19 October 2020
It was good to see Matt Wallace (L2003-08) as the leader after 3 rounds of the Scottish Championship at St Andrews. What a shame he had to settle for 2nd place after a stunning 63 from Otaegui but never mind, 19-under represents a good week’s golf and his best result of the year.Despite all the doom and gloom around the world, the OA golfers did manage a Mini-Tour in October. Here is a brief record of what happened on Tour – all the rest stays on Tour, of course.The OAGS Covid 2020 Mini-Tour to Nottingham.What is the connection between Nottingham and Dinan? Is it either:1. They are twinned towns2. Robin Hood (Robin des Bois) est né à Dinan.Neither! Ghent in Belgium has the “twinned with” honour and Robin Hood is thought to have been born in Yorkshire!The right answer is that the OA golfers should have been in Dinan on their annual European Tour but Boris wouldn’t allow us to go across the channel. However, our indefatigable Tour Leader, John Yule (SHE1966-71), was completely undeterred and managed to organise a magnificent alternative which provided 3-days of golf in the beautiful environs of Sherwood Forest.Tuesday 6th OctoberBy noon on, 14 OA golfers were ensconced in the bar of the Sherwood Forest Golf Club – suitably distanced, of course – and they tucked into a plate of sandwiches with a few frites and a couple of beers. It is one of the oldest and finest heathland courses, currently rated 84th in the UK Top 100. The weather forecast was not great but it actually remained relatively dry and we enjoyed ourselves.A short journey took us to the Forest Lodge Hotel near Mansfield where we were joined by Peter Mobsby (SHE1952-57). There should have been 16 of us, a perfect number for golf, but Martin Jeens (SHE1956-61) sadly had to self-isolate due to a friend’s grandson testing positive. Nevertheless, we managed to have a good 3-course meal with plenty of wine before we were sent to our rooms to observe the 10.00 pm curfew. Wednesday 7th OctoberThe sun was shining the following morning as we made our way to The Notts Golf Club, often referred to as Hollinwell. It is a stunning course, rated 35th in the UK Top 100 and measuring 7,250 yards. It is only 6,619 yards off the yellow tees but that is longer than Porters Park off the back tees!The first group off the tee included 4 of our Halford Hewitt squad with Michael Beavis (SHO1080-83), David Rawlinson (B1988-93), Will Kirby (L2006-11) and Adam Thrussell (B1992-97), they played some great golf.The second group had a more senior feel to it with Peter Mobsby and Marcus Blake (P1951-56) taking on Mark Weatherhead (M1954-57) and Robert Buckley (P1946-50). All are over 80 and their ages total an amazing 330 years, and what a match it was too. Blake and Mobsby were 6 down after 9 holes but never gave up and fought back to square the match on the 18th. Incidentally, Marcus Blake, whose father, JR Blake (M1913-17), had been OAGS Captain in 1963, was himself Captain in 2003 and handed over to Peter Mobsby the following year. The other matches were great fun but could not provide anywhere near the same level of excitement.In the evening, we were taken by taxi to the Mangrove restaurant, a modern Indian restaurant which produced some excellent dishes.Thursday 8th OctoberHaving rained all night, we woke to the sound of it bouncing on the roof with cars and vans swishing along the road outside and the forecast was somewhat off-putting. Whilst 5 of the party had to return home, the remaining 10 set off for Longcliffe Golf Club, another of the premier golf clubs in the Midlands near Loughborough. It has a pretty location on the lower slopes of the historic and scenic Charnwood Forest. We were ready for battle at 10.30 and miraculously, the rain eased off and we had a most enjoyable round of golf before relaxing in the bar for a beer and a welcome plate of sandwiches and chips. Before we left for home at 4.00, there was just time to capture the masked group of OA golfers on camera!Before we left, we heard the news that Martin Jeens had tested negative for the virus so we were mighty relieved, just sorry that he had missed a great Tour.Many thanks to John Yule for a fantastic few days.Plans for 2021The prospects for a normal golfing calendar next year are not great but let’s hope we get a vaccine, a Prime Minister who listens to the right people, a new government or maybe all three! Whatever happens, I am sure we will manage to arrange some interesting golfing experiences. Watch this space!If you have any golfing news you would like to share, do please pass it on via the OA Office oas@aldenham.comHanc Aldenham!EggersAKA Ian Eggleden (SHE1958-63)