Cross country...

Back at school cross country was a swear word to all but the ridiculously fit kids. Most of the teachers didn't enjoy it as it meant standing marshalling in the forest in either sub zero or monsoon conditions. The unsporty kids didn't fancy it either, though to be fair the well seasoned ones often had sick notes excusing them from participating in any form of exercise. I was a sporty type but I hated it for two reasons:

1. I wasn't very good but I was very competitive
2. It usually meant that the pitches were frozen/waterlogged which meant no football for a while

Today I participated in a four and a half hour cross country and loved every minute of it. Well maybe that's a slight exaggeration as my golf has taken a turn for the worse. I loved the majority of it excluding the moments shortly after I'd hit a poor shot.

For those if you that haven't played a Cross Country essentially consists of made up holes where for example you'd teed it up on 14th and play to the 2nd green. Originally, they had planned a more sprawling course but the significant interest and 96 entrants led to a rethink and 16 smaller holes. The format was Texas Scramble and I think we finished 11.9 under par with our handicap allowance. I'm mnot sure what the winning tally was as I had to dash off before the presentations but from those people I spoke to it seemed as though a good day was had by all.

I would highly recommend it as an interesting variation to normal play with some crazy shots over trees, to blind greens from angles you've possibly never imagined, and for the higher handicapper probably some you've played before. I must confess to a few moments of déjà vu today. It probably wasn't the best format for someone looking to build their confidence in their swing but I'm out tomorrow morning in a swindle and hopefully that will resolve those qualms.

Really good fun today and the highlight was pplaying with Terry from the Waldringfield office. He only plays twice a year, off 28, yet by the 7th hole we had used FIVE of his tee shots. That's not much to write home about if he was only playing we me, but we were also playing with our club pro! The early run of short par 3's he just kept pitching them close. I was really chuffed for him with his nearest the pin effort on one of the latter holes to about 18 inches.

As for me I need to relax and believe...