The new (well, not quite so new now) Club House at Altaona is a welcoming spot for pre-golf sustenance – otherwise known as breakfast – while the driving range overlooking the 1st hole is ideal for warming up.
And here we are, on the last day of September, hurtling rather too quickly towards the C Word in December. I even spotted people buying selection boxes yesterday. There should be a law against it! Surely the Americans have the right idea: let Thanksgiving have its moment first.
It was warm, albeit cloudy – a decidedly toasty 30°C and far warmer than we’d expect at this time of year. The putting green gave us a useful taste of what lay ahead: the front nine greens were a little fluffy and slow, requiring a few holes to get our eye in. The course itself was in excellent condition and continues to go from strength to strength as a Murcian golfing destination.
The signature hole, “Tall Lady”, aka “Altaona”, prompted the usual colourful range of reviews, some rather more complimentary than others. A true test. I’ll leave that there!
It was lovely to welcome back a few familiar faces after their summer break. This was also the final game for our outgoing Captain, Mick Pryke, who has done a stellar job of guiding us through the past year. A heartfelt thank you, Mick. Next week, we welcome our new Captain, Paul Lambert.
Some super scores this week:
Gold : Richard McCann (40 points)
Silver: Barry “BTB” Roehrig (41 points and best score of the date)
Bronze: Dave Blinston (35 points)
Last week’s Club Championship saw Darren Strugnell take both the Net (69) and Gross (77) honours – a fantastic achievement and a truly excellent round.
One, two, three… no, just one “TWO” today! Helen Kelly sank a superb downhill putt to claim the Twos Pot. Nearest the Pins went to Kenny Winton (3rd), Lee Eastman (8th), Paul Guest (11th) and Richard Whitely (17th). Denis Ryan won the football card with Barnsley, while Mike Seymore marked his return after the summer heat by taking home the McBride Bottle. Two best guests were Eddie Frahill and Sean Troy.
There were birthdays galore, too. Following Alan Macdonald’s 80th celebrations last week, it was time to mark two 60ths: Lee Eastman’s and Paul Lambert’s. Cakes were eaten, toasts were raised and, as a small kindness to the Murcian environment, we spared everyone our rendition of Happy Birthday.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming Michaela Schmidt from www.golf-hotspots.com, who thoroughly enjoyed her first outing on the course.
Pictured L–R: Carmel McCann (Bronze 3rd), Michaela Schmidt (Golf Hot Spots), Mike Seymour (McBride Bottle), Birthday Boys: Lee Eastman & Paul Lambert (Silver 2nd), Helen Kelly (Twos & Silver 3rd), Bill Crichton (Silver 4th), Kenny Winton (NTP), Richard McCann (Gold 1st) and Richard Cleary (Bronze 2nd). Well Done Everybody!
