Going toe to toe with giants
My days of competitive golf are largely in the rear-view mirror and, for me, the game is now more about savouring the views and playing courses that aren’t too taxing. But just occasionally there is still something hugely satisfying about knowing you’ve done battle with a golf course far more likely to beat you than vice versa.
I think of my game a few years ago at St Mellion, where a number of holes offer little margin for error. I didn’t set the world alight in terms of score, but felt I acquitted myself well in my personal battle against one of the toughest tests in the UK. I stopped to enjoy the views, too, which at times are beautiful.
Would I want to do it every day? No! But there are many testing courses out there, and sometimes it is fun to go off a set of tees not really designed for you. I once tackled the 6th, 7th and 8th on the Duke’s course at St Andrews off the ‘blacks’ and was delighted to come up just one shy of par. Why? Because that little run features a 596-yard par 5, a 513-yard par 4 and a 250-yard par 3.
Parring the fearsome last four at Lytham a few years ago on a Titleist trip also stands out, as does a solid 35-point showing off the tips at Aldeburgh, where there are no par 5s and the finish is tough.
Of course, more often these heavyweights get you on the canvas early on, from where there is no way back (I started seven, nine, seven in my first round at Birkdale!). But those times when you’ve stood toe to toe with giants and held your own live long in the memory.