BGS 2024 - Round 1 Corballis - 23rd Mar 12:20

I'd imagine only one tee set will be out - white and it will be on shorter side of white as winter.

Looking forward to making my first appearance and meeting everyone. Fairly new to golf and never played Corballis so hopefully someone in my group has so they can point me in the right direction.

Welcome and enjoy.

Not too sure about some of ours guiding you around.

Some(who shall remain nameless) have been known to get lost looking for the 1st tee in courses and some have even gone to the wrong course.

Google maps they aint😂

in case anyone is interested I wrote this course guide a couple of years ago. https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/111742741/#Comment_111742741

The Chipping Forecast is an easy fun listen too.

Best of luck today lads. Enjoy the round!

I think blast is the right word...

Win at last

Well at last, after over a decade of trying, got a win. Haven’t played well for 2 or 3 years at this stage . but this season put some good, winter work in.

I was never a golfer able to get in the 40  + points – and was probably off a handicap I was never particularly competitive off – but I was always able to get to mid 30s – on tougher days hang in there and be in the top 5 .  I also tend to have a better front nine – a thing that can cause you considerable pain in society golf.

The week was a mad one – been working 8 days straight – then a problem in work meant that I had to do a night prior to the game – not exactly ideal preparation – little or no sleep, no warm up.

But – at least it was Corballis – a course I genuinely know backwards and have probably played it 200 times + (even if I was never a member). Wind was another big advantage - I basically play hockey, not golf.

A group from Boards here, play a bit over the winter – and Corballis became a sort of spiritual home – reason being, it is always open , very cheap and very fast. Do you want to be out on a 6700 yard + course in deep winter ? – ice on greens and gale force wind. A quick run around meets the needs of a year round golfer, when in mid winter.

But – it is as some have described, marmite , too hard, too slow , crazy golf . It is not a golf course that fits into any normal category. That in itself is a charm to me. I like Links , I like variety , I like doubt and unpredictability. I also like fast short golf.   

One of the best rounds I ever had – was a 69 in Corballis – was probably playing the golf of my life at the time – but you still have to have every bounce go your way – as at that place a foot here or there is death. I love that edge of seat golf – that needs control and course mgmt.

But back to Saturday – so in a daze between sleep and awake, I hit the first tee – was with a fine group for the day – Golfgraffix / blue note / VW1 . All great ball strikers, with very different games – the joy of amateur golf. On the 2nd tee, I said to them all – this is the big dog group. Blue note – has had fairly epic scores in the society – so I was interested to see his game . His ball flight is incredible and very suited to a real target golf style – I’ve seen VW1 hit the ball and he also fantastic athleticism. Golfgraffix has transformed his game over the last year – he was know as a player with an extraordinary short game – but has transformed himself into an all round real serious player.

And then you see the sea – what a run from 2 to 7 – as good as anything out west – but just a slightly smaller scale. I was hitting the ball well – but got frustrated with the lack of reward , the mats to grass tee boxes to unusual tee locations – didn’t really suit me. And the round was getting away on me. ‘Graffix was off to a flyer – such control and calm and game plan and focus. Amazing to see by the contrasting wild Irish sea.

As I stood up on the 4th tee – for as far as you could see, you could see golfers all over the place / the sound and the navigation and views of the course was fascinating to see. What a mad place – also golfers are mad. I’m one of them too.

Blue note and VW1 were a bit wild at the start – but good shots were interspersed by despair – but at no point, did they lose their calm and cool demeanor.

As for me and Golfgraffix (another tale) – the calm was at times like the sea – not calm (lol) – we go back a long way at this stage – and over the years we have developed a sort of false rivalry. We have had fantastic matches at boards events and away from it. I’d say it is fair to say he has a slight edge on me with wins – but when we are both at our best – it is as tight as Corballis. Me a stronger long game, him a much stronger short – it creates a great match dynamic.

But – whilst I was hitting the ball great – it was Corballis and as we know,  a foot here and there – it is a scratch , I wasn’t being rewarded in my mind. But at the same time – everyone was saying 30 pts is a great score – considering the wild day that was in it.  No matter how poor, or what form I’m in , I can still always get into the 30s.

I still made a few mistakes and school boy errors – a bit of mental fatigue. But I got to the 30 –  and there was definitely more in the can.

Happy out to get the win in Alan’s year – a really terrific bloke, who is a wonderful golfer, with great humility. He has traits we could all learn from.

The society is such a different place to normal golf. It in theory is just about golf. But when you meet up with people, you see it is a bit more. It is golfers who want to go on a bit of a golfing journey, an odyssey, an escape – a discovery.

Fair play bluenote and VW1 – for putting up with me and Golfgraffix, pretending that the match we were in, was more important than life and death. But we all know that golf is not just about who wins. It is about a shared journey – a discovery of somewhere new. And maybe that odd shot that can genuinely surprise yourself – and call you back to this game and the society and something in yourself.

Thanks for the great prizes Alan , and I’ll have a little memento of a beautiful engraved Galway tumbler to enjoy a wee drink – I can reflect on the views on the 4th on that day – and also a nice memory on the last decade of a truly extortionary golf journey with many very special golfers and more importantly, great people.  

It was actually a bit better than I expected. You also have to keep in mind that this year is the worst conditions I've seen on nearly all courses and it is still very early in the year of a very very bad year. Will be a completely different place late May.

The positives - great to see sand bags out - if still limited use by course users

Greens still in ok to good condition - if not their best.

Negatives

We had to have placing - but the divots around the place are still bad - but you got to think not just the courses' responsibility but - bad golfers with no respect.

Season relatively close - want to get a move on with whatever is happening on 5 and 7 and 8 and 9 , - the loss of the real 8 is a disaster.

Mats not great on tee boxes - let that pass - but it is April next week.

A few bunkers look structurally collapsed . poor condition.

Overall - it looks like there is too much golf going on - but I would add - that course with serious greens fees and subs - have very similar issues.

And we are off! The mighty Corballis. I have a love hate relationship with this place having played it loads at this stage. I still struggle to remember holes as my playing partners will contest @Snackbox20 @Sorbet @boccy23 as the 1 hole I explained to them which I think was the 11th dog leg right.. There was a bunker in the distance which was GUR and a white line around it as I told the lads in get detail just left of that is a good landing area which will leave a wedge in.. Thankfully none of them listened 😂 and all went right except me! when I got up there ball was nearly OOB in the **** 🤦‍♂️ Dont know what hole I was thinking off! 😂 but definitely cost me a shot was lucky to find it but could only hack it out...

I purposely left my driver at home as having coming second here last year with only 3 clubs I know Corbellis is a course where you have to be strict on your course management! I wasn't playing great on front 9 with loads of 1 pointers. Then I went on a run of pars just at the turn and got myself in the mix! Standing on 18th Tee with 28 pts I said a bogey here will get me 2 pts and in the mix but personally wanted to hit 30pts as I taught that was a great score considering the conditions.. Greenside in 2 with a tricky chip to a tight pin (going for the hero shot) instead of playing the percentage 🤦‍♂️ I'll never learn! fell a yard short and down the bank which ended in a scratch for second year in a row the 18th cost me dear!

So the love hate relationship continues But I had great laugh with the lads and always good to meet new lads, new personalities. Some great golf was played in parts by all.. But the conditions where really tough..

I'm not a fan of mats and taught the conditioning wasnt near as good as previous years the amount of pitch marks on the greens was shocking!

Well done @FixdePitchmark! At least I dont have to listen to you say its impossible for me to win a boards outing now! 😂😂 Delighted for you! True veteran of the society. A boards win is hard!

See you all at Portmarnock!

Firstly and big congratulations to my good buddy Fix, and absolute disgrace that he has not won at least one event in all the years he has played, in saying that he not winning has been a great source of amusement.

That was deffinately a game that got away, started like a train over the 1st 6 holes, really should have been one under gross for the 1st 6 but was happy to be 1 over with two 2s in there.

Was tipping away nicely until the 8th hole, when we were waiting on the tee for what seemed and age, I have a problem (my own, no ones fault) with waiting, ended up rushing my drive, walked off with a 5, that felt like an 8. That was the start of my downfall, got a little (a lot) annoyed with myself and played poorly coming in, while still hitting good shots. I have been working very hard on the process side of the game and trying to keep my decision making clear and for the most part it has been working but I let myself down on Saturday.

All in all I really enjoyed the round playing with BlueNote and VW1, both of whom have tonnes of good if not great golf in them but like us all, it just needs to all come together on the right day.

Looking forward to the next round at my home course. The 6 new holes from last year and the new 17th (opening in two weeks) will all be in play, will be curious to see how the scores pan out.

We are off on running for 2024, have a great year captain.