If at first you don’t succeed…
Once again, our partner Nathan Gregson, founder of Siepe Sports Group, is attempting to qualify for this year’s Open. Having trained throughout the winter, Nathan is hoping to go further than he did in last year’s 150th Open championship qualifiers.
As we did last year, we’ll be following Nathan on his journey, giving you blog updates on his progress as well as a competition offering one lucky person the opportunity to win a voucher to use at The Golf Travel People, a bespoke golf holiday specialist.
Week 1
Well, I wasn’t to be deterred. On the 26th of June, I shall embark on the second and I believe final attempt to qualify for The Open which will this year be played at Royal Liverpool in July. I am hopeful that the first qualifying round will be played at Alwoodley and I have booked the services of my Dad, Clive, on the bag.
Again, I will be supported by McClarrons Sport and will chart my progress and approach over the coming four weeks. I am pleased to say that, unlike previous seasons, I have played throughout the winter taking in games at Archerfield and Birkdale to name but two. My game seems to be in decent shape and I will be learning from my experiences of last year in playing holes, over time spent on the range. One big issue I am however facing is a lack of opportunities to play competitive golf. Nothing quite replicates the pressure of a card in your hand and the knowledge that every shot and decision counts.
Despite the looming target, this week was mainly family-focused with my brother’s wedding in London over the weekend and my twins’ 3rd birthday. I did manage to get out to play a couple of times, including a pleasant few holes on Monday, with my wife Claire on the bag, over the Bank Holiday weekend at Knaresborough Golf Club.
A muddling week is on the horizon mixing half-term childcare duties, a work trip to Belsay for the launch of the Northumberland Eventing Challenge Bonus and a weekend at Close House.
Week 2
A very enjoyable week – not a huge level of golf played owing to work commitments and school half term but good nonetheless. After a long weekend, I hit the range at Knaresborough Golf Club on Tuesday and did a bit of putting with my eldest son, Fred. My ball striking felt good and the putts were rolling well. With the excellent weather, I longed to be out on the course but time did not permit it. On Thursday I snuck out for 6 holes at around 8 pm; with the course to myself, it was fantastic, sauntering around I played until near darkness.
On Saturday it was an early start. The family loaded into the car, and we headed to the Northeast for a game of golf at Close House and to visit Belsay Horse Trials for the launch of the 2023 Northumberland Eventing Challenge. I was dropped off at 9.30 am and after a quick look around the plethora of Lee Westwood memorabilia, I was on the tee at 10 am. We played the Filly course, formally the University-owned golf course prior to its purchase by Graham Wylie in 2004.
A splendid course played in superb weather. Not the longest and certainly not one I should have been plugging away with my driver on. A strategic approach would have been wise but with all measuring devices and technology failing, and on a course I was playing for the first time, I adopted a sort of smash-and-find tactic. Not the most successful but great fun and after only three hours we were back in the clubhouse to watch the Derby, before heading over to Belsay.
Belsay was baking hot and I spent a few hours watching the show jumping and Cross Country in the 3* event which was won by 2022 World Champion Yasmin Ingham on Banzai du Loir. All eyes move onto Burgham and Alnwick Ford to see if a horse/rider combination can scoop one of the jackpot prizes arranged by McClarrons Sport. A couple of meetings with the organisers followed by dinner in Ponteland and then we started the journey back South. A great day and time for a rest.
Next week, practice and overall golf levels will be stepping up as we enter the last three weeks of preparation.
Week 3
With the children in bed, I hit the course on Monday evening at Knaresborough Golf Club for a few holes and played some challenges to try and mimic competition pressure. I was hitting the ball well and feeling pretty good but despite my best efforts, nothing replaces real competition. The big problem I am facing is a lack of competition opportunities, I am hoping to get at least 5 full rounds before the qualifying round in a couple of weeks. Of these five, I would like two or three to be in competitive circumstances but finding these opportunities is proving tricky.
Wednesday, after only 4 minutes in nursery I received the dreaded call… the chicken pox on twin number one had not fully healed and resulted in elimination. Plans for the day went out of the window and a day in the office was replaced with paddling pools and painting. I managed to escape for half an hour in the afternoon and hit the driving range to keep things ticking over. I was unable to play any holes at night as I attended Ripon Races to see the continuation of the Yorkshire Wonder Horse bonus facilitated by McClarrons Sport. One horse in particular was the focus of my attention – It Just Takes Time who had won 4 races of the required 9 thus far and was running in the 7.40. A really fun night capped off by the aforementioned horse winning, keeping the dream of the £100k bonus alive.
On Friday evening, I received confirmation of my draw for Monday 26th. Fortunately, this year I have been placed at Alwoodley, my first choice, making logistics easier and it’s a course I know – a little better than Lindrick in 2022! Confirmation of the draw makes it all feel so imminent and real.
I was super keen to get back on the course but Saturday was a date long in the diary – a trip to St James’ Park to see Sam Fender. What an afternoon in Newcastle and a quite frankly incredible night watching a real talent adored by his home crowd! Sunday, I managed to get an hour on the practice ground focussing on my shorter irons and have found a chance for a competitive round playing in the ITS 2020 Tour at Oulton Hall in Leeds on Tuesday.
Continue reading to see how Nathan did last year!
Week 4
After a month of practice, the time has come to play a competitive game. On Tuesday last week, I played on the ITS 2020 Tour at Oulton Hall, just outside Leeds. This was my first opportunity for a card-in-hand round since July last year. The feeling as I travelled down the A1 was one I remembered well having played in a similar event near Doncaster last year. This time I felt much more assured and ready to play owing to the long preparation time and experiences from last season. Sadly, however, the result was not what I was looking for.
Playing the course for the first time, I did make some horrendous clubbing errors, especially on blind holes. I managed to lose 4 balls in the process of scoring a rather demoralising +12 on the front 9, my card was littered with double bogeys and even a triple. In truth, it didn’t feel that bad; ball striking was reasonable except for two rather viciously hooked drives, and I was pleased to play the back 9 in a score of +3, which is something I can build upon.
My playing partners were both good company and gave me some helpful pointers, notably on two holes they stepped in and advised a much shorter iron to be played off the tee; I think they were sick of wading around in knee-high rough! The next stop for me was a trip to Knaresborough Golf Club putting green. After chatting through my round with my playing partners, we realised that in 18 holes I didn’t manage a single one-putt green. Thursday night I spent an hour putting, mixing lag putting and 5 feet and under.
Another week has flown by, chicken pox still grips the household like another pandemic and we’re now only a matter of days away from the big day. I have a game at Headingley on Monday and my practice round at Alwoodley on Tuesday evening. With rain over the weekend and more forecast, it will be interesting to see how the course is playing. At close to 7000 yards, a bit of run in the fairways would be preferred and the thought of rain making the rough even juicer will put a premium on finding the short grass.
We move onto the final week of preparation.
Week 5
The final week of preparation with a couple of games in the diary and most notably, the practice round at Alwoodley.
On Monday, after an early morning impromptu drive to Manchester Airport to drop off my wife, owing to train difficulties, I had the pleasure of playing at Headingley Golf Club with my colleague Tom and his father, the current Captain. I was a member until around 7 years ago; the course is absolutely fantastic and has improved dramatically in that time. Significant tree removal and a return to the course’s original vegetation have made a good course fantastic. It felt like a good test of golf and something akin to that of Alwoodley – firm and fast.
The course was playing reasonably tough and with firm bouncy conditions, I played a lot of irons off the tee in an attempt to gain some level of control. The course was playing great and for anyone in the area who hasn’t played it, I strongly recommend a visit. With a new practice facility recently opened and more course renovations in progress, I already look forward to my next round at Headingley.
Now with two of three children at home owing to chicken pox and solo parenting, a long day trying to muddle in some work was rewarded with a spin around Alwoodley. We, myself and my dad as caddy, started at 4.30 pm in the evening sunshine but were rather shocked to find a bit of standing water and, even more lush juicy rough than expected after the early morning downpours. The course measured a fraction under 7000 yards with a few notably long tee shot carries from monster blue tees.
Tee shots and lines were worked out and a few putts on each green to the expected pin locations. Clearly a few extremely difficult holes notably the 4th, 6th, 9th and possibly the hardest closing four-hole stretch to be found on any golf course await us on Monday. The course was in fine fettle and it’s no surprise to find it at the top of many UK course lists.
On Saturday morning, my wife landed back in Newcastle from a week in the US. We spent the afternoon in Tynemouth basking in sunshine and attempting to swim in the North Sea before driving back South in time for me to get to the range. One area of concern from Tuesday was a few destructive quick hooks off the tee; this was a shot I thought I had eradicated from my locker. I had spent Thursday early evening and late Saturday night on the range at Knaresborough, fiddling around with the weights in the Cobra driver and felt more comfortable. I spent a little time putting but, with the anticipated speed, I didn’t want to tune in too much to the conditions at Knaresborough.
Sunday, with the children in bed, I cleaned my clubs, loaded the car, and got ready for a 5.30am alarm call before the drive to Alwoodley. The aim is to get off to a decent start and settle in. It feels a bit different to last year; let’s hope for a better performance.
Here we go!
Week 6
Monday at 6 am, the alarm went off; a 10-minute snooze was required after a dreadful night’s sleep. I sluggishly got myself out of bed and left home at 6:45 am. With little traffic, it was around a 30-minute drive with tunes blasting on a quite splendid, sunny morning. I tucked into some breakfast and arrived at Alwoodley at 7:15 am; this gave me just over an hour before I was due on the tee.
I met my caddy (Dad) and confirmed the registration protocol before hitting the range. On the range, there were a few of the early starters well into their routines. I had set aside 30 minutes to hit balls before focusing on the pace of the greens. I hit the ball well on the range but worryingly there were a couple of destructive hooks with the driver. Of more concern, however, was the noticeable wind!
As expected, the greens were slick and running true. I knew from last year it was critical to get the pace right so as not to leave too much work on return putts, all being well for par. As the 8:24 am game started, I moved over to the first tee, collected my card, pin sheet and rules, ready for my 8:35 am tee time; swing as slow as you possibly can I told myself. 3-iron in hand, my name was called. Confidence was high after my opening tee shot last year and I felt at ease this time around. Once again, I nutted the 3-iron knocking it past the fairway bunker I was laying up short of and left myself only 120 yards into the opening 400-yard par 4. A solid wedge to the heart of the green left me with about 20 feet for an opening birdie. The putt grazed the edge, but a simple par and I was off.
The second measures only 300 yards but is slightly uphill. Aiming to leave around 100 yards in, I struck a nice 6-iron off the tee and, from 80 yards, my 60-degree wedge just didn’t quite spin with it being so hard downwind and went to the back of the green. A frustrating three putts later I moved to the par 5 third at one over par. Measuring 500 yards, the third was very much a birdie chance. 3-iron off the tee followed by a 4-iron left me with a fairly simple up and down and got me back to level. Then the fun started.
The fourth was straight back into the teeth of the wind and the first real test of the round. I registered a steady bogey and walked to the 4th tee feeling my start was good enough but I needed a birdie or two in the next four holes. A solid 4-iron-off tee left similar yardage as the first hole for my second shot. Playing uphill, I struck a nice 56-degree wedge and thought I was going to have a reasonable birdie chance. As I approached the green there was no ball in sight and I had bounced through into rough surrounding a tee for the 6th. I failed to get up and down and moved to two over.
The 6th again required an iron off the tee and then from 180 yards, I played a steady 9 iron which missed the front edge of the green by a fraction and left me short-sided in a bunker. I then made the cardinal sin and left the ball in the hazard trying to be too cute. I holed out for a double bogey sixth and the wind was taken from my sails. I felt I’d hit one bad bunker shot and was four over. At Alwoodley, in such conditions, the round was only going to get harder I had the first feelings of wanting to be anywhere but on the golf course.
More difficulties on par 3 – 7th followed as my ball hit a bunker bank and left me with an unplayable lie in the gorse bush left of the green. A double was now followed by a triple bogey. On the par 5 – 8th, my predicament became laughable as my second shot, playing a layup under overhanging trees ricocheted off an out-of-bounds post 20 yards ahead, leaving me further back playing my third shot. Another double was recorded and morale was on the floor. I plugged away for the remaining 10 holes, battling into the wind, and noticed all-around players searching for balls and many looking equally dejected. There was little of note over the remaining 10 holes, just a chain of bogeys and the very occasional par and all in all, I scored an extremely disappointing 93.
Again, it was a great experience and one which I would encourage anyone who can, to try. For myself though, that’s my Open experience over and out. I look forward to some casual golf starting on Wednesday back at Alwoodley with clients from a Lloyds of London syndicate; I’m sure it will be a very different challenge.
As a final note, what a round from David Hague; a rather incredible round of 65 (-6) winning the day by a full five shots. I shall only dream of such a round!
2022
Week 1
After my usual winter hibernation, I began playing again in early April, with regular visits to the practice ground at my club (Knaresborough GC) mixed with the occasional few holes to fit around work and childcare commitments. The lighter nights certainly helped. Before any competitions or too much focus on playing a huge number of holes, I needed to address a significant limiting factor in my current game – driving distance. Out with the old (a Ping G10) and in with the latest Cobra LTDx LS technology. With the driver now in the bag, the first port of call was to visit my coach and mentor for this Open journey, Chris Hanson.
Now feels like an opportune time to introduce Chris. Chris turned professional in 2006 and won four times on the Europro Tour before achieving promotion to the Challenge Tour following a three-win campaign in 2011. In 2015, the real breakthrough was made as Chris secured the final European Tour card at Q School. With close to 100 starts on the European Tour to his name, Chris now splits his time playing, coaching and running the 2020protour. As part of my Open prep, I will be leaning on Chris’ knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the game. The first area to be addressed was the correct set-up of the new driver.
I spent an hour with Chris maximising and optimising the new driver and developing a strategy for practice over the seven weeks until D-Day. The result of adjusting to an 11-degree loft and minor adjustments to set-up and ball position resulted in a significant gain in the overall distance and, most importantly, accuracy as illustrated in the Flightscope images, which compare the old Ping G10 and the new Cobra LTDx LS. The dispersion was notably reduced and my tendency of a bad miss left largely eradicated. An hour well spent. Now it’s time to hit the course and get ready for the first competitive golf of the campaign a District match at Romanby.
Week 2
Sunday 15th May I played at Romanby for Harrogate Union against Halifax and Huddersfield Union; unfortunately, we lost the match rather resoundingly. Personally, this was my first round of golf in at least 6 months and I felt match-play was the best way back into competitive golf, especially with the morning round being foursomes.
I must confess, it was looking like an extremely bad idea when our opponents drive the first, a par 4 measuring over 300 yards into a slight wind, and end up holing the putt for eagle. A couple of hours later, a miserable morning was complete with an 8 and 6 hammering. Foursomes is a notoriously tough format but of the few shots played, I was encouraged. The afternoon was much better and despite losing the opening two holes, I managed to register a 3 and 1 victory. I felt my game was improving throughout the round but clearly the short game was nowhere near as sharp as required. Off the tee and iron play generally gave plenty of cause for optimism. On the drive home, I decided that my focus for the upcoming week was on and around the greens with a bit of time spent getting more comfortable with the driver.
Tuesday and Thursday evenings I spent at Knaresborough GC on the putting green and short game area. This was mixed in with short bursts executing the practice routine devised by Chris last week, which saw me mixing drivers and wedges in cycles; each shot using a full pre-shot routine and focusing on the ‘feel’ versus ‘real’ mantra. I was delighted on Thursday to find the middle of the driver with regularity and consequently had some very strong-looking shots.
Saturday was a family day, celebrating our twins’ 2nd birthday. A good and tiring day of fun but I did manage to sneak to the practice green at 9.30 pm for some twilight practice and some much-needed quiet time before a late-night watching the USPGA looking for inspiration. Sunday we visited friends in Huddersfield and to assist with Open preparations, I was kindly taken to Woodsome Hall for a little practice before lunch. A good and varied week but it’s flown by and on reflection, as I watched the USPGA playoff late on Sunday night, I realised that as the build-up continues I need to play some competitive golf soon, with a card in my hand. In the upcoming week, I am going to move to more on-course practice and look to play in an event or two.
Week 3
Not quite the week I had in mind.
At the close of last week, my aim was to step up on course practice. I did manage to get out onto the course on three occasions but only managed to actually play a grand total of 20 holes. This is going to need to increase, along with some competitive rounds under scoring conditions in the remaining three weeks!
On top of the three twilight visits to Knaresborough GC playing holes, I had a dedicated evening on putting work and wedge play. Before I am accused of being a bad workman blaming his tools, I have long felt the need for some new wedges and after a poor session practicing (which I actually curtailed, feeling I was doing more harm than good), I contacted our friend Joe Folker at Cobra Puma and organised the purchase of a set of new Snakebite wedges.
It was Joe who initially advised trying the new Cobra driver and without a doubt that has made a big difference to my game already. Not necessarily on additional distance but the wild miss and tendency to over draw/hook the ball has dramatically reduced. It really is an impressive club and I note that my coach, Chris, has added it to his bag and rates it as the best driver he has ever played – check out his video, below.
As I enter the last three weeks of preparation, I have a full diary of competitive golf, and the all-important practice round at Alwoodley booked. My first competitive ‘card in hand’ round will be on the 2020Protour at Wheatley Golf Club, followed by representing Knaresborough GC in the Yorkshire Division 4 at Cookridge. And then finally, in two weeks’ time, my practice round with Chris… the excitement and anticipation is certainly building.
With preparation stepping up and competitive golf on the horizon, I was keen to secure the services of a caddy. After deliberation, I have opted for a long-time friend and colleague, Tom Landale, a low index golfer based at Headingley GC. I am pleased to say he has accepted the responsibility and I am sure he will do a great job
Week 4
The week started with a few holes at Knaresborough GC and finished in the pitch black on Sunday night at Cookridge GC. Interweaved were a few practice sessions and some quite major news on the all-important qualification venue.
Monday night, kids in bed, I hit the golf course. This type of practice was the big aim this week ahead of competitive golf starting next week. I played 9 holes with 2 balls and hit the ball well. I was pleased to make 4 birdies and a quite remarkable hole out eagle on the 18th. Following a slightly errant drive (I am pleased to say missing right), I holed an 8 iron from 160 yards (pictured below).
With half-term resulting in a mix of work and childcare duties, I opted for a proper first golf course trip with my son Fred on Wednesday. Mixed success but he enjoyed it, we just played on the putting green or the ‘kids course’ as renamed by Fred.
Thursday, the start of the Queens Jubilee celebrations, I took a long trip with the family to Belsay horse trials to see the launch of the Northumberland 2* Challenge. A very pleasant day was spent watching dressage and chatting with a few competitors. Sadly, no chance for golf but my mind was quickly taken back to the task in hand following an email from the R&A informing me that my first choice qualifying venue was oversubscribed – I was offered Lindrick Golf Club instead but my clear preference remained at Alwoodley having played it a few times.
Friday, it was confirmed. Very frustratingly, I have been allocated Lindrick which now not only means a golf course I have yet to play but extra travel and logistical challenges with an 8.14 am start time. It’s all starting to feel very real with the official confirmation and just over two weeks to go! On Sunday night I played a practice round at Cookridge GC ahead of the Yorkshire Division 4 Championship on Wednesday. Starting at 7.45 pm I managed to get all 18 holes in, finishing at 10 pm in near-complete darkness. Monday sees the first competitive ‘card in hand’ round of the season playing on the 2020ProTour at Wheatley GC in Doncaster. The preparation is stepping up a notch this week – just two weeks until D Day.
Week 5
As I write this blog entry, looking at back at week 5, we are just 7 days from the big day – it’s very much game on now.
Week 5 was all about getting rounds in with a ‘card in my hand’ and experiencing the pressures of competition. Most importantly, medal play golf was the order of the week. It certainly was a beneficial week but my scoring was not as low as I needed it to be, nor my game as sharp as required. That said, I do not feel downbeat and remain optimistic for a week’s time at Lindrick.
Monday 6th June – 2020ProTour at Wheatley Golf Club
An hour’s drive gave me some thinking time. Surprisingly, as I trundled down the A1, I realised this was my first full round under scoring conditions since April 2021, where I had again played on the 2020 ProTour but at Headingley Golf Club. Going into the round, which I was playing with Chris Hanson, I had a few aims:
I didn’t feel nervous or under pressure. This was for me and just part of the build-up to the main event. Putting felt good, a few swipes in the net and then onto the tee. Playing the course for the first time, I had decided after watching the flyover video the night before, the driver was the club of choice on the first. However, as my name was announced and having watched Chris carefully nudge an iron exactly as described to his caddy, all I could see was the road on the righthand side of the hole.
I quickly grabbed the 3 iron, rushed my shot, missing short, and was left with a long approach, which I then short-sided leaving a pitch over a bunker. A failed up and down lead to a bogey. A bogey at the second followed due to a poor choice of club for its second shot and I was up against it from the outset.
It was great to be back out under scoring conditions. Pleasingly, I was never in a great deal of trouble, and I felt, despite shooting 81, there was enough good stuff mixed with trivial mistakes (often due to a lack of course knowledge). I was confident that it was a round upon which I could build going into the Yorkshire Division 4 Championship at Cookridge GC on the Wednesday.
As an aside, it was a pleasure to watch Chris score a rather effortless 3 under 68, which could so easily have been a 66 or 65 on another day. Aside from superb ball striking and course management, I was drawn in by the process revolving around each shot. A clear and uncluttered pre-shot routine is a must and gave me good food for thought as I drove home. I called Chris and we spoke about this – we discussed how he uses his caddy but also adopts a strategy of ‘be your own best caddy’. This is a concept I took into Wednesday for the 36-hole marathon at Cookridge GC.
Wednesday 8th June – Yorkshire Division 4 at Cookridge GC
Tuesday was a day of rest before the early start and two rounds on Wednesday. My alarm was set for 5 am and I was in the practice net at Knaresborough GC by 6 am in the pouring rain. A 30-minute drive to Cookridge and I was met by a scene more similar to a November morning.
The Yorkshire Team Championships are far from enjoyable experiences. A pure day of grinding; 3-man teams, 36 holes and all scores to count. Starting in the rain, a long day was in prospect and after starting with 4 bogeys, a sense of panic can quite quickly hit. I was relieved to birdie the 5th and as the rain stopped, I knuckled down; despite a couple of quite pathetic errors on the back 9, I was delighted to score a 79 (+7).
After the 81 on Monday, followed by a 79 under more pressure and in worse conditions, I was determined to go much lower in the afternoon and get down in the region of 74/75. It was not to be…
A warning at lunch over slow play (due to my playing partner) and a referee in constant attendance for the round, on top of increased winds, I completed one of the worst rounds I can remember in 88 shots. A slight blow to confidence! A card littered with double and triple bogeys is something I never felt would occur, not after the two previous rounds of the week, nor has it over my golf career to date. Being 6 over after 4 and 11 over at the turn were awful positions to be in. You really want to be anywhere but on the golf course at times like that… but you just have to keep going.
For the final week of preparation, I am hopeful of the delivery of my new wedges early in the week. I will then play a round at Alwoodley with Chris on Wednesday followed by a round at Knaresborough or Headingley Golf Club on Thursday or Friday. Then it’s on to a practice round at Lindrick on Sunday before an early start on Monday for the main event!
7 days and counting…
Week 6
So here we are… sat in a budget hotel near Lindrick Golf Club, soaking in a bath as I watch the end of the US Open, notes from the practice round recorded in the yardage book and it’s just 12 hours until tee time.
It’s not been the most golf-heavy week, partly by design and partly circumstance with time constraints. After a weekend away in Winchester with the family, I hit the range at Knaresborough GC on Monday. I focused solely on driving and putting; I was under the impression from my previous rounds at Alwoodley that the Driver would be a key play, I also felt it would be a key club at Lindrick in a week’s time and wanted to build some confidence after last week!
After a good hour or so, I took Tuesday off before an early start playing with Chris at Alwoodley. Chris is playing at Alwoodley in the first round of his quest to reach the Open, a feat he achieved in 2014. Alwoodley was superb, a real challenge and possibly a sign of things I will face at Lindirck. Deep rough, slick greens and firm fast conditions.
For several weeks this had been lined up as my practice round but despite a change of venue for my qualifier, Chris and the team at Alwoodley GC were happy I joined them as Chris played his practice round and filmed some social content for the golf club socials.
I felt it beneficial to watch Chris map his way around the golf course and learn from how he approached a practice round. My golf wasn’t the most consistent but again, there was some very good stuff mixed with some rather erratic golf but the most important thing was to play on a tough golf course, of a similar make up to Lindirck, and learn from Chris.
I played a few holes at Knaresborough on Thursday evening and had a good putting session first thing Friday morning, followed by a quiet Saturday golf-wise, aside from cleaning my equipment and watching YouTube videos of Lindrick flyovers.
Sunday, Father’s Day, the morning was spent at home with the children before I loaded the car and hit the A1 down to Lindrick. 2.10 was my practice tee time and this was the first time I’d played the course. Excitement built seeing the AA road signs and pulling into the venue – a quick change, a few putts and straight onto the first tee.
Learning from Chris on Wednesday, I played a variety of clubs off the tee and looked at run offs to fairway hazards and, most importantly, where not to miss around the greens.
Lindrick is a great course – very strategic and it requires a large number of irons from the tees; small greens and well-bunkered means a challenge lies ahead. It’s been a fun few weeks, I feel ready and prepared…
The Open Qualifiers at Lindrick…
Well, that’s it. The Journey to St Andrews fell at the first hurdle. What an experience though and the culmination of a fantastic couple of months working towards a clear target. I’ve learnt a lot, met some great people and on reflection, with perfect hindsight, I’d only change a couple of things.
5.30am on Monday 20th June, the alarm went off – there was no snooze, I was up like a kid on Christmas morning. Clubs in the bag, a coffee and cereal bar followed by a very early FaceTime call home, at 6.15am I checked out and got myself along to the golf course. I was absolutely buzzing but determined to stick to the plan. It was a glorious morning, I spent 45 minutes on the range, checked on the registration protocol then spent a good half an hour focussing on putting – specifically, pace. And what pace it was, the greens were extremely quick with a great roll out and perfectly true.
The clock ticked to 8am and I moved to the first tee, collected the pin sheet, card, and a few goodies. I was pleased to see that I had forecasted correctly a few of the pins. As a side note, the game just in front of me was supposed to contain Alex Fitzpatrick, brother of Matt who won the US Open a few hours earlier over in Boston. Unsurprisingly, given the scenes on the 18th at Brookline, Alex failed to jet over for his tee time. Tom, my quite excellent caddy, reminded me to stick to the plan. 3 iron on the first. 8.14am, I was up. The starter asked to tee it up which meant I was then held back 11 seconds exactly.
The wind was a little stronger than the previous evening. A good friend advised me to feel like you’re swinging as slow as you possibly can. I absolutely belted it, probably the longest 3 iron I’ve ever hit, just a matter of 15/20 yards short of a bunker measuring 280 from the tee. Adrenaline I guess. We were off and the errors of the competitions earlier in the preparation were quashed. Second shot we had 155 into a slight wind from the right. I pushed an 8 iron slightly missing in a grass bunker, not a bad miss to start. A nice chip ran on a little leaving a 5-foot downhill for par. My putt dribbled off to the right resulting in a bogey 5. No cause for concern, I felt I hit 3 good shots, and nerves were calmed.
A 3 iron again off the second tee, right down the middle left me with a 7 iron to the green. My notes from Sunday said DO NOT MISS LEFT. A little too much draw pushed over by the breeze left me short-sided in the bunker. The start of a frustrating theme. It really is a game of fractions – so close to the pin but pretty much unplayable. Another bogey recorded. The third a par 3, once again a miss in the wrong spot with just a 9 iron. This is where the problems really started. No stance in the bunker and no room to play with. Now a double bogey on the card. The 4th a par 5, I struck a nice 4 iron off the tee and a 7 iron for the second shot aiming to leave 90 yards for the 3rd shot. Sadly, despite a green flag from the marshal, the ball was unplayable on the edge of a gorse bush meaning a penalty drop and another bogey. 4 holes in and sitting at 5 over was not the start I’d had in mind. This was compounded further by a double bogey on the long 5th following a 3 iron tee shot and 4 iron into the bunker, again on the wrong side.
Onto the 6th and things changed. A good wedge to 6 foot and a chance for birdie. Missed (I have no idea how it stayed out) but a par on the card. I played steady between the 6th and 13th, playing them in 2 over par – the highlight of which was a chip in 2 on the par 3 11th. I had several birdie chances but never felt in a position to have a positive run at the hole.
On the 14th, a reachable par 5, I made the cardinal error, overruling Tom and the plans laid out. I opted for a 3 shot strategy and a 3 iron off the tee rather than the driver. Trying to give it a bit extra, I pulled it left with the dreaded hook and lost the ball. Re-load down the middle. Now playing 4, I then lost another ball down the right. After finishing with a 9, a lot of good work had been undone and the score was in danger of looking silly. I knuckled down and finished with 2 pars and 2 bogeys. On 18, I played my best shot of the day, a well-struck 4 iron to the back of the green and 2 putts for par to finish my Open adventure in a total of 85 shots. Far from the best score (64!!!???!!!) but not the worst. What a day and a long-time ambition ticked off!
I certainly feel I played far better than the score suggests. The course and set-up were a significant step up from anything I’ve played previously. A small error was dramatically highlighted and ultimately, a lack of tournament card in hand rounds counted against me. I had a feeling it could be intimidating and perhaps a sense of feeling a little of an imposter, but it felt great to take part and compete, certainly any such tiny feelings in the back of my mind disappeared with the opening tee shot.
I’m certainly not ashamed or embarrassed in the slightest to record 85 (+15), a fortunate situation with the handicap system made this possible and as a genuine amateur golfer with a relatively short lead-up time, I was pleased to play in the manner I did – though granted, to have finished in the ’70s would have been preferred. I gave it a crack and I would advise anyone with the opportunity to do so, to have a go.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see how a medal at my home club compares in the coming weeks and I think I will take on a few of the big amateur events locally, and perhaps even take another outing on the 2020ProTour if time permits. Longer-term, subject to a little handicap index management to keep it under 0.4, and subject to no changes in the criteria, I’ll be back for a crack in 2023. A little lower profile though!
In numbers, my Open adventure at Lindrick:
What I learned:
I’d also like to say a few thank yous…
Tom, a great caddy. Perhaps a new career awaits. Knowledgeable, good company and calm.
Chris Hanson, by a long way the best player I have played with and a bloody good bloke. His interest, knowledge, involvement in your game with regular communication and the ability to use as a sound board is fantastic. I highly recommend anyone thinking about seeking golf instruction on any aspect of the game to give him a go… unless his playing ambitions are rekindled!
Will, from Active Root. Supplying me with his lovely alternative to Lucozade. Worth a try, the sachets make unpalatable on course drinking water more than acceptable.
My family – it’s been hard juggling work, family and an increase in golf. I know a long list of jobs now await, which will take priority over hours at the practice ground.
It’s been a great adventure and if anything has made me more driven to improve my golf than ever, maybe the seniors tour awaits in 10 years!
With thanks to
We’d like to say thank you to our friends for supporting Nathan through his ambitious feat!
Active Root
Active Root, the UK’s No.1 Natural Ginger Sports Drink – which offers superior hydration, balance and fuel – is excited to announce it will be quenching the thirst of budding golfer Nathan Gregson in his quest to qualify for the 2022 Open. CEO of Active Root, Will Townsend, said ‘Nath represents the tenacity and drive Active Root athletes possess – we are super excited to help him on his journey to St Andrew’s 2022.
Nathan is fuelled by Active Root Sports Drink’s unique blend of sea salt electrolytes, stem ginger and natural carbohydrates, which keep him hydrated, balanced and energised throughout the 18 holes and beyond.
Active Root is available at www.activeroot.co.uk, Amazon Prime and Holland and Barrett, plus select running and cycling outlets. Search Active Root for more information.
*Chris Stratford (photography credit)
Thank you to Chris for capturing some moments from Nathan’s preparation.
Chris Hanson
Of course, we’d also like to thank pro-golfer, Chris Hanson, for helping Nathan.
Born and raised in Yorkshire, Chris is a former full-time professional golfer with 94 appearances on the European Tour, including the 2014 Open Championship. Now, Chris has many other business interests within the golfing world and is also a full-time golf coach working with players of all abilities at Crosland Heath GC, Huddersfield and Woodlands Driving Range, Barnsley.
The 2020protour was Chris’ brainchild. First established in 2020 and initially impacted by Covid-19, the tour excelled during the pandemic with it attracting some top-level talent and setting foundations for the tour to grow in 2021 and beyond.
