Is 3 The Magic Number?

Nish: 0:04

Every story has an ending. Does our quest to play the top 100 courses in 10 years have a good ending? I’m Nish and I’m Chris, and we’re your hosts guiding you through this golfing journey. This is the Top 110 Golf Podcast. Episode 6 is 3, the magic number. Good things come in threes.

Nish: 0:29

So what would our round at the famed links of southport and ainsdale golf club bring us? It has a reputation among the purists for being a tough but fair examination of your golf. But what? How would we find it so soon after our last round? This is a tale of contrasting fortunes in the heather and bunkers of this hallowed ground. Now we’re missing one of our usual co-hosts. This time. Jim has some life admin to be getting on with. I do question his commitment to the podcast, but we’ll allow him some time to sort his life out. Loser. He’s had time to send some questions over, though, and I’ll try my best to replicate his insight and wit. So I think, because we’ve not got Jim guiding us through this, I’ve had to be a bit more structured with how we do it, so I sort of divided it into pre-round our golf, yeah, and what we thought of post round chris. So I’m going to try and be jim as much as I can, and then we’ll maybe get to the side bet somehow.

Chris: 1:35

Maybe I don’t know it’s not going to be a good look, that nish.

Nish: 1:37

I don’t think well, he should have his matching. Uh, I know we’re all fully hoodie, fully branded top 100 in 10 emblazoned.

Chris: 1:46

I know I’m glad I didn’t spell anything wrong.

Nish: 1:48

Imagine that. Um. So yeah, I mean we we obviously had a full day. It was an invitation by, uh well, paul, jim’s mate, yeah, and his friend matt, who’s a member at sna. We got invited by them, so we we’re very grateful to be invited along, and it was nice playing with a member, wasn’t?

Chris: 2:10

it. It was nice. It was a really fun day, wasn’t it? I think they were both really good company, I think, for the round, weren’t they?

Nish: 2:17

Yeah, good value, weren’t they yeah?

Chris: 2:18

definitely Good value, definitely.

Nish: 2:19

Good fun, yeah fun, yeah definitely, yeah. Good fun. Definitely it was nice sort of uh, I don’t know, it was nice having somebody just to tell you you might have thought you’ve hit a bad t-shirt, but actually that’s okay, you’re gonna find it there yeah, like he knew, he knew his way around, didn’t he matt?

Chris: 2:37

he has a bloodhound spot in a golf ball wasn’t he yeah, yeah, he probably saved us about 10, 10 balls yeah, the day, didn’t?

Nish: 2:43

I think so, oh yeah it’s just there.

Chris: 2:44

It’s like oh, I thought it was 50 yards further down the fairway trying to think about golf balls.

Nish: 2:48

Now did I lose?

Chris: 2:50

I definitely lost one I think I only lost a lot.

Nish: 2:56

Yeah, we’ll maybe get to that in a bit. Hey, chris. Um, yeah, so obviously we, we went. It was an early start and it was like well, I don’t know what was it, I think we had to set off at seven, I think in the morning. Yeah, we did. Yeah, it was really dark, wasn’t it?

Chris: 3:08

Yeah, we set off but yeah, I think on the way out, mabel said to me Daddy, why are you going to play golf at night time? Yeah, that’s pretty brutal, isn’t it?

Nish: 3:29

It’s good question, but it’s the only thing you’d be. Well that, and a holiday is the only time we get pitch black, um, so yeah, obviously we had a good drive over and actually I don’t think we actually spoke about, if I can recall, about our expectations of the round. I think we just kind of chatted about life. I think a bit more. Yeah, I think it was?

Chris: 3:38

yeah, it’s a bit a bit of a life chat, wasn’t it too early, not too early morning?

Nish: 3:42

yeah, yeah, lucko sleep but, um, yeah, so we, obviously we, we turned up and um interesting entrance to where the golf club is, because it’s just like I think the sat nav was like just going, oh yeah oh yeah, yeah, it’s still 15 minutes away are we?

Nish: 4:00

what’s going on here? And then you sort of rock up and got to get a code to get into the um, the car park, but anyway. So we set ourselves up and again constant theme. But we were a bit of weather watch with me. It’s like got there and it’s raining. Yeah, hang on a minute. There’s no forecast that says there’s any rain.

Chris: 4:17

Yeah, I think the forecast was for zero percent chance of rain and we got there and it was raining. I was like, oh god, here we go. It’s gonna be a long, a long, wet, windy day. This is not the start we were anticipating.

Nish: 4:28

Um, yeah, we went and checked ourselves in. Yeah, um, which was an interesting experience. Everyone’s allowed to have an off day and you don’t know what’s happened to somebody, so obviously there’s all those caveats involved in it, but we didn’t get the warmest of welcomes as visitors.

Chris: 4:49

Definitely wasn’t the warmest. Was it now?

Nish: 4:50

No, it’s hard to say I think the question was I mean, bearing in mind we’re signed in with a member yeah, and the pro knew Matt because he told us he’s at the range. Yeah, yeah, I think what was the question now it was have you played here before? And no, we haven’t actually.

Chris: 5:11

All right, okay where do we go with that?

Nish: 5:15

you know, it’s like okay, yeah, fine right yeah, and we, you know we were even honest enough to go, by the way. We’re paying the higher signed in rate because matt would have been chased for that, yeah, otherwise, um, yeah, I think because we were so uh enamored to how eddie was at more town, yeah, I think it was a.

Chris: 5:37

It was. It was a contrasting um welcome, wasn’t it?

Nish: 5:41

opposites, I think yes, yeah it was. It was interesting. I mean, we’re happy-go-lucky chaps, I think. Yeah, I think so anyway, unless actually you are a miserable git. Um, it had the chance of potentially setting the tone for us, that, didn’t it? I think we, we sort of both, I think I certainly did.

Chris: 6:06

I recalled a little bit at that because I was like yeah, it kind of puts you a little bit on edge, doesn’t it? Yeah?

Nish: 6:11

you know it’s, but, but whatever, it’s fine. Like I say, everybody’s entitled to to an off day. Yeah, and it was early, don’t get me wrong. It was early, so it’s you know, get all of that and and we’ll put the asterisks asterisks by that. Um, contrasting to that, matt was amazing as a member to play with. He was fantastic. But then everybody else that we saw said good morning yeah, very friendly.

Chris: 6:35

Yeah, it was very friendly, got a good kind of scouse welcome. Yeah, it was great. Yeah, yeah, it was, you know everyone how are you doing?

Nish: 6:42

you’re okay and, and just around the practice screen, it was, it was lovely, it was yeah, yeah, so that was that was nice, it was nice. I’m saying just that was our first interaction and we’re like, oh okay, yeah, what are we in for here? Um, but yeah, so there’s that. Then, obviously, we went to the driving range and we’re spoiled. Now we sort of expect a pyramid of golf balls waiting for us? Uh, didn’t happen. What did you have to pay for? 30 balls? Was it 30 balls?

Chris: 7:13

I think it was like 1 pound 50 or something. Yeah, it was a random number for a random number of balls it was like once, I think it was 175 for 30 balls.

Chris: 7:21

Speaking of the pyramid of balls, okay, so I saw something on I don’t know it was on instagram or something this week, um, about a dare manor. The dare manor is obviously one of the courses on the top 100, yeah, and when you go to a dare manor, I mean you, you’re paying through the nose to play there, right, yeah, but you do get an actual pyramid of balls and they’re actual tightness proby ones whoa.

Nish: 7:43

So, yeah, just more town, take note. Yeah, exactly, you have been trumped. I can’t believe I said his name, but yeah, you’ve, you’ve been toppled. Yeah, I need that. I think I want to. That’s, that’s the one, isn’t it? Even though it’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s just a cage and there’s poor. I mean that that’s living vicariously, isn’t it? Absolutely feel like a pro here now. Yeah, amazing. But yes, no free range balls. And the range was short, wasn’t it? I think it was only like 200 yards so you couldn’t get a driver out to have a practice.

Chris: 8:18

Hit your driver I mean I can’t let my driver more than 200 yards anymore anyway, so not really the point in my head I can.

Nish: 8:27

So, uh, yeah, so that that that was a bit strange because that’s probably the one club you’re gonna hit most, apart from putters, when you’re gonna hit most of yeah, um, but actually it didn’t really bother me that much because I’m not a massive warm-up person, although I have noticed this time round so I’m a turn-up play just kind of get on with it, have a little bit of stretch and that’s it. But I think you like having a few hits, don’t you?

Chris: 8:57

If I could have an hour, I would. I’m not getting up at six. I would definitely take that every time. I would take an hour to practice properly.

Nish: 9:05

I mean how many balls would you like to hit in an hour?

Chris: 9:08

It would probably be like half an hour of putting 10-15 minutes of chipping and then 10-15 minutes on the range. That’s probably a wise move, though, isn’t it?

Nish: 9:19

Yeah, I’m definitely a warmer upper. I mean, maybe my front 9 scorecard, which we’ll get to in a bit, but maybe that was evidence of a bit of practice does help. Yeah, he definitely does.

Chris: 9:30

He definitely does there’s definitely some science in there, somewhere, I’m sure.

Nish: 9:33

I’m sure I’ve just been going out. No, no, no, just don’t let any bad thoughts get in your head. Just get on and get on and play. But yeah, that can’t be good for you, can it? It can’t be now, otherwise everybody would be doing it, wouldn’t they? Yeah, it’s the easy way to do it?

Chris: 9:47

um, are there any? Are there any significant pros that just I imagine someone like john daly probably just rocks up and john daly’s got to, he’s got.

Nish: 9:54

I mean, the guy smokes 10 fags before he starts, yeah, and then that’s it. He’s done. John daly, was it all right? John daly obviously does have that reputation. Probably does do that. Is there anybody else in the pros? I mean I would have said Miguel Angel Jimenez, but then I’ve seen him do his warm-ups.

Chris: 10:10

Oh yeah, that’s a pretty wild one, isn’t it?

Nish: 10:12

Yeah. Yeah with his slinky hips.

Chris: 10:17

I mean probably not anymore. Maybe sort of 10, 20 years ago, yeah, but probably not so much anymore.

Nish: 10:22

They’re all highly trained athletes. I don’t think they can afford it socially now can they, if they get spotted, just rocking up and getting on with?

Chris: 10:29

it. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, there’s still this Charlie Hall. She has a lot of cigarettes on the way around, doesn’t she?

Nish: 10:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean she also does a lot of work in the gym. I think as well, but kind of counterbalances that though, because there have been occasions haven’t there when players have. I mean, famously, rory nearly missed his tea time, didn’t he? Uh oh, was it them augusta, was it? Yeah, I think it was, wasn’t it? Yeah, and just had to like rock up and and tee off. Yeah, do you know if he had a good round that day was.

Chris: 10:55

It was what I mean. The the more famous one is scottie scheffler, right got arrested arrested pre-masters. That wasn’t a great one that’s that’s awful.

Nish: 11:03

That wasn’t it absolutely terrible? Scottish, there’s a world number one golfer. Yes, I could cart it away. Um, yeah, I don’t know. I’d like to know. Actually, yeah, do they? Or maybe they’re just machines, aren’t they? So they’re programmed. I do my warm-up and that’s how I know.

Chris: 11:19

I think it’s the other way around. I think they will need that one, but they’ll be reliable. Yeah, that’s what I mean, like yeah that sets them in the mood yeah, yeah I’m now in game mode and, yeah, interesting.

Nish: 11:28

Yeah, yeah, I don’t think my tactics gonna well, as evidenced by my scorecards, to be honest, but, um, but then obviously we didn’t. Uh, I’ll, we’ll talk about the clubhouse now. We know we went there afterwards, yeah, but we had a little walk through, we had a sneaky peek didn’t we?

Nish: 11:43

and yeah, again, just reeks of history, didn’t it? Yeah, the red coats everywhere. It’s on on our um, on the blog that we’ll we’ll have associated with this, this episode. We’ve got the pictures of the, the presentation jackets and all the trophies and yeah, then they had the rider cup lounge, because, again, the two-time rider cup venue, yeah, yeah that was great.

Chris: 12:03

That was great walking around there actually beautiful room, wasn’t it?

Nish: 12:06

piece of history, wasn’t it? Yeah, just yeah, I think again. I’ve got a picture of a beat your pole program from whatever it was, 37 or whatever it was yeah yeah, I think they, they really. I really like that clubhouse actually, and then we walked around afterwards, didn’t we? And I’ve got a couple of snaps, but that was a nice place to have either a pre-game drink or a post-round drink yeah, and a snack. Yeah, um, again overlooking, uh, uh. No, it’s practice, green. It was overlooking, wasn’t it?

Chris: 12:34

it was but all the first tea as well I suppose yeah and the 18th green. Maybe just about see that from there I think you could do, couldn’t you?

Nish: 12:40

but yeah, but okay, well, you brought us on to Chris. Oh dear, the first tee, the first tee.

Chris: 12:46

The first tee. Well, we’ve done all right on the first hole. I mean we’ve done more than all, I mean relatively compared to the rest of the round. I mean the first tee shot was fantastic.

Nish: 13:00

I uh, bring it back to me for a second. I should have birdied that one, shouldn’t I? I think, yeah, bringing it back to me for a second I should have birdied that one shouldn’t I?

Chris: 13:05

I think, yeah, I bottled that putt you did totally. Pressure was on, I think, the match play situation just and he didn’t.

Nish: 13:09

Two on the first I read a break that wasn’t there. Yeah, it was. It was a makeable putt. Have I learned a lesson from that? Just go for it, stay loose and go for it. Smash it in the back of the hole, yeah, but yeah, I’ll go off that. We obviously did match play and that was our little thing that we’re going to do like a little match play competition. So we decided the teams and then Matt did that thing where I’ve never understood, whereas I would throw the balls up.

Nish: 13:34

Yeah, and I’ve never understood that, because Andrew at Reddish Vale always says you know, if you ever want a casual game, just turn up at 7am and you know we throw the balls up and we tee off. I’ve Googled it. I’ve looked on Reddit, everything’s like what does this phrase actually mean? So you’re a golfer? What does it mean? And I still don’t know how he decided those teams. So you three threw the balls up, didn’t you? Yeah, why is?

Chris: 14:00

it?

Nish: 14:00

I don’t know, I still don’t know, I still don’t know.

Chris: 14:02

It’s not something I’ve experienced before.

Nish: 14:04

I don’t know, matt how have you figured out who’s played with?

Nish: 14:08

it is it two balls that are nearest to each other. Is that what it is? Yeah, I don’t know. Yeah, let’s throw the ball right. And then I mean and also he didn’t ask me to do it, so I was like, I suppose, because we decided we’re going opposite teams, so yeah, so it had to be me plus someone else. This is golfing parlance. I don’t quite get it. Yeah, I don’t know. Is this going to happen when we do our mizuno pairs? No, hang on, but we’re on the same team, aren’t we? So that’s not going to be the case. I don’t get it.

Chris: 14:35

Yeah, I mean he was playing a five, I think, so he’s gonna be. It was really. I’d quite like to be on his team. I’m on your team, oh, great, yeah, great, oh, perfect, yeah, I don’t care. I don’t care how you found out why I’m on your team. That’s all I care about.

Nish: 14:49

Whatever the system is, it works.

Chris: 14:50

Yeah.

Nish: 14:52

Actually, we’ll say it again, it was great playing with Matt. I really enjoyed that. Yeah, I enjoyed getting a bit of info on the first on the tees. Yeah, yeah, you know where’s the kind of roughly to go for. Yeah, I’m not sure you got quite as much info as I did nish.

Chris: 15:07

There’s a lot of um quiet chats when you were when you were out here shot there was a few, yeah, I don’t think it was necessarily intentional but just just some little, just some little pieces of advice.

Nish: 15:18

We’re playing driver here. Yeah, yeah, is he taking the driver out? Well, luckily, the front nine, I was striping my driver. I really was. I feel a bit more satisfied about that now. I didn’t know that well, me and paul were really overt with ours. We were just like you’re gonna go for this, mate. Yeah, I’m gonna go for it. Right, let’s just go for it yeah oh, you’ve had a good one there.

Nish: 15:40

I’ll, I’ll, I’ll really try and hammer this one down or something like that. But but yeah, I really enjoyed that and actually doing the match play was really good as well. I mean, I won, so clearly I enjoyed that, but there was a potential sting in the tail in the match play. Should we do it? Should we?

Chris: 16:01

do the match play? Yeah, yeah, sure, yeah, I don’t think we’ve actually said the teams yet. So I did get Matt, you got Matt, so it was me and Matt.

Nish: 16:09

So I was pretty happy about that. You got Paul. I was ecstatic to have Paul on my team.

Chris: 16:13

Yeah, obviously you’ve played with Paul before.

Nish: 16:15

Good off the tee generally, great recovery, yeah, and just gets this run of momentum, yeah, and he just carries it through. I mean, he was just, he was just making pars for fun, wasn’t he? He was, yeah, he had this stretch of about six or seven hours in it, he was just, he was just there all the time they weren’t like.

Chris: 16:32

They weren’t like. Oh, mr verdiput knocked the power in, they were all. There’s some sort of like you say, some sort of recovery in there. Either he’s come out the rough and hit a good shot, or he’s you know, he’s hold a long putt, or he’s kind of chipped in close or something there was always some sort of he’s sort of.

Nish: 16:47

I think Paul knows he’s really good at golf. I think he knows that I think he does that British thing Nobody likes bragging, do they? Yeah, yeah. So he knows he’s really good at golf. He knows where his strengths and weaknesses lie and he plays his strengths really really well. But yeah, yeah, he’s not like screaming from the rooftops about how good he is or anything like that and then he might just his recovery. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen in the flesh anybody playing who recovers that well.

Chris: 17:16

Yeah, it’s been pretty impressive, wasn’t it?

Nish: 17:17

yeah, it was he just kind of like he didn’t.

Chris: 17:19

He didn’t look at any of his shots and go, wow, that was an incredible shot. But just add them all together and just kind of working shots and go, wow, that was an incredible shot. But just add them all together and just kind of work his way around the course. He was just scoring well, wasn’t he?

Nish: 17:30

Well, the amount of times I think in that stretch, there was a stretch where I had collapsed for like five holes. But in that stretch where he’d like maybe be a bit wayward off the tee, or even if he wasn’t, you know, you’d get somewhere and you go. Oh, it’s a powerful. I’m here in three, to the edge of the green, quite happy with that. Yeah, he was there in two, yeah, and then it was just like, can you convert and knock his back, which he did, yeah, but it was like, oh, okay, right, so he’s, he’s that shot ahead. Each hole, each hole, is that one shot ahead? It was great, right? Yeah, he’s good, he’s good, paul. Yeah, I mean, I’m glad he’s on my team on paper.

Chris: 18:10

On paper, we should have you know me and matt should have won that day, shouldn’t we? Yeah?

Nish: 18:14

you should have. You had this whole, uh weird conversation at the start, though you’re trying to figure out what your handicap was.

Chris: 18:20

It’s like well, it could be anything between sort of five and maybe 35.

Nish: 18:24

I mean, yeah, it was that that did make me laugh, because I genuinely I think at that point matt was thinking what’s this guy talking about? How can he be? What’s the range here?

Chris: 18:36

how’s he figuring?

Nish: 18:36

this out and also he’s on my team. He should be telling me what he’s playing off so I can work it out but yeah, I think, I think matt probably figured that out pretty quickly, didn’t he? Because oh, great change, mate, the grip change. How was it?

Chris: 18:52

well, should we talk about the putting instead?

Nish: 18:55

I mean, you’ve gone from moortown which was only what two weeks before, yeah, where where T to green, you were immense, you were averaging two shots from T to green, which is what you’d expect, right, but then you couldn’t chip and put for Toffee and you get. Two weeks later you get to S&A and you’ve just 180’d that apart, totally flipped it. Apart from the chipping, that was still crap. Yeah, I mean there was a chip when you basically missed the ball. I missed the ball. I’ve never seen that live.

Chris: 19:35

I’m not sure that’s ever been done before To make a full swing, take a divot and still miss the ball, can you? Overuse bounce. Is that possible? It was the opposite, because I was before the ball, so I just oh, yeah, you just dug it yeah and the ball went nowhere.

Nish: 19:48

It still missed the ball, I don’t know.

Chris: 19:51

I mean look this is in no way it was.

Nish: 19:56

It’s like whipping the there’s another guy, yeah, went out with Claudia Schiffer, went out with claudia schiffer, david copperfield, remember him? He was a weird one, it was. I wasn’t taking any satisfaction in this happening, by the way at all, and it was when you’re watching it you’re like oh my god, chris, what’s going on? Um, but I was absolutely square onto you when you missed that ball. Yeah, and actually I’m usually looking for my ball somewhere or whatever, so I don’t normally take this sort of stuff in. Yeah, yeah, I must have hit the green, so I must have been putting and just watching what was going on and I was just like how is that actually that? Physics dictates that shouldn’t happen. You’ve dug in, you’ve taken a divot and the ball’s not even oscillated. It’s just and actually, what was funny was that I think you were on the edge of a bunker as well, weren’t you?

Nish: 20:53

so you could have just rolled into the bunker but you didn’t even do that. That’s a saving grace yeah didn’t go in, save me a shot. Bizarre, it was a bizarre sequence.

Chris: 21:02

That wasn’t it. But yeah, I I mean my golf was. I mean, I’m not even sure if I can think of a word to describe it. It was so bad.

Nish: 21:11

And this is golf, ladies and gentlemen, because I would describe your golf as bad that day. I think your putting was excellent actually, yeah, and that has been. I mean, you nailed like a 40-footer or something, yeah, and it never went anywhere but going in, yeah, and it was definitely more consistent.

Chris: 21:30

Yeah, I mean, I’ve been doing a bit of work on that and that felt like it paid off. Yeah, that felt like it paid off 100%.

Nish: 21:35

I felt more comfortable over the ball. For sure, I think you should be pleased with that work. Yeah, I just don’t understand how you were so bad teaching.

Chris: 21:46

Well, now I’ve been for a lesson post post sna, I understand exactly how I was so bad, so next time on another podcast we’ll discuss what you’ve been what you’ve been taught.

Nish: 21:59

Yeah, I actually I joke. I think that’ll make a fascinating podcast to find out what, how your lessons are going and what they’re.

Nish: 22:07

Yeah, what you’re being told and what you’re picking up, because what I’m forgetting I mean again I’m looking yeah, and I’m looking at it from my perspective and I think I know there’s a lot going on and there’s a lot going wrong. Yeah, um, my front nine would suggest in there there is a decent golfer and I’m working out a system to work around all of that, but it’s interesting going. Actually, I’ve got somebody now who’s a paid professional to tell me how to tweak this to get it better, and I think that’s great insight to find out what sort of things he’s telling you about it is great, I think.

Chris: 22:42

I think you’ve always got. There’s always an element of pain, so you’ve always you’ve got to accept that it’s not just going to be. You’re going to go for a lesson, he’s going to fix you.

Chris: 22:50

You’re going to go for a lesson and he’s going to give you a month’s worth of pain to try and figure out how to change what you pain and you know I’ve been doing it since and I’ve played a few times since and there is there’s still a lot of pain in there, but right, but when the good shots come off, yeah, they’re so much better. So, like it’s just, it’s a process, right, and you’ve got to accept that that is a journey rather than just something that’s going to give you instant results and you’ve got to go and work at it yeah, and you’ve got to be committed to the the process of.

Nish: 23:18

Yeah, I’m going to make sure I do not mess with what he’s telling me. Yeah, is that yeah?

Nish: 23:24

yeah, I think so, yeah, I think so, yep maybe I haven’t got the patience for lessons, I don’t know, I don’t know. But anyway, talking about the actual golf, yep, so I’ve got a couple of notes here, obviously, and I’ve got par train. I’ve got, like I got five pars on the front nine. Yeah, you got four pars on the front nine somehow, which we have to put that in, because even that, I looked at the scorecard and I was like, how has he got four pars? I know what he’s been hitting off the tee and whatever. But I think that was testament to perhaps and I didn’t get a chance to look because and this isn’t I’m not saying this any kind of gloat your way or whatever but I played so well in that front nine. Yeah, I was usually fairway long way down.

Nish: 24:13

You were on fire, yeah, and I think you were spraying it, so I never got to see your second shot, and your second shot might have been actually getting up to my second shot. Yeah, I just didn’t see it yeah see it happen. Um, yeah, it was astounding that that happened in the front nine. Yeah, I couldn’t, I couldn’t, it wasn’t making any sense, but I think maybe that is yeah there’s a couple of long putts in there, wasn’t there, um?

Chris: 24:38

so I think that helped, um, and there was. There must have been a I can’t really I can’t remember at this point obviously the first decent, decent t-shirt, the first, so we were worried or I was worried anyway.

Nish: 24:47

I was like it’s a par three, yeah, starting hole in front of the members. We’re playing with a member. Yeah, it’s the first shot he’s gonna witness both of us playing. He either goes hello, this is gonna be all right, these guys are good or he’s gonna go oh no I’m in for a long afternoon.

Nish: 25:08

Yeah, what have I done? They’re gonna revoke my membership, etc. Etc. And I think who went first better. So I think you went first, didn’t you out of us two? Paul went absolutely first. Yeah, he went to the left, was it me? I think you went first, didn’t you out of us two? Paul went absolutely first. Yeah, he went to the left, was it me?

Chris: 25:23

I think you went first. It may first. Yeah, I think you have us too.

Nish: 25:26

Yeah, so I like nobbled a six iron up there. It landed well short, but rolled and rolled and rolled.

Chris: 25:32

Yeah, and probably within 10 foot, I think, yeah it’s probably, yeah, it’s probably about yeah, seven or eight feet away, perfect links, but yeah, shot wasn’t. It can’t see it. You can’t see it pitch, but you can see it roll all the way up to the hole.

Nish: 25:43

Yeah, I mean I manifested it being on the green. It wasn’t how I intended it to do that. And then you’ve gone and you hit yours and your contact and strike was right up there. Yeah, Perhaps the first time in the back, the only time. The only time, yeah it was, but then it sort of hit a bank on the back left and then came back and started rolling more towards the hole. Yeah, I think that’s when, matt, because he was on next and he was like oh, hang on a minute.

Nish: 26:06

Yeah I mean, I really pulled the wool over his eyes you did yeah he’s thinking we’re in for a win here yeah, nice one, yeah, then well, I’ll be.

Nish: 26:14

No, yeah, we’ll be disgusted. I’m I’ve totally bottled my putt. We should have gone, gone one up, then we should have done it. But I think, actually, because that hole went so well, I think I felt and this is now interesting, taking into the next few rounds, because, remember, I said after Sillith, I’m going to make sure if I play Lynx Golf or when I play Lynx Golf, because we’ve got so many of them to play, play within yourself, yeah, and I think, to play within yourself. And I think I mean, okay, let’s do some numbers.

Nish: 26:42

So it’s a par 36 on the front nine, yeah, and 35 on the back nine. So the front nine, I’ve got five pars. What did I get? Five pars? I’ve got three single bogeys and one triple bogey. So I’m plus six, yeah, after nine holes on a course that a lot of really good golfers consider to be one of the best courses in the land. Yeah, really challenging. Worried about all the bunkers not hit a single bunker? Yeah, you know. Worried about these narrow fairways, whatever, not mr fairway? Yeah, worried about all the bunkers not hit a single bunker? Yeah, you know, worried about these narrow fairways, whatever. Not missed a fairway? Yeah, worried about having to get driver out. Nailed my driver all within myself like I’m playing 80 capacity whatever. Yeah, yeah should just end it there, shouldn’t I? Yeah?

Chris: 27:35

yeah, it was um yeah, it’s a role reversal on the back now, wasn’t it?

Nish: 27:40

I say role reversal, it wasn’t but it wasn’t a role we didn’t start playing better, but you started playing worse role reversal for you, wasn’t it? I’m just I’m sort of looking at it now.

Chris: 27:49

I’m looking at the scorecard and it’s like I mean, it’s only really the last five holes that we started to piece some me and matt yeah, I know when that happened to. To piece some shots together.

Nish: 27:58

So I think it was probably 14, I think it was yeah, because I got a bogey and Paul parred that hole, yeah, and we went four up, yeah, four up with five to play, that’s it. And I said forget one Ryder Cup that we’re going to win for this match play. They might as well give us both yeah, and that was the moment.

Chris: 28:27

That was the moment. That was, it was it. I was like, oh god, classic pride before a fall, it was. But I think, uh, noticeably, matt and paul really started to feel the pressure, because, he was up until that point he was absolutely rock solid he was nailing everything and all of a sudden he was missing little puts and he was like duffing chips and you could see the pressure getting to him. I think it was quite funny, I think it did.

Nish: 28:44

It impacted him a little bit yeah, I think so. Sorry, paul, I’ll apologize to you now for for putting that pressure on I mean in the end. It worked out all right because we still won, but it went. You pulled it back to one up with one to play, one up one to play, yeah, and it was like, oh god, what’s gonna happen here? And I think you didn’t hit a good t-shot, did you? Did you? You ended up in the bunker.

Chris: 29:07

No, no, I no, that wasn’t, that was my second I ended up on the practice ground with my first all right, good company you got there uh yeah, so we got.

Nish: 29:20

Yeah, we had, I think, me, me and paul hit our drives. Okay, I think paul was just next to the bunker. I was a bit short of that, so that gave us, I think I think me and matt did.

Chris: 29:31

Matt hit his outside. Yeah, yes, we lost our balls off the tee. So that was oh yeah that was basically end of the game.

Nish: 29:37

I should have just gone straight for the pinch, and I did I even mess up trying to lay up, but yeah, because it felt like it was just easy straight.

Chris: 29:40

I should have just gone straight for the pinch and I didn’t even mess up trying to lay up, but yeah, because it felt like it was a really good comeback actually. So we won what did we win? Three, three holes in the row. I think you did yeah yeah 15, 16, 17, I think we won, um, yeah, then it went down to the last and then we won last and this just makes sense that we’re going to win this one as well. Yeah, but then, yeah, we kind of bottled it at that point.

Nish: 29:59

I think you said, though, you went Nish it’d be a travesty if you don’t win this, because you and Porto played really well as a team. We did well, I mean, obviously I don’t know Matt, I’ve never played with him before but I suspect that wasn’t his best day of golf either, but he was pretty wild off the tee, which he kind of had a bit of a trusty, I think it was a five or something which he looked like he would normally hit it fairly solidly, but he was just hooking everything left so he was kind of out of play a lot.

Nish: 30:25

I can’t remember which hole it was. I think it was quite early on. I remember saying to Matt I really liked his swing. Actually it was a really nice tempered swing, one-week swing.

Chris: 30:41

Yeah, levers on him, hasn’t he? But yeah, I think maybe we dragged him down. I think we did drag him down, I think it’s fair to say that’s exactly what happened.

Nish: 30:45

He was looking behind, wasn’t he going? All these members are waiting to play what have I done? What have I done? Putting a balaclava on keeping a low profile, sort of thing? Um, but yeah, but the match play ended up. Obviously you know I won it somehow.

Chris: 30:58

You won it, not you and Paul. No, no, paul didn’t have anything to do with it.

Nish: 31:02

He had nothing to do with carrying me in that little slump, not that he won.

Chris: 31:05

He must have won at least, to be fair, the first nine. You must have won a few of the holes as well.

Nish: 31:11

I think actually I got us up to three up myself yeah, you probably did, and I think well, I mean, we’ll talk about it now, the halfway hut, which, by the way, was beautiful, yeah, and sausage rolls, sausage rolls.

Chris: 31:26

So yeah, so Matt said to us basically, you know the thing to have, the speciality is the sausage roll, and I was like I mean, I’m partial to a sausage roll anyway, branded paper as well. So yeah, matt very kindly got us a sausage roll and it’s definitely up there with I think I think it’s probably the I dare say maybe the best sausage roll I’ve ever had. It was delicious, it was really good.

Nish: 31:49

I mean, are we allowed to reveal what the secret ingredient is? Is that, do you think that’s?

Chris: 31:53

probably can. Yeah, I think we can do whatever we want.

Nish: 31:55

It’s not a podcast exactly. Yeah, screw. So the secret ingredient is, uh, fennel seeds. Fennel seeds delicious delicious.

Chris: 32:02

Could you taste? Could you taste? Oh, yeah, yeah, like a different flavor to it. Yeah, you can taste the fennel in there yeah, yeah, this hasn’t come up enough.

Nish: 32:10

And bearing in mind we’re on episode eight now with a bonus one included, that’s nine episodes we’ve done. I think I’ve only really ever mentioned I’m gluten-free once, which is a travesty, because how do you know somebody’s gluten-free? They tell you they’re gluten-free. So I’m never going to get the pleasure of trying these out, mate. But yeah, we’ll see how we go with it as we. Maybe. I’ll just crumble one day crumble like a flaky pastry. So somehow we miraculously finished both on 96.

Chris: 32:44

Wow Both on 96.

Nish: 32:46

that doesn’t feel fair, does it? It doesn’t? Yeah, that’s golf, isn’t it?

Chris: 32:49

like I think I’ve.

Nish: 32:50

I walked off that and I know I had a five, six hole wobble and it was after the halfway hook.

Chris: 32:55

I think you had some big scores in the back now, didn’t you so when you went big, you went big didn’t? You said some big scores in the back now, didn’t you?

Nish: 33:00

So when you went big. You went big, didn’t you?

Chris: 33:01

So some, triples and maybe some quadruples, maybe.

Nish: 33:03

Well, we hit the halfway hut.

Chris: 33:05

Yeah.

Nish: 33:06

Dead good.

Chris: 33:06

Sausage roll Loved it. It was great, definitely the best halfway hut we’ve seen so far.

Nish: 33:11

Yeah, I’d agree. Yeah, for sure. And the food offering was great. I mean Carrot and fennel soup, amazing, love it. But I remember we got on and obviously watch gives you some idea of where you’re at. It’s going to know I’ve played well. If I’m driving it well, I’ve generally played quite well. And I looked at it and it was like I’m six over after nine holes here and I say I let that thought into my head I think I could go, I could go.

Chris: 33:40

There’s a score on here there’s a score on here.

Nish: 33:43

Yeah now, I remember now and I said to you at the time, so I, you know, in in raw excitement I think I was eating a sausage. I was like, oh, do you mind if I tea I’m not eating anything, so step up on the 10th on the par three. And as soon as I was over the ball, I just again it’s manifesting right, and it’s just. I went, I’m going to top this ball. Yeah, I just know I’m going to top it. I’ve also got a bit of a confession, nick. Oh no.

Chris: 34:10

I never, I never take. You didn’t, did you? I did? I videoed that t-shirt, so I’ve actually got some video evidence of that.

Nish: 34:17

So I’ll show you that later I’ll send it on to you.

Chris: 34:20

You’ve done really well keeping that secret up to now.

Nish: 34:23

I’d kind of forgotten about it until you mentioned it there. I know what I did wrong on that swing and I also know that I had it in my head straight away that I was going to top it. So I think, yeah, you can firmly place that blame in my court, that’s so weird, isn’t it, that I’m like what does it take to just step away from it and just go reset your mind and do it again? But I think you just worry, don’t you, that you don’t want to hold everybody up and it’s a four ball and everyone’s eating their sausage rolls and having a good time.

Nish: 34:52

You don’t want to suddenly wait a little bit. We know jim doesn’t like how long I take over a shot so yeah, that was. That was a six on that very easy par three.

Chris: 35:00

That does not help yeah, that’s set the tone for your back. Nine, didn’t it, I think?

Nish: 35:03

that it did. Yeah, I remember you came over, I think after that as well, I think you’d hit a t-shot and like I, got a full-on. Like you looked at me I don’t think I’ve seen many people look at me like that and just look to you, just like your eyes are just like what the frig is going on here, like I don’t know. It feels like it’s not me playing sort of thing.

Chris: 35:23

I mean it was weird. So normally, obviously, I don’t play very much. When I play, I’ll normally have a patch within the round where I’ll start to hit the ball, okay, and I’ll, you know, start to play some golf. Apart from shot that happened, I don’t think I hit a single ball all day. Yeah, I mean it was bad, it was really bad.

Nish: 35:40

Yeah, I mean I’m looking at, yeah, but your bat nine it was, your bat nine was always there wasn’t anything at par. Yeah, and it was a 50. Yeah, I mean, yeah, it was a very strange off day, I think Very strange off day, and we still ended up with the same score. Yeah, so I walk off thinking all right yes, happy day.

Nish: 35:59

And actually I played to my handicap. So again, measure of you know, for people listening, I suppose the measure of the difficulty of the course was my handicap at that time was 18.7. My course handicap was 24. Yeah, 24, 24, 25, 24, 25, 25, my course handicaps. It’s a tough course, yeah, and I was plus 25, so I played absolutely to my handicap and it’s come down by 0.4 now as a result of doing that. Yep, um, so I have come off going.

Nish: 36:32

I played to my ability I know I’ve left a lot of shots out there, yeah, but yeah, dead happy I think it was. It was absolutely wounded and they were just like we’ve got the same bloody score. How has that happened?

Chris: 36:43

I don’t understand it yeah, it’s bloody golfing, the dynamics of it, um, but yeah, it was a. It was an interesting course, wasn’t it? Because it was. It wasn’t like a really brutally tough links course. It was actually quite a fair, a fair test of golf, isn’t it? Because it was? It wasn’t like a really brutally tough links course. It was actually quite a fair, a fair test of golf isn’t it? So I think, if you hit good shots around there, you can.

Nish: 37:01

You can definitely score around there listen, if I’m shooting a 42 front nine, yeah, anybody can. Yeah, you know, I think not trying to denigrate my own skill too much, but I’m not, as a special, especially good golfer yeah, but if I can do hit a fairway, hit a green, yeah, to put whatever on that course which I was worried about because it was littered with bunkers, you know, yeah, and and I think matt did say that the roof had been cut down just like a few days before, so that probably he didn’t say that stop making stuff up chris, I’m not having that?

Nish: 37:37

um, yeah, it probably did help us, didn’t it that it probably did?

Chris: 37:40

the roughness was easier kind of than it could have been yeah, I mean the sylith links.

Nish: 37:49

I learned play within yourself applied that for nine holes. I applied that for the back, the last three holes, um, just that. In the middle I started trying to hit it hard and that was that was a silly mistake. So I’ve learned that now. But then I’ve now learned from sna. If you get in the rough at links course, yeah, just come out sideways. Yeah, just chip yourself out back onto the fairway. It doesn’t matter what you lose or what you know, don’t cut out hero shots. Yeah, I think that’s my mantra now, from now on.

Chris: 38:21

I’m slightly worried because the two Lynx courses we’ve played so far I’ve really struggled. I mean you have Mawtime’s been the one that you’ve done well on yeah yeah, but I mean, if you think about it, I think you could count on one hand, maybe even two fingers, how many fairways I’ve hit over those two courses. And it’s not a great starting off the tee like that, is it? Do you know what, Chris? Yeah, you might not be that far wrong from that.

Nish: 38:51

The par three is not doing too badly on but anything where I’m getting a big stick out.

Chris: 38:57

It’s the d-dog isn’t it?

Nish: 38:59

yeah, I’m in the big d, as aaron calls it. Yeah, and it’s. It’s that you’ve not got a regular pattern to it either, so it’s not like everything’s blocking out right, or that’s. So.

Chris: 39:09

That’s what I’ve learned from having a lesson is is why that, that’s why that’s happening, so that’s been really good, so that should hopefully, so, do you think, your next round?

Nish: 39:17

I mean, I know you played the other day.

Chris: 39:19

Yes.

Nish: 39:20

How did that go? You only did 12 holes, I only did 12 holes. Still got your driving incident didn’t snap, it, not snapped it yet.

Chris: 39:28

No, there’s still some work to be done, Nish. I think let’s leave it there, Like I said when I think let’s.

Nish: 39:33

Let’s leave it there, like I said when I was, when I was answer that is chris when I was hitting the ball.

Chris: 39:36

Well, yeah, I mean I’ve gained, you know, 15, 20 yards with my iron. So are you kidding? No, so I hit a nine iron from like 155 and hit it 20 yards through the back. What?

Nish: 39:46

seven iron from 175, which is my perfect yardage again getting into dan roberts territory, is standing on 150 yard par three with a sand wedge in his hand.

Chris: 39:55

Yeah, so I found that extra bit of yardage again, which is good, but that starts from just getting my weight across to the left and then actually compressing the ball a bit.

Nish: 40:04

So is that the kind of distance you would have been expecting when you were a lot younger? Then? Do you think you’ve gone back to that distance, getting back to that sort of distance? Yeah, so there’s hope for us all then, because that, yeah, let’s not be too, let’s not be too brutally honest but you know we’re getting on a bit now, aren’t we? You know I’m 45, so yeah, to know that you could get that back with technique. Oh, it’s all just technique. Yeah, old technique for sure not mean pumping I’ve got no brute strength on me.

Chris: 40:31

So yeah, adam’s stronger than you.

Nish: 40:35

Yeah, yeah, wow. 15 yards, though, on an iron that’s. I mean, that’s suddenly getting into much loftier clubs and within range, and yeah, then you’re going out the flag.

Chris: 40:47

Yeah, watch out, just yeah, well, at one point at some point during this 100 it’s gonna click, isn’t it?

Nish: 40:53

it’s gonna it’s all gonna come together for one round isn’t that what’s kind of keeping the extra motivation aside from just I want to play all the good courses?

Chris: 41:02

yeah, oh yeah. There’s definitely a side hustle now of me wanting to be good at golf again, which is I’ve yeah, it’s seeped in after sn8.

Nish: 41:09

I have to be honest. I know you said last after mortar. You’re like actually I’ve got the. I’ve fallen in love with golf again. Yeah, I’ve got that motivation to improve myself and play better.

Chris: 41:21

Yeah.

Nish: 41:22

I mean, I’ve sort of always given you the not trying to be altruistic about it or whatever, but I’ve always given you the line that you know it’s about playing the course and experiencing the courses.

Chris: 41:34

Yeah.

Nish: 41:42

Whatever the line that you know, it’s about playing the course and experiencing the courses. Yeah, whatever, I think after sna with that front nine, it seeped into me of like I want to get a good score, I really want to get a really good score at one and actually to do it on a course I don’t know. Yeah, it’s tough, that is one of the best. I mean, that’s going to be like, can I?

Chris: 41:55

quit, then yeah, I think, if the 100 is, if we do the 100 and I’ve not shot something less than 75. If we will do the 100. Or when we’ve done the 100 and I’ve not shot something less than 75, I think I’m going to be pretty disappointed.

Nish: 42:11

Do you reckon you have a level par round in you over 100 rounds at these courses?

Chris: 42:19

but bearing in mind, not now, but we’re talking 10 years down the line. You know, I think so, even if I, if I carry on having, if I carry on doing lessons and carrying practicing yeah sure, like I could say or having, after having just one lesson, I can already feel like coming back to an extent with the ball striking. So yeah, great, so that’s a really good start. So yeah, yeah, yeah. I just need to get that more consistent.

Chris: 42:39

We should just practice yeah and also that the the stuff that we did on my swing has actually helped me a lot with my chipping as well. It’s just getting my weight onto my left oh, nice, yeah, actually chipping feels a lot better as well, so I think, oh, watch out then, so I mean, he said this last time, didn’t I? I, I’ve been practising my putting. To be fair, my putting did get better, but it was great, I think.

Nish: 42:58

Yeah, we’ll see. Yeah, it’s got me that now, like I’ve got that fire to want to shoot a low score now it’s getting competitive, isn’t it, Nish?

Nish: 43:11

But it’s interesting, isn’t it? It’s like but I’m not competitive against you, that’s the thing, it’s myself and it’s the game of golf. Like, I’m not like going. So you know, you’re saying I’m getting to the point where I’m getting all this extra distance. You know, at no point am I thinking oh, he’s 150 yards out, I hope he misses it. No, I’m happy that you’re going to get that game there. But yeah, me personally, I want to walk off that course and just go smash that. He did it. Yeah, on an amazing course. Yeah. So yeah, kickstart. Maybe I’m going to be an absolute bastard at the Mizuno pairs. I’ll be like well, nish, stay back, mate, hold me back, chris. He’s like hold me back, chris, hold me back, I’m not having that.

Nish: 43:58

No, I’m not giving you that putt. You know that kind of thing.

Chris: 44:00

Who knows, who knows, we have forgotten about the club sandwich. The club sandwich. We forgot about the club sandwich. Nish, how was yours? It was pretty good, was it good? Because I saw it and it wasn’t actually called a club sandwich. I can’t remember what it was called. It was called something else.

Nish: 44:19

How can you not call it a club sandwich?

Chris: 44:20

I mean, it was clearly a club sandwich, a club sandwich, but it was a club sandwich with an additional ingredient, wasn’t it? Cranberry sauce.

Nish: 44:26

Cranberry sauce. He said yeah, that was it which was a great addition.

Chris: 44:30

I’d definitely go back for some of that. So, yeah, I think that probably maybe that’s why I didn’t call it a club sandwich. Then, yeah, maybe, maybe it’s not maybe the official club sandwich going back to the review doesn’t allow the uh, the use of cranberry yeah, is it like one of those dop things?

Nish: 44:44

yeah, yeah, you can’t call it a club sandwich it doesn’t come from club. Um, yeah it. Well, I mean, I had. Uh, I’m now having not meant having only mentioned it once. I’ve now mentioned it twice in the same episode Because I’m gluten-free. I always travel to places like this with a bun.

Chris: 45:05

So this is excellent. So we always stood at the bar and the lady was like. She said, have you got any gluten-free bread? She said, oh, I’ll just go and check. She said, well, it doesn’t matter because I’ve got a bagel in the car. And she just looked at you like who the fuck is this? Why is he bringing?

Nish: 45:22

bagels into my clubhouse. Oh God, yeah, she did, actually give me a very funny look didn’t she?

Chris: 45:26

I’m pretty sure that’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to her.

Nish: 45:37

But what was funny was because was which mine, by the way was excellent as well. So I think I had a bacon brie cranberry sandwich, um, which is done on a bagel. So she’s got in to go and ask about gluten-free bread. I’m not expecting them to have a gluten-free bagel, by the way, you know. It’s not like you need to have the full range of bread if you’re going to offer it.

Chris: 45:50

I just love the fact that she’s maybe she’s going there. Well, if he’s got a bagel in a cow, what else?

Nish: 45:54

has he got in there?

Chris: 45:55

He’s got like four types of sourdough A white, a brown. He’s got a rye.

Nish: 46:01

I love the idea of like turning up with like a Mac, you open it up and you’re like which bread, would you? Like yeah, that’s it, or do you have a seeded brown?

Chris: 46:11

Right, of course we got that.

Nish: 46:17

So brown, right, of course we got that, but, um, so she’s. So I’ve gone. I’ve kind of gone, you know, go check you. And oh, I’ve checked, we do have gluten-free bread, but we don’t have the gluten-free bagel. It’s like, yeah, I wasn’t expecting to have a gluten bagel. I just have the bagel sandwich, but just on bread. But yeah, I mean the brie. Well, I mean it was, it was it was amazing and again came in branded paper and all that kind of stuff.

Nish: 46:35

So yeah, I’m glad you reminded me of that. Actually, I think, I’ll recreate that tomorrow. It was lovely, it was a glorious clubhouse.

Chris: 46:43

It was a glorious course as well.

Nish: 46:44

It was a lovely day in general, wasn’t it? I’ve written here. I can see why the purists love it, and I think that covers everything like we said, it was bare test. You could score there you can turn up and you can. You can be strategic and you can play well and get a good score. Yeah, you could also just go and hammer it and and just be brutalized by the course if you wanted to which I did yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and still end up with the same score as the person next year.

Nish: 47:11

It’s fine. Um, not that I’m bitter about it, but um, yeah, I think uh, yeah, I mean, I really, really enjoyed. I enjoyed playing with a member. That was really nice.

Chris: 47:23

Yeah, that was a lovely touch yeah, it was nice to do with the four, wasn’t it?

Nish: 47:26

and the, yeah, it was good yeah, a bit of competition, yeah, and obviously the way the competition went as well, you know, I think we were well, like I said, at 14 I thought we were home and dry, yeah, and the comebacks died, but yeah, and then we obviously had a good time. Afterwards Good chat with Matt, who looks like he might be joining the Brotherhood and wanting to play a few more courses with us yeah, yeah, glad to have him on board.

Nish: 47:53

I think he was quite interested in playing a few, wasn’t he? Yeah, yeah, glad to have him on board. I think he was quite interested in playing a few, wasn’t?

Chris: 47:58

he yeah, definitely.

Nish: 47:59

It’s good that we might have a little travelling band of people following us around. Yeah, there’ll be like 500 people by the time we get to the end of the 100. Imagine trying to get a tea time then.

Chris: 48:06

Yeah, yeah.

Nish: 48:09

Oh, it’s not you lot again. Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything else I need to, apart from I am now still in our rounds. I’m still 100% getting out of bunkers. First time Nice, I did nearly take your head off with one of the shots, but that’s fine. It was out of the bunker and that’s what’s important. It’s not about anything else?

Chris: 48:27

Yeah, no, absolutely, I’m just a by-product of your bunker escape.

Nish: 48:32

I couldn’t believe it. I was like whoa, I mean, you’re supposed to shout four, aren’t you? But all I could do was like whoa, whoa. Okay, all right, fine, um, I suppose we ought to discuss the side bet the side bet.

Chris: 48:45

We should have kind of forgotten about that now.

Nish: 48:46

The 16th hole is interesting, isn’t it? I suppose we should talk about this, really, because it’s their signature hole, isn’t it?

Chris: 48:54

yeah, yeah, the sleepers, and yeah.

Nish: 48:55

What did you think of it?

Chris: 48:57

It was an interesting one, wasn’t it? Because obviously you’ve got this. I mean, I’ve never seen a bunker like that before. It’s a huge, great big bunker with this massive kind of wooden face built on top of it. So it’s pretty striking to look at, isn’t it? Yeah, but I to us, it almost felt a little bit gimmicky because it didn’t yeah, it didn’t really come into play, and I’m not sure whether that was just the conditions we were playing in it or whether or whether it doesn’t normally come into play. But yeah, I mean, I guess it was into the wind, wasn’t it? So we hit a driver into the wind and then I hit a five iron kind of over it, and it wasn’t talk about the drives.

Nish: 49:27

We should probably talk about because that was a side bet. That was a side bet, so um technicality again, I suppose yeah is it? A technicality.

Chris: 49:37

Still, I don’t know I mean, I think this is you.

Nish: 49:41

You give me your side of events I’ll give you mine because, yeah, I think you should go first, okay interesting, okay, so so we both.

Chris: 49:50

We both teed off our first balls, didn’t we? And we both went into the rough so neither of us hit the fairway. Yeah, mine was longer than yours. Yeah, um so yeah, I mean, ultimately, the the bet is null and void right oh yeah, I suppose, I think so okay, I’ll you know what?

Nish: 50:09

yeah, go on, okay, I’ll give you that, I’ll give you that. What was frustrating, the reason I’m clinging on to this, was and again, this is just golf, isn’t it? And I’ve done it twice in a row now. Yeah, you know, we’ve done it at gibraltar. It’s provisional ball thing and I pretty much knew we could find it, but I thought I’ll just hit a provisional anyway. Yeah, and you know, driver, from the first front, nine comes out, doesn’t it for that hole? Yeah, absolutely mullered it right down the middle takes a good, healthy bounce forward.

Nish: 50:45

I mean, that was a long drive, yeah, and it was in my head I’m going, why the fuck didn’t you do that the first time, first off? And then I’m like all this stuff that’s milling around in your head before you’re hitting a driver yeah, I’ve just gone up, I’ve teed it up, stood there and hit it and it’s just gone. Yeah, like, what’s going on? Like how does that happen? It was so frustrating because you know to, I don’t know, I suppose that’s the thing with this side bet, like if you nail it on that side, but like, yeah, that’s great, isn’t it?

Chris: 51:20

um, yeah, maybe that. Maybe the next side bet should involve some sort of provisional provisional ball, best provisional ball, because you’re you’re smashing, that’s me. Yeah, I’m all right on the provisional.

Nish: 51:30

I just I’ll just call provisional first ball yeah, just do it every time yeah, every shot. This is a provisional because I know what’s going to happen with the first. Yeah that’s twice in a row now that it’s annoying. That isn’t it Really annoying, but it was one of the sweetest drives I’ve ever hit, like it came up right out of the middle of the club. Yeah, I didn’t put any effort into it and it just went arrow straight. It still wasn’t as long as my first one.

Chris: 51:55

It wasn’t, yeah, your first one, so I still did get the longest right you did. It went a long way that first one, didn’t it? I think null and void is fair.

Nish: 52:02

I feel like I need to maybe push Jim for more wording for the side bets.

Chris: 52:06

now I’ll be like just for clarity, a few extra clauses in there to get a provisional in there somehow do you think if I played a provisional?

Nish: 52:15

yeah, yeah, I mean he might be generous, he might, and he’s jimmy’s not gonna be generous, not to me anyway, I think it was you he’ll just go. Yes, you can have that. Take six mulligans could have taken that. Yeah, could have taken it, but yeah, so three rounds in now I think we’ve got some good momentum going. Yeah, just in time for winter. But we’ve had a good planning session just before this pod. Yeah, so we’re all set for next year. We’re all looking like we’re set for next year. Big things are going to happen next year. It’s going to be a busy one.

Nish: 52:44

Aside from saying thanks to matt and paul again, yeah, and we are definitely going to play golf with them yeah, it’d be nice to play them again. It was a good, good day out. Yeah, I really, really enjoyed playing with them. They were, they were fantastic. I think I think we’re all. We’re all wrapped up, aren’t we? I think so, yeah, yeah, lovely course. Good, we again caught it on a good day weather-wise. We didn’t actually get any rain, yeah, just fantastic. Um, and yeah, cracking historic clubhouse. Yeah, no free range balls waiting for the pyramid. That that’s all we need Cool, Okay.

Nish: 53:17

Well, look, we’re heading into winter now, so I think our golf probably is going to tail off a little bit. Well, I mean certainly the top 100 courses. We probably will have another chat at some point about what our winter plans are going to be. I think you’ve obviously got your lessons and you’ll need to get out there and put it into yeah, yeah, play some golf, yeah, some of these other courses, but you know, I weirdly I love playing in the winter.

Nish: 53:44

I don’t really. I’ve never had a problem with with that. I don’t even mind wet, muddy weather, it’s absolutely fine. But um, yeah, I think we will tail off the top 100 because we do want to get the full experience. Yeah, exactly we don’t want to be playing off mats and things like that. That’s not really on our agenda. It’s not what we’re going to enjoy. There’s no point in rushing through them just to get them done, just to get them done.

Chris: 54:05

Enjoy the experience.

Nish: 54:06

To be fair, in the interest of reviewing as well, I don’t think that’s fair on the course. Yeah, true, true, you know you turn up and you go oh, it’s math mats and the greens weren’t great. Actually they are, but it’s just you play at the wrong time. Yeah, so, yeah, um, I think we’ll do that. But, um, I’ve got a series of special uh podcasts to keep everyone entertained and a bit up to date with what we’re doing. Um, because we are getting a bit more interested in the podcast. So, um, so yeah, and watch out, watch out for those, keep an ear out for those. Next time, on the top 110 podcast, we’ve got a real treat for you, as we interview someone who, unbeknownst to us, is actually doing the same challenge.