So it was the yearly Men's Section Captain's Trip, my first one :) Thought I would share the experience from my perspective on all things golf, and not golf! Let's go back to the evening Wednesday 25th April....
25/04/2012. All primed and ready to go, with the best of intentions and a taxi arriving at 5.30 am, I am organised. Golf bag packed and prepared with the required paraphernalia including 24 balls and a lightweight set of waterproofs. Considered taking 2 drivers but ended up with the one that has been in the bag for the past 2 months. All good. Suitcase packed but left open to chuck the bathroom bag in in the morning. Settled down to watch the Chelsea Barca game. 4 pints later it's almost 11 pm - why am I still up I ask myself, alarm is set for 5 am. Another 2 pints and I trudge up to bed at midnight.
26/04/2012. 5.40am, I wake to the sound of my mobile ringing and someone trying to kick the front door in. At this stage I do not know it is 5.40am. I am still expecting my alarm to wake me, but my phone is ringing and I have some of the noisiest burglars ever. Grab phone. See time. Jump out of bed - shout to HID "It's twenty to fucking six!!!". Run to window. raise blind and give the 2 fingered V for victory sign, it was a victory I guess that that Ade and Steve managed to wake me, but I was actually signalling 2 minutes.
26/04/2012. 5.42am In taxi sans shower or brush of teeth. At this point taxi driver (nice chap) asked if I had everything, passport etc. I did. No idea how, but I did. Drive to Luton airport was uneventful however after a jog and the wrong gate we boarded the plane in plenty of time and we landed at Alicante on schedule. No one on passport control and evidently no one was getting our bags and clubs off the plane! I am sure it must have been 30 minutes before the first ones started appearing on the carousel but all said and done we were all reunited with bags and clubs in under an hour.
The bus trip to La Manga
Lots of shiny coaches were lines up, you know the flash ones with aerodynamically designed wing mirrors. None of them were ours. We had a (I'm sure) 1980s model with a trailer on the back! After the captain calling La Manga to say we needed to bump back our tee times a bit they were very accommodating and all was good. Or so we thought. The driver took the coastal road to avoid paying the toll. We arrived with 10 minutes before first tee time. I was drawn in the first group. Format of the trip was full handicap stableford over four rounds, with the leaders teeing off last on each day. Evidently I enjoyed being in the first group as a lot of my golf was pants, but more on that later.
Day 1
La Manga West Course
We got the shuttle to the west course organised trolleys and had a few putts on the putting green next to the first tee. All was good. Sun was beating down. Sunscreen was applied. Waiting for group in front to tee off and as it happened there was a gap between our first 2 tee times and the rest of the boys. 25 golfers on day one, 7 tee times. A 2 ball arrived and we let them go first. Then another 3 ball arrived with the starter and were complaining to the starter that they could not start on time. They were Americans. Helpful as ever we said no problem, and stood back while they duffed their tee shots 140 yds down the fairway hahaha. Also it meant that the whole group would be back to back. Bonus. Paired with Kev 5 Hcp (I Hit It Long) and Peter 13 Hcp (I am consistent and a gentleman). First tee - Kev smacks it through the fairway left, Pete duffed his just past the ladies smacked the ground with his driver and exclaimed with laughter "I knobbed it!". Me 18 Hcp drove through fairway left too, then thinned approached to front edge and walked off with net par! It is a tight, fiddly course lots of trees and OB and a bit of water, there are also ravines (storm drains that cut deeply across some of the holes as hazards. After 8 holes I was motoring along nicely with 15 points and I don't think I will ever forget the conversation on the walk up to the 9th. Peter: "Mark you're going well, you haven't blobbed a hole yet." Mark: " yeah going ok, long way to go yet though". Next five holes for me? Blob, 3, Blob, Blob, Blob walked off with 22 points although I was far from last :)
It was a stunning course that you had to plot your way around, and the view from the 18th is something else, you are hitting to a fairway about 100 yds below you. The greens were slower than expected but they were true. And the unexpected bonus at the end of the round was pints for 2.50Euros.
The evening was spent at an Italian and then off the to the Irish Bar Mulligans for a little bit of drinking and pool. Enough said.
Day 2
La Manga North Course
First tee was 9 am ish and very different layout to the West course. Much more open and greens to die for. I guess these are the greens similar to what the pros putt on on the PGA tour? Fairways were lovely and the consistency of the sand in the bunkers was excellent. Weather was overcast with a bit of intermittent sunshine in the morning. The highlight was Ramon. Ramon was the chap who drove the drinks and food buggy around the course and he has worked there for 20 years. He likes to have a chat and give his opinion on what is good in his buggy, probably in his 50's and just ran this year's London Marathon and as we discussed you wouldn't think it to look at him. So morning round was done with a measly 15 points and walking off I thought I played better than the day before but scored less, just couldn't get it in the hole funny how that happens some days. And yes Peter was in my group again, and the group before us had Kev who was sure to mention as he walked off, "Mark you haven't blobbed a hole yet". Thanks LOL. I don't know how many it was but I blobbed the first 2 at least.
Below is a pic of me after tee shot on the par 3 8th, ball flight wasn't pretty as I went after it - bit of bend in the shat there though not sure whether that's good or bad!! (thoughts would be appreciated on the position)
Below is a pic of me after tee shot on the par 3 8th, ball flight wasn't pretty as I went after it - bit of bend in the shat there though not sure whether that's good or bad!! (thoughts would be appreciated on the position)
La Manga North Course Round 2
This was optional and probably half of us played. I had 15 minutes between walking off round one and starting round 2 - barely enough time to get a pint in! Just before we teed off one of our esteemed golfer colleagues told us that he was caught short in the morning, and was in desperate need of a (excuse me) shit on the course. And what was even more surprising, was that, he had one down one of the ravines, now I am not going to name names, but it if it takes your fancy it should be called "doing a Bonsai" - laying down a little log. Now is that man a boy scout or what?
So enough of all that shit, this was my highlight round, birdied the second and on 16 ripped a fading 3 wood that started left edge of green hit the front and rolled up to 15 foot of a back right pin position that was protected by bunker in front. I then went blob and 1 point to finish but had done enough to win front 9 and overall in group.
The Evening of Day 2
Dinner - American Diner. Starter - Potato skins to start filled with Chilli con Carne. Main was rib eye steak. I am guessing that none of the kitchen staff were American as I could have sourced a better cut of meat from any animal. Regardless as Dennis summed it up (who ordered the same) "If I had super glue I could have stuck it to the sole of my shoe".
After Dinner - Mulligans. Pool doubles with Steve, owned the table for a couple of hours before beers kicked in. Lots of Karaoke but not my scene lol. Was trying to get Steve up but we ran out of time.
La Manga South Course
Woke up in time - result number 1. Breakfast at the Cafe. Took 3 days to work out they sold 1.5l of water for 1.5Euros as opposed to buying 500ml off the course at 2.50Euros. It was slightly overcast but not much, and I will never forget the final words of the 'local' serving behind the counter after we engaged him about the weather prospects for the day, "No rain. Bit cloudy, but no rain. That is my humble opinion" result number 2.
Off to the apartment to change/freshen up etc plenty of time before first tee so not to get bored we wandered sown to the excellent putting green and had a few putting comps as if it was the shape of things to come. It wasn't. Putting green was slick and perfect, South course had just been re-opened after much tining and sanding of the greens - but we weren't to know. Sunscreen was being applies and imaginary high fives were going to the 'local in the cafe' who called it.
Walking down to the first tee and I was in the special position of being in the first group due to the golf I had played over the first 2 days. Can't complain it was pretty poor overall with some highlights. Sun is beating down. The majority of our group are gathered waiting for first tee time and a group photo. Sill 15 minutes from first tee. Steve arrives in a buggy solo. Now they had these shopmobiltity single scooters too, and after much discussion rather than opting for the cheaper single seater version Steve went for the double with the roof as he 'needed the shade'. I'll come back to this,
First Tee, no nerves. In bottom group so it could only go one way and that was up. Long Par 4. Good drive away, just caught the fairway bunker on left hand side. Tricky stance half out half in and got it to 80 yds from a slightly uphill green. Shanked a 3/4 GW OB1 - blob. Blobbed 2 and then settled down with 5 points from next 2 holes and was putting for birdie from 15 ft on a par 5 - 3 putted. Clouds were gathering. Wanted to talk to Cafe Man. The rest of the round was insignificant till the 9th when I hit mine left into a bush that we all saw. Hit a provisional - position A (funny how that happens isn't it?). I looked for it on my own - poor form.
More randomness continued, by the 10th the weather front had moved in, temp had dropped by 10 degrees, wind had picked up and we had sideways rain. I am in Spain to do this when I can get it at home?? Waterproofs were on and I chuckled that I had them and did not make the decision not to take them as going to Spain.
By the 12th it was foul, the weather, the golf - both. Par 3 into the wind if you cant shape your shot it was a carry over water. Went long and left of the green down a steep bank. By the time I came back up (note no one hit the green - 2 in water and one short) after hitting what I thought was a great shot, I was surprised to not find it on the green. I was not surprise to find out that none of them had watched it and could only assume it went in the water. took a drop and played out the hole.
All 3 playing partners decided they had had enough of the weather and walked in.
La Manga South Course
Woke up in time - result number 1. Breakfast at the Cafe. Took 3 days to work out they sold 1.5l of water for 1.5Euros as opposed to buying 500ml off the course at 2.50Euros. It was slightly overcast but not much, and I will never forget the final words of the 'local' serving behind the counter after we engaged him about the weather prospects for the day, "No rain. Bit cloudy, but no rain. That is my humble opinion" result number 2.
Off to the apartment to change/freshen up etc plenty of time before first tee so not to get bored we wandered sown to the excellent putting green and had a few putting comps as if it was the shape of things to come. It wasn't. Putting green was slick and perfect, South course had just been re-opened after much tining and sanding of the greens - but we weren't to know. Sunscreen was being applies and imaginary high fives were going to the 'local in the cafe' who called it.
Walking down to the first tee and I was in the special position of being in the first group due to the golf I had played over the first 2 days. Can't complain it was pretty poor overall with some highlights. Sun is beating down. The majority of our group are gathered waiting for first tee time and a group photo. Sill 15 minutes from first tee. Steve arrives in a buggy solo. Now they had these shopmobiltity single scooters too, and after much discussion rather than opting for the cheaper single seater version Steve went for the double with the roof as he 'needed the shade'. I'll come back to this,
First Tee, no nerves. In bottom group so it could only go one way and that was up. Long Par 4. Good drive away, just caught the fairway bunker on left hand side. Tricky stance half out half in and got it to 80 yds from a slightly uphill green. Shanked a 3/4 GW OB1 - blob. Blobbed 2 and then settled down with 5 points from next 2 holes and was putting for birdie from 15 ft on a par 5 - 3 putted. Clouds were gathering. Wanted to talk to Cafe Man. The rest of the round was insignificant till the 9th when I hit mine left into a bush that we all saw. Hit a provisional - position A (funny how that happens isn't it?). I looked for it on my own - poor form.
More randomness continued, by the 10th the weather front had moved in, temp had dropped by 10 degrees, wind had picked up and we had sideways rain. I am in Spain to do this when I can get it at home?? Waterproofs were on and I chuckled that I had them and did not make the decision not to take them as going to Spain.
By the 12th it was foul, the weather, the golf - both. Par 3 into the wind if you cant shape your shot it was a carry over water. Went long and left of the green down a steep bank. By the time I came back up (note no one hit the green - 2 in water and one short) after hitting what I thought was a great shot, I was surprised to not find it on the green. I was not surprise to find out that none of them had watched it and could only assume it went in the water. took a drop and played out the hole.
All 3 playing partners decided they had had enough of the weather and walked in.
So my thoughts are "I paid a lot of money for this and I am going to see the course out". Then remembered that the group behind were at least 2 holes away so thought I would wait under shelter for them to catch up.
% minutes went by then coming up the 11th I saw the group behind. Steve. Steve of the buggy Steve from the first tee of getting it for 'needing the shade' My first words were along the lines of 'bet you're glad of the shade you're getting now', and we laughed. It was pissing down sideways, my group had walked off and we laughed.
Thankfully one of their group cried off too and I joined them and we finished the round together.
Overall
Best Course - West, really have to think your way around
Best Greens* - North by far
Best layout - hard to pick between west and south
Best Meal - First night Italian
Best surprise - Steve nailing Karaoke
Best Player - Kev M *take my hat off to you*
Best Dressed - Karl P (last day)
Best outcome - On tour with a Geordie who said 'nothing to worry about' before Wigan hammered them 4-0
* sure the south would have been up to the same standard if they had not had work do
Would love to do it again!
