England’s Hardest Course – Woodhall Spa, Hotchkin Course Preview

Nish: 0:01

Every story has an ending. Does our quest to play the top 100 courses in 10 years have a good ending? I’m Nish, I’m Chris, I’m Jim and we’re here to guide you through this golfing journey. This is the Top 100 in 10 Golf Podcast

Nish: 0:14

Episode 26. England’s Hardest Course.

Nish: 0:18

Billy Ocean once sang when the going gets tough, the tough get going. We are playing England’s hardest golf course this week. It’s ranked 20 on our list and 58 in the whole world Nice. So I think this is easily ranked the hardest or, sorry, the highest ranked course that we’ve played, is it, I think, 20. I don’t think we’ve played anything in the top 20 up till now, so it’s in the top 20 hardest the top 20 of artists.

Chris: 0:47

No, you mean it’s in the top list.

Nish: 0:48

Yeah, sorry, the best and it has a pretty fearsome reputation, which is excellent.

Jim: 0:54

So yeah, and I’m not playing this one yeah get going. It’s been a.

Chris: 1:00

It’s been a while since the tough got gone. It’s um. It’s been a while since we opened with the shit quote, hasn’t it, Nish? I know?

Nish: 1:07

I’ve stopped doing it. Where did that come from? Bring them back.

Chris: 1:09

Sprung that one on us.

Nish: 1:11

I managed to set everything up early and I thought do you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to resurrect my terrible quotes.

Chris: 1:17

Go for your quotes.

Nish: 1:19

Great song, a number of good songs. Like I say, it does have a fearsome reputation, this golf course. So, for context, there’s a bit of jargon and lingo in this episode, I think, which we’ll try and clear up as much as we can. So this course has a slope rating of off the yellow tees, which is what we’re going to play, of 149 now that is out of a maximum you can get is 155. So slope ratings, jim, because you’re looking very bemused is a relatively new thing with this new handicap system. So this is going to rear its head a lot as we’re doing this challenge. But the handicap system is something that’s been very divisive amongst people, so I’ve mentioned it before. Where my handicap is, a number is 16.6 currently and it’s adjusted according to the perceived difficulty of that course. Right, the difficulty is that slope rating if it’s a 155, for instance, that means it’s the hardest course ever.

Chris: 2:19

I get extra shots above my handicap so what have you, have you got any examples of like, what’s a 155? Is that like? I don’t know of any 155.

Nish: 2:28

Bethpage Black, maybe I’d imagine so, Something like that, Because I mean they’ve even got signs up saying Danger If you’re a shit golfer, just turn around. Yeah, yeah, don’t play this course. That’s got to be up off the white team.

Chris: 2:41

I did notice there was like a maximum handicap limit. Was it like 22 or 24 or something for men?

Nish: 2:47

At Woodall Spa. So you have anything above that, you can’t play.

Chris: 2:50

Yeah, yeah, so that’s. I guess that’s kind of the same thing.

Jim: 2:53

I think you said that were all St David’s as well, didn’t they, or something?

Chris: 2:55

No, I don’t think so. Is that not on your normal handicap?

Nish: 3:06

your adjusted handicap, your normal handicap, yeah, yeah, okay, that’s fine. Yeah, right, that sort of makes sense, yeah, but yeah, basically it’s fucking hard. It’s what I’m saying. So, yeah, the slope rating thing is like and I think again, that’s easily the hardest course we’ve played. So my handicap’s only been adjusted up to 23. That was S&A and that was up from 19. So this is now a serious jump up.

Chris: 3:33

So what are you going from this time? 16 to 16.6 up to 20.

Nish: 3:38

where have I got it written down 22. That’s a full 6 shots. 6 shots harder than what it it have been. It went from 19 up to 23, so that was 4 shots. So in theory it’s it’s 50% harder than yeah, s&a, what?

Chris: 3:57

yardage is it off the, off the yellows great question. I don’t know come on Nish.

Nish: 4:01

I thought you said you’d done some research, 6,800 something, imagine. Come on nish. You said you’ve done some research, 6800, am I sure? If I got that right, 6842 I’m going to say. I’m guessing it’s an even number, is it you sure? Oh, 50, 50 chance here I’m going for it um, but that’s so, that’s a slope rating. You mean, that’s how it works. So why is it called the slope rating? I’ve do you know what? I don’t know why it’s got the terminology is slope rating.

Nish: 4:23

That again doesn’t, because to me it just sounded like oh, it’s yeah. I thought initially I was like it was it’s a greens thing, like it’s the pace of the green and whatever. But no, it’s slope rating. So I don’t really know I could be getting this really wrong. And somebody is going to actually nobody’s going to write in, are they? Because nobody’s listening? But somebody could write in and go. You’ve just got this wholly wrong. What are you doing? What are you saying? But I don’t know if there are any instances where the slope rating is less, like lower. It’s a much easier course. Therefore, you handicap those. I don’t. I don’t know of any instances of that.

Chris: 4:59

Probably the only place that springs to mind is where you got a hole in one. It’s where it was just like kids golf basically. Oh wow, we’re going there, we’re going there it’s the only place I can think of nish. That’s the only one that springs to mind.

Nish: 5:11

If we’re gonna fire shots let’s fire this other one so because this gets gives me a chance to plug our instagram feed it’s our instagram feed. We just started yesterday, day before yesterday, posted a video and it was about the par three. I think it was the ninth. The ninth at Aberdovey. At Aberdovey, where you hit your tee shot, it was a six iron that you hit, yeah, yeah, absolutely creamed it, yeah. And Jim stepped up and basically repeated that same shot.

Chris: 5:38

I bet he hit a seven iron as well what?

Nish: 5:42

Last night, when we stood outside there, he went I’ll watch that clip and you’re never going to believe what club I played. I was like, tell me it was 7, tell me it was 7, tell me it was 7. You bastard, so we’ll call that one or shall we. You have to bring that up, you have to bring that up you can’t not let it go. You’ve got new clubs, Jim Mine are like 20 years old old, so that’s at least like two clubs worth of yardage shots fired back I’m staying out.

Chris: 6:12

I’m staying out of this. I’ve done that. Yeah, you kicked it off.

Jim: 6:16

Only one thing I’m ever gonna have over.

Chris: 6:19

Chris, you can have that one. Jim, I’ll give you that one. It was a great shot so do we?

Nish: 6:24

do we have any general observations about this golf course that you guys have picked up anywhere, aside from the fact that it’s bloody hard?

Chris: 6:31

so I just had a quick look it’s 6522 yards.

Nish: 6:35

It’s not that long okay it’s long enough off the yellows but, there is one fact in there isn’t there with this, so the length isn’t there, but it’s bunkers 142 bunkers over 18 holes, 142 about eight a hole on average, or there’s just like no bunkers for 17 holes and 142 on, like the on the 18th I wish that was quite a few on there. I take that. I’ve seen the flyover videos. If we don’t hit it straight, which is very likely, we’re in trouble.

Chris: 7:10

We’re in real trouble and actually a lot of people Bunker trouble or trouble, trouble. I don’t mind a bit of bunker trouble. It’s weird.

Nish: 7:17

So again this terminology stuff here now. So it was described on the video as a classic Heathland course. Okay, okay, right. So there are going to be people listening to this who’ve got no idea what any of that means. So obviously we’ve been talking about links quite a lot Wuthering Heights, isn’t it basically?

Nish: 7:36

We’ve obviously been talking about links and that’s usually coastal. Well, it is always coastal, isn’t it? Yeah, and it’s characterized by sort of dunes. It’s wind, sweat, rippling fairways, things like that. What are the types of courses have you got? I know you got like you got parkland, you got heathland yeah, what else have you got beyond that? So your links parkland, heathland, moorland is that is that, not a phrase, is that I mean, I guess?

Chris: 8:01

yeah, I think you probably. There’s not that many more they probably are.

Nish: 8:04

Actually. Maybe there is more, yeah, average course that everybody generally around the country is playing on, but that’d be that’s a parkland.

Chris: 8:11

Yeah, that’s a parkland course okay, so that’s like tree line fairway probably. I’m going to pluck a number out here 80 percent of the golf courses in the uk are probably parkland golf, 90 percent of stats are made up on the spot exactly 80 percent.

Nish: 8:21

80% of courses are parkland courses. Right, fine, heathland, what’s that?

Chris: 8:26

So Heathland, it feels a little bit more lynx-y. So you’ve got that firm sandy turf, you just haven’t got the sea. You often have kind of gorse and those kind of bits as well. So it feels a little bit more lynx-y. It’s probably somewhere in between, bit like a link without the, without the sea. That would be my best description of it.

Nish: 8:45

So, um, probably don’t have the wind to contest with, obviously, because it’s not coastal. So, yeah, that’s a big thing, and then so moortown, moortown was moortown, was heathland, that was heathland, yeah great, I like that, I enjoyed. Yeah, moortown as a challenge. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, that’s good.

Chris: 8:58

I think so. Places like sunningdale and and those kind of places. They’re like the main, the key on that sand belt. They’re the main Heathland courses around there. I think they tend to be incredibly good looking golf courses, I think so. I think some of the ones that I’m most excited about playing are some of the Heathland ones. Yeah, like Sunningdale Old and all of those kind of places?

Nish: 9:18

Yeah, and you’ve heard of those ones, haven’t?

Chris: 9:20

you yeah.

Nish: 9:21

There’s a bit of yeah. Well, this is the what 58th ranked in the world.

Chris: 9:25

I’m surprised that it’s up there because I I don’t think people talk about it in particularly high regards. I’ve never heard of it. I think people say it’s hard. I mean, obviously I’ve heard of it, but I think people say it’s hard. Uh, I don’t think people talk about it in majorly glowing terms, but I mean maybe that’s old information, because I think you said you were saying that it’s been, it’s been redesigned.

Nish: 9:45

Yeah, I won’t say the name because I don’t want to, I don’t want to cross promote anything here, but I was listening to another podcast. There are other podcasts out there, shock horror, no way. I was listening to another podcast and there’s a couple of things that it is actually saying that. So you’re right, it’s the national golf center. Yeah, so we, we, our nation, national, whatever what’s been english, it’s our national golf centre and we chose lincoln basically how did that happen?

Chris: 10:09

I guess it’s kind of central to no one. Really. It’s one of those places, though, isn’t it, that you just it’s just really difficult for everyone to get to really certainly is from this side of the country anyway, so it feels like it’s kind of out on a limb a little bit, doesn’t it difficult?

Nish: 10:25

yeah, everyone’s going to struggle the same amount to get to this golf course yeah, let’s just make it fair yeah, yeah even the people who are near us.

Chris: 10:32

Yeah, you’re going to struggle to get here, you’re going to struggle to play it. You’re going to have a really great, great day out. It’s gonna be a long drive.

Nish: 10:38

It’s gonna be a long round of golf and then a long drive back, yeah actually with with it being I should mention this actually kind of the booking process, because it was kind of so with it being the national golf center. Um, we’re members of a golf club, so we have e egu, which is english golf union. We have egu membership. We are able to play the well. Any, any visitor can ring up and play. That’s fine. We get a discounted green fee. So I think it’s at this time of year, it’s 140 pounds, I think 145, I think it is for just a visitor to play. It’s 10 pounds off. You’re an iGolf member, so a lot of people are doing that to get their handicap, yeah, and they’re not affiliated to a club, and then if you actually are affiliated to a club, you’re a full EGU member. It’s 125 pounds.

Nish: 11:25

So it was pretty simple. It’s really straightforward. I emailed him a chap called brian. Just like within five minutes he was straight on it. Big email, you know great, we’d love to welcome you. Yeah, these are the dates available. I was almost like, oh uh, I wasn’t expecting this so quick. Let me just email my playing partner and I’ll get back to you shortly, kind of thing um, but it’s great that they’ve got that accessibility factor though, isn’t it?

Chris: 11:48

and I think, just from reading bits around around, kind of like you know, dress code and stuff in the clubhouse, it feels like it’s very much going for a kind of informal, kind of relaxed kind of vibe, and kind of you know, I guess the home of english golf.

Nish: 12:01

It’s kind of a modern being a bit less traditional, which is quite nice isn’t it inclusive?

Chris: 12:05

yeah, good, but I think the, I think the egu are quite big on inclusive and you know, inclusivity, inclusivity, that one um how much?

Nish: 12:18

how?

Chris: 12:18

much guinness. How much guinness zero have I drunk?

Nish: 12:20

you and your guinness, zeroness, zeros. Just just goes to his head, doesn’t it too much?

Chris: 12:26

hops, oh god but basically they want to be inclusive, so I think they’re trying to do. What’s the little? Have you seen the little little promotion that’s going around at the minute? I can’t think what the tagline is, but it’s basically saying come and play golf wherever, however, wearing whatever kind of thing. It’s a bit more I like that.

Jim: 12:45

Yeah, it’s the back backing the shakira song, exactly that, yeah whenever.

Chris: 12:52

That’s definitely the promo video. That’s a poor reference.

Nish: 12:56

Yeah, I mean it’s. There’s a few people obviously we’ve spoken to and dress codes and things have come up and it’s nice actually that the national golf center should have that progressive attitude yeah, definitely, I’m quite looking forward to going actually, and I think you, you told us something that coach yeah, yes, my coach was saying, my coach what’s his? What’s his actual name?

Chris: 13:14

don’t put me on the spot.

Nish: 13:14

You know I can’t say his surname, it’s called dan his last name just coach, coach dan coach, coach dan coach dan yeah, yeah right, I don’t know his last name.

Chris: 13:25

Well, I do know it, but I just can’t pronounce it.

Nish: 13:27

We’ll edit that bit out as well.

Chris: 13:31

It’s going to be heavy editing tonight.

Nish: 13:32

Nish, I’ve completely forgotten what I was trying to say there, what was I going to say? Your coach was telling you something about the yeah, so he’s basically saying the short game area is incredible.

Chris: 13:40

So they redid it four or five years ago or something and he said it’s like yeah, like top notch, like probably one of the best in the country, so make sure you go and kind of use that pre-round.

Nish: 13:49

Yeah, I mean we were having a chat today, weren’t we, about what time to set off and and what have you, and so, yeah, he also said here, isn’t it?

Chris: 13:56

he also said it’s incredibly difficult to get to. He’s like you’re staying over. I was like no, he’s like oh good, that’s always good luck that’s a great endorsement, isn’t it?

Nish: 14:05

you stayed over no, oh, there and back in a sec. Alright, yeah, okay. Yeah, it feels like some of the courses in Scotland are easier to get to and back it does a little bit, doesn’t it? Kind of got to make our worm our way across the country, haven’t we? Quite a lot? M62a1, it’s a Friday. What else are we doing? The weather this week Is supposed to be blinding. Yeah, it’s going to be About 20 degrees, isn’t it? Yeah, and what? So can I wear shorts then? That’s.

Chris: 14:31

Big question.

Nish: 14:32

Big question. Nish, probably a bit pasty At the minute. To be honest, I need to get a bit Of a base tan first. Oh, shut up.

Jim: 14:38

Have you got a week? That’s true, it’s gonna be a week, a full sun yeah, absolutely I’ll go the opposite.

Nish: 14:44

I’ll do a bright red to burn myself and don’t do that. But I think, one of the things that did come up in other podcasts uh was, should we just like play their podcasts rather than do our own? Just well, I don’t infringe any copyright, so maybe I’ll just I’ll ai it. So it’s in our voices perfect, let’s do that. That’s what we’ll do to be be honest, the podcast in general. That’s one of the reasons why I’m not naming it.

Nish: 15:09

It was quite boring, but it was one of these things where I was like I want to research the course, because, hey, that’s what we need to do anyway and we need to give people a flavour for it and I was like, but for me to learn a bit about it and, to be fair, this one has been a bit last minutes.

Chris: 15:29

This is probably the least prepared I think we’ve been for any of our courses, because this was our last minute. We weren’t supposed to be playing this course, we were supposed to be playing another course.

Nish: 15:32

Yeah, um, but we it was. I’ve got to learn about it and actually the content was interesting. It’s just I find said podcast quite boring to listen to, but it’s well known and they do cover quite a lot of the courses and subjects yeah so the things I found out were when you were saying about sand and things like that. So it’s obviously, it’s very underneath, it’s just it’s all sand and some places the sand sandy sand. I think they said um, is that magicetic sand? Whatever? It’s called Kinetic sand.

Chris: 16:06

That stuff is horrible, isn’t it?

Nish: 16:08

They said in some places the sand, the sandy base is like 20 feet deep, so some of the bunkers Are incredibly deep.

Chris: 16:17

Which is filled with sand, like 20 foot of sand.

Nish: 16:20

Yeah, that’s it, trampolining that. So, with 142 bunkersers, a lot of them very deep, I think the technique is going to get tested out and I think we’ll be doing well to stay out of them sounds it feels like a bit of a side bet that doesn’t it fewest bunkers in the day I think that’s pretty good idea, actually, all right, okay, yeah. Oh well, there’s. There’s five minutes of the podcast gone, then that’s a side bet. Done is that it.

Jim: 16:46

Are we going with that? Fewest bunkers hit when he said 142 bunkers, I was like, ooh right so we need bunker count.

Chris: 16:53

Is that the most bunkers we’re going to play on any course it feels like it?

Nish: 16:57

everyone’s saying about these courses. I’ve watched a few videos of people playing the course, all the video thumbnails that you get on YouTube. They’re all like England’s hardest course. This course is impossible, blah, blah, blah. So I think the bunkers clearly seem to be a massive part of this. I remember thinking that, looking at the flyovers from S&A, that that had a lot of bunkers, but I don’t think we really ended up in many. I’m not sure. I just hit it straight.

Chris: 17:26

Yeah, if we just hit it straight just or just really really wild into the big long roof.

Nish: 17:30

Yes, avoid the bunkers full stop avoiding the bunkers for sure. I mean that that obviously is like a big, a big thing about it with the, this sort of sandy base and a load of bunkers. But the main thing that came out of this podcast was that a chap called tom doke, who, I must admit, I don’t know about and haven’t really heard of, but when I’ve been reading a few things off the back of hearing this podcast, yeah, he seems to be quite a popular course designer. Yeah, yeah, his name has come up a few times. Yeah, so he was.

Nish: 18:04

Because this is the national golf center. It’s owned by the egu yep, english golf union and as such, although it has members the members it’s unusual in that the members don’t own the club. Yes, it’s privately owned, privately owned. So basically the owner, egu, can decide, without any votes or anything like that, what they want to do. Yeah, so about eight, nine years ago they decided to get. Well, they put it out to tender, but tom dope won the, the bid, okay, to redesign the course, basically. So in this podcast the director from the from the course, was there, yeah, and he sort of talked a little bit about it. So he said he, he liked it because he said you know, tom tom, first name terms. Now absolutely big t he. Uh doesn’t just have like an identikit way of doing courses, because a lot of courses are like, oh, that’s a classic mckenzie course that’s a classic nicholas course, that’s you know that kind of thing.

Nish: 18:59

It’s not like that he works with what’s in front of him, sort of thing. So he said he did it really sympathetically, but then also sympathetic to who? To the original.

Chris: 19:10

It’s the original yeah, apparently not to the players gone.

Nish: 19:12

Well, I think the guy was saying that what basically happened was, as would happen anyway. He said a lot of the trees had, over the years, had come up just through natural spreading and and whatever, so the characteristics of the whole had changed completely because of that. New trees had grown, new trees had grown, whatever. So it’s like actually we need to take it, strip it back and take it back to what it was before, like take those trees out effectively.

Chris: 19:33

I I think they took a lot out. Yeah.

Nish: 19:34

And redefined a lot of the lines to the fairways and risk reward and all that kind of thing. So it’s unprecedented for somebody to do all 18. One go, one call, one go, because the members won’t normally pass that through.

Chris: 19:46

It’s a whole other time. I mean it must be like a few years worth of work that he would have thought. I think so, apparently they said. What do they say now?

Nish: 19:52

this oh, they took the work on themselves, so he did the design and they did the work themselves, right, okay, and he was like we regretted that because it’s not work, so we should have got an outside contractor to do that. Yeah, um, yeah, it was like then. His main highlights then of the course were I think the most dramatic redo of the course was on hole 7 and hole 14. So we should watch out for that and see what happens. I mean, we’ve got no reference point, but if we just go and they go, that was alright and it’s been ok.

Nish: 20:22

So they were my highlights from said podcast. Fair enough, it’s funny, isn’t it just thinking?

Chris: 20:28

about golf course designers like Tom Doak. I know his name, but you can pretty much count the number of golf course designers on one hand.

Nish: 20:37

I gather so.

Chris: 20:38

There must have been only about ten of them there. It must have been the most difficult job in the world to get.

Nish: 20:41

Very specialised job.

Chris: 20:42

Yeah, and how, like I don’t know, how do you get into that? I don’t know.

Jim: 20:46

Maybe we should look into it. Michael is a civil engineer.

Nish: 20:48

So civil engineering would get you into.

Jim: 20:50

Potentially it depends what route you decide to go down afterwards. He didn’t specialise in it, yeah.

Nish: 20:55

Railways. But Was it one of these things where you get one and then people go? Oh that’s a nice course. I think we’ll get him in for, or her. Well, he’s probably not.

Jim: 21:05

I mean you need the civil engineers for the structural aspect of it.

Chris: 21:08

Yeah, Depending you’ll be building it from scratch and looking at the terrain because someone else will design it. Yeah, because I suspect. I suspect you’re right and actually somebody who’s actually manufacturing the course. I suspect from pretty much all these courses there’s probably a million other people that do most of it. They just get the naming to say, oh, mckenzie designed it and he’s just gone. Oh, but two seconds work, you’ve drawn a green gone. That’s it right, it’s mckenzie design done there you go yeah, it’s little yeah yeah, yeah shift the green two yards left.

Nish: 21:33

Genius, what a genius.

Chris: 21:35

It’s a little bit like when you’re in work and you’re kind of going to go into your boss’s office with a piece of work and he just puts a few little marks on it and he goes away and goes. Can you just do that and you’re like that’s like six weeks work yeah, yeah.

Nish: 21:45

So I think in terms of like kind of it’s not really a history, kind of place is it?

Chris: 21:50

it’s quite an old golf club though, isn’t it, I think?

Jim: 21:52

I think it’s like an 1890 yeah, oh wow, and it’s a nine hole golf course and then they sold the land or there was something in any way they they, but they gave somebody, gave them some other land that they could purchase further down the road, and that’s when they built the 18 hole golf course, which opened in 1905 very knowledgeable about woodall spar gym.

Nish: 22:15

What’s happened?

Chris: 22:16

google you sacked off the ai for this week. Then, jim, you’re going old school.

Jim: 22:23

I was just trying to look at the. You know the number of. You know the golf courses were the largest number of bunkers in the uk and it goes to ai go straight to it. Well, saint andrews is one of them. Okay, it’s got 112. And royal trunes, and you know, hole eight is really difficult and it’s got AR goes straight to. Well, st Andrews is one of them and it’s got 112. And Royal Troons, and you know, hole 8 is really difficult and it’s got one of the deepest bunkers and I’m like I didn’t ask that question you didn’t answer my fucking question and yeah, they never seriously look at.

Jim: 22:44

You know the US, they’ve got somebody who’s got 200 bunkers in the world out of the prestigious courses anyway but we’ve got a bone dry.

Nish: 22:57

Well, we’ve had a bone dry a couple of weeks already. It’s going to be baking hot this next few days and we’re playing on the Friday and it’s dry anyway.

Chris: 23:05

So basically, all the balls are just going to run into the bunkers yeah, there’s a lot of, yeah, I think there’s a lot of.

Nish: 23:12

Like I’ll just lay up short and then that’s not going to happen, or it gives you the chance to maybe say I won’t take the big stick out, I’ll play an iron and it or you just get the big stick out and go over the bunkers I mean, that was working in abu dhabi, wasn’t it? I think?

Chris: 23:28

there’s a lot to be said for that it depends how strategically placed the bunkers are, but often you can just I’m looking at the flyovers.

Nish: 23:33

It’s a, it’s an sna type thing where it’s like fairway. Fine, yeah, just left right, left, right left right. So if you, if you spray it, you’ve had a bunker for everyone.

Jim: 23:43

A bunker for everyone yeah, I was gonna say what you very inclusive that isn’t it when we’re doing? The review of the uh, the 16th at abu dhabi, which was your favorite, favorite hole to date and and you said, you know I took an iron out on that one and I should have gone for my driver, for the driver, yeah, yeah, because there’s winter tea.

Nish: 23:58

It’s 250 yards winter tea that I should have done that. That was just stupid too.

Jim: 24:02

So yeah, I think you, what you need to do is just get the big stick out I mean to be fair, I did drive the ball pretty well those two courses.

Chris: 24:11

So because you have those bunkers that kept, yeah, cheating off the back, off the back of the bunker little mates and behind the bunkers just picking your ball up and throwing it down the fairway. 50 yards?

Nish: 24:21

I don’t think he even meant it as a joke, I think it was just genuinely. He was just like oh, mate, you must have got a kick off the back of that bunker, like it was a full-on, like all right, yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll say it again and I said it in the when I did the album. It was like I’m playing from down here, mate, see, whatever, like I’m there. So maybe you should have got the back of the bunker as well, I’ve only could aim for stuff like that, that’d be great.

Nish: 24:43

But yeah, so yeah, tough old call. So you said practice facility is supposed to be tremendous. Yeah, I mean obviously game area yeah, exactly, do you think? We’re going to get the hallowed pyramid of I don’t know could be?

Chris: 24:56

do we get range balls included? No, I don’t think so. I think it’s just normal driving range.

Nish: 24:59

I think because it’s an EGU thing, it’s going to be like they’ll want money for all that sort of stuff.

Jim: 25:03

I think so yeah, but they’re really investing it back goal which is us.

Chris: 25:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah, supporting yourself, yeah, yeah.

Nish: 25:13

Well, we’re the definition of grassroots, aren’t we? Surely we’ve got young kids who are getting into the game that we’re trying to inspire? No, are we not? No, we’re not. You can’t claim that, we can’t at all. Anyway, shape or form, we ought to talk about the signature hole and the signature hole challenge yes which has to be corrected for the record, by the way.

Nish: 25:36

I thought I was four down after four courses and I’m not at all. I was we. We halved the first in eight. We shot eight each on the signature hole at the end we did eight on the 13th. Yeah, wow, we both shot an eight. So we halved the first one and then you went on a run of three in a row and then I halved the last one, so you’re three up after five courses which we have.

Chris: 25:59

We have discussed this it was manageable there haven’t been ish still four up.

Jim: 26:04

Right, is that? What is that why you better than that on that horse at the grand national yesterday?

Nish: 26:07

three up three up three five. It was called something like that, wasn’t it? Was it yes?

Jim: 26:13

Three under through five or three, up through five or something like that it was a golf analogy anyway which I got and he said, oh, this is what I’ve gone for.

Nish: 26:23

And I’m thinking oh right. Well, I mean, our signature whole challenge is on YT, on YouTube now. So the last one we didn’t put the video together from royal saint david’s because it was absolutely fucking appalling. Yeah, we couldn’t have done that. No, I thought we were all just terrible on that or maybe people might like to watch that.

Nish: 26:39

Just because it’s, I don’t even it’s good for the soul to watch someone else’s shit at golf doesn’t even exist anymore, I mean maybe people would start taking pity on you and giving you that charity, proving that you’re grassroots.

Jim: 26:52

We’re grassroots.

Nish: 26:55

I’m so grassroots man. Yeah, so it’s three up. It’s been corrected for the record. Four up, though, isn’t it? It’s definitely four up.

Chris: 27:04

We talked about this Nish T’s and C’s of the podcast.

Nish: 27:06

Nobody reads T’s and C’s. It’s done, it’s three. It’s on there now, can’t be deleted even though I can delete it.

Chris: 27:15

More importantly, I can’t delete, however.

Nish: 27:17

Yeah, you have no access however, that’s still pretty terrible, to be honest, and it’s a par three coming up, which is your speciality speciality.

Jim: 27:28

Yeah, another par three thing from the yellow tee. It’s 14 142 yards, 170 from the championship tee.

Nish: 27:34

That gives me a chance because that’s like I mean, it feels like it’s a flat course, doesn’t it-ish? I don’t think there’s much undulation, not with a slow break of 149. I don’t think it’s very hilly.

Chris: 27:46

I think you’ll get Generally on a little side, you’ll get kind of undulation. Yeah, it’s kind of like. It’s like a championship course type thing, isn’t it?

Nish: 27:52

I don’t think we’re going to get like it’s not elevated, it’s not loads down.

Chris: 27:57

You get little bits here and there on a hot day tell you what is elevated.

Jim: 28:03

The green on the 12th is it?

Nish: 28:07

it’s elevated green, isn’t it?

Jim: 28:08

well, it’s more elevated the fact that you’ve got all these bunkers around it, and then the one to the left hand side there’s 141 bunkers around that green is actually 12 foot.

Nish: 28:18

It’s 12 foot, all right. So I was thinking of nine iron, but this might be an eight. Then don’t go in that do you know what?

Jim: 28:25

I’ve got steps to go down with all this.

Nish: 28:27

Like salty, you’ve got to kick off the back of the bunker talk. I’d love to to get back to two up, two down, sorry, on a par three. Get that back. I’m raging for that hole now. I just helicoptered myself in just to watch that hole, just go watch that hole. I’m going to let you win the 11th, so you get the honour and I’m going to try and psych you out.

Chris: 28:47

Did we not say we were going to do the honour from the last hole?

Nish: 28:51

you the honour from the last hole.

Chris: 28:52

We halved it then and you won it previously, so you’ve still got the honour. Still need to go. I’m happy with that. Assert some pressure.

Nish: 28:58

Don’t know, I’m Teflon Don mate Pressure just falls off me Teflon Don.

Chris: 29:02

Is that your name? That’s it, teflon Don. Pressure just doesn’t stick.

Nish: 29:06

I don’t feel that pressure. It’s internal pressure really more than anything else. Yeah, okay, right. So it’s what did you say? 140?

Jim: 29:15

142 yards, yeah, from the yellow 12. 12th again. 12th hole again. Yeah, it’s the last par 3 of the course, I think. Oh, so there might be a few others in the first nine, yeah, so we are probably expecting par 3 heavy in the front nine then possibly, possibly.

Nish: 29:31

I’m interested now I bought, uh, I lost a lot of my last round at reddish. I was absolutely shocking, like full-on shocking come down from abu dhabi and I lost a lot of very expensive titlist pro v1s oh no, we don’t need those in reddish, come on I don’t know. I thought I’m playing well here. I’ll go around and say, no, I’m back on tightness probably won late balls now you lost a whole?

Chris: 29:58

did you lose a whole box? Probably once in one day they’ve all gone nice well, I’d lost.

Nish: 30:02

I think I probably lost a couple at Abu Dhabi anyway right, I gave or at Rendez and Royal St David’s but you turning around just it was. Honestly, it was awful. Wow, my drive wasn’t going well, irons, nothing, and it was one of those things where I was like I think I was trying to improve it and figure out what was going on. It just wasn’t happening yeah, it’s one of those ones where I’m going like this is the harder.

Chris: 30:25

You’re trying to work.

Nish: 30:26

I should have walked off the course this is terrible, but I was like I paid for my round. I’m gonna get, I’m to get my value out of this. And I was with somebody else, so they couldn’t really leave you. Carry on, mate.

Chris: 30:37

I’m done here, can’t play. It was terrible.

Nish: 30:39

It was 105,.

Jim: 30:40

it was I’ve not shot that for a long time Respectable score.

Nish: 30:45

Very creditable Jim.

Chris: 30:47

Yeah, I mean, that’s a real turnaround from Mabadovi, isn’t it?

Nish: 30:56

real turnaround from uh, isn’t it? And of course I know yeah, very well, wow, but yeah, is there?

Jim: 30:58

anything else we want to talk about with this course, I think you’re gonna have an awesome time. It looks stunning. It really does. From looking at the flyovers, yeah, it does. This design looks pretty. I mean, it’s going to be challenging, as everyone expects, but it looks interesting, doesn’t? It. Yeah, it looks like you’ve got to think about.

Nish: 31:13

Yeah, yeah, fascinating. Looks like you’ve got to think about where you’re gonna try and place that goal to try and get through this course. Just just do what I do and just step up and see what happens.

Jim: 31:24

I love it, I love it jim, I’m starting to think about things a little bit more. Don’t do that. No, I’m not gonna do that I like it.

Nish: 31:31

It’s kind of it’s because it’s just so different to me. I’m not stood up there and there’s like 200 things going through my brain and you can almost see me running through each one as I’m stood over the ball. You’re just like trying it. It’s right, bang, done. Oh, he’s trying to film that, but he’s already at the ball, right, okay?

Jim: 31:50

I had to do it quickly because I can. I can sense. I can sense you getting your phone out. I turn around and I’m like. You filmed that, didn’t you? You’re past it.

Nish: 31:59

It doesn’t go right. I think it’s great. It’s great that you just get down and hit it. That’s the best way to do it.

Jim: 32:04

I’ve changed it quite a bit now, haven’t I? In the last couple of rounds, I think I’ve been thinking about things a lot more yeah, yeah, how do you think that’s going for you? Mixed early days. It’s only my third. I’ve only had two, two or three rounds with the uh. With the new bats you need to get on the range.

Chris: 32:19

Jim, me and you need to get. We need to get to the range. Yes, I need to do some work. I think you probably do actually. Yeah, I think there’s a few little little tweaks you could make which make a big difference in golf swing. You know I don’t. I hate giving golf advice on a golf course. It’s something I just don’t. It’s hard, isn’t it that?

Nish: 32:34

yeah I mean, that’s probably a good wider point to chat about. You know, because it’s difficult, because number one, there’s always that thing you just go. You probably just seen how play the last hole, right, I’m not in a position to give you any real advice yeah, yeah, what I’ve done exactly and then, secondly, you’re like how is this going to be it?

Nish: 32:51

we’re all friends, it’s fine, and no one’s going to go like, oh my god, I can’t believe you’ve done that. But actually, you know, what are they actually going to think about the advice that I just don’t think it’s the.

Chris: 32:59

I don’t think it’s the place, for if you’re the course like changing your swing in the middle of a round, yeah, it’s like just why it’s never going to fucking work. Right, it’s never going to work. You gotta go do the work on the range or wherever in the practice ground, wherever you’re doing it. You can’t go and do it there.

Jim: 33:13

You shouldn’t be thinking about, shouldn’t be thinking about swing thoughts and changing your swing on the golf course, but what I’ll be telling you that you know, I’m looking at my stance and I’m looking to keep it wider and you’re like you said to me, yeah, you’re narrowing it again, and so that is something I’m thinking is probably when I get a tie, but the yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, and you, just when you get a few bad shots as well, you go ah, fuck it, I’m just going back to my old way, because I feel comfortable with that as well, or I’m not thinking about it, to be honest yeah, maybe

Nish: 33:36

yeah, which I should do, but out of the two rounds that we did do? Was there a day that was in your mind was better for?

Jim: 33:45

you well, because the score was a lot better. The front nine or ten holes.

Nish: 33:51

I was just going to say take the score out of it. Take the score out of it how you’re hitting it, how you felt about it, because that sometimes the score is misleading, isn’t it you? Can shoot a good round and actually play shit still Shitter. I think the driving probably needed it Score badly and play well.

Jim: 34:06

My driving was erratic, obviously, but towards the end, in the back back end of ralph st david’s, I started to hit some quite nice strikes um driving it a lot better, I think yeah I think it’s a bit more erratic. I think abu, particularly particularly in the first couple of holes. The first one was fine, um, the next couple a bit dodgy, but I think my recovery shots, second and third shots, were actually yeah, I think when you hit a good.

Chris: 34:39

You hit more better shots at Aberdovey, but I think you were a bit more erratic. I don’t know, Is that right? Can we stop saying erratic? Are we turning you on Nish? You’ve said it a lot this last couple of minutes.

Nish: 34:54

This is erratic. It dawned on me after we finished doing the ABBA W review that the significance of you having played your first two Lynx courses back-to-back. We probably glossed over that a little bit, because there will be people listening I know this who haven’t ever played a links course before and, like me probably, are like the, the sound, impossible to play, don’t want to do it, don’t want to put myself in that position where I’m getting frustrated in my game, I’m getting psychologically battered by it and I just can’t hold up, can’t find ball, I’m gonna lose like 200 golf balls or that kind of thing. That’s everyday golf, isn’t it? That’s the everyday golfer. That’s what they think. And I’m interested to tap into how he felt, not necessarily the score, but just how he felt about golf. Not a lot going on in there, is there? No, he didn’t think anything. What?

Nish: 35:51

are you talking about? Oh, I think he’s erratic, that’s it.

Jim: 35:57

I knew it was going to be a challenge. I didn’t know how much of a challenge it was going to be, given my experiences on the golf course previously, but I think the whole excitement and build-up, doing the podcast and everything as well. I was nervously excited, I think, is probably the phrase but when we started playing I was much more excited than nervous. I felt a bit more pressure thinking at Royal St David’s because it’s all very well playing rounds with you guys you’re my mates but when we’re being slowed up a little bit and the next group’s I feel a bit more of the pressure there.

Jim: 36:38

That’s a big difference to me. Yeah, that’s true. I think the fourth and I had a par three and I had a nightmare and there was a good group of four just stood at the side and I was going, I’m going to hit them, and so that’s an additional pressure that you probably don’t need.

Nish: 36:53

I mean, that’s a good way to get rid of the group behind you, yeah, injure them, but I didn’t, yeah, I didn’t.

Jim: 37:00

I didn’t approach it any differently to anything. I’m always nervous when I’m playing golf because it’s more about you know, it’s not about how I play, it’s it’s gonna hit somebody’s window.

Nish: 37:20

You know that type of thing. So did you find it hard?

Jim: 37:21

yes, both of those rounds yeah, okay, and did you it was mentally tough, I think, for me did you find at any point that you were like do you know what?

Nish: 37:27

I’m not enjoying this now. No, no, I still enjoyed it.

Jim: 37:32

Yeah, yeah, I did I was, I was I was. I was glad because, because, because the wheels came off at the at the end, towards the end in abu dhabi, I was glad to finish. I think it might be different if we stayed and stayed another night.

Chris: 37:43

Well, I had to drive back and then yeah, yeah, your mind’s kind of shifted to starting to I need to drive home rather than three and a half hours just to drive you know, I’m gonna get back about half eight, nine o’clock.

Jim: 37:52

I’ve got shit to do to get ready for the week, yeah.

Nish: 37:55

I remember at one point I sort of looked over at you and I thought and we discussed it in the review, didn’t we?

Chris: 38:02

we felt like we’d lost you for a minute, like he could walk off this course now happily and just go we’d have said Jim after that first tee shot, he just had a look in his eye, just go straight across, go and talk to.

Nish: 38:17

Denny and test him on Newcastle United. So, because I was aware of that, tried to and I, you know, I fully admit I probably didn’t go maybe as far as I could have done, but I tried to put your score into perspective a little bit because I was like you know you’re scoring well, considering, you know this is a tough course. Whatever, you just got a six on that and that was a power five and that’s a good score, all that kind of stuff. Did you find that it was it’s so difficult that you couldn’t see through that, or could you work your way through? I mean, you got through, you finished it. But I’m trying to think, was it, was there anything that you you could have done that might have helped you maybe enjoy it more? I don’t know. Or did you get the most enjoyment out of it that you probably could have done?

Jim: 39:04

I think, a little bit more consistency in practice. Um, I think it’s getting used to playing 18 holes, isn’t it? If you’re not used to it, then you’re concentrating for four hours, four and a half hours. I don’t think I really let the shots get to me that much. I get frustrated, of course, if you do, if you duff it. I’m thinking I’m better than that. Come on, I shouldn’t be playing shots like that.

Nish: 39:32

I should be able to hit it, you know a good few hundred yards, and then it’s scuttling along the floor. There’s also another thing in that. So well, we shot in the 80s and you got 106. That’s 25 more shots than we played like.

Nish: 39:39

That’s significant, it’s in terms of the physical aspect, the physical aspects of it and you know, a lot of that was probably from the rough and things like that, where you just I’ve got, I feel like I’ve got to put more energy into it and you know that’s taking it out of you a bit more well, there is that.

Jim: 39:49

Yeah, I’m trying to shoot love so I can say conserve that energy kind of rebel, or a monster or something I don’t touch them.

Nish: 39:56

Two bananas, mate. That’s, that’s a secret. But um, yeah, I, I just, I just find it. I just find it interesting because, again, I think it was what I think sylith was like the third time I’d ever played a Lynx course. I feel like even now we’ve only played what?

Chris: 40:11

were the first two times Nish, I can’t say the place’s name.

Nish: 40:13

It starts with Royal.

Chris: 40:16

Rounds with Earthdale.

Nish: 40:19

Just going to keep coming back and forth. Yeah, I feel like that fear factor of a links course has disappeared really quickly because we’ve only played five courses, of which S&A probably we would say that was a. Really true, that was a bit of a mixture course.

Chris: 40:38

It is a bit of a mixture. It doesn’t feel you know.

Nish: 40:40

Aberdovey, royal St David’s S&A. Moortown wasn’t Moortown, it was Heathlands, or something I mean. Even in that, I feel like that intimidation factor has disappeared. I’m not.

Chris: 40:52

I’m not like looking at it going yeah, yeah, I know what you mean, but I think two things.

Nish: 40:58

Yeah, yeah, we’ve not played anywhere where the rough’s been up that’s true, yeah, yeah, which we will do later on this year. Yeah, so, like Scotland, you’re going to get some proper rough air.

Chris: 41:07

Yeah, and we’ve not really played anywhere with wind. We won’t in the full 10 years, chris.

Nish: 41:13

True.

Chris: 41:13

I mean, Friday is like 20 degrees and it’s April. What’s going on?

Nish: 41:16

If anybody wants to play, just put golf around about when we’re playing.

Chris: 41:19

Yeah, yeah, just come, yeah, yeah.

Nish: 41:28

That’s just it. And chemtrails are spreading around like just in the weather. No, but it’s, it’s. I mean, long may that continue. You got absolutely that kind of thing. You know all that, all that can continue, I get it. I get that. But I think also, if you it feels, it feels to me like it’s one of those things where you know you can play your way into something, can’t you a little bit? And if you play your way into courses in good weather, in good conditions, rough’s not up, yeah you, if you, I feel like I’ve lost that fear factor off I mean think about lean’s goal as long as you’re accurate, you’re fine, that’s it.

Nish: 41:54

So I’m, you know, picked up a few lessons from having yeah, what you should do.

Nish: 41:59

Yeah, um, I feel like when we do inevitably hit because we are in the uk, we’re going to hit some shitty weather at some point that feel better mentally prepared for that. But if you don’t have experience of that first time playing we got so lucky again with the two days, but even with the two days like RSD day, the weather was blinding and we came off that course and weirdly, I was more tired after that day than having played the second lot of 18 after Abu Dhabi. I don’t know whether it’s because we dehydrated.

Chris: 42:33

I think we were just sitting and waiting around in the sun a lot, weren’t we Just kind of gave that general kind of tiredness?

Nish: 42:38

That kind of nice weather just eased you into it. You know, I don’t know. If now we said we’re going to go and play a tough links course, jim, you’ll come and play with us, take away all the other stuff around it as in terms of a course, is that something that fills you with dread nervousness? Actually, I’m just, I’ll be excited to play?

Jim: 43:04

no, I really would. Um, because would? Because I thoroughly enjoyed both days. And golf is a great sport. You know it really is, and I’m starting to enjoy it as I play more. You know more and more and more, so it wouldn’t fill me with dread, I think you’d probably. You know, as you become a better golfer, then you start to adapt your game a little bit more as well, don’t you? And when you can play a little bit better, rather than just hitting hope as opposed which is what a lot of golfers do, including myself.

Jim: 43:37

So it’s not, it’s not quite like that um, but you know, getting used to the clubs as well, that makes a big, big difference from thinking getting there slowly, I mean I don’t practice, so I need to um. But yeah, no, it certainly doesn’t put you off. It didn’t put me off at all. No, no.

Nish: 43:50

I think that’s an important point, isn’t it again? Somebody’s like going right, you know it isn’t going to put you off your game of golf. You might shoot high, you might not, you might hit a good day, all that kind of thing, all those things that’s just generally like. If I look around at Reddish Vale, it’s the same thing. You’re like, yeah, if the weather’s awful that day, your mood changes accordingly and and it’s impacted. But that’s interesting that you’re not totally put off, and it’s like actually not put off at all not totally.

Nish: 44:19

Yeah, that’s good. That should be encouraging for anybody who does want to. Well, I’m thinking from the point of view of somebody who is listening, who’s like I’m gonna play one or two courses in my life that are like these top 100 courses. We’ve obviously we’ve waxed lyrical about abu dhavi and how good that course is to go and play and it’s worth the effort, definitely. But if you do catch it on a bad day, you could do howling wind and and whatever, and you’ve pre-booked your round and you’re gonna go and do it, can you? Can’t really get out of it, can you? You do it, yeah.

Jim: 44:49

That’s part of the game, isn’t it? It’s part of life. I hike quite a lot. You can’t choose the weather and the mountains it could be blowing 50 miles an hour. Erri, as we’ve heard, erri.

Nish: 45:00

Yes, yeah, yeah, there as well.

Jim: 45:03

Yeah, it could be pissing it down. You just dress appropriately for the conditions and then you just get on with it. Simple as that. It makes it more difficult, but does it reduce the enjoyment A little bit perhaps, but you’re there for a particular reason.

Nish: 45:19

So I’ve been building up to this. Do you fancy playing instead of me on the Hodgkin course, because it sounds really hard. Pumpers are not my forte at all.

Jim: 45:30

Well, the answer is no, because it’s a challenge and you’ve committed to it already. So, um, can I not live vicariously through you? I don’t, I don’t think that would. That would stand up in the terms and conditions I’ll get you a mask.

Nish: 45:42

You can wear a mask, okay. Well, I am still excited about this course actually, because it came about very quickly. Yeah, it’s available, we can do it.

Chris: 45:53

Yeah, but actually then you start reading about it and, yeah, I think I think it’s gonna be one of those again that we, we don’t really have any expectations for it. We’re going in there thinking, oh, it’s gonna be hard. I think we’ll probably come away going that was actually loved it, yeah yeah, it’s a bit like with more like with Mortan yeah, exactly really low expectations.

Nish: 46:09

Yeah, we were kind of like I just know a little bit about the history. We don’t know much about the course. I mean, what were your famous words? I think I like this place better than Silith, silith, yeah she took that back really quickly, though, yeah. Mr Cumbrian took it back. He’s like please don’t, don’t, don’t take my, my citizenship away from me.

Chris: 46:31

You’re still number one, I’m I’m fascinated to know what cause topples sylith for you, or he’s already predetermined nish that there isn’t going to be. There isn’t? It is number one. We can just.

Nish: 46:43

We can just scratch off the other 95. All of these messages, now the context, it all makes sense. Now For me, silas stolen one. Oh right, yeah, is that right yeah?

Chris: 46:53

okay, I should have said before we started this challenge this challenge was all just born out of me. I’ve just joined the Cumbrian golf board.

Nish: 47:00

That’s what it is, so I’m just promoting Silas Essentially this whole challenge is about. You know, I’m glad we got to it four episodes in.

Chris: 47:07

We just finally just saved you nine years, nine and a half years. So just got to the truth, yeah I’m glad you confessed to that, chris.

Nish: 47:15

I will add now I think we’ve we’ve finished our review, haven’t we? I think we’re preview. I should say we’re ready for the ready for the challenge ahead. Uh, but we have put things that we’ve mentioned in this episode, like the signature hole challenge that’s up on the website, which is top 110 have we actually done the signature what’s?

Chris: 47:33

so we’re just. The challenge is well, the bunkers, or are we doing what’s? The signature hole?

Jim: 47:37

no, that’s the the signature hole is just the low.

Nish: 47:39

Yeah, yeah, sorry side is the bunkers signature is just the usual, just just the I’ll just rock up by.

Jim: 47:46

The highest number of bunkers that you get into means that you lose.

Nish: 47:51

Just to clarify oh, I’m glad he did that. And what?

Jim: 47:55

about, because I know what you’re like.

Chris: 47:59

Mr T and C. Here comes Pedant’s Corner, so another episode.

Nish: 48:06

I need a jingle for that. Pedant’s Corner. So you go in a bunker. I need a new episode, another episode. I need a jingle for that. I need a jingle for that. Da, da da pedants corner.

Chris: 48:11

So you go in a bunker right off the tee you try and get out of the bunker, comes back in the bunker. Is that two bunkers or is that one bunker, one bunker. So if you take ten shots to get out of a bunker, that’s still one bunker, it’s just finding the bunker in the original.

Nish: 48:25

This changes everything. In my favour. I think that to be fair because I’m not going to get out. So that’s fine, that’s good for me, right. It’s just finding the bunker in the first instance, if you find the bunker, that’s a notch on your score, yeah.

Chris: 48:41

And then whoever’s got the highest loses, Even if it comes out, hits the turf and then comes back in the bunker. Still one bunker.

Nish: 48:48

Fucking hell right, we’re really getting technical now. Okay, what if? What?

Chris: 48:52

do you do for a living?

Nish: 48:55

I’ve got another thing. What if you play your tee shot? It lands in the fairway, a magpie picks it up and drops it in the bunker. Does that count?

Chris: 49:00

Good point. We should have provision for that, because there is. What course is it? Is it a Halston Hall?

Nish: 49:05

It’s called an Albert Shrock.

Jim: 49:07

I don’t know. I think there is a bird of prey as such, but a big bird.

Chris: 49:13

Albert the Owl.

Jim: 49:14

Who steals the golf balls and moves them from?

Chris: 49:17

the fairway Puts them in the pro shop Impossible. There’s a famous the seagull picks a ball up, doesn’t it?

Nish: 49:24

Is it saw grass or something like that? Picks the ball up and drops it in the water oh, I don’t know what is the yeah, so the rule is just that’s it. You lost your ball.

Chris: 49:31

That’s the nature no, I think you get to replace it if it gets moved by it.

Nish: 49:35

If it gets moved by something else you can I mean, I don’t know, it depends how, uh, how much time you spend on instagram. I’m on there all the time, but I don’t know if you saw. Recently they had a, a tournament, I think it was in Hawaii actually, and there was an absolute unit of an alligator in the world.

Jim: 49:54

Oh yeah, yeah. Yeah, I’ve seen those. It looked like a dinosaur, that thing.

Nish: 49:58

I was like imagine you’re playing your shot and you’re just on the edge of that rope and you just hear a rustling behind you. I mean no, thank you.

Jim: 50:05

So I played. I saw the one where there’s one of the golfers, he’s walking down and he alleges just on the side of the lagoon and one of them just jumps and screams and runs away. And if the one just taps it in a fucking but I’ve done this, so I’ve played play golf in florida, so we were living.

Chris: 50:20

So we went for a couple of weeks, went to disney and we had a house on the, on the golf course, basically, um, and we’ve been there for about a week and everyone said, oh yeah, all these ponds full of alligators. Not seen a single alligator all week. So me and my dad, like halfway through the whole day, go out and play a round of golf, play around a golf. Dad hits the ball down near the, down near one of the ponds, goes and plays his shot from what he thinks is next to the log no kidding hits the ball as he starts walking off this alligator and runs into the water. It the water. It was right next to him, wasn’t it? It was literally from a metre gym away, so a metre away from him, and he hits his ball and the thing just scuttles off into the water. I mean, and then from then on we just saw alligators everywhere.

Nish: 50:58

Yeah, he spotted them everywhere and because he hadn’t seen them, he was like whatever so no one in the end. There’s one at the end of the pool uh, so many logs on this course, yeah, yeah, oh, my god, it’s just so untidy, it’s weather, like you know, the trees fall in over all the time.

Chris: 51:16

How windy does it get in florida?

Nish: 51:18

I swear that. I’m pretty sure that log will just wink to me.

Chris: 51:21

I’m pretty sure it winks at me.

Nish: 51:23

Imagine that as a thing that you need to I mean it’s an extra hazard. Yeah, I know some people I won’t name any names, but I know some people who are tight, as you like, when a ball goes into the rough. They will take their full three minutes looking for the ball, golf ball, right.

Chris: 51:37

I would love them to try that when they know there’s alligators in the rough, you go, look for your ball mate, dive it into the pond.

Nish: 51:42

You Plenty of times looking for yours. You go, look for it now you have to look for it, not letting you off.

Jim: 51:48

Well, I hope you have an exceptional round anyway, it’ll be a great day out and I look forward to hearing all about it. Yeah, what?

Nish: 51:55

time are we Tina 12. Yeah, lovely middle of the day time, Just kind of spitting it down here and there. Oh yeah, I think we’re going to need that.

Chris: 52:05

Take a tangerine, take your sunscreen, sunscreen, yeah.

Jim: 52:08

Take a tangerine as well. More important than a tangerine and a few bananas.

Nish: 52:11

Take your tangerine that’s a new catchphrase Take your tangerine, oh God, yeah, I love that. Yes, okay. So I think we’re done with that now, aren’t we? We’re all good. Good to go Should be a good day. Well, no, it’s not going to be a good day. It’s going to be a bloody great day. It’s a Friday, hot Playing golf At the home of English golf At the home of English golf. It’s like, yeah, it’s like making a pilgrimage.

Jim: 52:46

Sure, that’s like, is that not?

Nish: 52:47

St Andrews. It doesn’t have a ring to it, does it?

Chris: 52:49

it’s more like the Cardiff Stadium, isn’t it when Wembley is out of commission? Yeah to.

Nish: 52:57

St Andrews like an FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park that’s what it is. Yeah, wonderful, right, we’ll have a good round. Of course we will report back on our round. Of course we will report back on our round and let you all know how that went. We’ll let you know, jim, and fingers crossed for a signature hole, par 3. I’d love to do that on a par 3, it’d be great. I think I’m getting a bit competitive with this signature hole now now it’s gone down on YouTube so competitive that you just started cheating wow, this is so cordial, isn’t?

Nish: 53:31

it is that why I’m in the middle 34 love it, uh, but yeah, please, if you could uh like subscribe, share the episode. Yeah, it’s great, it’s nice. Actually, we got we, we ended up on the Japanese top 100. I think we were like I took a picture because I was like what has happened here?

Chris: 53:53

You what we ended up in the Japanese top 100?

Nish: 53:56

For podcasts. Oh right, okay, golf podcasts, not just it’s golf podcasts. Yeah, we are in the charts in Japan at 48. That’s a new entry. How many Are there?

Chris: 54:06

even 100 different podcasts in Japan at 48. That’s a new entry. How many Are there? Even 100 different podcasts in Japan?

Nish: 54:11

There’s probably 48, but it’s fine. It counts as the top 100. I’m going to sound a bit mushy about this, but it does gladden the heart when you see stuff like that. I mean, the South African one was crazy for me. I was like when are you now? Though?

Jim: 54:23

in. South let’s not, let’s not. Is it like top of the pop?

Nish: 54:26

so you’re going to the let’s not focus on South Africa now let’s not.

Chris: 54:32

Let’s move on to Japan. Come on, jim, let’s move on to Japan.

Nish: 54:34

Times have changed 48 come on, japan, do your thing, get us, get us higher up those rankings next time on the top 100 in 10 golf podcast.