FORE !!

Saturday 30th December TOGS Week 13 Dave Archbold was cut 2 shots as a result of his victory with the relatively low score of 33 points.   The other TOGS all offered their congratulations and apologies at the presentation ceremony, some were even spotted laughing but I put this down to Christmas spirits.    Steve Todd was second with 31 points and is now down to 19.   Very difficult scoring conditions, a strong breeze and extremely wet underfoot made the course tough today. I played with our defending champion and current leader Oor Willy and it is not hard to see why he is sitting at the top, could be a few more points to come yet.   We just pipped Duncan and Larry in what was an enjoyable round of golf. Wednesday 27th December Me and Ed against Raff and Jacques le Frenchman climaxed in a 1 hole victory for our opponents.   Very enjoyable. Ed tells me that his wife Maureen is delighted with her five foot giraffe and has christened her Guinevere.   Aaaah. Tuesday 26th December 3 Clubs and a Putter My chosen weapons were a 3 wood, 4 iron, 8 iron and  putter.   A fat lot of good they did me.   Seriously a gross 86 wasn't so bad really saying as my putter wasn't working properly following to many sprouts yesterday. Saturday 23rd December TOGS Week 12 We welcomed Dave Rowntree back into the fold following his sojourn to the sunny warm climes of Florida.   Although it was a beautiful mild day in Costa Del Tynemouth it hardly compares with the winter temperatures to be found in the 'panhandle'.   Another major difference is the complete lack of alligators to be fond in North Tyneside.   Welcome back Dave and of course Kim too. A repeat one-two of week 1 today with Rosco winning and Graham Marsh hanging on to his shirt tails with 36 and 35 points respectively, both players are now off 8 handicap. A special mention about our Gallic friend, Jacques Le Frenchman.   Playing off a much reduced 5 handicap he came in third with a creditable 34 points. 11 players are in the 200 club with four more closing in fast.   Willy and Billy that well known country band lead the field with 210 points.   Game on. Wednesday 20th December Six of us played for the Christmas sweep in two groups if three.   Daz took the money with a creditable 39 points in what may be his last game for a few weeks.   He is having an operation on his dodgy back later this week and we wish him a speedy recovery. I played in a threeball with Le Fenchman and Ed the giraffe (see my blog for today).   Jacques le Francais took the front, back and match for a comprehensive victory and Ed is joining the RSPCA. Monday 18th December Le Frenchman and I were partners against the might of Archie and Rosco in the cold misty conditions.   It all came down to a putt on the 18th and mon ami holed it.   We won 1up.   Whoopee doo. A new name springs to mind for Le Frenchman as he scripted the outcome from the 15th onwards.   What would happen, who would do what etc on the lines of a Jackanory tale.   I give you, Jack the Frenchman.     Jacques to his friends. Saturday 16th December TOGS Week 11 With the ground very heavy and a stiff breeze blowing it was always going to be a difficult scoring day and so it proved.    Duncan McCree beat me on countback with 34 points and we are cut to 8 and 9 handicap respectively. With eight players on 200 points plus, the table is tightening up and Oor Willy and Bill are still three points clear of the rest on 210.    The league is definitely shaping up for a tight finish. Wednesday 13th December Away day at Matfen with Ed, Vic and Le French geezer. Vic and I managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with apparent ease.   3 up with five to play, I had two putts for a half from nowhere and three putted the 14th (Index 1).   In fairness to Le Frenchman and Ed, they did birdie four of the last five holes to win in style on the 18th. It was blowing a hooley and we were the only four players on the course, nevertheless, "I was just happy to be there!" Monday 11th December Raff and I were cruising along at 35,000 feet against Daz and Le Frenchman until the 14th, 15th and 16th when we hit some turbulence.   Still, it was very enjoyable and we only lost ten shillings thanks to a birdie and the front nine. Saturday 9th December TOGS Week 10 Larry Page continued his fine form and won with  35 points, three ahead of the field.   It is Larry's first victory and is pulled 2 shots to 15hcp.   Our cultured Caledonian, David Bavaird beat Daz into  second place on countback and now has three scores in the thirties. Who mentioned slow play?   Not me, but I could. Wednesday 6th December I did play but can't remember much about it.   Me, Vic and Archie I believe. Monday 4th December The TOGS League Table We got there in the end and the table is as it should be.   All scores and handicaps are correct and have been verified with Togmeister Smith of Bude.   Willy has a list of amended scores if anyone would like to see them. The scores as shown in my  weekly scores page are those that were posted on that day according to the information available at that time.    Saturday 2nd December TOGS Week 9 The flag was flying as I left the golf Club today in honour of the restoration of the TOGS Rules as per our AGM of 2005.   Any score of 36+ will invoke a reduction in playing handicap of 1 shot Scores of 39+ will also attract a handicap reduction in line with our tariffs. These reductions are in addition to the first and second place cuts of 2 and 1 shot respectively. All other rules are as listed / amended and can be found beneath the league table. Our winner this week was Alan Higginbottom followed by Le Frenchman and they are now playing off handicaps of 4 and 5 respectively.  Anyone looking for a full list of the weekly scores should use this link, which is also posted below the League Table. As well as our TOGS league game there was a club fourball better ball competition being played.   I partnered Daz but we were woeful.   I am pleased to tell you that le Frenchman and Larry Page are sitting sweating in the clubhouse with a score of 41 points.   Come on ye TOGS! Wednesday 29th November Playing 'chairman' with Le Frenchman and Vic Hillier I got off to the perfect start with a birdie birdie start to claim the chair and go one up.   Sadly the chair did not suit my posture and I resorted to the bean bag as Le Frenchman took control and won comfortably 3 -1 - 0. A few TOGS have been on to me and or Willy about the scoring system and I reckon it will definitely be up for discussion this Saturday. A quick glance reveals that those most affected are (in order) Le Frenchman (7), Graham Marsh (5), Alan Ross (5), Alan Higginbottom (4) and Daz (3). Monday 27th November A glance at the TOGS league table shows the correct scores in yellow as per the TOGS rules following our AGM in Cardrona.   The winner is cut by 2 and the runner up by 1 shot each week, providing they have beaten their lowest score on the board. In addition to the above:   Any score of 36, 37 or 38 automatically receives a handicap reduction of 1. Scores of 39+ are altered by the tariff system that we all know and love.   As they say in sixth form....please discuss. Saturday 25th November TOGS Week 8  I was privileged to be playing alongside Doug Walker, who will not mind me saying is 70 years old.    The par three third hole into a breeze is never easy but Doug needed only one shot today.   His shot with a utility club sailed arrow like pinwards but was obscured from our vision by a tree.   We arrived at the verdant virgin putting surface and checked the hole (as you do).   There it was, snuggled in the cup waiting for it's master. Fantastic shot Doug.   It is Doug's third hole in one and was the first that I had witnessed.   Great stuff.   My other playing partners were Tony Sarginson who played excellent golf to score 39 points and somehow is only chopped by 1 shot?? and Le Frenchman who is not only working on ways to perfect the perfect truffle but also his swing.   I have faith that one of them will be ready for next season. On checking the rules as amended on 7th October I am amazed that we did indeed pass a ridiculous amendment to our handicap reduction system which had served us so well for three years. I have copied and pasted the amendment below:   A score of 37, 38  or 39 will automatically result in a handicap reduction of 1 shot. The weekly winner is only cut by 2 shots and the runner up by 1 shot and shall not be penalised further if they score as above. Today's result  demonstrates the folly of making and changing rules on the hoof.   Tony Sarginson came second with a score of 39 points and is only docked 1 shot according to this new rule.   To illustrate the idiocy of this rule, any player today who scored 37 or 38 points would have been docked  the same 1 shot as Tony who also won the 2nd place money.   Also, see Week 2.   Now tell me it is not a stupid rule. Remember the Corn Laws or the Poll Tax as introduced by Maggie and sensible Keith Joseph or The Dangerous Dogs Act?   How about BA's no wearing of jewellery?     All complete nonsense.   Following a psychiatrist's appointment and a session with Dr Bude, the rules should be as according to those passed at the AGM.   Any rule change can and should only be implemented by an extraordinary general meeting and notice given (common practice). The rule should read:   The weekly winner is cut by 2 shots and the runner up by 1 shot In addition, any score of 37, 38  or 39 will automatically result in a handicap reduction of 1 shot.   It should read 36, 37, 38 or 39 points but ................. if I can remind my fellow TOGS on Tour that at Cardrona yours truly was cut by 3 shots on the Saturday night at the AGM as a result of scoring 37 points in round 1.     2 shots for finishing in first place AND 1 shot for scoring 37 points...QED Wednesday 22nd & Thursday 23rd November Two midweek games with a win, Vic and I beat Daz and Eddy and a loss.   In a game of chairman Daz beat Le Frenchman and I by 3, which is fairly comprehensive.   Sorry for the brevity but loads of other stuff on this and other websites I look after need my tender loving care. Saturday 18th November TOGS Week 7 16 out of the 18 TOGS played on the day that Oor Willy resumed his lofty perch at the top of the table as he attempts to become the first person to defend the title.   There are already five players over 200, a result of the 36 point no reduction in handicap rule, and it is only week 7 and half of the field have yet to record 6 scores.   Top man today was Bill Fletcher with 39 points (24 points on the front nine) and he jumps into second place as a result but is chopped from 18 to 15hcp.   Paul Keenan was placed second on countback and suffers his first handicap reduction.   Meanwhile Larry posted another excellent score of 35 and remains below the radar sitting in third place. The other remarkable fact today was that Willy, Daz and Rosco were playing together at the back of the field in what is a random draw.  A mathematician would have trouble working out the odds on this happening with such regularity. Wednesday 15th November Le Frenchman and I against Daz and Raff was a humdinger to the very last putt on the 18th, which I missed from four feet.    This would have given us a 1up victory. No matter, it was a good game and both Daz and I bagged two birdies as the lead changed from 2 down to 1 up in our favour going down the last.   I hope this means I have got some sort of form returning before Saturday's medal. Sunday 12th November Unexpected game with Le Fench bloke and Duncan which as always was most enjoyable.   I was hopeless but the other two scrapped for a half which was good (for me). Saturday 11th November TOGS Week 6 Gale force winds and rain made conditions very difficult.   Bob Whitehead's 35 points and the 34 recorded by Willy, playing off 6hcp, are very commendable.   Our two rock stars Paul Keenan and Larry Page also scored 34 points but a glance at the table shows that they are still playing off full handicaps so although very good scores they are not in the same league as our two leaders today. Willy is making a magnificent defence of his title and already has the best scores in columns 1, 2 & 3 which is looking ominous.   Larry has made the perfect start to the season with six scores in the 33 - 35 range without having his handicap reduced and leads the way after Week 6 with 204 points. Game on! Wednesday 8th November This morning I was fortunate enough to be partnering Eddy Stothert against Le Frenchman and John Raffle.   I say fortunate because 'steady Eddy' was magnificent.   He notched four birdies and hardly dropped a shot and if he did I scrambled a half.     We won the front, the back, the match and the teacakes. We would have won the teacakes but it is now classed as winter and therefore there is no catering available at Tynemouth Golf Club on a Wednesday.   Ridiculous or what?    I daresay Bettie Turpin is still making her hot pots at The Rovers Return (is she still in it I wonder?) As we walked down the 7th fairway Raff spotted a kestrel in distress being attacked by magpies and rode to the rescue of the little beauty.   He nursed it to the car park,  took it home and rang the RSPB.    Unfortunately it passed away before they arrived. Sad, but true. Saturday 4th November TOGS Week 5 Well done Daz, Bill Fletcher and Tony Sarginson. Wednesday 1st November It's nice to start the month with a victory, which is exactly what I did against Vic, Le Frenchman, Eddy and Raff this bitterly cold November morn.   I could only muster 16 points on the front but once the blood started circulating came back in 21 to win with 37 points. We teed off at 10am and were sipping tea in the clubhouse at 1.10pm.   This being the major reason for us starting at this time as opposed to noon(ish) during the winter.    Unfortunately it means the end of the WAGS, but there are plenty of other claimants to this acronym just now.   Wives and Girlfriends of any team in the news seems to be the order of the day. We should call ourselves the 'Tags' =  10am Golf Squad.   Golf in October '06