Day 5 - The Lakes

Posted by Jamie on 5 January 2010 | 2 Comments | Tags: , , ,

Something clicked today.  Not in the sense that my golf magically turned a corner, and that Iâ??m now on track for an appearance on the PGA Tour.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  Today Michael and I played awfully (again).  BUT â?? and I stress the but â?? I couldnâ??t have been less fazed.  Sure there was the odd mutter; and of course Iâ??d prefer to be making birdies on every hole (wouldnâ??t we all?).  But â?? thereâ??s that word again â?? there was an air of satisfaction within me, a contentedness that marks a great departure from my days as a frustrated junior golfer, when bad scores ruined oneâ??s week.  It might be that expectations have been lowered by my downward slide into chopper territory.  I could speculate for hours.

The more likely explanation â?? at least in this case â?? is that todayâ??s course, The Lakes, was beautiful; an absolute pleasure.  Set in a lush valley running through the Coromandel Peninsula, a couple of hours from Auckland, this course is a must play for all golf tourists.  Itâ??s not long, but it is tight â?? and there are more hazards than the West Bank.  Bank on losing a few balls.  Also bank on being pleasantly surprised when you step onto (almost) every tee.  In my short golfing career there are few courses I have played on which all (or nearly all) of the holes are quality.  The Lakes is one of those few.  Even the short holes â?? which can be weak at some resort courses â?? demanded careful attention.  As did the 560m par 5 on the back nine (I forget which hole number) that took me 8 blows to finish.  Mike and I did a lot of laughing at ourselves today, and even started marking down after each hole how many hazards we had visited before finding the bottom of the cup.  (There were a lot).

We came across a notable French chap - whom we named Francois - playing with his (quite glamorous) wife.  I say notable because Francois was very short, but his shorts were very long (pulled up to just below his nipples, to be precise).  Mike nearly killed him on the par 3 10th, by smoking an 8 iron to the middle of the green at the same time as Francois and his other half were emerging from the bushes.  Entirely Mike's fault, and didn't do much for Franco-Kiwi relations.  Funny though.  Francois wasn't impressed.  The other funny thing about the wee Frenchman was this: he teed up the ball wherever he liked on the tee block - whether between the markers or otherwise.  If the markers didn't suit him, he'd just tee up off to the right, or the left.  The French...

The bad golf aside â?? I feel like Iâ??ve been scribbling those words a lot lately â?? it was a great day, and Iâ??m already looking forward to my next visit to The Lakes.  The chaps in the pro shop were hospitable, and kindly spotted us cart (Iâ??ve got a couple of blisters already, so the cart was very welcome) on top of our green fee.  Weather was epic too.  Apres golf we zipped round the corner to our mateâ??s bach in Pauanui.  Jay has been an unbelievable host...wait for it: she took us on a tiki tour of the town; let us use her washing machine (crucial); made us dinner (we cleaned up, mum, before you start); bought us a box of beers; and is now sitting brainstorming with us about who we should tap on the shoulder for a game of golf.  So a BIG thank you Jay â?? hopefully Mike and I can repay your hospitality beyond this year.  (Thereâ??s a photo of the lovely Jay in our photo gallery).

Tomorrow weâ??re off to the Waikato region, to play at Lochiel.  After the game weâ??re heading to our mateâ??s farm to do some milking, fencing, etc.  Should be a giggle.  Until tomorrow...peace, JP


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Comments

  • where are the golf scores from the last two rounds?

    Posted by corky, 05/01/2010 9:07pm (3 years ago)

  • Good blog mate, got us laughing

    Posted by , 05/01/2010 12:23pm (3 years ago)

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