As I lay in bed on Thursday morning and heard the rain patter against the window, I breathed a sigh of relief at the prospect of a wash out.  With great enthusiasm I’d signed up to a Bibendum golf evening months ago, thinking that I’d have taken several lessons and practised a lot by the end of August….needless to say, I hadn’t.  So when Radio 4 declared that the rain would pass by 1pm to give us a glorious evening, I took a deep breath and packed my golf gear and spent the day in an anxious state.

For those who haven’t been to Hampstead Golf Club, it’s a fantastic leafy 9-hole course set amongst some of the most exclusive houses in North London and it offered a fabulous backdrop to our sporting evening.  The Kiwi in the team was quickly singled out by an enthusiastic member who advised him on the dress code… Ants Rixon promptly tucked in his shirt.  Several others in the group hid around a corner, hoping not to be spotted.  Kyle Smith looked the part with his flat cap and was ably assisted by Seamus McDuff – the golf visionary appeared in the guise of a Mountain Dog head cover on this occasion.

There were some moments of brilliance, with Ants nearly claiming a hole-in-one on the third.  The ball landed in the hole and bounced out, so cruel.  I even managed a par on the 8th thanks to a nice tee-shot, but that was a silver lining as the clouds were definitely hanging over the rest of my round!  Still, all the poor shots and lost balls were forgotten when we got back to the clubhouse and feasted on a selection of sandwiches and chips.

Well done Steve Lofty on a really well organised evening.  Despite the fact that we couldn’t stop Ants Rixon winning for the second year in a row, we raised another £40 for MS Society and had a great evening out.  Many thanks to Mark at Hampstead for allowing us to play.  However, we’re still not sure whether the police helicopter that was circling the golf club at the end of the evening was his hint that maybe the shifty looking characters in our group need to smarten up if we’re to be allowed through the gates once more!

Bibendum Times