The First Tee
Perfectly balanced, my arms extended in front of me caressing the slightly worn handle of my driver. In that one moment it became clear to me just what I desired in life… *PING*
Poise, balance and accuracy... all things I lack.
Sadly what happened next was not me swaggering my way 300 yards down the middle of the fairway. Instead, I bid my party fair well and set off for the woodlands in search of my first shot of the day.
Upon finding my ball nestled amongst the first leaf fall of the autumn, my fortunes changed as a miraculous second shot saw me on the green! And this is where the joys of the game finally became clear to me. Never before has a few millimetres seemed so important. The slightest muscular twitch is all the difference between either trudging through a forest, cussing and blinding, looking for your ball, and the sweet sweet sensation of the perfectly timed ‘ping’ out of the rough and on to the green.
The Host
The Beckenham Place in Lewisham, was the destination of my last ditch attempt to clasp on to the remainder of summer. But as I found out, this relatively unheard of public golf course is a real gem.
Set in the middle of Beckenham park, the enormous course’s lush greenery could convince you, you were anywhere but 25 minutes drive from Central London. There is no better indication of this than the show-piece hole of the course, the 16th. Emerging from a pathway carved out of the woodland, you find yourself looking at a 450 yard downhill hole with a spectacular view of the clubhouse in the background. The view alone makes you realise that the last 3 1/2 hours have been more than worth it.
Emerging onto the 16th
The beauty of the course was that despite it having some challenging holes, the fairways are wide enough to help out even the most turgid of players from getting into too much trouble.
The Verdict
Although I may don the same clothes, swing the same clubs and even play the same courses, I will assure you Tiger Woods I am not.
out.
