The joy of mixed golf
I have been playing golf for over 40 years, and although it is hard to detect now, I briefly made it down to single figures. These days, rather than medals from the back tee, I am far more interested in simply appreciating the course and the company. Despite that, there is one form of competition that I still fully enjoy: the Mixed Open. My enthusiasm for exploring new courses and revisiting old favourites combines well with the pleasure of playing golf with my sister, with various mutual friends and quite often with strangers.
In a little over a week in late May, Debbi and I returned to lovely Farnham in Surrey, made the lengthy journey down to Barton on
Sea in Hampshire for the first time and also played in the 125th anniversary Mixed at Maidenhead. Just a couple of weeks before Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam’s Scandinavian Mixed, we played the first two of these with friends while at the third we were happy with the luck of the draw.
Mixed, and indeed the vast majority of Opens, usually offer remarkable value. You are often paying less than the standard green fee for a day that includes food and prizes. On top of this, the courses are generally presented in tip-top order and the members go out of their way to be welcoming. It’s really good PR for the host clubs, and we were greatly taken with both the Harry Colt clifftop design at Barton on Sea and the JH Taylor parkland layout at Maidenhead, which was in excellent condition.
Most of all, it’s enormous fun to play an event with an element of competition that is at the same time very social and relaxed, while anything that breaks down the male/female divide in golf has to be a good thing.