James Nimmo (1954-2021)

As I have already outlined in previous blog entries, becoming a golf club captain in the Liverpool area automatically allows you to embrace 27 new friends, and develop a lifetime of experiences with them. Through time the group will diminish as people become ill, move away or fall out of love with golf, but there is always hope that those moments are still far away in the distance.

Sadly for the Visionaries we have already lost one of our own. News reached us a week or so ago that James 'Jim' Nimmo, our year group captain representing West Derby collapsed in the shower at home and despite best efforts of neighbours he never recovered consciousness and died yesterday. He was 67.

Jim was a true gentleman and one of the good guys. We had only known him for short of two years but we had all grown to love him and call him a friend. He battled adversity at his golf club and fought tooth and nail for the traditions and heritage of the place to be maintained, at a time when others had different ideas. These battles on their own made him waiver when he was offered a second term as Captain, however, with the knowledge that he could spend time with the Visionaries and enjoy golf away from West Derby, he agreed to continue.

He had some health scares last year but we all assumed the treatment he received had stabilised him, but that sadly was not the case. We will all miss his smiling face and charming manner. I was lucky to play early with him in his initial year as Captain, and then again recently when he showed off the progress West Derby were making  in tackling drainage problems, and re-routing challenges brought about by stray golf balls peppering the  neighbourhood. I played with him at Wallasey only three weeks ago and dined with him at S & A more recently than that. 

We, as a group, will discuss how best we can remember Jim, and ensure he stays in the hearts and minds of the Visionaries, but for now our thoughts are with Brenda, his partner, and his children.

Sleep easy Jim we will miss you dearly.

 

Subliminal shutdown

Once more we are faced with a COVID dilemma as a new strain first noticed in South Africa, sweeps across the world. The new virus spreads very quickly but according to the Saffers it has mild symptoms and few people are dying from it. Yes South Africa has a younger population but they are less efficient with their vaccines than we are, so what are we and the Government to  make of it?

Generally I do not think the British people have gone one step beyond to have two vaccines and a booster just to sit at home starring at the wall. The booster programme in particular was designed to allow a normal lifestyle to be embraced. If you feel poorly, then stay at home you might have COVID, you might have the flu or you might just have a cold. If you feel well then get on with things. Even if you are asymptomatic you are not going to influence the speed at which  this thing is already spreading and as long as deaths and hospitalisations are maintaining a flat rate , or even slowly increasing, then the speed of the booster programme should come to our aid.

There will be people who see the opportunity to call in sick over the festive period as a bonus, almost an extra few days on the national holiday,and businesses or public services will have to close as a result.There  will be health workers hugely frustrated that the majority of people in hospital are not fully inoculated but a virus has a life too. It does not plan to wipe out every host it infects. That would be destroying the very environment it need to breed, multiply and eventually mutate. This Omicron variant sounds a lot like a cryptocurrency and COVID seems to be behaving much like one too. Huge peeks of infection followed by  big falls. 

It is good to see the Government calling it's bluff at the moment even if the scientists and health professionals say we are about to be hit by another tidal wave of infection. The vast majority who make it to our TV screens seem to be from the Dad's Army school of doomery, each one grasping for that key nugget that they can use in a 'told you so' moment in the future.

Let's  enjoy the festive break and everything that goes with it and tackle any new challenges which 2022 may hold for us, full on.......or should that be mask on!!!

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all of you. 

 

Voting for Christmas

The rugby Varsity match would always signal the start of Christmas as far aa I was concerned and it was usually played on the second Tuesday of December. I then tried to have some sort of party to go to every day from then until Christmas Eve. The build-up to Christmas was always much more enjoyable then the day itself.   Things have changed and now the match will be played in late March and I think trying to start my Christmas celebrations then would be a bit tricky.

So my new kick-off event has been the golf club turkey trot, a competition played in pairs for which the top three prizes are turkey. Last weekend myself and my partner came second and so I was in amongst the prizes. The Senior men also had a competition on the following Monday and again me and my partner came second. Only wine for prizes on this occasion though. 

So now the countdown for Christmas has started in earnest, but the news of a new strain of COVID is making it difficult for me to go out every day and be sociable. I did manage to go to Gino's skybar again last night with a few of the Visionaries. It was an excellent night which I think a few of the cry-offs might now be regretting not attending. Today I brought the Wallasey golf club green staff a drink in the clubhouse as a small thank you for all the hard work they have put in on behalf of the members this year. The rest of next week is looking a bit sparse though, as the latest government statistics and press conferences have put people on the back foot.

I am concerned that the information we are being given is not allowing people to make the right choices. We are never told how the death rate at the moment compares to the 2019 five year average for the same time period. We are not told how many people in hospital do not have the recommended number of jabs, and by their own admission nobody has indicated how severe the latest strain is. Indeed the data from South Africa indicates it could be quite mild.

The virus has no reason to kill all the hosts it is mutating on as that will be self defeating as eventually it will die off. If the side effects are minor then we are just facing another flu or common cold Winter challenge but there is no need to shut everything down just for that. Get on with life, get jabbed and live life for the reason it exists.

So back to the diary and address book to see who I can go out with next week!!

Roast Guineapig

 The St Andrews dinner season concluded last night at Heswall. It was a very pleasant evening with all main guests sitting around an oval table. Only problem was there were thirteen of us and I know some people who would not have entertained sitting on a table with such a number, but we all seemed to survive.

The Address to the Haggis was conducted in due style with actions which would give Wallasey's Tom Blackstock a run for his money in the Address to the Haggis stakes. All in all a great night made all the better by being able to drink London Pride all night, a rare opportunity on the Wirral but Heswall golf club always seems to have it on draught and it was lovely.

The penultimate dinner was at Woolton where they always schedule their dinner on St Andrews Day. This year it was a Tuesday and I was thankful that Wednesday was a Wintery day which meant golf was cancelled.

The rest of this week has been involved with storm damage repairs. We had a large limb come down off one tree, but the main problems were the eight fence sections which were lost. The debris was scattered over a large area  to such an extent  that neighbours came round with armfulls of wood,,,,I think these are yours!!

So the exterior is secured once more, I just have the boundary sections to fix, a door to the store room to repair and then all the old wood and branches to dispose of. In the day that would have been a big bonfire, but it seems those days are long gone. There is one leek in the room which I might have to put through the insurance people, but I am holding off on that just at the moment to check no other leeks appear this weekend, when the rain is forecast to be heavy, but the wind less so.

One of the granddaughters has a birthday tomorrow so there is a pool party going on as I type, Then we are hopefully off to a woodland light trail. The Harry Potter experience last weekend was postponed because of the storm, hopefully we will have better luck tonight. Both Ava and Nell have had an early Christmas present of a guinea-pig each. They are a delicacy in Peru but we did not have the nerve to try them when we were in Cousco. Maybe we can eat one of the new ones when nobody is looking!!!

 

St Andrew @ Wallasey

 Last night Wallasey hosted the annual St Andrews dinner, the third I have attended, with still two to go. I had a lead role in this one as I had to make my last major speech of my Captaincy . There were about 100 people in attendance and the in-house catering team did us proud with traditional Scottish fayre including the haggis which I got the opportunity to stab to death. The address was conducted by Tom Blackstock in his usual exuberant style with bagpipes accompaniment.

Then it was up to me to summarise my 18 months in office and I threw a few stories in to add to the entertainment. I was fortunate to recieve a standing ovation at the end of it which was a great surprise and very much appreciated.

We then adjourned to the bar to exchange stories and experiences with the ex-Captains and my personal guests, Jim Mitchell and Paul Spivey. Jim very kindly led the evening with the Selkirk grace  to maintain the Scottish theme 

Golf is now starting to return to normal with no formal events to attend so I can return to playing at the Club when I want to. That said, the weather has been awful with high winds and rain. We lost eight fence panels at home and I have obtained enough wood to replace them, so that will take me a few days. The price of wood was extraordinary and has increased three fold since I last needed to buy some. So at least I now have enough to see us through the next few years as most of the panels which came down were over 20 years old. The ones which remained and survived I had already replaced at some previous time.

The golf club lost the three elegant pine trees by the clubhouse but not any of the scrubby sycamore around which they were circled. So that will be a maintenance job for the greens staff that they were not expecting!

So two St Andrews dinners this week then we are into December and the festive dinner season. Lets hope the latest COVID mutation is kept at bay long enough for everybody to enjoy it. Ho ho ho!

Princes to paupers

Last week I was in Sandwich in Kent for the inaugural final of the Linksnet golf society. Kent is a long way from anywhere, even Kent itself, so the four and a half hour drive was not too bad and the company and competition were first rate. Princes golf course which hosted the event though was a real disappointment. The layouts were very samey and so had no wow factor about them and the service and food in the Lodges was very poor. So poor in fact that I wrote a letter of complaint. They seemed very non-plus about it all so i will not be back, nor will I recommend the place to anybody else.

Compare that to our day at Royal Birkdale a few days later when we were treated like royalty and had an excellent day with The Visionaries. My golf stood up to it pretty well and the meal afterwards was first class. even won a fiver from the captain of S & A which does not happen too many times in a season.

We are now well into the dining season, The Bromborough St Andrews dinner kicked things off and was a very pleasant red jacket affair and on Saturday we had the Leasowe St Andrews dinner, a more boisterous event. Sandwiched between the two was the Bidston Summer Ball which showed off everything good about Bidston. The girls could wear their finest adn the hospitality was first class.

Most clubs in and around Liverpool have a St Andrews event and it seems to stem from the fact that many of the great golf designers originated from Scotland, and St Andrews in particular so these dinners are in recognition of them, rather, than usually assumed, the patron saint of Scotland.

Wallasey hold their event this weekend when I do a speech summarising my 18 months in office. Then I am pretty much done in terms of official dinners and speeches at the club. Our incoming captain will be announced  to the members on 10th January.  

Spring into Autumn dinner

Just when it can't get any more busy, it does. Thursday last saw the annual dinner and AGM of the Liverpool Society of golf club captains, held in the Crowne Plaza hotel in Liverpool, beside the Liver Building. 250 gentlemen all in red coats looking like an audition party of the greatest Showman descended on the place to eat drink and be merry.

As a serving captain, I joined the other such fellows for pre-dinner drinks with the men in suits. we then joined our respective tables and chatted amiably until the speeches. We were fortunate that we had reverted to 2020 for this event and we therefore had the R & A ex-captain who knew how to put his words across. we were then serenaded by the immediate past captain of the society, Ray Erskine as he handed the captain of captains baton to Charlie Abbott .

We all got sloshed and dropped off at home by our amiable cab driver.

Thursday just melted into Friday as the Club held its main event, the Spring dinner, my premier dinner of my captaincy, delayed from April 2020. My fellow Visionaries were well represented as were the Club ex-captains. The food was excellent, the speeches went well and all in all it was a tremendous success. When people commented about it being the best dinner in over 40 years then it gives you a warm feeling and an indication that we are going in the right direction.  Off to bed at 3am!!

Saturday was quiet....until mid-day when I was on parade for an old sweats luncheon at Birkenhead Park rugby club prior to their match against local rivals, Waterloo. Much beer was consumed , the company was excellent and I got mistaken for Jack Rowell again!! 7 pints later I was poured into SWMBO's car and taken home.

Sunday was a day of rest before a Seniors golf competition yesterday. Is there no rest for the wicked?

Dinner time

The Annual dinner season has now kicked off big style. recently I have attended at Lee Park, Jewish club which still says grace in Hebrew, and where one of the toasts is to the State of Israel, but the first big ball was at heswall where I was accompanied by my youngest daughter Emma, as SWMBO was away. The Bromborough dinner dance followed not long after so at last I was able to take SWMBO out in one of her posh frocks. The Cheshire centenary dinner then followed at Mere. The ambiance was good but sadly the entertainment was a bit lacking which took the edge of the event really.

The Visionaries have continued to get together with recent visits to Southport and Ainsdale (bit wet), Woolton, where the pre match bottle of wine did not do the golf much good,  Childwall and Wigan. Wigan was the last of the 27 society courses I had left to play and what a joy it was. The clubhouse is an old abbey, Arley Hall, which one can imagine as a gentleman's club type of  clubhouse in the day. Now it is very welcoming and warm while maintaining its plush interior. it has a moat around it with black swans swimming merrily. In the day women were not allowed over the bridge on Saturdays, and there is a tale of a member physically carrying his wife back onto dry land so to speak. That must be why they all marry small ladies!!

This week is a big one for me as we have our rescheduled Spring dinner, the 'Spring into Autumn' dinner  which I host. I will make my first formal speech to the members and then sit ack and listen to the responses. That is preceded by the Liverpool Society of  Golf Captains dinner in central Liverpool where 300 aged gentlemen will be shuffling round the city centre looking like circus ring masters. Let's hope the entertainment is a bit better at that event.

I have then very kindly been invited to Birkenhead Rugby Club  on Saturday for the Chairman's birthday celebrations. I think the liver might need a break after that!!

Mixed golf

After an unexpected victory at Llangollan on Friday in the Linksnet competition, I had a fairly average round at Carden Park on Monday. There was a period on the front nine where I just lost my swing and it is a tough enough course at the best of times, so I ended up in mid-table so no prizes on that occassion.

Sandwiched between those two golfing commitments were two dinners at Wallasey golf club. On Saturday I hosted the Captains Prize final weekend which consisted of 9 finals being played with all age groups and genders of the Club taking part.  The Club is producing some very rood Junior girls at the moment and one of them won the Junior knock-out cup in a match which went to the first extra hole. A few other finals went the distance and my Captains prize finished on the 15th green with a record equalling forth title for Dave Gibson.

I have now worked out that I do hold a unique record myself. There have been 4 captains in the history of the Club who have served more than one term.Mr R W 'Pendulum'  Brown was the first captain in 1891 and was again captain in 1982. Mr J Cameron served two years during the First World War and C W Hesketh served between 1939 and 1945.

During the war years the Captains Prize was suspended, and it was not played for when Mr Brown was captain, so I have become the first captain to award two Captains Prize's at the Club.

50 or so people then sat down for a dinner and we were joined by 20 or 30 other club members for the subsequent presentations.

On the following day, Sunday, the Club held it's annual Matrimonial and Mixed competitions. Both titles were fought for very competitively with Mr and Mrs Palmer retaining the Matrimonial after some spectacular golf. Again there was a large turn-out for dinner which allowed me to use a few golf stories I had been saving up.

I make that about 15 speeches delivered so far so will probably exceed 20 for the year given the dinner season is now up and running. Gentlemen, that reminds me.....

 

Cirque de Soliel

The dinner and event season seems to be getting back to normal as this picture of the Liverpool captains at West Lancs Golf Club will testify to.

Fourteen of us sat down to a meal accompanied by the ex-Captains of the Club and 50 or so members. We were treated to first rate dining, a few glasses of wine and the necessary speeches. There is always a nugget in there somewhere, and I have managed to recycle several of the stories I have heard up to now.

A couple of them I used yesterday when we held our Finals Day at Wallasey. There were 9 finals which took place and they encompassed the whole range of the golf club. The finalists in the Junior knock-out were 10 and 11, and Esme Gordon triumphed to add her name to a growing list of young lady players there are at the Club. The other finals embraced the Ladies, Men and Senior Men and all were fought for hard but fairly.

The competitors then sat down to a pre-presentation dinner, with the event concluding with winners photographs on the 18th green. Luckily there were no golf balls being fired in which that was going on.

So good luck to the winners and here's to the Winter competitions which will kick-off in October. 

when you're in a hole.....

....stop digging!! If, however, everybody did that then Sir Anthony Bamford,  owner of JCB, would not have made millions out of his collection of diggers. Subsequently he would then not have been able to invest huge sums in building his championship golf course near the JCB head office in Staffordshire.

Last week I was able to attend with this motley crew and see first hand just how good it is. The small diggers are used as tee markers, but the difficulty of the course is summed up by the fact that there are two holes over 600 yards long, from the yellow tees, definitely too hard for me. This picture is of the 17th hole island green. 218 yards down hill, no bail out area and lots of sand.

It was a great day and fascinating to see the future of Championship golf course design, and we were looked after like royalty, so a big thank you to those who made it possible. You know who you are.

Mark Selby, the snooker player was there when we were, as was Philip Serrell, the antique roadshow specialist. I had met Philip at Turnberry once and was convinced he drank in my local pub, before he put me right as to where I know him from!! I suspect neither 'celebrity' realised they were in the presence of golfing superstar Dr Frank Stableford,  aka big John the lookalike. Fore! 

Dancing on the ceiling

After a hectic few weeks of golf things have started to settle back into a normal routine so the last few weeks have given me the chance to do some social events. 

One of the Senior gentlemen at the club has recently moved into an old pub in the centre of Willaston village, The house is called the Old red Lion and it dates from way back. We had a very enjoyable soiree and spent much time admiring the garden. Goodness they have done some work. I did search high and low for the bar without much success though!!

The next day our oldest grandson came to see whether he fancied joining the junior section of the golf club. It was good to have time with him, we had a bit of brunch  and his dad went home with all the paperwork necessary to get him on the list. Let's see how it progresses.

Last week the ex-Captains finally got to have a lunch together. This is the first time for at least 18 months that they have been able to do that. It was a very sociable event and one which will now be scheduled for October and January. It is always good to get the opinions of the senior club members and while they had a few gripes mostly the feedback on progress was positive.

Golf did then rear its head as I was invited to the Marston's corporate golf day. Marston's has become the club brewer of choice. I have been struggling though to get a decent amber ale on draught and thought it might be a good way of talking first hand with the rep to help achieve this. Sadly it seems the majority of members prefer the pale, lager-like ales which are locally brewed. I think this is all in poor taste but I seem to be fighting a lone battle. Consequently I am suggesting they get bottles of some decent beers and I will try those. It is a sad indictment of modern drinking habits that if I did not play golf there I would certainly not use it as a pub.

Limited beer choice was also in evidence when we went to Haydock Park races on Thursday. I must admit I did not expect a great real ale selection and my expectations were certainly met. The bar staff were all young people and were like rabbits in the headlights as they had never done a busy race day before and were the only staff the course could get as the hospitality sector struggles to find good quality staff.

None of this stopped us from having an excellent day celebrating a significant birthday with one of SWMBO's mates. One of her other chums who we lost track of after an ill-fated holiday in Turkey some years ago also appeared on Facebook with a new partner, so that may be an opportunity for the olive branch to be tendered. We shall see.

Then to last night when SWMBO and I attended a Motown concert at the Liverpool Grand Central Hall. The band and music were both entertaining but the venue was just amazing and is certainly a hidden gem about five minutes walk from Lime Street station. The organ is the oldest in the North West of  England and the range of events they run is very diverse with a boxing evening scheduled for tonight for example. We will certainly be looking to go again.

 

Another one bites the dust

Last weekend saw number 2 son finally tie the knot with his long term, and patient, partner Hannah. There was a lovely service in the Prenton Methodist church near the house followed by a Routemaster bus journey to Oh Me Oh My Oh in the heart of the Liverpool ex-World Heritage Site. 

You may have read that Unesco have removed the status from the Liverpool waterfront as there appears to be too much development going on. It will not hurt Liverpool at all and just makes Unesco look a bit like a qunago really.

Routemasters are now no more although London has introduced a modern version of them. They ran through central London on heritage routes until April 2021. The grandchildren now understand the expression ' don't jump off a moving bus' as prior to the wedding they had no idea you could!!

Anyway, the' three graces' are still like they always were, and they provided the backdrop for some of the wedding photo's as the venue have a very impressive roof terrace. Drink was taken, too much by some of the guests, but everybody had a great time.

It was good to see relatives and friends who had not been able to mingle for some time and as usual, and goodness knows how, we ended up with a house full for a few nights! We were planning a quiet few days, but that never seems to happen. So here is a picture of the happy couple. I wonder what will happen next!!

 

The Comfy Chair

 A whole month goes by and no posting on here again!! I think I am playing far too much golf to find time to post, but I am now able to report on some real highlights.

It was great that the Royal Liverpool Spring Dinner was able to take place and myself and a number of my colleague captains were at last able to wear their red jackets. We were joined by the Captain of the Royal & Ancient golf club of St Andrews and in total about 125 people dined in the wonderful Royal Liverpool club house. Hopefully this is the start of the dinner and ball season as we see COVID restrictions starting to be lifted.

Wallasey was able to host the 2019 captains from the Liverpool golf society shortly afterwards and there were 60 or so people in attendance there. Another first allowed mt to sit in the Captains chair, an item presented to the Club by |Sir Ernest Royden in 1924, the year he was Captain.

Golf has started to stabilise now so my chart looks less like a heart beat and more flat line!! I have played Prenton, Ormskirk, Huyton & Prescott, Royal Liverpool and Hesketh recently and they all provide their own challenges. Next week I am at West Derby and have a few holes with the Wallasey ex-Captains before tucking into a bit of dinner. I am sure drink will be taken!!

Two thirty

I thought today was a new experience for me, but having racked my brain I now realise that is not the case.

Today I had a tooth extracted (almost) which I thought was for the first time. It had cracked and was not possible to fill so it had to come out. There ended my being able to say that i had all my own teeth. Well I suppose I do, but am one less than a full set!! I indicated that I almost had the tooth out because one of the roots is still in situ as it proved difficult to extract it as it was the one above which the crack occurred. The dentist thinks it should be OK and may even ease closer to the surface with age. If that is the case then she may be able to extract it later.

One often hears of people who have had car accidents itching out pieces of glass some years later as the body slowly rids itself of the debris.

The reason I had experienced a tooth extraction before was that one of my milk teeth had refused to come out before the adult tooth behind it had appeared. The operation to extract happened in about 1960 I guess and I was put to sleep with full anaesthetic and doctor in attendance, with mother and father there to check I woke up. None of the pain killing injections and off you go approach which I experienced today. That said I wonder when the numbness will wear off and any pain will start to kick in?  Not too long I suspect.

The Highs and Lows

That sum's golf up pretty well really. There are days when everything goes your way and times when it doesn't and the last few weeks have certainly been like that. We are entering the knock-out match period of the season, and I have been dashed a few times on the 18th green. Sometimes you think you have been beaten, which is fine, other time you think you have lost which is a very frustrating feeling. I also entered an English Golf Captains event at THE Wilmslow and did not play very well. I am not a great fan of the Wilmslow course and I am unsure why they have added the THE to the front of their name. Wilmslow is part of the Viagra triangle in the Eastern part of Cheshire, the other two towns being Alderley Edge and Knutsford, so maybe it is a supplemental boost to their perceived status in that part of the County. All very strange though.

SWMBO and I were delighted to be able to host the ex-Captains, the Council members and their partners together with some ex-Captains widows in our garden as an opportunity for them all to get together. The ladies in particular had probably not seen each other for 18 months or so. It was a very convivial gathering which I think everybody enjoyed. The Club then hosted an array of Captains from the Cheshire and Lancashire clubs for a match and some refreshment afterwards. I was able to make a short speech and enjoy a few beers with the locals.

I was disappointed that an opportunity to play at St Andrew's in the Old Tom Morris 200th birthday celebrations  passed me by, but a further Salver Day at Wallasey in the middle of June  focused my mind and that earlier disappointment was washed away when yesterday I was able to help our 1997 ex-Captain win his Salver Day for the first time after 24 years of trying.

So the highs and the lows of the game have been encapsulated into the month of June, I await with interest what July will have in store.   

Photo bombed

The last golfing commitments have flown by but happily in more pleasant weather. I entertained a friend from Ireland who has been very good to the family over the years, and he loved the Wallasey experience. Unfortunately I lost 2 & 1 but the craic as they say was excellent.

Next day was a trip to Caldy to play before the scratch match. That was another narrow defeat on the 18th green, and the trend continued as I lost my Summer pairs match with partner Pete, also on the 18th green.

I then started to do a bit of globe trotting, playing at Llangollen in Wales and another defeat,  before playing at Sandiway with three very low handicap players. Wallasey managed to get a half out of our match but lost 6-2 overall. Tommy Fleetwood, the tour pro followed us round and gave us a master class in how to play the 18th!!

In between all the golf though, I had a chance to put my best kit on and present some prizes, and no, the prize was not a table!!

  ....and with technology getting the better of me, there are odd sized images showing the presentation of the 2020 Captains prize to Ian Jenkinson who also won in 2014, and Neil Self winning the Frank Stableford Senior Open, a 36 hole England golf competition. Ian then went off to play in the England Senior Amateur Championships as did many of the Wallasey attendee's

My latest set of  jaunts ended with a very enjoyable Salver Day at Lee Park golf club, a Jewish club to the South of Liverpool , and an invitation day to Heswall on the Wirral. I think we ended up mid-table in both, in no small part to my poor putting.

So next week is looking a bit quieter, although I am sure there will be some new drama's to keep everybody riveted to their seats until next time. 

Wet wet wet

My golfing group, the Visionaries, were fortunate enough to be invited to play Hillside near Southport on Friday. Hillside is a wonderful links course with high dunes and clever bunkering which test even the best of golfers, so we were all excited to be playing there. The hospitality was excellent, and the course was laid out as a hard task for us. All that would have been fine had it not been for the fact that it absolutely chucked it down for five hours or so leaving everybody soaked to the skin.

After a change of clothes and a few liveners in the bar though, all was forgotten and the camaraderie which is developing amongst us continued at a pace. So after getting home and drying out the kit, thoughts changed to The Mockbeggar Trophy which was hosted at Leasowe on the Wirral yesterday.

Mockbeggar is an old sailing term used to describe a 'lone house' and Leasowe golf course sits between the former Mockbeggar Hall and the sand bar known as Mockbeggar Wharf which is off shore in the Mersey estuary .Mockbeggar Hall is now part of the Leasowe Castle hotel. 

The competition involved teams of four golfers, one being the serving captain, another being a Junior  golfer and the other two players being one each from the division 1 and 2 categories dictated by handicap. We were doing pretty well until, yes you guessed it, the heavens opened with six holes to play, and the wheels came off. Some teams ran for cover but in true Wallasey style and in deference to our hosts, we pressed on, finished and probably ended up mid-table.

The Leasowe hospitality was great and it was sad for them that the weather was unkind. Well done to Gathurst golf club near Wigan, who won. The event has been running for 30 years now broken only by Covid restrictions last year, so long may it continue. Now time to dry the kit out again for another crack at Wallasey this afternoon!

Royalty

After many a false start it now feels like my tenure as Wallasey golf club captain has started. Yesterday my 2020/21 year group were delighted to be invited by our 2013 past captains to the links of Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, Golf Club for our first Salver day. Each year group holds a Salver day and your club captain for that year invites you to attend. Some club captains reach a stage where they can no longer play golf, so on that occasion you miss out but yesterday there were 25 of the 27 clubs represented.

The day started with a very competitive round of golf for said salver, and the winners were Grange Park with 42 points, a very good score considering the wind conditions. The Wallasey effort contained the same two numbers, but in a different order!! 

Attention then turned to the main event of the day, the dinner in the first floor dining room. Although I  have dined at Hoylake before, this was the first visit to the dining room. The Liverpool captain was also very kind in showing my 2013 captain the library and a couple of other rooms tucked away upstairs making the whole experience very enjoyable for everybody.

We are fortunate to be playing at Hillside in a couple of days, and then in the Mockbegger trophy on Sunday so at last I will be able to record my thoughts and achievements in the blog, as I committed to do well over a year ago.

While I had a great time, yesterday was also tinged with sadness when we received the news that long standing member, Roy Bulmer, had sadly lost his fight with cancer and passed away. Roy was in his 90's and until recently had still managed the occasional nine holes around Wallasey.  Roy was one of a number of members who took care of me in my early days as a member, a gesture I have never forgotten. He was also a very competent amateur golfer. He was a seafaring man who would always take his clubs with him so to take advantage of any opportunity to play. One of his greatest achievements was to finish second in the Tasmanian PGA tournament in the day.

He also became the archivist for the golf club and I hope he was able to see the way the club is now using much of his collection of relics to the benefit of the clubhouse and social media sites.

I wrote to him only last week in an effort to update him on club news, I do hope he had an opportunity to read the letter and understand he was in all our thoughts. Rest in peace Roy.

Going going gone

One thing I have missed out on during lockdown more than others is a rummage around a good old fashioned auction house. I have had to travel further than normal since the closure of the Wirral Auctions site in Birkenhead, and I still do wonder where all the eclectic 'treasure' which Neil used to sell, has gone. The Hoylake rooms have always been poor quality, but the other major sites seem to be Knutsford and Macclesfield way.

I have, therefore, been much more selective at what I look at and bid for, as you can never be quite sure what you are getting unless you have seen and felt the goods during the preview days.

So I have taken my financial life in my hands again today and speculated a bit over some art prints and posters to see whether after a bit of restoration they can be sold on to accumulate some funds for more investment. Antique bargaining for me is very similar to my golf equipment process. For example, when I purchased my Q follow golf trolley SWMBO indicated to me that it would be sensible to sell one of my other 'golf toys' before I laid out for this new one. That way we are fairly golf neutral, and that's the way I  try to be with auction items.

So the main purpose today was to buy enough stock to sell most on via E-bay and recoup funds to pay for the good ones to be restored. Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen, although the collection of Harold Riley prints I had hoped would be part of the process had a reserve of £40-£60 and went for almost £1000. I couldn't see much profit in that sadly.

Anyway, I am expecting viewing days to be reinstated shortly albeit with a booked visiting slot, which will get me out of the house to do something other than play golf! 

Happy Days....

 

Angels and Deamons

Eagles and Visionaries does not have the same feel to it, but that was effectively how the Liverpool Society of Golf Club Captains have started their 2021 season as far as my year group is concerned. The Eagles are the 2019 year group and they and the Visionaries share a Captain of Captains. He very kindly donated a trophy which we are able to compete for annually if so desired. There were a large number of us who were able to enjoy the company, competitiveness and challenge of group golf. The host club, no names, no pack drill, coped very well as they staggered food and drink arrangements to ensure Covid restrictions were maintained.

I am pleased to report that the Visionaries were victorious which was in no part due to my performance and I think myself and my partner Terry, were the Eagles best players!!

The Wallasey Captaincy activities kick off this week  with the first of the pre-Scratch team challenges against Bromborough. Myself and the IP|C will need to be on our metal to win this fiercely contested friendly match. The Senior major took place yesterday but my round was curtailed by the rain which started to fall as I was conveniently close to the Clubhouse. Molly kindly dried off a few seats for us so we could shelter under the umbrella's. That will now be a thing of the past as we can enjoy being indoors from next Monday. 42 points won the title which was very fine performance in the circumstances.

A lot has changed at the Club as has been documented in earlier blog entries, but also on Monday we have scheduled a day long board meeting to try to position the Club going forward into 2022 and beyond. We have some major capital projects to consider and raising funds to pay for such work will be at the forefront of those discussions.

I then have golf days at Royal Liverpool and Hillside to look forward to as well as the second Scratch match and the Mockbeggar trophy at Leasowe, but more about that and the board meeting next time.

I am now off for my second inoculation, again at Chester race course, after which I might book a staycation somewhere. If you don't like needles, look away now!

Lock down or lock up

 So the pubs have re-opened albeit outside only, so I have started to eat and drink at the golf club on the terrace which is all very pleasant. We have a new front of house manager and a new chef and some of the existing staff have moved into new roles. They all look smart in their new uniforms.

The menu is quite a bit different but with some old favourites still retained. It is for a trial period at the moment and may well be adjusted when the clubhouse fully opens in May. In the meantime, it is good to have somewhere safe to visit and meet people, enjoy the banter and get some exercise.

The safety aspect was brought home to roost last night, as SWMBO (aka FLOW) and I went to the local pub for a decent pint of Tribute and an excuse to get out. Unfortunately a group of young lads had a bit too much to drink and started to be disrespectful of the older generation who were trying to get back into the 'pub for a pint' mode.

There was a minor scuffle and the landlady come over to escort them off the premises. Six or seven older regulars gave her back-up and all had been sorted out by the time the police arrived.

Drink was at the heart of it and because it was table service and we were asked to order via the app, the staff could not see how drunk they were getting. For some reason they also had 2 pint glasses available which meant it was easy to drink more quicker. Hopefully it was first night nerves and things should quieten down going forward.

There was also a bit of a reality check this week as it was number one son's 42nd birthday, spent in his new home over the Swiss border in France as he links up with a new beau. Does make me feel a bit old though!!!

Third time lucky?

It felt like a new dawn yesterday as I once more joined my chums on the links of Wallasey golf Club. All the winter work had been completed in isolation which meant more could be completed and the quality was first rate. It is unfortunate that the golf did not live up to the quality of the practise I had put in behind closed doors, but a three club wind may well have had something to do with that.

It was good to enjoy the banter, the weather and the surroundings for four hours or so, and I had a chance to use my new remote control trolley. That went very well apart from Marvin, his adopted name, going it alone down the second fairway when I had left the controller on the bag. Luckily it did not happen on the first hole or he would have ended up in our new boating lake!!

The political environment has taken on a calmer position too. We can almost step back and watch the EU shooting themselves in the foot over the AstraZenica virus. One which they first did not trust, then they changed their minds and now they are claiming a best efforts contract actually means best efforts as long as we are first. It has not made them look very smart where major deals are concerned.

We also now have the delights of watching a Scottish parliamentary election process which has turned from dull and predictable overnight to intriguing and enthralling over night. The two poisson grande of the Scottish political landscape, Salmon and Sturgeon will fight it out all over again on the stump. The Sturgeon is an endangered species so one should be careful as this could be the last one left in Scotland and may soon disappear for good.

Finally I am loving the new Suez crisis. It is amazing what huge impact such a minor incident can have, as clearly nobody did a risk assessment for just this eventuality. Luckily all the merchandise I have ordered for the golf crew is not dependent on ship transport to arrive but when there was mention of a potential toilet roll shortage I cannot begin to imagine what the Birkenhead Tesco was like!!

So more of the same on the golf course tomorrow with predicted winds much lighter and onward towards the next milestone in May. Most of the captaincy events are getting shifted to the middle of June and onwards so I need to get the miles in my legs to cope with that additional workload as well as the alcoholic shock to accompany it.  Fore!   

Car Park Arms

Waking up this morning was a bit strange. It is one of the few days I have thought 'what am i going to do today?' It is windy with rain in the air and most of the indoor DIY has been completed. SWMBO aka FLOW sadly had the funeral of one of her uncles to attend so I needed to kick start myself PDQ.

First thing is I thought I had fixed the washing machine which has been strolling round the utility room like R2D2, so why not test that out? All worked fine, tick. The wonder of locking nuts. Wine rack needed topping up from the delivery we had yesterday so that's done, another tick. Then I  had a result, India v England in a T20 to watch.

Then as if people knew my inner self, the phone began to ring, so suddenly its beer o'Clock time, and there was good news on that front today as Greene King announced that our two local pubs, The Shrewsbury Arms and Caernavon Castle will be opening from 12th April as car park beer gardens. The Carv is massive and should be a hoot. The Shrew has their car park on the other side of the road so punters and staff are going to have to be careful.

They are only following our lead as number 2 son and I have set up a Car Park Arms in the eh, car park, for some weeks now. We just need a pub sign of the wall!

The drinking scene was a discussion point amongst the inner sanctum at the golf club this week. we have appointed a new chef and front of house manager, and the thinking is that members will start to use the place more in the evenings as a local because they will be comfortable with the clientele. In a pub or bar you are more likely to get random's or out of towners which may make people feel a bit uncomfortable. anything which makes the club a busier environment will be great.

So the day has turned out to be fine and dandy, and there is rugby for the next two days as well as a tasty North London derby on Sunday. Only 12 more sleeps before the golf course opens too. In the meantime I must groove my swing and restore that muscle memory for the upcoming season.

Another little prick

 Everything seems to be moving on a pace now. The period between New Year and my birthday always seems to pass so quickly at the best of times. There is the clearing up after Christmas and the storage of all the decorations, then we fall straight into the 6 Nations rugby and usually attend a game or two and then before you know it the golf season is upon us and hope springs eternal.

This year things are suddenly different. The last time I went to a major sporting event was at Twickenham last March when England gave the Welsh a good seeing to. We had a last dinner out with friends Peter and Val, and then we were locked down the next day. we all know what the rest of 2020 was like.

Last week, however, i was fortunate enough to be called to Chester Racecourse for the first of my two Covid vaccinations. I was assured that if it went well I was entered for the 3:30 Novices Chase over 6 furlongs. It never got to that stage though as I had some interesting reactions which may have been related to an earlier cold I had, but as my GP said, we just don;t know all  the side effects at the moment. Mine were cold shivers through the night with a limited capacity to breath, and after the first night I thought that would be that but after a relatively normal Friday when alcohol was taken, I was wiped. out on Saturday and then confined to barracks on Sunday when my BP went through the floor. Still all seems to be back to normal now. Roll on Wales v England tomorrow.

As a present to myself I have purchased a new golf trolley. It is electric and it follows me all round the course unaided. I have called it Marvin.

Today was gloriously sunny so I took Marvin for a test drive over the Wallasey links. No golf was involved but I was pleased I gave Marvin a dry run in isolation as there were a few teething problems with the assembly and subsequent control of the trolley. All has been sorted and I can't wait to be back playing from 29th March. Only 32 sleeps to go!

Try, try again

Well the 6 Nations tournament did not start of in the style I had hoped. A very lack lustre England team were put to the sword by a rejuvinated Scotland side at Twickenham on Saturday. Many of the England side looked ring rusty which was no suprise as a few of them had hardly played a game since November. All credit to the Sweaties though as they capitalised on that fact to give England no chance of a sniff of a win.

I do feel a bit to blame to e honest. The last time Scotland won at Twickenham was in 1983, and  it is one of the few matches I have missed in 50 years. I was at a wedding and did manage to catch a bit of the game in a TV shop window in East Sheen as we walked from the church to the reception venue. Do you remember those Radio Rentals shops where you could rent a TV or radio as well as a wide range of white goods. Those were the days.  I recall Scotland scoring while we were watching. So, my enforced absence on Saturday meant that I have still never seen Scotland win at Twickenham.

The weekend could have been saved had Wales been beaten by a 14 man Ireland outfit, bu that didn't happen either. The valiant Irish we winning at half time, bu to me the turning point of the match was overlooked by the TV pundits. With Ireland still winning, they stole a  Wales line-out on their own 22 metre line, but the referre, Wayne Barnes, shouted, 'taken back' almost as the ball reached the Ireland fly half. That shout meant he could not kick directly to touch, which he did, so giving Wales anothe line-out closer to the Ireland line, from which they subsequently scored.

Although Barnes indicated on mic that he had said if Ireland stole the ball it would be taken back, but I doubt the Ireland half backs heard it. To me it was poor communication and ultimately cost Ireland the game.

The commentary team did, however, mention the death of ex-England captain John Pullen during the week. We all grew up with John Pullen as England hooker, and he is famous for one after dinner speech.  During the Troubles the teams in the 5 Nations were reticent to go to Dublin, but when it came to England,s turn, they duly turned up at Landsdowne Road and got badly beaten up. John Pullen started his post match speech by saying ' We may not be very good, but at least we turn up'. It received a standing ovation and to this day is still the reason that the Irish rugby public have a little bit of their heart reserved for the |English.

Next week England entertain Italy. We have never gone to Twickenham to see this match as it is in the year that England have three home matches. It is the least likely match to be 'a classic' and England remain the only 6 Nations team Italy have not beaten. Now that may change this time if the idiocracies of Covid play a part but lets hope not. We saved £300 this weekend which is about the only plus point, so a good run out against Italy will set us up for Wales, Ireland and France. All is not lost but it will take all Eddie Jones coaching and motivational skills to turn this one round. Allez Le Blanc

Chopsticks

I have talked before about walking in the footsteps of giants, although the quote was actually from Isaac Newton, who said he could see further than others by standing on the shoulders of giants. Anyway lets not lets good blog entry be spoiled when poetic licence is at play!!

So as I was saying, I have talked before about walking in the footsteps of giants, be it on the same sports fields or golf courses as the worlds greats, or through commercial or business opportunities I was lucky to experience, but now I learn of the opportunity that the giants have of walking in my footsteps, albeit that they will be small ones!

In June of this year the UK, probably still lead by Boris, will be hosting the G7 conference. The location which has been chosen is the Carbis Bay Hotel complex just outside St Ives in Cornwall. Now it was not exactly a 'Cider with Rosie' experience for me, but it was the regular Summer holiday location to which I went with my mother and father for a number of years.Mum was in her late 30's  and Dad in his 40's and we went in the same week each year. 

Now I always thought it a co-incidence that the same families were there each year, but of course I now know that's what people did in those days. That way the same children were there to play with and the parents could have  a cracking time after we had all gone to bed. The hotel always put on a theme night for them and they took all the gear they needed to dress up for it. I remember them as beatniks one year and I think pirates another.

The hotel has back stairs for the staff to use for room service and house keeping and we used to play in and around those stairs all the time. It also had a piano on which we all learnt Chopsticks.

During the day we would be almost exclusively on the beach where the cricket battles were hugely competitive and surprisingly low scoring. If you lasted an over you were doing really well. The surf was often up and we had great fun in the sea when the red flags were not flying

We stopped going in the early sixties as I went to Senior school and the kit list and other expenses meant we could not afford both. Such were the sacrifices parents made even in those days.

So to see the resort put on the map in such a high profile manner is a real surprise, lets hope the World leaders appreciate the facilities as much as I did! 

Metal Ox

 Here we are in 2021 locked down once more. The vaccination programme is due to reach a significant level by the 13th February. It is interesting that as far as the Western world was concerned the virus started in China during its year of the rat, and in February we enter the Chinese year of the Ox.  Not sure what the significance is but just thought I would throw it out there!!

The time between Christmas and now has been somewhat low key as I suspect it has been for everybody. Lockdown has made it a tad more challenging as I can't use the golf course now so will have to embrace Joe Wicks  and the online spinning classes. Why was he not even nominated for SPOTY?

There are interesting anomalies within the regional lockdown guidelines. I can play golf in Scotland but cannot go to church. The opposite is true  in England of both. There is talk of Wales relaxing the golfing rules shortly leaving England and Northern Ireland still excluded.

I have just been to Tesco as we re-introduce our ten day shopping windows. The store had more staff picking home delivery than it did have normal punters which was a big change from last year when the queue stretched half way across the car park. There was plenty of stock although  few  gaps existed for toilet roles, porridge strangely and bird seed!!

Still it's done now so hopefully I can just stay close to home now. It is a pity that the new car can't have a run out but it is bedding in well and I am working out all the bells and whistles. I now have some admin to sort out then the lockdown list will e as follows:

• scan all old photo's in and make a few photo books
• move Atmosphere from VHS to DVD
  
• put the decorations in the loft when the new loft lights arrive
• floodlight the garden
• find useful tradesmen for routine home maintenance
• repair the holes in the garden golf net
  

So that should get me to February when my new golf trolley arrives and I can get back to hitting balls in the net. The vaccine in late February would be the icing on the cake. Fore!