Bolton Old Links Golf Club

Momentous, glorious, unforgettable. All terms I would use to describe the experience of watching Simon Davies fat his three wood twenty yards off the tee on the first hole at Bolton Old Links. I truly thought my day, nay, my year had peaked at this point, but this was just the beginning of a glorious afternoon for me (glorious being the complete antithesis of the weather we endured).

I was out in the last group with Andy Davies, Dan Foode and Zach Jones so we decided to sit in the shelter of the clubhouse for as long as we could. Whilst in there I noticed some of the Dr Alister MacKenzie memorabilia. He was the famous golden age golf course architect who designed Augusta, a course we will all be watching on tv this week enjoying the masters. I’m sure they will have less players slipping around in the mud but can they honestly say they will have more fun than the FFGS contingent. Probably. The crop of players is strikingly similar though, a group of over the hill veterans and some out of their depth amateurs.

I was playing Andy in our match play and it seemed ominous on the first hole when he drove the green not once but twice with one being a ‘provisional’ (the first one was twenty feet away for eagle). I should mention that both of these balls landed whilst the previous group were still on the green. It seemed Andy was unsatisfied with taking just me down and wanted to take Frank McGlynn and Mike Bower out as well.

Andy was highly unlucky to lose a ball on the second and winning that hole eased me into the match. It was nip and tuck all the way thereafter until I managed to win a few holes in a row on the back nine to claim victory. Roll on the semi final where I will play Martyn Wilson or my Dad, I think I will be outdriven on every hole and also hear a few shouts of ‘FORE RIIIIIGGHHT!’ either way.

It was towards the end of the round I realised I might have a chance of winning the day as well as my match and a seriously lucky birdie on the temporary green seventeenth got me right into contention. Sadly, I thought my chances had gone when I three putted the last green to end one point shy of shooting my handicap. Little did I know this would eventually make victory even sweeter as it meant I edged out my Dad on countback. 

Better luck next time Dad. A glorious afternoon indeed.

Thanks and congrats to our winner, Josh Hadden

For full schedule see; Bolton Old Links Golf Club

Long Drive – Dan Foode

NP – Simon Davies

NP2 -Andy Davies

2’s – Josh Hadden

For current League and Helix standings see Current Season.

See you all at the next event