BGS 2024 - Round 1 Corballis - 23rd Mar 12:20
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And we are off! The mighty Corballis. I have a love hate relationship with this place having played it loads at this stage. I still struggle to remember holes as my playing partners will contest @Snackbox20 @Sorbet @boccy23 as the 1 hole I explained to them which I think was the 11th dog leg right.. There was a bunker in the distance which was GUR and a white line around it as I told the lads in get detail just left of that is a good landing area which will leave a wedge in.. Thankfully none of them listened 😂 and all went right except me! when I got up there ball was nearly OOB in the **** 🤦♂️ Dont know what hole I was thinking off! 😂 but definitely cost me a shot was lucky to find it but could only hack it out...
I purposely left my driver at home as having coming second here last year with only 3 clubs I know Corbellis is a course where you have to be strict on your course management! I wasn't playing great on front 9 with loads of 1 pointers. Then I went on a run of pars just at the turn and got myself in the mix! Standing on 18th Tee with 28 pts I said a bogey here will get me 2 pts and in the mix but personally wanted to hit 30pts as I taught that was a great score considering the conditions.. Greenside in 2 with a tricky chip to a tight pin (going for the hero shot) instead of playing the percentage 🤦♂️ I'll never learn! fell a yard short and down the bank which ended in a scratch for second year in a row the 18th cost me dear!
So the love hate relationship continues But I had great laugh with the lads and always good to meet new lads, new personalities. Some great golf was played in parts by all.. But the conditions where really tough..
I'm not a fan of mats and taught the conditioning wasnt near as good as previous years the amount of pitch marks on the greens was shocking!
Well done @FixdePitchmark! At least I dont have to listen to you say its impossible for me to win a boards outing now! 😂😂 Delighted for you! True veteran of the society. A boards win is hard!
See you all at Portmarnock!
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After playing Corballis in benign conditions 3 or 4 times, I finally experienced it in the wind. Some experience. Over the opening 6 holes we were treated to a clinic on how to play the game in the wind by Golfgraffix as he got off to an electric start. Some good natured slagging on how he has changed as a golfer as he elected to go with an iron on the third instead of a driver as Fix and Blue Note did.
I struggled with making good clean shots, but managed to come out of the front 9 in good shape with 15 points having not played my best at all. I was sinking some good putts which made the difference. Those first 7 holes really are a treat, and the high point of the course for me. 8 is a bit of a let down with the green condition, just doesn't roll correctly. 9 and 10 are both nice holes, but I think from 11 on are considerably weaker than the preceding holes.
My scoring collapsed as my ball striking really let me down on the back 9 - was struggling to make any good contacts and couldnt get anything going despite trying to maintain a positive attitude and not to get frustrated. Went around the back 9 for a shocking 6 points to give a total of 21 for the day.
Fix really came into his own on the back 9, some really excellent and consistent ball striking, was a pleasure to watch. Having hung in a bit and kept himself in the mix on the front 9, he got the foot on the gas and powered on. Delighted for him to get the win, I only found out after he won the prize that it was his first boards win - something that shocked me as I've played with him a couple of times and always been impressed by his game.
Blue note was a bit up and down like myself, some really lovely shots and impressive length, but with such a high ball flight it always looked tough to have control in winds like that.
That said, was a pleasure to be out with the lads, some good craic and banter and chat the whole way round. High points for me were fix's driving and golfgraffix wedge play, he truly is spectacular from 100 yards and in which his pair of 2s will attest to.
Onwards and upwards and looking forward to portmarnock.
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Firstly congrats to @FixdePitchmark on his first win after many a boards voyage, a great character in the society that I love to bump into in the days out and nights out! And especially the very short synopsis after each round always a great read!
I was more than delighted in coming 3rd place myself and I thought I finished with 30 also,and held the clubhouse lead for a good 30 minutes until I rechecked my card and it was actually 29 so 2 ahead of me for a finish! What a tough day it was and I have played it a few times before but only for roadrunners Steady advice on hitting the collection points for a lot of holes the score would not have been in contention so thanks 👍
I scratched the 3rd hole from loosing 2 tee shots but other than that had very a steady 16 points turning , I scratched the Par 3 13th then aswell and really don’t know how you can hold that green on a day like Saturday , I aimed 20 yards left and the ball kept turning over to land way down under the next tee box…. I hit a great 4 hybrid tee shot on 14 and still had 200 yards to the pin which I pulled way left and bladed a chip through the green ended up making a 6! I think I was tiring a bit after that as I could have scored better but just hit a few silly chips etc… that I wasn’t doing earlier in the round. 15&16 are a bit of a joke having to wait for golfers to casually stroll up looking for a ball while you wait what seemed like 10-15 minutes( not our own society members) The 17th is a hard green to hit on a calm day I’d imagine but I was perplexed when I came up as short as I did after hitting a solid shot!
I hit a good drive on 18 and again a 9iron only 100 yards out left me way short ! Finished with 2x 5’s and happy to get in after 4 hours 53 minutes of golf!!!
Thanks to my playing partners @Break80 , @awec and @RoadRunner a sound bunch but we didn’t get any time to have any sort of general chat because of the conditions.
On the course condition , I find it very hard to complain after what seems like a very long winter and really wet conditions at home, it was actually a pleasure to play off that surface for me and have nice rolling greens. The mats were probably my only bugbear on big tee boxes that some portion can’t be used.
Looking forward to Portmarnock and hopefully kinder weather…..
PP
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Got to start off with a big congrats to @FixdePitchmark , 30 points on a day like Saturday is some shooting!
I suppose I'll start with my thoughts on Corballis. This was my first trek around it. I honestly do not know how you could score anything half-decent on this course if you didn't have a guide with you who had played it before to tell you how to play. There are so many quirky holes it is unbelievable. If we didn't have RoadRunner in our group to give us an idea of where to hit it we would have been all over the shop.
I have to say I didn't massively enjoy the course overall, but I guess that was also partly down to the winds. I wouldn't mind playing it on a calmer day where the wind doesn't have such a say in things to see how it compares then. The front 9 is much, much better than the back 9 IMO. Particular low-lights for me were the 11th, which IMO is just a stupid hole. There's a marker to aim at if you want to go for the green, but you literally have to make the green or you're fcuked, anything short is high chance of a lost ball. The entire hole is a blind shot, honestly if there was a 4 ball of Corballis newbies it's hard to see how you could play this hole.
The 13th I also thought was fairly meh purely because of the green. You could land the ball lovely on the green and it'd still just roll off. The wind killed me on this hole, I aimed about 45 degrees left and I still ended up at the bottom of the slope on the right. 15 and 16 are a bit of a shambles, it's like teeing off into a field with groups of golfers all over the place, people going up and down both fairways.
I am going through a swing change right now, went for a lesson last Wednesday and he's changed my swing to try move me to a draw shape from a fade shape. Which meant I wasn't confident in my miss, I could miss in either direction, really not what you need at a course like this. Definitely mentally affected me and hit my confidence a bit on each tee-box, as I tired near the end I started to revert to my old bad swing.
I started the day off well, par on the first. But then lost my ball on my 2nd shot on the 2nd which was frustrating. 3 is a great hole, but I really misjudged the size of the green and the distance of the flag and I left myself with an enormous putt, nil points. I was happy enough with how I went for the first 8 holes, then I put 2 in the water at 9. 😂 10 points for the front 9, I was actually happy enough at this point.
Back 9 I totally fell apart though. Bogey on 10 and 11 but then I scratched 12, 13 and 14. 12 frustrated me as in hindsight it was a handy par 5 to score on, just a few errant shots from me. 13, as already mentioned, was far too hard in those conditions. 14 the wind killed me again.
17th hole baffled me a bit, I hit an 8 iron I think and was worried it might be too much, ended up being waaaay short. Managed to get a point on this hole and 18, bringing my back 9 total to 7 points for 17 overall. Many points left behind me, many from my own mistakes but also others due to not knowing the quirks of Corballis.
Sounds like a lot of ranting but I really did enjoy the day out, I went round with a great group. Well done to @a post punk , consistently played well and kept the score ticking over with no fuss. @Break80 had a tough day at the office also, I think he struggled with the course and the conditions like myself. @RoadRunner had a really strong front 9 but the back 9 hurt the final score.
It was a very slow round, lots of waiting around, I think I was a bit mentally checked out a bit near the end.
Looking forward to Portmarnock, looking forward to getting out on a links course again!
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Another round in Corballis getting beaten up, as usual, playing links. I'll eventually play a good round there but for the weekends conditions I can't complain with 25 points. The company was excellent with @jarrieta and @willabur and the weather was fantastic even with the winds blowing so hard. Started off well with 2 pars and followed up with a perfect drive on the third, a layup and then a total lapse that had my PW shot dangling in the air against the wind only to drop into the thick rough. A few frustrated swipes later and I was scratching the hole. That was the story of the day really, some great play followed immediately with bad judgements in the wind which costed me dearly. 15 and 16 were perfect example where I was 4 foot away putting for birdie on 15 and it just wobbled past and then after a great drive leaving me only 150yrds into the 16th I pulled it hard left and came away with a 6. Another 6 followed from pin high on the next hole, the head completely gone.
The two lads had a mixed bag much like myself. @willabur guiding us around the course and hitting some great shots, the type you would expect from a player of his class. @jarrieta had a rough front if I remember correctly with a case of the rights but scored some good numbers on the back nine. Happy to get out and really enjoyed the course as much as it abuses me and looking forward to Portmarnock.
Edit: Congrats to @FixdePitchmark too. I said to the lads on the second tee that it was a day that suited your game and happy to be proved right.
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Some great reports guys. Delighted to hear @FixdePitchmark got his win at last. Congrats buddy. Sounds like a mixed report for Corballis. I think some great holes, but agree with some of the criticisms of the weaker holes such as 13, 15&16.
sounds like the weather played it part on the day. If it’s any consolation, the sun is hiding in Dubai and there has been a splash or 3 of rain. Still shorts and T-shirt weather thankfully though.
see yiz at Portmarnock
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And we're off.
Firstly huge congratulations to @FixdePitchmark on breaking his duck after so many years. 30 pts was very impressive around that course with the conditions.
I wasn't expecting anything from my round with my high ball flight.
I wasn't disappointed, absolute carnage, I should have walked off as I was a serious danger to anyone within 400yds. Play it right, lost on the left, play it left, lost on the right. Wind drops just as you hit, lost again. Absolutely mad stuff. I felt the course is too short and tight when the wind is up as much as Saturday. A bigger course would be more forgiving IMO.
Post punk,Roadrunner, and Awec were great company and all had a better grip on proceedings than I managed. We all could only smile walking off 18.
Portmarnock is another course that gives me a good trashing but looking forward to it already.
1 point lads, myself and Post punk had to sort the cards to speed up proceedings after the round.
A few had scores but no points. Could eveyone please spend a bit of time after their round and do the points in a clear readable manner.
Bold round circle on any 2s. It's a big help to anyone doing the cards as they need to eat and get home as well. Thanks.
See ye soon.
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And so another season of Boards golf kicked off in a blustery but sunny Corballis on Saturday. As someone who had never played there or even be in the area, I was half convinced the SatNav had a dose of the yips when it sent me on the M1 and not straight down towards Portmarnock. Slightly concerned I continued and arrived in what is a little golfing mecca, 4 courses in a couple of square miles. But as you play the day in Corballis, you can see how some of the holes have been shoehorned in to this small footprint.
Climbed out of the car and the door was whipped away nearly breaking my arm and also just missing the paintwork of the car parked next to me. I knew immediately that this was going to be a very hard day. It was the first time I have ever played where you were constantly being buffeted on iron shots and putts and where the ball was moving around on the greens so much. 'Twas a hard one lads!
I had the excellent company of @Snackbox20 who I had played with before, @benny79 for the first time and @Sorbet who was a first timer for the society. Always enjoy Snacks company but he was very unlucky on the day with lost balls, especially with second shots. Highlight was a hybrid which faded onto the pin on the 12th only to disappear over the back. I asked what he hit and why? I had 174 according to the laser, looked ay watch and I had it as 140 yards!! Never found the ball and sort of summed up his day. Benny, as he said himself, although having played it, was a bit like ourselves in trying to remember the lines, how far the trouble was and what to hit in that wind. Started well but then was very consistent - but with 1 pointers. Sort of gave up but the pressure came off, and he started to play good golf. Just a little unlucky with a shot here and there or he could well have troubled Fix. Sorbet is only playing a year and did really well for such inexperience in golf let alone links golf. i would consider it a huge win to hit the green with his iron off the first. i think I barely made it off the tee box the first time out. The highlight was a two on 4 after a nice wedge and drained the 20 footer. In the 2s on his first outing!
For myself, I aimed right on the first thinking the wind had to bring it in. No, it stayed straight as a dye into the bunker. Splash out and 2 putt, so 2 points to start. Nice! Onto the second and met @Break80 coming off the second tee. "Good luck" says he, "first one hooked massively OB and the second hit in the same spot is now on the dunes on the right". I had a look at the daunting tee shot and took a 7 iron to get to the top of the hill, wind caught it and it bounced down the hill to the Donabate beach! Looked at the Stroke Index and saw I had no shot! Christ I said, if this is the second easiest hole on the course, what the f**k and I am in for. Third went the same way and I still had 2 points after 3. Standing on the mat for the 4th, I was thinking that 10 points could be good, not to mind breaking 20! But a flick with a 52° and 2 putts I had a par and that gave me some confidence. Turned with 15 points and was thinking, ok, lets see what we have here. But too many 3 putts on the back 9, three, and a few mental errors in the wind meant I finished with 27. Proud of the score when seeing what else was out there, but also thinking that with a few better decisions/swings, it could have been a few more. No doubt we all had the same thoughts on the drive back home.
Over to Balcarrick for the post mortem, and a lovely dinner of Bacon & Cabbage (country boy after all!), and realised that this was an event that we will share for some time, "do you remember Corballis in 2024, that wind!!". But that is what this society for me is all about, it is the shared experiences, the much varied backgrounds, guys driving for 5 hours to attend with on-line friends, seeing familiar faces and hearing familiar slags, fivers won and lost and new blood being indoctrinated at each outing to breed continued vibrancy into the "club". I was chatting with a true dub at the bar and he said "ye're an online society - that's mad, how do you make it work?". And that is down to the likes of captain @Alanm who was there to meet & greet everyone. Thanks for the great day and looking forward to the rest of the golfing year ahead of us.
Final word for @FixdePitchmark who so deserves to enter the winning circle in Boards. He is passionate not alone about this society, but also about golf being a game for all, that it should always be about getting better, not settling for what you have today and most of all, it is a social experiment where we can spend a whole day with fellow madmen in 40 MPH winds, being blown off course all in the name of Golf and The Boards Society! Congrats.
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Firstly and big congratulations to my good buddy Fix, and absolute disgrace that he has not won at least one event in all the years he has played, in saying that he not winning has been a great source of amusement.
That was deffinately a game that got away, started like a train over the 1st 6 holes, really should have been one under gross for the 1st 6 but was happy to be 1 over with two 2s in there.
Was tipping away nicely until the 8th hole, when we were waiting on the tee for what seemed and age, I have a problem (my own, no ones fault) with waiting, ended up rushing my drive, walked off with a 5, that felt like an 8. That was the start of my downfall, got a little (a lot) annoyed with myself and played poorly coming in, while still hitting good shots. I have been working very hard on the process side of the game and trying to keep my decision making clear and for the most part it has been working but I let myself down on Saturday.
All in all I really enjoyed the round playing with BlueNote and VW1, both of whom have tonnes of good if not great golf in them but like us all, it just needs to all come together on the right day.
Looking forward to the next round at my home course. The 6 new holes from last year and the new 17th (opening in two weeks) will all be in play, will be curious to see how the scores pan out.
We are off on running for 2024, have a great year captain.
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Apologies for the delay in getting the results up lads - life has been a little hectic. Congrats to everyone on getting around Corballis, it was probably the most challenging round I've had there and like a few in the society, I've played it quite a few times (not nearly as many as Fix though...). At least it remained dry (thanks @benny79!)
First off; hugh congratulations to the winners:
1st & Gross: @FixdePitchmark
2nd: @bakerbhoy
3rd: @a post punk
NTP: @jarrieta and LD: @BigChap1759 (I'll give you guys prizes at the next outing)
@Seve OB will help sort out the final leaderboard and the 2's once he's back from not sunning himself in Dubai.
I really enjoyed the company of @charlieIRL, @token56 and new member @go1f.
My own round was very mixed, some really good stuff surrounded by some of the worst golf I've played in a long time. Going at the 3rd green with a 3 wood in that wind was just stupid (scratch), followed by scratching the next two still thinking about the 3rd! Did have some highlights, 3 birdies, including back to back on 13 and 14.
Some great reports so far, thanks for them all. Looking forward to seeing you all in Portmarnock Links next month. Thread for this will be opened soon.
Alan.
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Great to Birdie 13 ,I found that the toughest all day to figure out aswell as the par 3 beside water!!
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Was just about to post same thing, birdie on 13 is great going!
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Some great reading in the post round reports. Congrats to @FixdePitchmark on his long overdue maiden victory. Incredible to believe that it hadn't happened sooner.
Also well done to our Captain @Alanm on the marvelous start to the Boards GS 2024 season. Onward and upwards from now on with better weather and scoring for everyone.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the round and reading about it since. As is well documented on this site, I'm a former member of Corballis. This makes me particularly interested to read people's opinions on the course. I can completely understand the range of feelings the course the course brings out, particularly on a day like Saturday. It's probably more of a love/hate course than any other in the country, both in terms of people outright loving the course and others never wanting to go anywhere near it (unless playing the Island obviously) and others loving the course on the tee and then hating it when they can't find their tee shot. I might not agree with people's criticisms of particular things but I do understand them.
In terms of loving the course, I've never been confused about my feelings towards it. I love it. I love the look of the place, the views and probably mostly I love the unconventional nature of it. Most index 1s around the country are largely the hardest hole because of their length. Corballis hardly has a long hole on it, but is a hard course for any level of golfer. It forces you hit shots you're not comfortable with. So why did I leave? I loved the course, but I didn't love the way it made me feel :( Every time I stood on on the first tee I couldn't help but feel that today will be different. And every day I walked off the 18th green, I pretended to myself that the next day will be. And I tried to change so that we could work. I tried to lower my ball flight, but I couldn't. And then I tried to lower my expectations, but I couldn't do that either. Eventually, I made the decision to leave. I'll still relapse occasionally and stumble down it's fairways, only to be reminded of why it couldn't work in the first place. But I'm moving on.
Anyway..........
I played a thoroughly enjoyable round with VW, golfgraffix and Fix. I would never have imagined that Fix hadn't won a boards event before, so was honoured to witness it firsthand. To be honest, I was surprised that Fix won. I think that came from two reasons - firstly our whole group played pretty well. Golfgraffix got off to a flying start and might well have been leading the comp after 6 holes. Thoroughly deserved too, he was playing great. I don't think the performance dropped all that much after. There were a few wayward shots, but it doesn't take much there to drop a shot or three. You can miss a green on most courses and hope to get up and down to save par. On corballis you might be grateful to find your ball and see what you can salvage. VW was well in contention after 9 and again didn't collapse, but just stopped scoring on the back 9. And I played some decent golf (6 up and downs) but left a lot behind me (5 3 putts). So when we'd all played well, it felt like there was more than 30 points out there for someone. In particular, it felt like there was more out there from looking at fix. I thought he was very unlucky to not have a few more points on the front 9 with several putts shaving the hole. And the back 9 was very strong, but even then he finished with a scratch after very uncharacteristically thinning a chip through the green on 18. The 30 points he came in with was the minimum he deserved for how he played. No matter, I think the whole society was happy to see him win a boards event. Just to note on his game - it's obvious why he loves links golf. Being able to punch the ball low through the air like that is a skill. One I'm envious of.
So thanks to all organisers of the day and congrats to AlanM on a successful start to the year. I can't wait to walk down to the next event at the end of my road. Unfortunately my wife has booked a night out that night so I'll have to walk home as opposed to stumble. At least I'll get to play the golf, because that's the important part of the day. Isn't it?
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Pcc of 3 on GI for Corballis on Saturday.
Some solas there, reflecting how difficult it was.
Handled a cruel start with only two points to show for some good shots.
Recovered well to turn with 18 pts.
Back 9 for me was rubbish only real highlights were irons to the par 3s.Two pars. 12 pts for the 9.
Relieved I didn't take the win from @FixdePitchmark given the state of my game on the back side.
Great company with @ballyk @oma29 and @Concerned2 .
Missing Portmarnock as clashes with annual trip to the Kingdom.
See u in limerick.
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Massive thanks to Alanm for taking on the captains position with gusto! Apologies I couldn't make it to Balcarrick clubhouse afterwards to lick my wounds with you all.
A very difficult round, in strong winds, with very fast greens in some places, way different to what I'm used to this time of year. It was hard to keep a ball on the tee and you had to try time hitting a putt in between gusts so the ball wouldn't get blown mid stroke.
I opened badly with 2 points after 4 holes. Then went under par from 5-9 where I made the bulk of my scoring for the day turning in 14 pts. I know corballis, I know it can reward and it can punish in equal measures. The breaks I got were harsh to say the least, bourne out in my scoring, which was either 3/2 pointers or scratches where my ball rolls off a foot from fairway into an unrecoverable position. A number of times I'd land a ball regulation on or beside the green and have it settle in a place where I'd ultimately scratch the hole from. I found myself getting frustrated with the course and apols to my playing partners for the few times I let off some steam.
I have a good ball flight for corballis for the wind, I can control flight, like the wind and relish a challenge - but the breaks you get are the breaks you get. I finished with 20 points, which seems atrocious on the outset, but I know well, take away say, half of the 10-12 awful breaks I got and all other things being equal - I'm suddenly challenging the leaders.
It is nice to play a course in conditions where the bulk of the course is dry after the awful winter, I've gotten used to getting in covered in mud on my own place. There's an art form from chipping a ball from dry tight ground that I love, it's unfortunate that the ball never collected in these areas as it always just rolled on a yard more settling into a position which was unplayable. I only had one chip the whole day of a nice flat lie, a story in itself.
Break80, apostpunk and awec were my partners on the day. It was a long day in those conditions, but spirits were good. PP should have taken this one, his game was looking strong. He found consistency, which is not something that comes easily here. Kieran, with high ball flight was beaten up around here and he may not return to this place again on his own accord. Awec, started with a strong par, and was looking good early doors, but like myself maybe struggles with the fact that the wind not only affects ball flight. It also make you unsteady as you're trying to hit your ball. Delighted my friend fix took this one, but can't wait for redemption at portmarnock links, one of my favourite courses in the country.
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Was a tough day out there Saturday, still really enjoyed it but tough.
Great to be back for another year with the society and even better to see the good numbers again.
Corballis has come in for some criticism lately and I think it’s a bit unfair, ok some spots needed to be maintained a bit better and the 7th fairway is in bits but other than that (ok the 8th “green”) I found it in ok condition. You’d be surprised how narrow a strip of land it is until you look back on it
I struggled with the wind all day and add that to my continuing woes of not getting the ball off the tee, I knew it was going to be a grind right from the first hole. Credit to my playing partners, we still did enjoy the day and the scenery and had a bit of crack going around as well. Hit a few good shots and holed one or two long putts but mostly it was terrible golf from me, it’s been a long long time since I’ve had a decent round now unfortunately.
Congrats to Fix for winning his first event, there’s many more to come from him. If he didn’t win in Corballis after his epic thread, I would start to get worried. His game has come on a huge amount this year.
Looking forward to the rest of the year and the battles that shall be had!!
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It feels like this is the kickoff for real golf again. Big congrats to @FixdePitchmark and winning on a day we had Saturday, that's some stellar golf.
Thanks to @Alanm and all the lads on the committee for organising a great day and seamless transition of the captaincy. And to Alan for helping sort out my gui app mess which is all sorted now.
The day in itself was tough with the wind, had some ups and down literally as I found myself upside down with my approach into the par 5.
I had the pleasure to play with @bobster453 @BigChap1759 two great lads, the only thing that stands out is the misery that we went through. Bobster definitely had the shot of the day from a bunker shot on the 2nd par 3, no idea how he got it out. The company made the round had a good laugh with the lads.
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Nabbed the results from Seves file
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Fix breathes a sigh of relief. It was real. He didn't dream it.
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I'll be the shortest leader of GOTY in history..I'll enjoy the 48 hours..
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