It was a glorious June day, brilliant sunshine tempered by a cooling northwesterly breeze. The course was in immaculate condition as the Ashridge Cup has been played the previous day. Deer grazed on the edge of the course and red kites soared above us. We prepared ourselves for combat by consuming strong coffee and fortifying bacon rolls.
We played individual stableford for the Cup in the morning which was won by Joey with 37 points. None of us hit the 8th for 'nearest the pin' but Alan won the 'longest drive' with a 301 yard exocet down the 12th.
The 'one club hole', introduced by Joey, was tied between Mark and Justin both needing 4 shots. The club and hole are selected using a random number generator which meant we played the 160 yard 16th with nothing but a 3 wood/hybrid.
Having had an excellent lunch and fully refreshed we went out to play in the afternoon. First off a foursomes match, Bristol (Justin & Duncan) v Durnford (Alan and Joey) and then Ryle (Ben) v Aldrich (Mark). Ben was the only one to hit the ball more than 30 yards from the 1st tee, a testament to our good lunch!
The par 5 2nd was the designated 'one club hole', this time with a 4 iron. This was tied with a bogey each, Joey having splashed his ball out of a deep bunker to within 10 feet, with a 4 iron! After some excellent golf Bristol beat Durnford by 4&3 and Ryle beat Aldrich by 3&2.
As the shadows lengthened we relaxed on the balcony, reflecting on an excellent day's golf and contemplating our respective journeys home.
Would who ever has the Solstice cup please get it to Joey.