Seniors away to Harpenden Common Sept 18 2025

 

 Tony Lloyd and organiser Peter Imray with their Harpenden Common opponents

Organiser Peter Imray reports

A warmish, overcast and windy, though thankfully, not rainy day, saw 16 JoG Seniors take on the A1 southbound to all (more or less) arrive on time for an early start at Harpenden Common. Some administrative hitches saw Barry Donovan, already something of an invalid whilst awaiting a new knee next week, having to run/trot/limp the length of the first hole to tee off at the second. To add to his pain, the tightness of his match forced him to complete the full 18 holes and walk back again down the length of the first. Lesser men would have wilted, but Barry and his partner, Dick Cobb, triumphed 1 up.  

 Paul Hammond and Tony McLean (playing in his first seniors match), Graham Gadsden and Gerry Degaute, and Jonathan Lean and Nick Seeley all succumbed to the superior local knowledge of our opponents. However, honourable halves were achieved by both Tony Lloyd and myself (more of which below) and Oz Osman and Tariq Bhatti, and splendid wins were gained by the aforementioned Donovan/Cobb partnership as well as Peter Wade and Paul Jones and Terry Domagala and Paul Dobson, to render the final result, a tie at 4 all.

 Without doubt, the highlight of the day, played out before an appreciative audience sitting on the clubhouse patio, occurred on the 18th. Tony Lloyd, playing splendid golf, despite being reduced to receiving only 18 shots when his handicap indicated 26 were in order (a strange local rule of Harpenden Seniors) managed to carry me around, so that we got to a 2 up position going into the 14th.

 Unfortunately, something must have clicked in his golfing brain, and his swing, having been above reproach, fell from godlike status to mere mortal. My aggressive (foolhardy) decision making didn't help and we lost 3 of the next 4 to go into the final hole, a 142 yard par 3 with guarding bunkers, 1 down. 

After I had put mine into one of the bunkers and both of our opponents had gone out to the right, leaving them tricky up and downs for their pars, I decided to take the lower handicapper's line of 'Don't worry Tony, just dob it down the middle, chip on, two putts and that should be enough to win the hole'.

Tony, the epitome of calmness under pressure, took careful aim and did indeed dob it, but unfortunately not down the middle; more of a 45 degree heel shot which came to rest in fairly thick rough at the base of a large tree. Another dob saw Tony's ball advance about 5 yards and yet another about 20 yards further on, to leave him with a 90 yard chip requiring pin point accuracy between two trees, just to get to the green. 

At this time, my thoughts were not printable, but when Tony did hit his fourth, it went straight and true for the pin, but at quite a pace. I took to some encouraging words - oft heard by neanderthal Americans - "Ged in da hole". To my, and everyone else's amazement, it did! The 4, with a stroke, a nett 3, proved too much for our opponents and a halved match was rescued from the ashes.

 Finally, for those who haven't played Harpenden Common, it remains a fine short course that needs considerable thought for a successful round. The fairways had been subjected to our summer and were akin to Carthagena's, but a pick and place rule balanced it out and the greens were excellent. Many thanks to them for their hospitality.

Results in full:

Tony Lloyd and Peter Imray: Halved

Paul Hammond and Tony McLean: Lost 5&4

Graham Gadsden and Gerry Degaute: Lost 3&2

Barry Donovan and Dick Cobb: Won 1 up

Jonathan Lean and Nick Seeley: Lost 4&3

Peter Wade and Paul Jones: Won 1 up

Oz Osman and Tariq Bhatti: Halved

Terry Domagala and Paul Dobson: won 4&3

Result 4-4 draw

Running tally for the JOG seniors team

Won 12

Lost 15

Drawn 2

Above and below: scenes from the course including a cricket pitch on the 2nd hole