Hindhead Golf Club Preview

Nish: 0:00

Every story has an ending. Does our quest to play the top 100 courses in 10 years have a good ending? I’m Nish, aka Mr Hole-in-One.

Chris: 0:09

I’m not responding to that, I’m.

Nish: 0:12

Chris, I’m Jim. We’re here to guide you through this golfing journey. This is the Top 100 in 10 Golf Podcast, Episode 35, Hindhead Golf Club Preview. Hindhead Golf Club preview. The official top 100 in not top 100 in 10, because that’s our website. The official top 100 golf course website says the front nine at Hindhead is laid out through heather-strewn ice age valleys and a back nine plays on the hillside Heathland plateau. The location is not only breathtaking, it’s truly beautiful. I think we’d all agree that with having seen the. Yeah, I mean it sounds.

Chris: 0:50

It sounds it’s an epic introduction, isn’t it? But yeah, I think, like you’re saying, when you look at it. Yeah, and I think often when you look at these, you look at these courses on a website, you go it looks nice, but it’s it never quite does it justice. It’s like when you take a picture on your iPhone and you go this is beautiful, and you take a picture and you’re like that looks terrible. I feel like you often get that with these golf courses.

Chris: 1:10

You don’t quite get the undulation and kind of the feel for it. So I mean it looks absolutely mega.

Nish: 1:16

I’m like giddy with excitement for that front nine. I think I am as well. I think I a terrible front nine.

Chris: 1:21

But I’m so excited about playing this. I mean, it looks brutally hard, doesn’t it? There’s no room anywhere. There’s no room forever.

Nish: 1:27

It’s, it’s. Everything is. If you’re on the side, you’re stuck in heather on a really steep bank. Yeah.

Chris: 1:36

You’re going to somehow make your way down and get like, yeah, I think it’re both going to fall in love with that front nine. I think it’s going to be one of our favourites. Just looking at it, it feels like it plays into a lot of the things that we like about golf courses. It’s got that and it’s ranked. It’s ranked 91 91, so it’s pretty low down there.

Jim: 1:55

I didn’t know that actually is it 91 91. I thought that’s 40 in the British and Irish it’s 91 GB and I yeah.

Nish: 2:05

I feel like I feel like I need to for anybody watching this. I feel like I need to explain something. It is like 35 degrees today. I’m wearing a Glastonbury shirt that cleared as ventilated, as I thought it was, and it’s so hot I feel like my shirt’s the polyester is melting into the back of this chair, so my hand keeps going to the back. Please forgive me, and I’m wearing nothing below the table. That’s the way we like it.

Chris: 2:28

Chris.

Nish: 2:29

So I will tell you and I’ll regale you with a tale of how this round came about. So we are being we’ve been invited by a gentleman called Andrew who is also, with his friend Tony, playing the top 100 courses in the UK I think it’s UK and Ireland he’s trying to do Right, okay? How long has he been doing that for? Well, I don’t know. Actually, I didn’t ask him.

Jim: 2:52

So you don’t know how many courses he’s done?

Nish: 2:54

No, we’re not good mates just yet. I think we will be after we’ve played this stunning golf course. But I’ll paint the picture for you. So I’m in Mallorca, it’s pretty hot, everyone’s like just had breakfast, let’s go back up to the room, get all the stuff, get ready to go to the beach. So you know, at that point you’re pretty fed up because kids aren’t eating anything and you know, you just like get everything going whatever.

Nish: 3:20

I pick up my phone, so Emma starts moaning at me for reading my phone. So picked up up the email and it’s like there’s a new email waiting and somebody’s filled out a form on the website. So it was from Andrew and basically what he said was we’ve just come back from playing the same Welsh doubleheader we did Royal St Davies in Aberdovey. We listened to your episode about Aberdovey and there’s a few things that would be great to chat about, just to see what your experience is. Obviously we know what your experience was, but you know, want to know from what ours was and we think hind heads on your list. But if it is on your list, we’d love you to come down and play hind head with us. And I was just like I don’t care what’s just happened at breakfast.

Jim: 4:05

This is like the greatest email I’ve ever received, um so shameless plug if you are a member at a club that is on our list.

Nish: 4:12

You can actually email us through the website. I was refreshed to know that the actual web form works, considering you created it.

Jim: 4:19

Yeah do you not test it well? Details, details. No, I mean, I was like maybe there’s been loads of invitations we’ve passed up on.

Nish: 4:27

But then as I started chatting to him, so he said I’ve got my own feed as well, but it’s all private. You know that kind of thing because it’s a personal journey I’m capturing, but it’s great. You know he’s done really well on his Instagram feed. But he was like, oh well, but so it’s me and Tony, so we’d obviously we’d like to play with you when you come down and he goes, but I’ve got loads of friends around here and I’m sure we could get them on at like Lippock and we can get you on a Huckley Common.

Jim: 4:53

And I was just like because that was, that was kind of one onto those schools, surrey is, I mean, there’s a lot down there isn’t there yeah.

Chris: 5:03

I don’t know what, like seven or eight courses, I think down there there’s a lot of courses.

Nish: 5:06

yeah, that kind of Surrey area.

Chris: 5:08

Yeah, it’s not really an area. I’ve got loads of contacts in no, dan Seff, dan Seff.

Jim: 5:14

I probably have from work.

Chris: 5:15

Yeah.

Nish: 5:29

But obviously you don let’s cultivate these contacts. But I mean genuinely like just chatting to him, lovely chat, really really nice and then he’s like leave it with me, I’ll get it all sorted, like I can get you booked in a hind head. And then in like next hour another email drops in and he’s like I spoke, we’ve booked, let’s see time. I’ve spoken to the club and you know I’ve asked them that it’s their interests to get somebody on the podcast to talk about the golf club to you guys. You know it’d be really really good. And I was just like, oh my God, that’s another, that’s brilliant.

Chris: 5:49

We loved that at ABBA W. It was fantastic. Yeah, absolutely. It makes a big difference, doesn’t it?

Nish: 5:53

And he’s like we’ll get you on to. I’ve got friends at the other two courses, we’ll do the same thing and coming up, I think a great to get his story on the podcast. That’s great for us as well to talk about. Yeah, absolutely, and it was just like this is getting better and better and our absolute gent he’s been so good at organizing stuff and keeping us informed of what’s going on and there’s a bit of a hiccup with. He thought we might be to go to some to lip hook and that’s not happening. It’s hanging coming now. So he was like oh great, and if you know you need advice and a place to stay, we can help you out. It’s not right? Great, well, look, we’ll do that first night and we’ll we’ll. You know, we’ll take you guys out for dinner and that’ll be really nice to do so already, looking forward to that, looking for the course anyway, but then looking forward to just like meeting a really nice guy yeah, yeah.

Chris: 6:36

And then we’ve said it before, haven’t we? But that this journey kind of set out as us going to try and play some golf courses, but but it’s become so much more than that, hasn’t it? It’s become so much more about the people and the journey and kind of the invites and all that kind of stuff. That’s the kind of stuff that makes it more exciting. Ultimately. It makes it more fun, it makes it more of a journey rather than just us playing some golf courses.

Jim: 6:55

And sharing those experiences with other people who are doing a similar challenge as well?

Chris: 7:00

Yeah, absolutely, and helping each other out share the story and pray in that community yeah absolutely exactly, and it is that it is a real community, isn’t it, which I didn’t even realise existed before we started this?

Nish: 7:11

I think you did Chris, I think you knew you and I knew, I knew.

Chris: 7:14

I’ve been trying to get into the community for years.

Jim: 7:15

Nish, yeah, we were an angry young man, weren’t we, when you were not gone?

Chris: 7:18

I’m still an angry Banish, just less young.

Nish: 7:21

Yeah, I wonder is this your way of circumnavigating any bands that you’ve had at some of these conferences?

Jim: 7:28

Oh, this must come out on one episode when has Crispin banned from? I don’t think there is a story there.

Nish: 7:35

You can make one up, though that’s fine, yeah, absolutely, I love it, absolutely love it. So that’s how it came about and I will do a shameless plug for that bit of our site because it is on the form. We do say if there is a place we’d love to come and give you a match, come and play and a chance to be in the podcast, it’s great. I mean, people love telling their story, don’t they? So that’s wonderful for us because it’s interesting, because people listening to us are people interested in playing these golf courses.

Nish: 8:01

Absolutely Find out about people, and you’re like yeah, yeah, great, and we we already found out from from Mark. We’ll mention him again Cause he loves getting mentioned, doesn’t?

Chris: 8:08

he.

Nish: 8:08

Mark, uh, he’s, when he’s? Uh, he managed to play a golf course as a result of being put together.

Jim: 8:16

Yeah.

Nish: 8:16

Two people listen to the podcast. I love stuff like that.

Chris: 8:21

Yeah, it’s nice that we can create our own little community, isn’t it? It’s a? It’s a nice little little added added benefit on the side, isn’t it A hundred percent.

Nish: 8:28

It makes all the like getting emails like that and doing the communication like it feels like an absolute joy to do, Like there’s no chore about that, yeah.

Chris: 8:39

It’s all. It’s just a genuinely when you’ve got to play golf with me. But there is that.

Nish: 8:42

Yeah, yeah, We’ve got to do four hours on the way to drive down as well.

Jim: 8:45

That’d be nice, we’ll win a little bit longer, is it? I was in Hindhead a couple of weeks ago, oh well, yeah, not the golf course Difficult route. Well, you’ve got to try and avoid the M25. Cut through the A34. Frank.

Chris: 9:00

This is top 100 girls partridge.

Nish: 9:03

Harbinger of doom over here so let’s do a little bit of club history which I’ve sort of gleaned from the website. I’m going to make a point about their website actually, which is well worth a visit. It’s not the standard top 100 course style website which I think I really liked because everything’s samey samey. I think it’s almost the same. People do all of the websites but ain’t brokenish, yeah, but I mean it’s kind of like speaking of breaking, I’ve just pressed the button on my microphone.

Chris: 9:33

I’m not sure whether I’m broken.

Nish: 9:34

Yeah yeah, I think you’re fine. I’m fine. Good, it might be good. You muted fantastic love it best episode ever yeah, me and jim had a fantastic chat so it was founded in 1904 by a bunch of enthusiasts which included elementary, my dear watson sir arthur conan doyle. Now there is a picture of him on the website and obviously it was the fashion of the day, but terrible left elbow like oh, I’ve seen his picture.

Chris: 10:02

Yeah, it’s just like that’s terrible golf, terrible, terrible golf terrible terrible golf stick to the writing my friend, stick to the writing um yeah, I think, of all of all the courses we play, there’s always I feel like there’s always one kind of figurehead person that’s been there but that’s got to be, got to be the the most famous. That’s a big. That is a big, isn’t it?

Nish: 10:17

big hitter along with david lloyd george, who was an honorary member there as well. That was after Sir Conan Doyle convinced him to move into the area, so he bought a massive tract of land and then yeah, just you know, he became an honorary member of the golf.

Chris: 10:32

I don’t know whether he gets played or not. Two pretty big hits isn’t it really massive? Absolutely massive, but the land where it was the land where the David Lloyd George we’ve got to thank for pretty much all the issues that are going on in the world right now, haven’t we Pretty much?

Nish: 10:49

Why have his tennis clubs caused a problem? But the land was called Little Switzerland because of the clean air around it.

Jim: 10:59

I don’t think that’s going to be the case now so close to London, but, yeah, little Switzerland.

Nish: 11:05

It was called uh and initially it had 10 holes and it was two guineas to join. I know what two guineas is in modern money, but it was two guineas to join. And then they eventually opened 18 holes a few years later with a match involving mr james braid, who has had his grubby little hands on the design of this golf course and he’s becoming a very familiar name. I think there’s a lot of good golf holes we’ve played that james braid has designed, so yeah, yeah um, should we maybe just start talking about how absolutely fucking epic this front nine looks like?

Nish: 11:39

yeah, carved out through sage valleys, right, right and it’s quite rare that I go through the course flyovers and I was like, oh my God, that’s going to be a great T-shirt. Oh my God, that’s going to be a great T-shirt. Oh, that’s going to be a great T-shirt. I was like I think I might have like the full front nine going into Dream 18.

Chris: 11:57

I’d kind of read something before I looked at any of the pictures and I read something that said every time I stand up like I played this multiple times every time I stand on the second tee at hind head, I think why is this course not not higher in the rankings?

Nish: 12:08

that is on the official top 100 website. Yeah, I think it was.

Chris: 12:11

Yeah, that’s where I read it, exactly where I read it yeah and then I was all right, fair enough, yeah. And then you look at it and you go oh oh yeah, that’s what I text you. I was like oh, you kind of like first hole, it looks quite nice, the second hole, oh, and then it’s basically that whole front nine looks absolutely epic, doesn’t it say? Like it’s totally a kind of valley. Yeah, beautiful kind of tree line, heather lined, it looks, it looks awesome it’ll be scorched in august tricky particularly.

Nish: 12:34

We’ve got fifth heat wave of the year and yeah we had this really tender moment as well, jim, when we were discussing this front nine. So we’d obviously we knew we were doing the preview. This it was. It was over the little fence, let’s see how excited chris was getting.

Nish: 12:49

So we were, we were chatting, and I said have you looked at any of these videos of the of hind head? And he was like, yeah, like eyes wide open and like both of us are just like eyes on stalks. At that point it was like that front nine looks absolutely amazing. I can’t. And we played it in summer.

Chris: 13:07

Yeah.

Nish: 13:07

It’s going to be in full blue.

Chris: 13:09

I thought it had little feel of like Queens it did.

Nish: 13:13

At Gleneagles I don’t know how much we both love that. Yeah, that’s right up my strasser. Yeah.

Chris: 13:18

So I think it’s going to be. I think it’s going to be one to suit we wanted to do was both that Lots of short little par 4s just through little valleys and stuff and raised greens and greens down below and stuff.

Nish: 13:28

I was excited about playing anyway, just because of the way it came about. But I think now, having seen the course, I’m like this can’t come round quick enough. I’m still almost three weeks off, but I almost kind of want the next round to be over quickly so I can really start ramping up and looking forward to this. But the kind of want the next round to be over quickly so I can really start ramping up and looking forward to this. But, um, the kind of general observations about the the course were that it seemed there was a real friendly vibe came through from the website. If Andrew’s as a member is anything to go by, then 100% the club are also very forthcoming in saying, yes, we’ll get somebody available to to be on the podcast and and what have you.

Nish: 14:06

So that that was great, uh, but on their website even they call it a challenging golf course yeah so I think we’re in for a visually great day, yeah, but I think, but a brutal one, brutal one, yeah, absolutely I don’t mind that.

Chris: 14:22

I don’t mind that at all. I don’t mind beating up a little bit. If it’s in beautiful surroundings, that goes for anything outside of golf.

Nish: 14:27

Where do you sit on this gym, like we’ve we’ve talked about this a few times, me and chris but where do you sit on wanting a course to be difficult or wanting a course to be visually good to look at, like what’s your take on it?

Jim: 14:44

oh, the visuals every time? Yeah, absolutely yeah, standing on a tee going you can stay there for about 20 minutes just looking at it, thinking wow, this is amazing. Drink it in sort of thing, absolutely yeah yeah, I think I think I stand.

Jim: 14:59

You want it to be a challenge, not um, of course, because that’s why you play sports. You know it is about that challenge, isn’t it? But yeah, I know the visuals are stunning and the vista. You know, walking around just thinking, yeah, yeah, you know little Switzerland. I mean what? I don’t think it’s little.

Nish: 15:17

Switzerland anymore mate, you know the air’s definitely not clean.

Chris: 15:20

Yeah, the M25 has been built since then.

Nish: 15:22

Yeah, but yeah, the M25 has been built since then. Yeah, but it’s got some unique features as well. There’s a lot of uniqueness kept coming through with this whole golf course, because that’s.

Jim: 15:33

Where are we? It’s raining tennis balls.

Nish: 15:35

It’s raining tennis balls in Chris’s backyard. We are actually If you’re listening and not watching watch this episode because we’re in new surroundings. We’re at Chris’s house today, so yeah, and I think we’re getting attacked by tennis balls from the tennis club, or?

Jim: 15:48

from your garden.

Nish: 15:49

Actually, it’s probably my boys next door. Yeah, that, yeah, that’s it, tina. What are you doing? Sort them out? Uh, but the it like the uniqueness keeps coming through with a lot of stuff and there’s little things. Like they’ve got five t’s to choose from on each t box, which is quite that’s. I don’t. You don’t see that that often, do you? I?

Chris: 16:04

think it’s becoming more. It’s becoming more common. I think people are doing it more often, I think, to make some of these more challenging courses available to for everyone to play right.

Jim: 16:14

So I think that is becoming more common.

Chris: 16:15

So, like it used to be, like you’d have whites, reds, yellows and that was it. You’d have junior tees maybe, but yeah, it’s like purples and greens and all sorts coming into the game Like to the point where you get up to the tee and you’re like I can’t remember which color I’m playing from yeah, yeah it’s, and beyond that, yeah, it’s a bit confusing.

Nish: 16:39

You know I’m a massive golf traditionalist, right Always, but it is messing with my kind of like playing golf now because it’s like yellows. It’s all yellows, isn’t it? That’s fine, and we’re playing a comp at West Lancaster, so we’re going to be on the white tees for that, but suddenly you’re getting like black tees put in there and yeah, like purple tees.

Jim: 16:57

And like purple teas and yeah, what am I supposed to play off here like this is just make it easy black tea, you go off the black run, so you’ve got to go up through the heather room.

Chris: 17:00

Yeah, you’re gonna play that way. There’s danger signs when you get there I’m a simple, simple man.

Nish: 17:04

It needs to be made simple for me, but the what I do love as well. Quite there’s a few things that are traditional, so like I love the first tea and the 18th green, overlooked by the clubhouse I like that it’s always yeah, it’s always good, that’s great, yeah, you know just for just for that pre and post round.

Nish: 17:22

Just sitting there watching watching people suffer is is ideal when you’re having this when you’re having your, uh, your club sandwich but yeah, the course overview was excellent in my opinion on their website like full-on excellent, I think it was it they cover everything, so it’s like they see the t’s yeah, they see, like the approach shot on the green stuff you can visualize it really really well, which I think we’re gonna need, and then then this is the weird bit. It sort of you obviously hit the top of the hill or something, don’t you, and you just hit this, what seems like the back.

Chris: 17:52

Nine is just flat. Just flat then, isn’t it? I mean you it. I guess you get up into a plateau and then you just play on the top then A tapui.

Jim: 17:58

A, what those things they have in Venezuela? A tapui, yeah, what’s that?

Chris: 18:05

Isn’t that like a big rodent?

Nish: 18:07

No, no, it’s the flat, isn’t that a fish?

Jim: 18:10

It’s a plateau on top of a hill.

Nish: 18:11

Is that what it’s called a taputi?

Jim: 18:14

I had to bring some geography into it. Don’t know, you know what I’m like. It’s my only decent topic scars and screes.

Chris: 18:18

Been watching racing across the world too much.

Nish: 18:21

Yeah, like it goes totally flat like they still look great the holes, like don’t get me wrong, but it feels like a total, like like a totally different golf course yeah, that’s going to be a bit anticlimactic playing it that way, so you play these beautiful.

Chris: 18:35

I mean everything I’ve read. Sounds like the Bracknan is equally as good at testing golf. Just a different test, yeah.

Jim: 18:44

Nine holes when it goes up under late and you’re scaling the matter horn.

Nish: 18:47

That came up a few times. It was like you’re up and down a lot. I mean, actually that’s quite a lot like where we play, Reddish Vale, where it’s quite hilly and I think we’re going to have the carves are going to take a bit of a battering. I’m glad we’ve got trolleys, not carrying a bag that might be a bit brutal but you’ve got and it feels like it’s just like this front nine. It’s just this roller coaster the whole way. But I’m guessing at that time when we’re playing as well, the heather’s going to be in full, Should be absolutely perfect in the middle of.

Jim: 19:16

August. Perfect in what way. Perfect for you to lose as many balls as you can. Well, yeah.

Nish: 19:23

Perfect for a sadist like Chris.

Chris: 19:25

Whilst you’re losing the ball, at least he looks pretty. The smell really.

Jim: 19:28

Yeah exactly.

Nish: 19:29

A highlight for me seemed to be the sixth hole, which is a par three from an elevated tee. Yeah, I mean, that’s great because it gets you thinking straight away, doesn’t it, what club you’re taking all this kind of stuff. But yeah, which is the signature hole as well. I’ll just hole in one, mate, because I’ll be able to see the ball going this time. I don’t know if you know, but I’ve got some tags in my bag now to say I’ve got only one of this day.

Chris: 19:51

Were you not there? I wasn’t there. No, Were you there.

Nish: 19:52

No, no, no.

Chris: 19:59

Who were you playing with it’s?

Nish: 20:00

a figment of my imagination. Who were you playing with Nish? You signed a ball.

Chris: 20:03

That’s why I got him to sign it.

Nish: 20:16

I signed nothing that many bunkers.

Chris: 20:19

I don’t think it really needs them by the looks of it?

Nish: 20:20

No, it doesn’t look like it needs them.

Chris: 20:21

Plenty of trees and heather and hills to keep you entertained.

Nish: 20:26

Yeah, it was an odd, not odd it wasn’t odd, sorry, but it was like the bunkers weren’t distracting you from because we played a few courses recently, haven’t we that have been just.

Chris: 20:34

Yeah, it feels like a lot of the courses the last two basically haven’t we. It’s two of nine, so it does feel like a lot.

Nish: 20:41

Yeah, but I think they’re like, and they don’t seem like this is going to be good for me. They’re not like cavernous things, they’re just potentially get outable. Is that a word? Get outable, not with your swing, it’s not.

Chris: 20:55

But, then, Play backwards.

Jim: 20:57

Nish, Play backwards.

Nish: 20:58

Get your sneaker cue out, nish. I mean right, if I say to you, give me the name, the quintessential name, that is, the voice of golf, through growing up watching golf on the TV, what name would come to your mind?

Chris: 21:15

Is this you trying to get back to Nick Doherty again?

Nish: 21:17

Yeah, I’m trying to channel it. I’m trying to channel, I’m talking a little bit like him, but no, I’m not really. I wish I could.

Chris: 21:24

but no, I mean, there is only one voice of golf. What a legend, right, one voice of golf Absolutely legend.

Nish: 21:29

He was an honorary member. That Hindhead. And apparently next door, apparently Next door, opposite the club. Yeah, and that’s why there’s a bar named after him.

Chris: 21:38

Probably. Yeah, he was in there all the time.

Nish: 21:39

I frequented it fairly regularly. It’s great, isn’t it that? And apparently you mentioned Hindhead loads of times.

Chris: 21:48

I’d never heard of Hindhead. I can hear it, though I can just hear it. You know, like Tera Ice was always continually going on about like centenaries of clubs and just chatting about little quotes and little stories from the clubs that he’d been at. So you can although I can’t necessarily remember a Hindhead specific one you can hear it almost, and how it would have sounded and how he’d be talking about it, can’t you?

Nish: 22:05

I’ll miss him on golf commentary, you know, yeah, some of the stuff he used to come out with is absolutely brilliant. I mean, ultimately, the BBC’s pretty much got rid of their golf commentary since he left, hasn’t he really? Since he left us. Yeah, I don’t know who does do it now. Whenever they cover the final rounds and stuff like that, I don’t know who the main lead commentators are. I don’t know actually, oh well, lovely chat that. But yeah, I mean, they’ve got loads of pictures and stuff up so I’m going to be going that you’re allowed mobile phones in the clubhouse.

Nish: 22:35

Yeah, well, that’s true, have they?

Jim: 22:36

got any specific rules, any strange rules.

Nish: 22:39

Not that I can see, and actually there’s not that emphasis on the website about stuff like that.

Chris: 22:44

No, and I noticed through reading through it. It definitely feels like sometimes you read it and it gets you back up straight away, doesn’t?

Jim: 22:51

it.

Chris: 22:52

I think it feels like one of those places that’s genuinely welcome and open to visitors coming.

Nish: 22:58

I think, they say yeah, visitors and members for the day.

Chris: 23:00

Yeah, you know, you’re here to enjoy the course, and we will, and sometimes that gets said, but then it’s backed up by like a long list of rules and regulations and things you shouldn’t do and where you should be and where you shouldn’t be, and it didn’t feel like that at all.

Nish: 23:11

It didn’t have that vibe at all at all about it. And there’s, you know there’s been, throughout the history of the club, there’s been a strong emphasis on on women’s golf and, and actually probably quite not uniquely, because it’s not that’s not going to be the case, but forward-thinkingly I’m making up all sorts of words this time after several of the top positions in the club have been held by women yeah, which is especially these traditional, yeah, these traditional clubs thinking yeah, I think I get that.

Nish: 23:35

It’s kind of like the tradition bit is like for the nuts and bolts of the game of golf, but actually it’s a relatively forward thinking. Yeah, yeah, just, I mean, friendly and inviting is always a yeah stuff that you’d love to hear.

Chris: 23:46

It’s um it’s going to be interesting actually, because I think there’s almost like a little mini competition, not a competition, but there’s like a little like a, that mini area, that kind of surrey area, where there’s I think I’ve not counted them but there’s like a little like a, that mini area, that kind of surrey area where there’s I’ve not counted them but there’s probably seven or eight of the courses that are on our list, maybe even more than that. They’re in that, in that one little area. Really, isn’t it just kind of west of london?

Chris: 24:04

yeah it’s almost like a little, a little, uh inbuilt competition to see, see which is the best yeah, how can you outdo each other? So the classics out there, right, but um, it’d be interesting to see how these lesser known ones stack up to those kind of bigger boys.

Nish: 24:17

Yeah, I mean, this is 91, isn’t it? So, in theory, a bit like Abu Dhabi, places like that, you know it’s the experience at the club is what? Probably no, but that doesn’t help with the rankings. I realise that because it’s about the actual course, but it can’t be a coincidence that it’re that, that it’s a nice place and therefore it, yeah, appears and stays and sticks around in the rankings. And you know, again, from the point of view of somebody listening to this, thinking, is hyundai a place I’d like to go and play? I mean, already we’re excited about it there’s a few courses.

Nish: 24:50

We’ve had that and we were like we’re excited about playing this golf course because of the course Great, but actually some non-golf course related to this club stuff, so that’s going to be great. And then they also have something called an artisan club or they have artisans at the club. Do you know anything about this? What artisans are?

Chris: 25:10

Well, I know what an artisan is, but I don’t know what it is in the context of golf. No, I don’t know what it is in the context of golf. No, I don’t know what an artisan is in the general context. Maybe you tell me that and then I’ll see if that dovetails with. Well, an artisan is like someone who’s crafting something or making something themselves, kind of thing.

Nish: 25:22

Yeah, and can charge you an extra 20% on top because it’s artisan.

Chris: 25:26

Yeah.

Nish: 25:27

Yeah, okay, so I don’t think that dovetails in anything.

Chris: 25:31

Maybe that’s what artisan means. That’s my taking of what artisan means. What a great segment that is, I love it.

Nish: 25:39

So artisans I came across the term artisans in golf when I first played at the club that shall remain nameless that starts with a B and ends in Irkdale, and they have an artisans section, I suppose. So it’s a class of membership at a golf club and it’s usually a lower, much lower cost and they as part of that lower cost and so it’s quite a really old tradition. So a lot of clubs used to have this and then that’s been phased out and probably because a couple of finances and whatever. So at irkdale bay the artisans have their own clubhouse right, which is on the back of the fifth green I think, or the sixth t, either one of those, and they have set times because it’s reduced. They have set times. They can place between the hours of seven and eight am. Am. Nobody else apart from artisans can play in the dirtdale right, okay, they have total right. So normally pedestrians and whatever, because it’s right of way right of way.

Nish: 26:44

Artisans have rights of way over right somebody else playing this is definitely already making me rethink what artisan means. Yeah, exactly, I was like maybe I shouldn’t have asked that question at the start, and. And then one of the other things with the deal is, then, is that they help with the maintenance and upkeep of the course.

Chris: 27:01

Okay.

Nish: 27:01

So they have an artisan section.

Chris: 27:05

Well, maybe that does lend itself because they’re kind of crafting and working and making things.

Nish: 27:09

Maybe that’s what it is, but that’s what it is, and I think that’s a lovely old tradition.

Chris: 27:13

Yeah, yeah.

Nish: 27:14

You know and it’s you don’t come across it that often it’s the first one that we’ve come across.

Chris: 27:20

Yeah, it’s not so long ago In the 10 courses 11 courses now so far. So one to look out for, I think.

Nish: 27:25

Artisans maybe. But yeah, I feel like I’ve just kind of done a bit of a brain dump of all of my stuff the brain dump of all of my stuff than my notes which I’ve now run out of. So what do you want to say, brain dump? What do you want to say? What do you want to say about Little Switzerland? Sounds like you’ll have a great time. I mean, it’s going to be special. Member 100% is unbelievable. First real foray down south. We’ve only hit the Midlands so far, haven’t we? With Woodall Spa, yeah, yeah, so that’ll be interesting, you know.

Jim: 28:02

It’s Lincolnshire, isn’t it, rather than.

Nish: 28:04

What.

Jim: 28:05

Woodall Spa or Lincolnshire.

Nish: 28:06

Oh, woodall Spa or Lincolnshire. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So this is Proper SAF. Yeah, actual SAF. Yeah, yeah, actual saff yeah. I’m quite looking forward to it. So right, we’ve got two things we definitely need to get out of part of you. Extract from you Jim okie dokie. What is?

Jim: 28:22

the signature hole? Well, the signature hole is the par three hole six, sixth, so it’s the downhill.

Nish: 28:28

It’s the elevated tee. Oh yes, I mean I know who’s going to win that, but hole in one ridge.

Chris: 28:36

I’ve said that on my home course that I grew up in Kendall there is a big downhill par 3, terrible sloping green which was like my arch nemesis. I hated that hole, so maybe there’s a little bit of oh the doubt is creeping in already talking myself out of it, you are absolutely.

Jim: 28:55

I’m just lulling you into a false sense of security yeah maybe you might have a chance, Nish.

Nish: 29:00

Oh, it’s mind games, isn’t it?

Chris: 29:01

It is, isn’t it Mind?

Nish: 29:02

games, absolutely. I think the only other elevated tee shot par three we’ve played so far is Silith. Do you remember the one that it’s like the fourth?

Chris: 29:13

Oh yeah, oh God yeah, and we had a mare, both of us on that one, didn’t we? I shanked three balls into the, you did Into the rough.

Nish: 29:19

Never to be seen again, mate, I’ve got this in the bag.

Jim: 29:22

Signature hole challenge.

Nish: 29:24

I’m eating into that lead. It’s coming up, it’s happening. I’ll just wheel out another hole in one Right. So that’s a signature hole. Yeah, that’s a signature hole yeah, so we need it to, obviously, whoever wins that, whoever wins that hole. I will this time make sure you go first.

Chris: 29:38

Just go back to the hole in oneness, just go on. Let’s just rewind a little bit. Rewind who hit the best shot?

Nish: 29:44

on that par three? Well, clearly me, because it went in the hole.

Chris: 29:48

No way beautiful shot. So I’m not having that. It was by far the best. So I. So I hit. I hit a beautiful shot in there and I was like that’s you did, that’s a great shot. You all hit a good shot. It wasn’t a bad shot but mine was better. So when he was walking up to the green kind of walking up and you can’t it’s, it’s it’s raised green to get right to the top and you, just as you get above, like there’s only one ball there, maybe one’s gone through, and I was like I don’t think one’s gone through, at that point I knew one of the balls was in the hole and I was like it’s got to be mine, like mine was clearly, clearly the better shot, clearly clearly the better shot.

Jim: 30:24

And then as I think he shanked it off a tree trunk and it’s gone clearly, as I’m not in mine, is it like it’s just not gonna be mine.

Nish: 30:32

It has to be fucking niches did you have like a full-on bit of like dread looking at it.

Chris: 30:36

I was like I did, I was like don’t be niches, don’t be niches, don’t be niches, don’t be niches, it’s fucking niches. Be honest, so be honest right be honest when you were did you buy a round for everyone?

Nish: 30:47

I didn’t know I liked it.

Jim: 30:49

I liked it I brought be honest.

Nish: 30:51

Most times we’re at the bar so, so obviously you knew where your ball was as we were walking up to the hold, were you just like please, let there not be a golf ball in there? Please, let there not be a golf ball in there.

Chris: 30:59

I was absolutely. I just knew it in my heart of hearts. I knew it was your ball. I was like, yeah, because I thought I did a good shot.

Nish: 31:10

Mate, if there was somebody sitting at the 10th tee watching us teeing off on that hole they’d have been like. These two are unbelievable players, yeah.

Chris: 31:19

But this, by the way, isn’t verification that it actually happened, even if this is live on air no, no, no, no proof.

Jim: 31:24

I don’t think which hole it was Reddish Rail.

Nish: 31:26

Yes, uphill, it’s the uphill par 3. The you know, the one where you can’t see the hole.

Jim: 31:32

Oh, yeah, yeah yeah, the really easy one. Yeah, I almost got a hole in one of that.

Chris: 31:37

For fuck’s sake so did I, jim.

Nish: 31:39

I must give a plug for our previous episode because I went into quite a lot of detail about the hole in one with halves on that one and I did say when we’re next episode we’re going to have Chris live, so I want to get his reaction and his thoughts on it. Love that I absolutely. Please let it not be in there. Please let it not be in there. Oh no, he’s not again.

Jim: 31:58

Never get out of the oven of this, that’s two.

Nish: 32:02

But it’s July.

Jim: 32:03

You’re very right to be concerned about it.

Nish: 32:06

The signature hole challenge mate, that’s it. This is my moment. I think, yeah, but it doesn’t happen when happen to be fair, like and your, your shot was, it was, it was the perfect shot for that hole, the shape was great on it and we were just like, I mean, that’s on the flag, mate, yeah, and then mine was pretty good, it was a good shot, baby draw on the flag bounced I’m being slightly facetious.

Chris: 32:30

Good, good, only slightly only slightly yeah right that’s signature.

Jim: 32:33

He loves this. He’s just never play up to it. Never play up to it, Mate.

Nish: 32:36

I am just Do you know what? Like, because this time round it was I don’t actually even. I think it’s because this time round there was more opportunity for me to document it, Whereas previously it was like oh, yeah, great. Done. I mean, my kids were just like on to the next T, they didn’t care at that point. But yeah, okay, that’s the signature hole challenge. Yeah, so that’s what are you setting us as a side bet I?

Jim: 33:02

mean the club’s got a lot of history, but it’s never hosted the Ryder Cup, of course, so there’s no match play.

Chris: 33:08

Well, there’s some historic match play, matches that have taken place. There are, yeah.

Nish: 33:12

And it was. It had five years as an open qualifying venue as well. But then, and this thing, the course record, bear in mind all those like pros, I suppose playing golf.

Chris: 33:22

The course record remained intact, so it plays hard, and it was the club pro. I think as well, I think so, yeah, yeah.

Nish: 33:28

So it’s, yeah, tough, old, but yeah, what are you setting us? Are you getting creative with this one, or are you going to be an artisan?

Chris: 33:35

Who smells the least of heather after the 18 holes?

Jim: 33:39

Well, I mean, that was quite an obvious one, really. Who’s going to do the smell test?

Nish: 33:43

That’s just reminded me of something. Actually, what are?

Jim: 33:45

you holding on? No, well, yes, of course.

Nish: 33:49

New development. So we’re going to play West Lancs just this coming Thursday. I’ve ordered, in a stroke of genius, I’ve ordered brand new golf balls with our logo on it, because I know I’m going to lose a load as in top 100. Some people might as well find the golf ball see the logo. Hopefully go and listen to the podcast.

Chris: 34:09

There, you go.

Nish: 34:10

So if you find one anywhere at any of these courses, get in touch. Sounds like an expensive advertising for you, that is yeah, If you find one anywhere at any of these courses get in touch.

Chris: 34:15

Sounds like expensive advertising for you. That is yeah. Yeah, I mean, I bought lake balls. It’s like 20 balls a round.

Nish: 34:19

Yeah, what 200 top-flight lake balls.

Jim: 34:21

It wasn’t too expensive, mate, but if you find one get in touch?

Nish: 34:24

That would be amazing. I’d love that. Probably should have put that on the message, didn’t I Get in? Stick it in somebody’s house or something like that. Then they can sue you.

Chris: 34:33

I’m sure these days you can put a QR code on a golf ball, can you? Yeah?

Nish: 34:37

that probably would have been the thing to do, wouldn’t it? Damn it. I’ve ordered quite a lot of them. Next order would be different.

Jim: 34:44

But yeah, go on. Then, Jim, what are you thinking of it? I think it’s in terms of the side bet, bearing in mind how excited you are about particularly the first nine holes.

Chris: 34:53

Right? Who can scream with the highest pitch?

Nish: 34:57

I like that. That’s an easy slam dunk win for me, that Slam dunk.

Nish: 35:06

Yeah, I think it’s the aggregate score of the first nine holes, okay, and are we doing that net handicap adjusted? Yeah, great. Because I look back at and it’s a bit of a shame we didn’t cover it this way when I look back at Ganson, because Ganson was going to be match play, right, so, gross, you just absolutely wiped the floor with me. Yeah, but Net, you won two and one. Oh, right, okay. So actually that’s quite exciting, isn’t it? If, if you knew that the system works, the system works, yeah, so that’s what it’s there for, to keep it close. If we’d have known that and we probably would have kept tally of that as we were going, that’s quite an exciting finish to it. Yeah, yeah, lowest net, I would score over the front nine, the front nine, so hopefully they won’t spoil your enjoyment too much.

Jim: 35:50

I don’t think it will.

Nish: 35:51

I don’t think it does, anyway, you know. But yeah, okay, that’s good, that’s new.

Jim: 35:55

Yeah, when you’re absolutely knackered going up and down those hills.

Nish: 35:59

I know. I mean it feels like because you’ve got all that undulation and there’s a lot, it feels like there’s a lot of elevated tees. You can probably get away with irons and stuff, can’t you off the tee.

Chris: 36:07

It’s going to be a lot.

Nish: 36:08

Damn it, no, nish.

Jim: 36:12

It’s the drive of this. Don’t do it. You have to go for it every single time, and when you don’t, you know what happens. Listen, buddy.

Nish: 36:19

I’ve got 200 golf balls with our logo stamped on it to lose. So I am spraying that ball everywhere You’re going to overthink this now, aren’t you?

Jim: 36:28

I’m just going to carry a load with me and just drop them around everywhere strategically.

Nish: 36:33

Just for somebody to that would be great if somebody got in touch and said yeah, we found one of your golf balls, and come back to the course of your Muppet and pick them up it’s in my garden.

Chris: 36:41

How many did you lose?

Nish: 36:44

the pros. It’s kind of messing with the pro really, because he can’t resell those golf balls can he?

Nish: 36:48

he’s like oh no, there’s logo stamped on this one, not those, not those guys. I’d love to find one somewhere. That would be amazing, like somebody buys them like late balls, and then Sells it back to you. I find it back on the late ball website. Yeah, absolutely, yeah, great, okay, look, really looking forward to that. That’s a couple of good. That’s a good sidebar. I like that. It’s a long. It’s a long one, isn’t it? It’s not like one hole or anything like that, so that’s quite good. Anything else you would like to cover about Hindhead?

Chris: 37:17

I think so. No, I think we’ve covered everything.

Jim: 37:20

I look forward to hearing all about it and hear about it.

Nish: 37:24

you shall yeah.

Chris: 37:26

For the next ten years.

Nish: 37:27

We’ll have a good tale to tell.

Chris: 37:27

Particularly if he gets into the hole in one I definitely won’t verify that.

Nish: 37:32

If it happens on an official Top 100 course.

Chris: 37:35

I wasn’t there. I’m gonna. I’m gonna scrape it. I’m gonna scrape it off the top 100 list.

Nish: 37:39

Harb’s, uh, harb’s made a really, really good point, because he went oh, did you? Did you have your camera in your bag? And I was like I should just do that every time I play golf. Now should never happen. This just never always have it there it’s not on instagram, never happened yeah, that’s yeah funny. What, what a moment, what a moment. Completed it, mate.

Jim: 37:56

Anyway, the fact, the fact when this episode goes out and you’ve been going about this hole in one for quite some time. You know, I think there’s going to be quite a few people waiting for the hate yeah, that’s a good point actually.

Chris: 38:08

Yeah, I didn’t think about that, I think there is a rule that what if you get a hole in one and don’t buy a drink afterwards? Everyone you tell afterwards you have to then buy them a drink. I’m pretty sure that’s the way it works how many listeners have we got?

Jim: 38:21

get yourself down to reddish fire. When are you next playing this? It’s just us three listing over and over again you’re over egging it, alright, thank you, gentlemen.

Nish: 38:29

That’s covered our excitement, I think, adequately, hasn’t it? Now, before we sign off, we’ve got a massive favor to ask you, our loyal listeners. We’re going up for a People’s Choice Award in the British Podcast Awards and we would love to get nominated and take on some of the real big boys in our industry. So these awards are usually always won by kind of agency run podcasts and podcasts that have massive marketing budgets. We do all of this ourselves. We do all of our editing, all of our production, all of our recording. It’s all done in each of the kitchens in our spare time, and we love to fly the flag for independent podcasts.

Nish: 39:14

So if we could really trouble you for a nomination. It takes less than a minute to do. We will drop a link in the episode description. If you just follow through to that. You register your email address, make sure you tick to not receive the marketing communications, because we don’t want you to get spammed, and then you just vote. Search top 110 for the podcast you want to vote for, pop your vote in and it would be amazing if we could even get a nomination. That would be unbelievable. So we could just ask you for that small favor today 30 seconds of your time. We would absolutely love it, and let’s hope we get a nomination next time on the top 100 in 10 golf podcast. We’ll be previewing the second course on our surrey trip, which is hankley coven.