While many OHGS members are used to obstacles in getting to golf meetings such as the tidal beach road at Brancaster, it came as a shock to find the road closed courtesy of Surrey Highways just a quarter mile from Hankley, necessitating some imaginative detours through unbridged fords and impossibly narrow lanes to be made.
The Hounds
While many OHGS members are used to obstacles in getting to golf meetings such as the tidal beach road at Brancaster, it came as a shock to find the road closed courtesy of Surrey Highways just a quarter mile from Hankley, necessitating some imaginative detours through unbridged fords and impossibly narrow lanes to be made. With great determination and perseverance however, all 15 guests did indeed make it on time for a club brunch followed by a round at my club, a course all had heard about but many did not know. The out of season formula was chosen in order to halve the in season cost, and was considered successful, greatly helped by a fine day between 2 very wet ones.
So, well refreshed and energised, 4 x 4 ball teams teed off in glorious spring sunshine around midday, with the best 2 scores at each hole to count Stableford points. Each group was allocated a guide familiar with the wiles of heathland Hankley, and fun rounds were greatly enjoyed by all judging by the bonhomie and praises sung in the clubhouse afterwards. It was noticeable that the full dimensions of a course that has just had large areas of trees removed were utilised, both on and off the fairway, though luckily the heather is relatively benign at this time! The greens were certainly far from their best, having recently received their full quota of sand dressing, but this did not appear to detract from the pleasure of greenside play – in any case most members are well used to the sand often blown across Brancaster’s links – while keeping out of the way of the Hazards GS also enjoying their own meeting at Hankley.
