Sotogrande 2017 Golf Blog

It is our annual golf trip. Well, perhaps not as annual as it used to be but we are up at silly o'clock to get our flight from Gatwick at 7am. Kanny and I are in the Grain Store by 5am and a little bit surprised that Colin was not there before us.  Apparently he was at home watching a film (The Firm) until 4.05am when Mrs B came down to ask him what he was up to. He got his timings wrong or maybe a man-crush on Tom Cruise?. Jim was in Horsell wondering where he was.  So he arrived late at Gatwick (a 2 shot penalty surely?)

This is a big year for Colin as he has been the organiser.   Unfortunately when we arrived in Gibraltar he realised he had booked the car hire in the wrong country.  So we set off with cases and golf bags in tow in search of the Spanish border. Fortunately there were large signs to help us. After a long wait at the car hire desk, where they moved along at their own sweet pace, we were on the road. Jim had experienced Colin's driving already so he elected to sit in the back.

We arrive at Hotel Almenara which is about 5km inland from the coast and about 15km up from Gibraltar. We are playing our first round at the hotel which has 3 9 hole courses. It is about 30C with a very light breeze. Perfect.

We are in a slight rush so it is straight to the first tee without a practice. Jim first shot is shot of the day as he pulls it way left, bounces off a huge billboard and back into the middle of the fairway. That wasn’t a pro tip but it was very effective.

The course is excellent with lots of elevated tees, steep fairways and the greens are slick.  I wasn't the only one to putt off the green during the round. But I did find it generally hard to get near to any of the greens all day.

Perhaps 2nd contender for shot of the day was Colin's tee shot to our nearest the pin hole. It was a 4 iron to 157 yards and he left it 8 feet away and then knocked in the birdie. He was very upset I didn't video it so I made sure I videoed his next shot - a drive right up the middle of the next fairway - about 80 yards.

We had our standard list of competitions.  Jim leads the individual and rightly so having driven straight off the tee (with a bit of help from course furniture). But Colin swept up the rest of the honours.

Well done but its early days yet!

Part 2

Firstly apologies to Colin who is very disappointed with the delay for part 2 of the blog. His public are anxiously waiting for news of his progress. Stats coming.

On Friday we played at Alcadeisa which is a links course right on coast looking down towards Gibraltar. Colin and I played there a few years ago out of season and it was in excellent condition this time with lots of steep fairways.  Fortunately we arrived in time for our tee off despite Colin's very extensively careful parking but more importantly enough time for me to get some practice in after my poor display on day 1.

Colin came out of blocks brilliantly scoring 43 gross on the front 9 including 4 pars and 22 points. One can’t help wondering if there was a bit of gaming of his handicap going on when he scored only 10 points on the back 9.  Kanny notched up longest drive and nearest the pin and scored a very respectable 91 on a tricky course. The last 4 holes particularly were into a very strong headwind which probably added a shot to each hole at least. Having played well on day 1, Jim struggled with his reduced handicap but I was very surprised to notch up the best score of 34 points. Colin and I were playing together in the matchplay so with Colin's 22 on the front and my 18 on the back we won 4&3.

So after day 2 Colin was on 60pts, Kanny and Jim on 55 and me still trailing on 53.

It was a latish start so we had little time for relaxation before heading out for dinner.  As Colin is a level 28 TripAdvisor reviewer we have high expectations for his restaurant picks - but he didn’t disappoint. We had a fantastic meal at El Patio which served up its own version of tapas for a very reasonable price. We also 'went on' after for a drink where Colin was adventurous in ordering a 'chocolate bomb' but was disappointed that it was a simple hot chocolate. That’s what old men drink before bedtime.

Saturday morning we are under strict instructions to be ready to leave by 9.15am. We are playing at the famous San Roque where they played the Spanish Open in previous years.  We are playing the New course first and the Old course on Sunday. The course is only a couple of miles away as the crow flies but by road is more like 10km.  And about 11km after Colin’s parking.

The New course is a very long and challenging track. I am sad to report that no one hit a single green on the 4 par 3"s. Colin played consistently well again with 16 on back and front and was the best on the day including a birdie 3 on the 3rd hole.  It was a tap in but we made him putt it.  Colin leads by a clear 10 points but will play with a reduced handicap tomorrow.  Kanny has the lowest gross total so far (11 shots less than Colin) but he will need to shoot 15 less than Colin to catch up so Colin is odds on to retain the shield. Jim used his driver off every tee today including the par 3's which shows how long it was playing.

Finally some time to relax by pool at the hotel, at least until Colin next says " come on we're off'.  Can't believe tomorrow is our last day. But weather has been glorious. Can't complain.  We will wander down to the Sotogrande marina tonight which we were reliably informed last night is where all the action is.

Hopefully more excitement to report tomorrow.

Part 3

We are sitting at Gibraltar airport waiting for our flight home.  We have handed over wads of cash to Colin who is this year's worthy winner.  The 4 courses we played this year were the hardest we have played (in my opinion).  We all played well above our handicaps but Colin by less. He was again the highest points on the San Roque Old course and hit some great shots.  He won by a clear 14 points, averaging 30 per round. That shows how hard the courses were for that score to win, especially as it includes a mulligan.

I would like to say that Colin was a gracious winner but that would be a stretch. After the round today he offered to donate his winnings to pay for golf lessons for the rest of us.  Also when I was watching a video of myself on a par 3 and asked if it was the hole where I came up short he said, "Jeff, you will have to give us more to work with".  OK I did struggle this week but there is no need to rub it in.  When I asked Colin what his best shot of the day was he said there were just too many to choose from.  Admittedly there was another birdie.

The Old course was long and difficult but probably prettier than the New course.  I will award myself the widest shot of the day when I shanked a shot from the right hand trees and it went out of bounds on the other side of the adjacent fairway.  Not sure anyone else saw it - just as well.

Kanny was the lowest gross score this week and was consistent off the tee. Jim was excellent given his long layoff and was at a disadvantage on the par 3's given they were mostly out of range even with his driver.  Although Jim was not a winner this week he did manage to chat to almost every woman we met but we thought answering the door to the maid in his underpants was taking things a bit far.

Congratulations to Colin. Well-deserved winner.