Now that's what you call Winter Golf!

Just a quick warning from Non-Golfers, you may not understand the following blog!

It is funny though!

Yes, the weather forecast had suggested all week that it may be a little cold today, but still there was hope that the Texas Scramble would go ahead and possibly playing on the normal greens and not the temporary ones!

So arriving at the club at 8:45 it was a pleasant surprise to see a group teeing off the first and the course relatively green! I met up with my playing partners for the day, Wes Jones, Nick Bridgwood and Craig Collins and we preapared for the off. However, things were about to take a number of turns for the worse!

It started to snow a little as we got ready to play, but as I walked to the first tee, hidden under the light snow covering, was sheet Ice........whoosh......ares over tit. Pain from the knee and right hand......next stop A&E?

Luckily nothing more than a cut knee and finger, but it was now snowing heavily! No more blue sky! It was obviously not going to abate so we headed back to the relative safety of the Pro Shop, well I hobbled anyway!

By the time we got back to the pro shop, the "blizzard" had subsided somewhat and we decided to go out, even if it was for a few holes only.

We got back on the tee, yellow balls in hand, ready to start the game. The Texas Scramble format meant that we played as a team and after each of us had played a shot, we selected the best shot and played our next shots from there, so it is a good scoring format as you in effect get four goes at each shot.

Four decent drives away we walked down the first fairway only to see 3 or 4 groups walking up the 9th, having had enough! Easy win for us then! We had to choose between Nick and Wes's who had hit great drives, the distance assisted by the additional bounce from the hardened fairways. we were on temporary greens so all the holes would play 25-30 yards shorter than normal. We chose Nick's Red Ball and the best shot ended about 25 feet away from the pin. Tricky putt across the snow covered ground, but a tap in for a birdie.

A par on the 2nd and Birdie on the 3rd had given us a good start. Nick launched into his drive on the 4th and left us with about 90 yards to the temporary hole. The shots were straight into the sun and Nick;s ended about 10ft past the pin, mine, although I didn't see it, with the help of a forunate bounce ended up abot 2 ft away and Craig lipped the hole for a 2 and ended up inches away.....tap in Birdie....3 under par.

Par on 5 and 6, with a good up and down on 6. On 7 Craig hit the best Drive, but as we were walking down the path to the bridge, he hit a patch of ice and fell on his elbow! Ouch!!! Two down Two to go!

It was his shot we took from the light rough and he launched a 3wood straight at the pin. Looks like the bang on the elbow had cured his Hook! Eagle chance. If he'd sunk the putt he would have had an eagle with his three shots!!!...but he didn't!!!

On 8 Wes has spanked a Driver to within about 20 yards of the pin. Nick, was going for it with gusto, but tried so hard, lost his footing and came crashing to the floor. We never did see where his "Pink" ball went! Three Down and One to go!!!

Wes's tee shot was so close to the temporary green we could use our putters and whilst no Eagle, an easy tap in for Birdie and we were 5 under, which was our score for the front nine.

A quick walk up to the clubhouse for our Bacon Roll and Coffee and then off to the 10th, with another monster drive short of the green and a chip and a putt for a birdie!

The short par 3 11th hole was even shorter and was no more than a flick, but with no way to stop the ball a par was a good result as was the par on the 12th, 13th and 14th. The temporary greens were getting difficult to get close to and the snow had turned to slush so the ball was difficult to putt.

The 15th was a killer hole with the pin on a slope between the fairway and green side bunkers, so a chip and putt for par was beyond us and we bogied our first hole of the day. A magnificent 3wood off the tee on 16 by Nick, saw a short pitch to the pin, but the 15ft putt eluded us all and we only managed par.

The sky was getting worryingly dark and snow was imminent, the wind had already picked up and the 17th looked fairly easy. Unfortunately again the ball was tough to stop the ball, so a long chip and 2 putts meant another Bogie.

So it was a weary trudge to the 18th tee. Wind behind, hard fairway, temporary green....Eagle!!! 3 good drives and then it was Wes!!!

Whack!!!! The ball sailed high and long, Wes not happy with the flight, "too high" he moaned. the ball hit the deck and bounced and skidded up the fairway reaching the final up slope. A glorious winter conditioned 350 Yards. A little flick to the pin. Unfortunately four missed eagle putts from about 20ft and a tap in Birdie for a 5 under Par 67 gross and a nett 62.1....job done.

Into the clubhouse, checking the scores and waiting for the last group to come in. Rumours of a net 60 in, but we've heard that before! Quick recap of the scores and comparing with other teams we had had similar experiences and a lot of fun.

The final group of Chris Milner, Nick Lea, Martin Wainman and Colin House came in and had beaten us by 0.2 of a shot! They Eagled the 18th!!!

Got to say, probably the best fun I've had in a winter competition (although the chucky bogie was close), especially given the bashed up knee (which is now starting to give way when I get out of my chair to refill my wine glass.

I really enjoy winter golf, not sure why, but it could be with the shared experience of taking on the elements and having a bit of fun. Good playing partners help as well!!! It's the time when the real "Club members" show themselves!!!

Big respect to everyone who played today, especially if you finished! Thanks to my playing partners once again for such a fun day and as it was the last competition before Christmas, Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this and all the members of Wychwood Park Golf Club.