Anyone who has been there knows what a fantastic set up it is and anyone who has been there or any other links golf course knows how the weather can be. When we arrived on day one it was a bit windy but nothing untoward. By the time we teed off it was a constant 50 mile an hour breeze with 60-70 mile an hour gusts. Thankfully the greens were not their usual summer slick pace as it would have been unplayable but at times balls were being blown off tees. 375 yard par fours downwind were comfortably reachable for some in one, Charlie Carter, whilst the same yardage back into the wind couldn't be hit in two.
Everyone had base layers, thermals, insulas, skins, wind stoppers, jumpers, waterproofs, bobble hats, mitts, hand warmers, snoods and more on. At times it was difficult to recognise individuals, you had to guess them by their height and swings. After several holes, Alex enquired from another fairway where have you brought us too, and why? Josh Izod, a few matches behind my group got his hopes up as he saw Aaron and me leave the course after 9 holes. Finally he thought common sense had prevailed and we were leaving for the sanctuary of the clubhouse, only moments later for his heart to sink as he realised we had just gone back for mitts and another layer of clothing.
For many this was their first experience of links golf and in the words of the head professional there the conditions were brutal. We played a beat the pro challenge better ball format and Aaron and I were quite pleased to amass 35 points. As the weather took a turn for the worse, hard to imagine but it did, Aaron and I seemed to find a few extra gears and came back in 19 points. Some put this down to us being from further afield and this was a standard day from where we come from, which was a bit harsh. We were only bettered by one pair, Leo Bonser and James Hamilton with 36 points. To be fair to everyone they battled round, the late finishes even managing to complete their rounds in the rain/sleet and the lowest points were only 28. |