Golly gosh. There could be no better place to capture dandy English gentlemen golfing the links in tweed with their black Labradors than Rye. Here you will find immaculate gents celebrating the game??s best traditions of friendship and, most likely, playing matches. The Captain has the opportunity to play in 84 of ??em during his annum... And here??s the thing: the lot of them are very fine chaps indeed. The other thing: members at Rye have one hell of a course to call their own (two in fact, although we only played the big one). Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, you might say.
Oh and they have quite a catering corps. Lunch in the Rye dining room is a striking affair. Take 50 public school boys; age them 40 to 60 years; dress them up in tweed jackets, checked shirts and club ties; and plonk them in a buffet room with silver cutlery and the odd bottle of wine. Et voila. When you buy your lunch ticket you specify how many courses you??ll be having (this determines what colour ticket you get). Then you treat yourself ?? taking your plate up to the pigeon hole in the corner of the room after each course, naturally. A bit like a very agreeable boarding school. Very, very agreeable.
Again two Lucifers were our hosts ?? Peter Costain and David Pettman. No doubt successful guys in their own right, but they were as unassuming as they were good craic. Syd Murrel whom we??d been staying with (think back to Day 39 at Pukekohe in Nu Zillin...) in Hastings came out to caddy too, given he??s an artisan member of the club and he felt like stretching the legs. Bless him. Peter??s dog Brae made it half a dozen. (His other dog who usually accompanies Peter was sitting this one out, after having bitten his master in the melee of a scrap with another pooch the day prior).
Foursomes again was the name of the game. Rye being one of the remaining 2 ball clubs in England. Good on the members for staying strong ?? a fast game is a good game. And foursomes really is far more fun than four ball golf. I??m a convert. Just don??t give me Ed Bayley as a partner.
In the bar over a preparatory coffee we were introduced to James the Secretary, who was wearing the same tie as me. Well, not exactly the same ?? his had the logo of The Mourne Club, Newcastle; mine was Portadown GC (the club of my grandparents). In any case it struck up a conversation out of which came the fact that James was the Secretary at Royal County Down for 7 years. Given my good grandfather ?? Dr David Thomas Patton ?? was a member there for many years, I asked whether he??d come across Tommy??s troublemaking ways. Of course he had. And for the next couple of minutes we reflected on what a small world it is we live in.
David and I would take on Peter and Michael in a flat match. With a 35 knot wind the scene was set for a good old fashioned skirmish. Which David managed to win without much help from my end. The result is always of little consequence anyway, at least in our world. What mattered was the fact that we had a terrific time out there in the elements. Holes like the postage stamp 2nd and knife edge 4th were more than just a little tricky. In fact the 4th may be one of the hardest par 4s we??ve played all year. The tee shot is akin to landing a punted rugby ball on a gymnastics beam from 60 yards ?? and keeping it there. Curse you Harry Colt! (Harry was the Secretary at Rye early in his career, before his time at Sunningdale).
A highlight of the whole experience was the greens, which at Rye are renowned for their excellence. Particularly in winter, as it happens. A couple of ??em had just been punched, but even they were a pleasure. In wind like we endured, you need to have good greens to have any hope. (N.B. The locals will probably insist that a 35 knot wind is little more than average; that they often play in 50 or more...but Trust Me ?? it was Windy).
At the turn we were warned in good humour but without a hint of falsity that we??d just played the easy nine. Hmmmmmm. They weren??t joking either ?? it really is a stern test, Rye. Sadly the tide wasn??t right in, so we didn??t see sails passing us along the 12th ?? but no doubt on a fine summer??s day it would be quite a picture. Interestingly enough the golf club has also been reclaiming land from the sea, like Royal Dublin. What opened in 1977 as a 9 hole course ?? The Jubilee ?? is now a fully fledged 18 hole layout that the club has pumped a fair bit of money into in recent years. Syd reckoned it??s almost as good as Colt??s big course.
In the changing sheds we came across a couple of familiar faces: Geoff and Martyn, our good hosts at Sunningdale. Geoff was wearing the same jacket, but it??s a good one so he??s excused. He??d also discovered the secret to putting (look at the hole as you swing back and through, not down at the ball), which had instilled a bright spark in his eye. Martyn as ever was looking jolly and full of chat. Great pair of red trousers he was sporting too. I need to kit myself out with some of these English country gent staples...
Then we had Lunch. Which I mentioned above. Despite having put on 10 kilos or so in just a few months, I did not protest when Peter produced my 3 course lunch ticket. ??I??m sure I can manage to fit it all in, thank you?. In a packed dining room we sat, pondering the little and big questions in life alike. Not sure if we came up with any satisfactory answers. More to the point we discussed strategy for The Lucifers?? upcoming NZ Tour ?? a far more productive discussion, I hope. Now Peter and David are armed with information about the ??must see? and ??must do? sights / activities / wineries. If they have anything less than a life changing time I??ll feel personally responsible.
What a brilliant bloody day. Thanks Peter, David and James for your hospitality ?? I leave Rye fatter, humbler and with a few less golf balls. An enhanced love for foursomes golf too. A privilege.
Would have liked to have taken more photos but after a few holes the camera blew away. Here's a shot of Syd and the lads that we took before ducking off to Prince's the next morning...Great human being - thanks Syd and Sandy for your warm hospitality and wonderful cooking...just like being at home.
JP
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