March 10th 2007
NOTHING TO SAY ?
Once again, as yet another deluge ( the fifth one in a week) hit the course , and the “ closed” signs went up, we were left to ponder, “what the heck is going on with the weather?”. That is as close an approximation of what many of us were thinking as I’m prepared to hazard, but with so many days ( and not just Saturdays ) being lost to the weather, we are beginning to think that “summer” will never come, and if it does, will it rain any less?
They say the Egyptians have fifty words for sand and the Inuit have over a hundred for snow . Can anyone tell me how many Gaelic words we have for different kinds of rain?
The only signs we have of summer, are the sheets for entries to our knockout competitions being posted on the notice-boards, and the activity over the bar as the members pay their “subs”. Yes folks it’s that time of year again, and whilst it would be nice to part with money for our yearly golf when the sun is shining, and there is golf to be played with the course in pristine condition; sometimes we need to accept that life isn’t quite perfect, but that we will “get there”.
“There” for us will be a sunny day in July/August standing on the 18th green in a short sleeved shirt with enough shots of our handicap left to know that we can still safely three-put, and probably win that weeks medal. The course will be beautifully manicured; surrounds, greens and fairways will resemble the courses we view every weekend on the T.V., and that cold beer in the clubhouse will taste oh so good, and hit “the spot” perfectly.
We need to believe that will happen. We need to believe that this will be a year where we improve our golf. We need to believe that it will stop raining. I’m trying to be as positive as I can tonight, because after last weeks issues with A.D.S.L, most of this week’s seem to have been taken up with H2O.
For any members reading this, yes , the committee are actively pursuing proposals which should make a difference to the “playability” of the course over the coming seasons.
To counteract the effects of the conditions on the course, I hear D.H. has invested in the latest in golf shoes, the new Footjoy Salmonjoys. Made from salmon skins, they are guaranteed waterproof, and he was immediately “sold” on the pair he tried on in Inverness. So much so that his wife had to haul him off his attempts to escalate the down elevator in Marks. Boom-Boom, it’s a slow news day, sorry!
This Saturday sees the start of the four week long Onetel trophy, which (run in conjunction with the Winter League) sees everyone playing off their starting WL handicap for the purposes of this particular prize. The league continues as normal, but with everyone effectively back to square one for this charity event, even pairings well out of contention for the main prize will have a chance for some “glory”. Onetel is now TalkTalk , but the designated charities of the company are still the same . Treehouse http://www.treehouse.org.uk and the local Bethesda http://www.bethesdahospice.co.uk. Entry is £10 per team.
Having missed out on posting last week’s scores due to “technical difficulties”, it’s time to catch up. The scores for the 3rd of March were…
DJ Macleod & A Reeves 38 15
Alasdair Morrison & JR Gillies 39 9
Mal Maciver & Duncan Maclean 39 9
Alan Tod & Cammy Macleay 39 9
Ali Maclennan & Neil Macleod 39 9
Murdie Macdonald & Ian Macritchie 40 6
Roddy Martin & Dolan Morrison 40 6
John Edward & CI Macmillan 41 4
George Macleod & George Mould 41 4
Ali Nicolson & Al (greens) Macleod 42 2
Huw Lloyd & Marten James 42 2
Leaving the top of the table looking like…
C Macleod & C Shields 87
D K Macleod & S Moar 79
Ali Nicolson & Al Macleod 78
N Rowlands & A Macdonald 77
M Johnson & M Johnson 75
From leagues still to be won, to leagues already in the bag, comes more news from the club pool team (pictured). Having completed winning the league, losing only one game in the process, a couple of weeks ago, they won the last cup of the season defeating Ness 5-0 in the final held in the Lewis bar. The match was much closer than the scoreline suggests with several games going down to the blackball, but the club team have shown excellent spirit throughout the season, and seem to have had the “edge” over other sides when it mattered. I did make a comment about having won the opening two matches early in October/November, but for fear of putting the “busneach” on the boys as they remained undefeated until the 12 th match of the season, I decided to shut up, and let them get on with it. The 5-0 reversal in the Clachan in the opening match of the season (a cup game) seems to have had the desired effect on focusing hearts and minds, and “Tex” steered (no pun intended) the club to their best ever season.
With the “Forum” out of commission for the last week ( it seems I wasn’t the only one with problems with technology), and with no golf being played latterly, Saturday should be a busy day at the club with everyone looking to catch up on what has and hasn’t been happening around the town , and about the club.
Let’s hope, at the end of the afternoon, the talk is about golf.
Any stories, comments to ntomsh@onetel.com
