British Seniors

Royal Dornoch Golf Club is host to 2022 British Seniors Amateur Championships, situated in the North of Scotland only 75 miles from John O Groates (the northern most point of British mainland). The days are long and the weather unpredictable. This is a 6 hour drive from Newcastle, after a days rest and recuperation we are off. It was a beautiful drive up, the lush green countryside littered with Castles and Wind turbines. Winding lanes, country cottages and empty roads - you could say it was a dream ride. See some of the photos below.

As you can see the trip was not short of it's historical importance, but as we had a 3:20 tee time (yes not a typo) we were in a rush and not able to take it all in, we just admired from the car window.

Practice Round Struie Course

Tee time 3:22, crazy to think that we could probably play 36 holes from this tee time. I am playing with Emma Brown who had a stellar career in all ages, British amateur Champ, English Amateur, Curtis cup player 6 times and what a lovely down to earth no fuss player she is. Then this is Jayne, Emmas friend and a lovely person from Middlesborough and last but by no means least was Sophie who was from Rutland near Leicester. We played 18 holes in probably 3h 40m and this included being held up on several holes. Wind gusting to 70km but I can't remember having so much fun in such treacherous conditions. I am sure it will help with the jet lag. I didn't play that well with some horrible shots but I will blame that on plane body as I am as stiff as anything.

Needless to say we just ate dinner and went to bed as we were both knackered.

The course is a true links course, lots of bumps and sloping fairways - but the fairways are pretty generous. Just off the fairway is knee height benign looking grass, but do not be fooled. The grass is thin and whispy but it grabs your club on the way back and the way down. You really do have to just take a penalty shot out. The bunkers are pot bunkers and some are very very deep. It is quite intimidating when face with a 6' wall of bunker face. They are consistent and the sand is heavy, once you get used to them I am sure it will be okay. Wink, wink, nudge nudge.

The Struie (pronounced Strewee) is the "little" course, can't imagine what the "big" course is like. Below are some photos of the course.

The tournament setup is enormous, its like going to a pro tournament with a room to sign your cards, all the competitor flags flying, you get a medal for competing and a wood cover, a pre-printed bag tag.

Practice round Championship Course

Woke up to pouring rain and windy conditions, neither of us brought our golf umbrellas so was in Pro Shop buying a brolly and gentleman let me go as I was teeing off. He was explaining that the Struie Course is the little course and the Championship is the big course. This is going to be fun. I decided to get Coffees, which is from a self serve machine - which was quite complicated to use. Luckily I wasnt the one that was being made a fool out of it was the guy in front of me. I was late to the tee, so missed the photo shoot - never mind. No warm up and am on the tee, creaky back, stiff as a board and I bomb one off the tee! I think I took another 10 holes to hit a shot as well.

The course was the the "big" course compared to the one we played yesterday. Many more pot bunkers and a lot more undulations. I did not play well at all, the wind was howling - stronger than yesterday and it was raining and yet again both John and I had a thoroughly enjoyable day. I am not sure why that is - we did have the same group as yesterday and they are a lot of fun, I think it is the variety of shots that you have to play. Sometimes the best shot to play is a 30m putt from off the green, what chip shot to play for a 15m shot with a 6m elevation? Will the wind effect this putt, how many clubs to allow for the wind. Some greens you cannot stop the ball on, so the shot is to land before the green and let it run on - where do you land to ensure that you stay on the green, you are constantly having to decide what shot to play to get you the best outcome.

The course reminded us a lot of Cape Wickham, you go out along the coast for the first 10 and back again for the last 8. The course is normally a par 76 for the ladies and has been made a par 72 without shortening, so scores are going to be over par and I have to remember that an 80 will be playing to my handicap.

John has been great on the bag and even got a chance to have a putt today. The range finder always ready and the course notes read, we had fun and even before I start the torture of the comp - I am really glad that we came and that we are competing. Some photos of the course today are below.

Tournament - Day 1

9:50am tee time, very respectable for jet lagged people, it was pouring with rain when we woke up but the sun came out for our tee off. The winds were light and the birdies were there for the making. Playing with 2 new people, Sue & Marcella - lovely ladies. Sue's husband Tim on the bag and John on mine - the 5 of us had a very relaxed informal round. It was one of those days where it rained for 10 mins then stopped and as you had taken off your rain gear, the rain came back, put on the gear and the sun shines. And so it went, I eventually got tired of it and just got wet. The one good thing about wind is that you dry off pretty quick.

I was feeling great, excited and actually teared up before I hit my first tee shot, asking myself "am I really here". Cracked a drive down the centre to start, had a little wedge in and hit it fat - Grrrr. And that is what the day was like, no real disasters just little errant shots severely punished, because that is what the course does to you. On the 2nd hole I pulled my tee shot and it went into a bunker, one of my playing partners did exactly the same shot, just a bit shorter and got a friendly bounce onto the green. I tell you this not to seek for sympathy but to demonstrate what it is like to play the course, sometimes great shots get severely punished and bad shots trickle onto the green.

19 over par for the first round is probably worse that what I thought I could do playing badly - but hey ho! But never once did I wish that I wasn't there - in fact, I was enjoying it so much I would have wished for more holes, but at the rate I was dropping shots I needed it to be a 12 hole comp.

Tomorrow we tee off at 2:30 and the wind is supposed to be blowing.

I took this video to show you the slope and how raised the greens are. This green is small, it is a par 3 and has a 2.5 metre drop off on 3 sides. See how steep Tim walks down the slop in this video. Yikes, you chip up and you go over the other side - its a cruel cruel course.

Day 2 British Seniors

A really good nights rest, plus an unplanned snooze on sofa at about 11am, meant I was well rested for todays round. Our tee time is 2:20pm, the wind is mild and there is intermittent rain, which are not bad conditions for Links golf. If there is rain, it is annoying but it means that the greens hold a bit, where as without rain you cannot stop a ball on the green and you have to guess how much your ball is going to run and land short. When we arrive at the club, the wind has picked up and is apparently gusting at 70kmh, the players on the Struie Course were having problems getting their balls to stay on the green. One girl marked her ball and spent 10 mins trying to replace it and it wouldn't stop moving. They suspended play on the Struie course which is more exposed to the wind. This is the course I am due to play.

Eventually they suspend play on the Championship course as well, so now we wait. Below is a video taken of the flags during suspended play.

After a lot of hanging around they restart play at 4:30pm, so we reckon I will now be off at 6:30pm. finish at 10 ish. John and I decide to sneak in an early dinner. We are sitting in the clubhouse and I get up to go and warm up and an R and A gentleman comes in and asks if I am Sharon Thompson - I said yes. He says we are waiting for you on the tee! Ooops. So he drives me down to the tee box as the Struie course is a little way away from the Club House. We all have a good laugh about it. Apparently Marcella, one of the ladies I was playing with (same group from yesterday) didn't want them to even start the briefing until they had found me. She said, she has come all this way from Australia, we cannot leave without her. So they waited. So a couple of swings, and I bomb one down the middle. It is cold, drizzly and windy. It is now 5:15pm on an overcast day and the light is similar to our 5pm light in winter - its like the sun has just set. really difficult to see the contours and watch the ball.

We also had a slow group a few groups ahead, so we waited on every shot. The group in front was a two ball, so we shouldn't really complain. John says he has never in his life worn 4 layers for an entire round of golf. I had 6 layers on and had to put my rain pants on as the wind was biting cold.

I have to say, I played so well, and would have posted a very respectful score if not for some terrible luck on one hole, where I hit a 7 wood into the green on a par 5 (this was my second shot - obviously not the prevailing wind) and it is dead centre of the green and hits a slope and kicks off into the bunker - so close to the face that I cannot take a stance, 2 in the bunker and bunker shot over green chip back miss putt and I went from a two putt birdie to a double bogey. Lucky I have a great attitude and a very supportive caddy.

I finished with an 81, John thinks I played the best he has ever seen me play. I felt like I played brilliantly and there really isn't much more that you can ask for. John was amazing on the bag, so supportive and we both had a lot of fun. We just loved being there.

We have met some new friends, played some Links golf in the most treacherous conditions - I mean does it get much better than this. Thanks for all the support from back home, it really means a lot.

I missed the cut by 8 shots, came 74th and I was ranked and I was seeded 72nd. My first round in benign conditions was the issue. A very happy chappy.

The end....