League to Dubai. Singles game 2. Oake Manor with Peter Jeanes

Bit of a trek to my second singles game in the League to Dubai! Nearly two hours each way to the beautiful Oake Manor golf club in Taunton, Somerset! I was greeted in the carpark by Peter Jeanes and after a quick warm up and practice putt, we were away down the first. I managed to leave my Garmin G5 at home so I made use of the great course planner I got from the very nice pro shop.

My honour on the first and sliiiiiiced it almost onto the 2^nd fairway. Pete went almost as far right as me and managed to lose his ball and after I clattered into the trees trying to escape them, we recorded blobs each for the first hole. Not the start either of us was after.

Par5 2^nd hole had the breeze helping and the dry conditions were giving heaps of run which left me a downhill approach shot to the green with a small stream behind it. I pulled my 5iron a little left and was praying that it would hit the bunker or manage to stop before the water. It didn’t and I managed to salvage a point to Peter’s 2 points after he did the smart safe play.

Water plays a massive role on Oake Manor’s golf course. Aesthetically it is beautiful and I got caught by the water on more than just the one occasion. Luckily I took heaps of golf balls!

Holes 3 and 4 were both blobbed for me and I found myself  4 points behind after 4 holes standing on the 5^th tee looking at trouble everywhere on the hardest hole on the course. I took my hybrid club and placed the ball 200 yards from the green in the centre of the fairway with a daunting shot over water awaiting me. A 4iron landed a few feet short and bounced on to stop about 4 feet from the pin! What an amazing shot! I popped the putt in for a birdie (net eagle) and 4 points to give me a 3 point swing against Pete’s single pointer.

My honour on the beautiful par3 6^th. A reasonably short hole with the water hazard coming right to the green’s edge. I had 132 yards to the edge of the green and chose a 9 iron as the bunkers through the green looked nasty and an 8iron would have put me in them. My first tee shot hit the wall of the hazard. BOOOO. It was about 1 foot from being absolutely perfect. I played my third shot from a good pitching wedge distance and left myself with a monstrous put for a point which only just missed.

I was very pleased with a point from the 7^th hole after putting my drive in the fairway bunker and Pete’s steady run continued with 2 points after a fantastic shot from a deep greenside bunker. I got the last of my points from the front nine on the par4 8^th after flirting with the OB right and leaving myself 100 yards to the green and a par (net birdie) for 3 points and a staggering 10 points after 9 holes. I won’t mention the 4 putts on the 9^th hole! Pete’s tally half way was 14 points with steady as she goes golf.

Golf is a funny game.

I nearly chipped in for a birdie on the tough par3 10^th hole with both of us getting 3point pars and I managed to par 4 from the first 6 on the back 9 to give me a single point advantage with three holes to go! Neither of us could really believe it, but there were still 3 holes to go!

The par3 16^th is the easiest hole on the course and I put it in the water. Fortunately for me, so did Pete. Still 1 point ahead, 2 to play.

Par5 17^th I sliced right, Pete hooked left. Both had an opportunity for a single point with a chip in, both missed. 1 point up, 1 to play.

Played it safe with a hybrid short of the bunkers although it left a blind second shot. Pete blazed his driver as he was chasing and went right. Neither of us received a shot on the 18^th and Pete needed at least a par and 2 points to win it (so he thought). His second shot was a beauty and put him safely on the green. My blind approach shot was pulled left and into the greenside bunker leaving a tricky shot across the green which stopped short at about half distance. My par putt went passed about 3 feet.

Pete’s birdie attempt went passed by about 6 feet and he was fuming when he missed his par putt leaving him with one point and a total of 25 for the match. That left me with a 3 foot putt to take the away match with 26 points. I lined it up, there was a bit of right to left movement in it and I was needing to aim just outside right edge. I stuck to my routine and hit a poor putt that just missed! That left Pete feeling a little better and we drew the match with 25 points a-piece. I can’t really believe that I had the chance to win the game. I made far too many mistakes off the tee.

Still….. a point is a point!

Had a lovely beer in the beautiful and spacious clubhouse, enjoyed winding down, talking about stuff and listening to Andy Murray winning Wimbledon.

Thanks Pete for a great day out! Top company on a fantastic golf course. I didn’t enjoy the fact that I had the first of three night-shifts waiting for me when I got home ……. But I still had a top day.