round so far, with a couple of indifferent displays.
My round on Thursday.
Hole 1, Hit new wood to front fringe, chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 4.
Hole 2, a decent drive then found the green with my 3 wood, 2 putts for a par 4.
Hole 3, 2 decent shots but mishit a 5 wood , chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 6.
Hole 4, A 6 iron tee shot found the front fringe but I holed a long putt for a birdie 2.
Hole 5, My drive was a little left then a 3 wood left me 40 yards from the green, I chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 5.
Hole 6, A good long drive followed by nice 3 wood which hit the green, 2 putts gave me a birdie 4.
Hole 7, A drive a little right and then an 8 iron to the fringe, chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 5.
Hole 8, A good long drive and a lovely 3 wood found the green, 2 putts for a birdie 4.
Hole 9, A 9 iron off the tee found the fringe, I chipped a little long but my partner had a 3 so I didn't need to putt, 2 putts would have given me a bogey 4.
So after 3 birdies and a par, and assuming 2 putts on the 9th I would have had a 2 over 38 on the front nine.
Hole 10, After decent drive although a little short, I hit a 3 wood to just short of the green, chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 5.
Hole 11, I hit a lovely straight drive and decided to take on the ditch in front of the green, I cleared it but was a little left and caught a tree, chipped on from off a bank and 2 putts gave me a par 5.
Hole 12, My tee shot was left and a poor chip only found the fringe but I holed the putt for a par 3.
Hole 13, My drive was left and my 5 wood 2nd missed right and found trees, I tried a low chip but it ran over the green into a bunker. I got out first time and 2 putted for a double bogey 6.
Hole 14. Hit my new wood of the tee and was right of the green, I chipped to 3 feet and holed the putt for a par 3.
Hole 15, My drive was OK and a 3 wood left me an 8 iron to the green, I found the fringe and 2 putted for a par 5.
Hole 16. A lovely straight drive left a 9 iron to the green, I hit the green and my 20 foot birdie putt just rimmed out so a par 4.
Hole 17, Another good long drive, so I didn't need to lay up and cleared the ditch with my 2nd, unfortunately I thinned my 9 iron which shot through the green and down the bank, I chipped back and 2 putts gave me a bogey 6.
Hole 18, My 6 iron ran off the back of the green but I chip to 2 feet and holed for a par 3.
So a good score of 40 shots on the back 9 for a theoretical round of 78 only 6 over par, by far the best I have played and although it doesn't count it just shows me what I am capable of, if I can play like that consistently.
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