Beechwood Golf Course

Day 3 : 17 March 2005

Rating :




Flat.

Very flat.

Somewhat boring.

But it was fine.

It was my first time ever stepping onto a golf course so it was still exciting for me. And that was the beginning of live golf lessons from the 4 golf fanatics. Learning about golf etiquettes and the zillion rules nearly threw me off the idea of learning golf. I refused to study Law just to avoid having to memorise the Law book... and now the one sport that I am actually learning actually comes with a rules manual? You must be shitting me....

Still, being on the course was the best golf appreciation lesson any beginner could embark on. And fortunately for me, they were patient in explaining bits and pieces to me. Golf is an intriguing game and it started placing doubts in my head whether I will ever ever master the game. Maybe I should just consider giving up....

SA is generally very relaxed about the rules - thank goodness! The golfers explained to me that in Singapore, a non-golfer (me) will not be allowed to 'tag-along' with the golfers on the game. So I was indeed very lucky to have been able to travel round the courses with them. And they were absolutely encouraging, asking me to try shots at the fairway whenever possible. An absolute blast of a learning experience for a golf novice. I started to understand how different grass conditions affect the shots, the slopes, what a well-maintained golf course means, golf terms, and most of all, how a damn putting hole can be so small but so darn intimidating!

Then of course, you start to notice the golfers' behaviour as well.....

"The Wildest Golfer" (T.W.G.) - And wildest golfer he is! He's eccentric, he's mad and he plays a one-man-game. With no regards of the other golfers, he hits as he wishes, when he wishes.... and it is no big surprise when a ball suddenly flies right above you.... as you are chilling out in the buggy. He hits the balls but never knows where the balls go.... He is such a character that he will leave you rolling on the floor in a major fit of laughter. His golf-eccentricity deserves a gold medal. And one thing, don't ever ever put T.W.G. and his wife in the same buggy. Bad idea. Very bad idea. But at the end of the day, T.W.G. is a really nice person no doubt. Just him and his notorious absurd golf etiquettes.

Jo-Jo - The wife of T.W.G.. Great lady I tell ya! And the best golfer amongst the 4 with a handicap of 18. She taught me the most about golf and it was brilliant watching her play. On a personal level, she is an absolutely lovely person with a smashing sense of humour. Her outbreaks of comments left me in stitches. Great lady.

M.E. - The Queen of Par 3. M.E. has this amazing contract signed with Par 3 holes. More often than not, she performs well and manages par on the par 3s. She is a relaxed player and a nice person to be in the same buggy with. Caustic comments and outbreaks of giggles. She is a great golfing companion. She performs well as she plays longer... and her woods failed her miserably during this golfing holiday. Another great lady. M.E. and Jo are the perfect travel companions. No fuss. And oh yes! M.E. is my absolute idol when it comes to sleeping and shitting. She can sleep anywhere, anytime and her regular bowel movements have earned my respect. Way to go M.E.!

A.A. - Ooohhh... impressive tee shot! Gauging from her tee shot, you would think, "Wow..." Then comes shot #2 and #3.... #4... #5.... #6.... she doesn't arrive. Quite hilarious! Oh! And she has her famous red-checkered stool that she carries around on a walking course. The toilet-stool-lady, that's what she is.

Beechwood as boring as it is, I did not take any shots of the course. As I start compiling my hundreds of photos from this wonderful holiday, it will be easy to spot which are the courses that were highly-enjoyable for the non-golfer, and which caused the zzzzzzzz............

Looking at these photos, I'm missing the holiday all over again. *sigh*