hello and welcome back to the cookie jar
golf podcast
I’m Sam Williams and it is a great
privilege to introduce my foursomest
part of last weekend Bruce Fitzpatrick
to the pod
hello
how are we doing mate I’m excellent
actually
how are you yeah I’m all the better for
this new microphone I’m wielding the new
sm58 so a bit of investment in jhq last
few weeks
something handheld
um I’m sticking with the old one um oh
yeah I think I think you’re actually a
bit loud when you did hello and welcome
back I think it may be a little bit of
reverberation there but you know new bit
of equipment new toy takes a bit of time
to get used to uh how it all works yeah
well there we go anyway we were down at
Burnham and Barrow last weekend I
thought we’d do a little course Diaries
podcast today so
um Bruce why don’t you fill us in on
what we were doing down at Burnham who
we’re representing what it was all about
there you go no messing around straight
into it so we were down at Burnham and
Barrow for the rescheduled Brent Noble
um which is a foursome scratch for
awesome competition played at Burnham
every year typically in March
um but obviously with with covid and
lockdown
um it was canceled in 2020 and then it
was this this year’s version was um
pushed back to August so
um yeah we went down we were
representing the Wiggles golfing Society
weren’t we
um so it’s teams of six three foursome
pairings
scratch foursome’s golf match play
knockout competition pretty
straightforward really in terms of a
format
um just straight up gritty match play
um so we went down on Friday for a bit
of an early sighter didn’t we took it
was our debut event wasn’t it that you
know you and I um
the wig ones have won it a couple of
times
um in the 70 year history it’s about
that it’s about 70 years
but our first run out for them
which was which was a real honor to get
the call up
um and so we had headed down on Friday
which is usually what is it an hour and
40 minutes from where we are before yeah
yeah you think so it’s probably probably
the closest normally the closest links
course I’d say to where we are
um but clearly I mean a lot of other
people have the same idea so we were
stuck on the M5 for the most torturous
Journey took ended up taking over three
hours rushed onto the T
played a few holes didn’t we got a bit
of a practice round in
and then golf was a bit dicey wasn’t it
if we’re going to be honest I think we
both hit a few wipes uh in the afternoon
so we’re going out as a six and the team
is six playing a little bit of a
forcement practice before the matches
start on Saturday in the draw
um I mean kick it off with a course I I
feel like maybe I was it’s been probably
three or four years since I’ve played
Burnham
um
having played an awful lot of Links golf
over the last few years I was going back
to it thinking yeah it’s nice enough
course but probably
I was pretty you know non-plussed about
Burnham going in really yeah I think I
probably gave a bit of harsh time I was
like yeah it’s okay it’s all right
there’s some there’s some good holes
there’s some bad holes it’s okay
and then I came away from the event and
thought yeah that was a poor take it’s
actually yeah way wider the Mark I went
down thinking yeah this this is a good
this is a really really good golf course
really good testicle
you’ve played it before haven’t you yeah
in the past played it a couple of times
um
yeah and and uh I think it is a great
test
um we obviously saw it in slightly
different conditions so Saturday morning
I mean the forecast we were there while
they were doing the draw on the Friday
night and it’s nice actually because
obviously the 16th teams
um you know there’s a consolation plate
competition is it
yeah so I think if you get knocked out
in the morning yeah go into a bye bye
bye knockout only for the plane if you
go yeah well you’re playing a stable
foot so I mean you want to stay in the
competition for sure yeah so it is very
competitive but it’s a good social mix
as well so you have the odd team putting
a bet on themselves or another teams
sort of hedging it on on Friday night
but we were looking at the forecast
thinking this is going to be horrific
and we did get
well I mean we did get pretty wet
Saturday morning it wasn’t as bad as it
could have been I also think in
foursomes you have a bit more of a
chance to get you know have some
breathing room and kind of get
everything in order waterproof wise[Music] um
and
yeah I mean it is playing it playing it
when it was kind of wet but fairly calm
and then on the Sunday when the
conditions
the wind picked up a bit and it was a
bit more dicey With The Wind that was
cool to see how the course you know
played this differently like any Lynx
course does really plays differently
with those those different wins just
switching a little bit on Saturday and
then picking up in a completely
different direction on on Sunday
um but it was I mean it was good fun
wasn’t it I mean our first time playing
foursome’s golf in a competitive a more
competitive setting I guess like that
together as a pair
um
and it was yeah it was really enjoyable
yeah I I mean I’d guess if I say it’s
possibly the most fun I’ve had on a golf
course in in the last year
um I mean I think you can probably get
carried away with thinking playing a lot
of golf it’s not about score and
actually it’s about company and having a
good time and it is and the company was
great we had a great laugh the guys we
played against from old shiburnians
leather jackets we played the Raf in the
semi-final who actually went on to win
obviously we got knocked out in the
morning amazing company all great guys
but there is something about scratch
force and the match play that for me is
like yeah that is the that really is the
greatest format of the game I think if
you’re playing well and the matches are
close
I think it’s really hard to beat that I
thought that was outstanding fun like
you you’re really focused you know
there’s a team Dynamic that makes you
know you’re not on your own it’s not
isolating you’re supporting your partner
sometimes it’s just as much fun chipping
out of the Buckthorn or wherever you put
me on the
on the 30 on the 12th hole on the Sunday
morning and wrestling something out of
there with a with a 58 degree as it is
flagging and I’m from like 150 or
whatever so yeah I thought it was just
amazing fun really really enjoyable
um
gave me a real kind of
it was just kind of a nice reminder I
think of
good quality match play golf and how
much I’ve missed that yeah I think the
team Dynamic though as you rightly point
now it’s huge because obviously we
so we had our our kind of pairing set by
by Midway through the round on Friday
and we kind of knew going in we were
probably going to play together we’d go
off as it were in the three matches we
played
we were always off third as sort of
anchor that make us the anchor yeah yeah
yeah what’s the thing behind an anchor
pairing is that like we’ve got that one
banked is that they’re thinking what no
no the idea is if it gets dicey I mean
you know assuming which ended up not to
be the case but assuming that the
matches are all pretty close and they go
down to the final match then
if you know what the stakes are the
anchor pairing should should be capable
of dealing with that that pressure and
um you know closing it out if they need
to which it didn’t end up it then it
didn’t end up falling that way though
did it I mean obviously we we were
fortunate we played very well on
Saturday morning and won the match there
fairly handily and then walked up to see
how our other two pairings were getting
on our second match or our first match
out had sadly lost
um and then it all came down to the
second Wiggles pairing who you know a
one-up playing the 17th and then we
watched them play 17 and 18 just about
hang on for us to go through 2-1 but
what’s great is obviously you play you
play to a conclusion so people say it’s
the same as the the Halford Hewitt that
is that the old boys tournament I’ve
never actually played in but but down a
deal and uh Royals and George is the
same idea there and that you have to
play to a conclusion so
um a bit of drama wasn’t there with one
of the teams I think milfield playing
the old old millvillians who were
playing the leather jackets on Saturday
um[Music] won the first game and then they were
two up with three to play in the
remaining both of the other two matches
yeah they ended up halving both those
matches and then losing both of those
matches
inside in a sudden death playoff so
you’re gonna fight there quite
dramatic but yeah it’s just you know
there’s no no half points in this format
which is quite cool you know it gives
you a bit of hope that you can always
even if you Dore me down you know all
you got to do is just cling on and then
you can win it on the on the sudden
death so
um I mean it is it is just a great sort
of
format because when you’re in that team
environment and it’s not just you as a
pairing but you know there’s a couple of
other pairs out there and there’s six of
you down there you just you’re pulling
for the team aren’t you you’re so yeah
desperate to play well and get a point
for your team not just understand yeah
and it’s gritty isn’t it it’s gritty as
hell I think it would be remiss not to
talk about the weather on Saturday
morning which is I mean it wasn’t as bad
as build but I mean it was pretty
horrendous for a good eight or nine
holes so you knew going out you were
going to get wet waterproofs
I think I had nine gloves folded up in a
bag good to go I was like you know I’m
not getting caught out by the rain I
even went as the fires to rent a trolley
with an umbrella stand an electric
trolley yeah I don’t know what your take
was on this Bruce but I felt like I
looked like a non-golfer for those first
10 holes with a with with my performance
with the trolley it was pretty
embarrassing yeah I mean I I didn’t
really know that that people could find
using an electric trolley so challenging
I I didn’t I never thought you know when
people talk about the goal the game of
golf and it’s a difficult sport to play
and you know it requires a lot of
practice and and it’s just you know such
a sort of fine motor skill I’ve never
heard anyone talk about the challenges
of golf being based around the equipment
and actually moving a trolley around the
course because you’d think it’s fairly
it’s actually fairly straightforward I
mean even these new electric ones I
don’t use electric trolley
um when I do trolley I just use a manual
like push one but even the electric ones
are fairly intuitive but
um yeah I mean you must have tipped over
your bag and and I think five six times
yeah a good handful of times yeah it was
getting embarrassing wasn’t it really I
was I was really tempted of walking
across to about the 12th leaving the
electric trolley there and just carrying
the bag because it was really irritating
um but now I felt really embarrassed
luckily my golf was was okay in the
morning and held up otherwise it would
have been I think that helped it as you
say a bit of a distraction you know you
weren’t thinking too much about about
your swing or or how you were playing
instead you were just thinking of trying
to actually transport 14 clubs and all
your accessories from from one hole to
the next without spilling it all so
um yeah that that was quite entertaining
to watch
um what was your take on the course then
so you know idea behind course Dives a
bit of a bit of a kind of a take I guess
on on Burnham I’ve kind of already
offered up there an opinion I I went in
probably without
many memories of the place I think I’ve
played it two or three times yeah I
don’t remember playing great when I’ve
played it the weather’s always been
fairly mixed so that’s probably played
into your yeah assessment game so I just
didn’t really have any expectations
and you know kind of looking at the
club’s history pages and you look there
and you think yeah Christ you know
Fowler did some work there in the early
1900s Colt’s done a whole ton of work
there’s obviously that whole J.H Taylor
Legacy from when he was the professional
there and the great Keeper of the green
um I think Mackenzie did a little bit of
Consulting there before World War II
um like it’s a star-study cast of The
Golden Age greats really
um
and I I thought there was a lot of
really good golf holes what was your
take on the course
yeah as I said I think it is a it’s
really varied and there’s some great
path threes in particular that stand out
I think um the fifth
um which obviously you know UTD off five
seven sorry five nine and Seventeen all
really strong part threes
um I played 12 and 14. I mean 12 is
obviously a temporary part three at the
moment because that’s been extensively
redesigned it’s usually along part four
and it’s it’s been made longer
um and has been built up on the
left-hand side these Dunes like
incredible work and a few Stanley waste
areas that have been put in by
um Mackenzie and Ebert who I understand
are like the Consulting Architects at
the moment and that hole is going to be
fantastic but even in the current I I
understand that for at least sort of
past 12 months or so maybe a bit longer
it’s been played along part three
um just to allow that new Fairway in the
new kind of Dunes on the left to
properly taken and you know make sure
that they’re all good to go when when
it’s finally open for play but the par
three in its place is a great hole um
it’s awesome isn’t it incredible you
stand on that ninth T and you’ve got I
want to say like maybe six seven bunkers
just beautiful round reverted pop
bunkers around the grease yeah huge
runoff down the left and you’re like
yeah this is this is pretty much as good
a path region Play It’s the optimal
distance from part three in my opinion
it’s about 160-ish yards you can move it
forward and backwards from there but it
just plays as a perfect hole and you
know the fifth again it’s just an
incredible par three they’re they’re
just really nice golf holes and I think
both of those are a cult cult cult holes
from what I understand uh at least good
par fours as well like a good you know
good some good challenging parfors that
um mix I mean there’s a couple there
that are
um probably quite close to drivable
which you know gives you a chance to to
have a go at the same nice segue
well that’s not what I was getting at
but you know
you always think there’s an ulterior
motive here don’t you no there’s a good
mixture of of short you know strategic
parfors but then you’ve also got a few
that are like fairly long brutes that
are 4 30 440 and plus to fairly tight
Landing areas and obviously again they
play
even harder if they’re into the
prevailing wind so holds like maybe
um six or seven as well I mean seven
actually to be fair I think is probably
the weakest hole on the course I did
also the hardest yeah yeah I mean it’s a
challenge it’s a challenge one that they
kind of you’re playing across that
Fairway and you’ve got obviously the
hazard on the right and then a pop
bunker and then sort of the marami grass
little bits in The Fairway
um which are quite nice features but
just yeah actually for me I didn’t I
didn’t rate that hole all that much but
six great long challenging part four
um 12 when that’s open will be a really
good challenge in part four and then
eleven two I mean that’s a great green I
think because it’s so narrow and so well
bunkered but actually there’s a lot of
room sort of front to back so it’s just
a it’s just a great test I think um I
thought that some of the I mean the long
hauls are quite good as well I think
that the fives particularly 13 I don’t
remember 13 being anything like as long
because I think every day I absolutely
slotted drive and you were you’re at
range and you know you were you know
you’re sending that forward of yours a
fairly handy distance
yeah it’s a really good golf hole that
like it’s a really you know even the
layup shot’s tough and then playing in
the afternoon with the leather jackets
who are essentially the local Society of
um foursome’s golfers you know I think
it was Neil who was who was saying
yes you know the work that even and
Kenzie have done here they’ve built the
tune up at the back of the green they’ve
reshaped the green side which you can
see and at the back you know they’ve
kind of built up the Fescue behind it so
it kind of obstructs the view of some
some house roofs in the distance you’re
like yeah that’s actually really
intelligent the way this has been put
together
um just some nice finishing touches it’s
a very low stroke index as well
surprisingly for a par five which you
don’t you don’t normally see and I think
that’s the combination of the length but
also as you were saying like it’s very
very well protected up by the green so
you might have a shot I think I had a
couple of shots in from what like 280 or
so that you gave me and you’re just
thinking well I could try and run
something or get something pretty close
to the green here but if I miscue this
it is nothing to aim at last ball and
why would you do that you know when it’s
kind of there’s a really generous layer
from 180 isn’t there if you want to shot
him from 180 190 is a really generous
level that’s okay yeah um which really
that that’s the essence of a good good
par five there it’s like do you want to
have a really challenge changing that
shot in or do you want to take this on
and really Anna yeah I I really enjoyed
the course I thought it was fabulous I
think you know some of those holes I
would agree with what you said about
seven I feel like six is a great Par
Four and the green site on Eight Is is
fabulous but then you to get to that
point you almost have to cover quite a
bit of low lower ground and the channel
course off to the left is all on that
kind of it’s a little bit more marshia
there’s like kind of roots and a little
bit of low low-lying water and stuff and
you feel like they’ve naturally got to
cover quite difficult ground and I think
that means you know 17 would be the
weaker hole
um and I’d only say that’s half before
yeah I only say that because it just
maybe stands out a little bit from you
know one where you’re kind of playing
through sort of crashing Tunes a bit too
as well you know elevated there’s it’s
very very oil framed with the dunes and
um 15 again like crashing Dunes all
around the drive kind of semi-blind tee
shot or totally blind t-shirt in fact
and then 17 and 18 as well there’s some
real character there and yeah I just
said that because I think seven stands
out as being a bit flat as you say
playing through the Marshall but
um it’s yeah I’m a big big fan of
Burnham Barrow and um
definitely encourage anyone to to go and
play it particularly if you haven’t seen
um the new bits of work that have been
done by Mackenzie and Ebert and uh some
of the new changes on on Halls like 12
and 13 as you say yeah I I agree and and
also the thing I just add on the course
I think there’s closing stretch playing
match play golf really good closing
holes as well like proper half pars 16
drivable Par Four
um 17 200 you know kind of 200 yard par
three over a huge Ravine you know
dramatic kind of heroic heroic golf hole
and 18 is really kind of how much do you
want to bite off of the of the dog leg
with your drive which is you know all
kind of feeds in I thought it was great
um Clubhouse brilliant building amazing
building and the guys behind the bar
there so Jack funnily enough you know
you you it’s rare you go to a club and
you’re like oh yeah I recognize the the
steward from a few years ago but yeah
Special shout out to Jack had a good
chat with him about travels to America
and stuff and the guys
um really looked after us
um
uh any other kind of brief things be
little shout out to The Unofficial
sponsor of the weekend which I think has
to be jelson homes
um
we acquired this golf ball on the way
around and it just stuck with us didn’t
it yeah on the Fridays we both had the
best part of three and a half hours I
reckon in the car so there was a few
stiff swings
you know when you’re kind of running to
the Tee Box to try and make your
practice around tea time putting a shoe
on and you know zipping up your
waterproof trousers at the same time
um yeah it’s all a little bit we’re all
a little bit flustered weren’t we so
made a couple of couple of loose swings
early on in that front nine you stupidly
put on waterproof trousers with nothing
underneath them and it soon got to like
30 degree temperatures and you were just
burning up so you had to run back to get
a pair of shorts and then run another
500 yards back from the clubhouse or
probably yeah more than that actually
because we’re on the third T by then so
you’re a little bit flustered I was yeah
hit a couple of crap drives too so we we
I think we fired through a couple of
TaylorMade balls early on and we just
thought well Sammy I mean you took the
initiative you thought right I’m gonna
I’m gonna put this ball in play here and
it was a nice Gelson homes Pro V wasn’t
it it was almost a watershed moment yeah
exactly and I think that was the ward
shed moment in the weekend it got us out
of just shelling tp5s into the into the
dunes just kind of gave gave me a little
bit confidence
um but yeah no I I think kind of wanted
to record a short podcast just because
you know I think for one the format is
it was just a really good reminder of
how good foursome’s golf can be I love
the format anyway but particularly that
that kind of knockout
um match play environment is just it’s
just such a great team Vibe isn’t there
and yeah
um yeah it was it was just Stella fun
really enjoyed it with you mate and uh
like I said it was quite quite cool so
uh
tell you what it would be I’d be Keen to
know if there are you know many other
um scratch match play foursome’s events
like that out there as I mentioned
earlier you know how could you I’ve
never played it have you ever played in
that Sammy I mean we hear a lot about it
don’t we because played the Grafton
Morris which is another one so yeah
that’s a school’s one yeah so like the
public schools for some stuff is really
popular there’s quite a big scene in
that
there’s obviously the Brent old Bowl’s
got some of the other foursome society
and it has a massive representation for
the armed services so I think on the
semi-finals we were the only one yeah we
were the only non-forces so we played
against the RAF who eventually took on
the winners of the Army in the Navy and
I think the RAF beat the beat the Army
in the finals congratulations and it’s
always nice to live to the eventual
winner I guess that’s the silver lining
but it’s not something that’s that
popular like you say I’d be really Keen
to know what else exists in that space
because
you know it’s highly manageable to get a
team of six together
of good golfers the good scratch forces
Golf and there must be more of it out
there and Beyond those ones we talked
about I’d be really Keen to know
yeah yeah and I think you know match
players well
um lend itself to that kind of nice
competitive social blend I think you
know playing stroke play force and
something that’s that’s again Ratched up
a bit more because I think foursome’s
particular I’m particularly found it
quite a sort of a good fun but also
challenging format too because obviously
you don’t want to put your partner in
the crap and you can’t necessarily build
up as much of a rhythm so I think match
play is quite a nice format to play in
that respect I know there’s a few
foursomes strike play events or opens
out there but yeah I’d just be really
Keen to know
um if there’s many other events like
that out there and uh yeah you know what
else you guys have played in and it’s
just really tactical as well isn’t it so
when you’re on the T you know you want
to you want to be on the Tee Box first
you know you want to kind of be able to
control the game but if you’re not you
want to you know you wanna when you’re
up against it you feel like you want to
just stay in the hole and at least make
them two part and I think you know
obviously you’ve played a lot of match
play golf things like you know rye and
stuff you know you you know it’s quite
interesting where you sort of bouncing
ideas and saying that that’s just let’s
just force a two putt here or you know
even in the afternoon on the first it
was like they’ve bombed their first
drive down the middle I wanted to make
sure that we were hitting the second
shot first off the first so I wanted to
make sure I hang back from from them you
know so that you’ve got a good look at
the green yeah I’m under a bit of
pressure and that that yielded fruit as
well so yeah I I think on a 300 and sort
of 40 yard par three is always it always
it is always the play to just top one
about 50 yards and try and just try and
just add a bit of add something quite
interesting there and try and make the
partner hit the Green from 290 and
unsettle them I think that emotional
roller coaster as you say if you put the
Oppo through the wrong roller coaster
yeah it’s just this scramble scrambles
the brain a bit doesn’t it that was
definitely the low point for me was
topping it in front of the clubhouse off
the first having played really good golf
together in the morning and yeah that
was uh yeah we did we did win the
holidays yeah there’s no pictures on the
scorecard are they so I would be really
Keen if people want to get in touch with
any other
um scratch foursome’s events they played
in uh particularly match play Team
events that is uh certainly interesting
we hope you’ve enjoyed the Pod as I say
course Diaries it’s fair to say it’s a
never-evolving
um beast
um nice talking about different courses
we play on the travels hope you’ve
enjoyed