The Tassie

Seeing the Lawrie v Van de Velde thread started to get the juices flowing for the up coming Craws Nest Tassie at Carnoustie. As far as I'm aware it's only D4S and I from the boards that are playing it this year, you can look forward to daily tales of triumph and disaster next week (probably more of the latter!!)

Have any of the rest of you played in the Tassie previously and if so how did you get on?

Thought about it JAS, but baulked at the price when they offered me a place.

Whats the damage for entry SR

If I recall it was about £280, which considering a years membership at St.Andrews costs me £360 it wasn't a surprise I told them to stick it up their.......

Remind me to spend that £280 wisely on a week away somewhere last minute. Could get 4 days in portugal playing in the sun for that.

Maverick wrote:Remind me to spend that £280 wisely on a week away somewhere last minute. Could get 4 days in portugal playing in the sun for that.

Yes, but you wouldn't be with D4S or JAS, would you?

Ah, I see . . .

I also wouldn't be freezing my crown jewels off on the coast of scotland...

Much as I like CArnoustie I would rather pay that much to play somewhere warm

Entry was £190. Last year was £180, considering last year I got 4 rounds on an Open rota course and 2 on the Burnside, there isn't another open rota course that you'll get for anywhere even close to that price. If you reach the final of the scratch you'll have 8 rounds on the championship course.

Cheaper than I thought, Good luck JAS

Just arrived and it's looking fairly benign. Looked at Tuesdays forecast and it's 25 gusting to 43mph south westerly and showers, I want to play my medal round now and bank it!!

Had a 2 night stop over in Ayrshire and a very pleasant and useful round at Belleisle yesterday with Doon and his daughter. Got the worst of the long (350 mile) drive out my spine and legs and hit some good shots and got some reminders of what NOT to do in heavy rough. Champing at the bit for Monday!!

Good luck JAS and D4S - keep us up to date so we can cheer in the right places.

Hi Jas
Thanks for the game on Friday, Daughter Doon really enjoyed her tussle with you. Pity I chose that day to have a nightmare.

More of the same from you at Carnoustie and you will do well, just remember the golden rule of fairway bunkers and thick rough.....get it out in one shot.

Well thats the practice rounds over. More of the same Monday Tuesday should see me into the knockouts. Shot a 70 on the Burnside yesterday and 82 on the championship today. An oob on 7 and 2 silly 3 putts on 6 & 11 meant a good rather than great round today. Pleased to play the last 5 in just 2 over par.

All in all it's looking good. D4S had a good back 9 but used the front 9 to get the journey up out of his legs. I certainly hit the ground running after my useful Ayrshire preparations..... Cheers Doon and Doon Daughter

Maverick wrote:I also wouldn't be freezing my crown jewels off on the coast of scotland...

Much as I like CArnoustie I would rather pay that much to play somewhere warm

Mav, I'm sitting with my 2nd Guiness looking down the 18th having had to slip back to the room after the first one and slabber myself with factor 15, it's boiling up here!!!

Oh for these conditions Mon/Tues!!

JAS wrote:

Maverick wrote:I also wouldn't be freezing my crown jewels off on the coast of scotland...

Much as I like CArnoustie I would rather pay that much to play somewhere warm

Mav, I'm sitting with my 2nd Guiness looking down the 18th having had to slip back to the room after the first one and slabber myself with factor 15, it's boiling up here!!!

Oh for these conditions Mon/Tues!!

Now that is just a little bit too much information JAS.

Raining down here, I'll send it your way.

Rain duly received oldshanker....took it in stride and shot 69 net 61 today...medal round of my life and did it in the Tassie, well pleased!!

All I need to do now is survive tomorrow's monsoon to make the knock outs!!

Unbelievable shooting jas, you must be delighted, keep it going.

JAS thats great golf, well played sir, good luck for tomorrow

nice one jas, hope that helps the handicap down?!

flip... Think I might have been best net on the Burnside today. Very much a case of " don't do anything stoopid" tomorrow

Thank you JAS - as promised.

I'm glad you received the rain, it obviously helped. Nett 61 eh? Good Man!

Great round. Got a bit scared with nett 61 and 69 as thought it was on Carnoustie but having played Burnside a few times I know how good a course it is and how difficult it is too.

Well done.

JAS wrote:flip... Think I might have been best net on the Burnside today. Very much a case of " don't do anything stoopid" tomorrow

Well done JAS - you'll be cat1 for Trevose next month the way you're playing. Did you reign it in a bit on the night afore festivities this time around

Well done Jas.
We were thinking of you yesterday when we played St Kissocks.
Well deserved, you were a very dodgy 8 handicap.
More of the same today.

Cheers Doon...how did you get on yesterday? Did you manage to dodge the rain? I never got the brolly down & waterproofs off until the 7th tee. D4S was out an hour before me so a good 2/3rds of his round it was lashing down.

CSS was 70 yesterday so no more dodgy 8 for me!! that should be me down to 5.8. A nice wee .4 today would be nice just got back from the practice area though and the 7 iron is going about 100/110 yards!!! Completely different day today.

its even pretty breezy here in edinburgh - go get 'em jas! great stuff re. the hcp.

ban_bam wrote:its even pretty breezy here in edinburgh - go get 'em jas! great stuff re. the hcp.

When is it not breezy in Edinburgh? Dont think I have ever played in less than a 1/2 club wind in Edinburgh.

i find its generally pretty calm, then again i grew up playing on an exposed peninsula jutting out into the moray firth where a 1-2 club wind was just about as close to a dead calm as you get.

duddingston is fairly sheltered by its mature trees. other courses i've played: mortonhall, prestonfield etc, seem fairly sheltered too. though the courses off the bypass, lothianburn, swanston are pretty breezey especially toward the top of the courses. braids i guess must be pretty exposed?

Exposed does not cover it when describing the wind at the Braids. Those having issues with Hurricanes should stand up there for a while.

It is also very windy out by Gullane/east lothian where I play a fair bit. Gullane's courses are on hill next to the sea which can't help.

Actually playing both gullane and the braids in the wind highlighs how some courses can be fun in the wind but others just no designed for it. The combination of 4 club wind and gorse at the braids is not great.

McLaren wrote:Exposed does not cover it when describing the wind at the Braids. Those having issues with Hurricanes should stand up there for a while.

It is also very windy out by Gullane/east lothian where I play a fair bit. Gullane's courses are on hill next to the sea which can't help.

Actually playing both gullane and the braids in the wind highlighs how some courses can be fun in the wind but others just no designed for it. The combination of 4 club wind and gorse at the braids is not great.

Dear oh dear, Doak would be turning in his grave.

You know he is not dead?

I would imagine doak, like everyone else, knows that tight playing corridors and wind do not mix well.

Yes Mac, I know he's not dead, I just wish he was.

Jas
St Kittocks stuff on 'how badly did you play today' thread.
Read Deadly's comment about slow Americans!

Wild and wet here now.

Jas
Yer no sitting in a wee corner crying, are ye?

Blew it...or rather the wind did. 92 gross round the big one in the worst of the wind. Missed the Tassie on countback (some 161's got in). Safely in the Maulesban though (net 154 got in).

Good start, birdie At the first after hitting my 240 yard club 170 yards to 6 foot. By the time we got to Hogans it was virtually unplayable. One of group raced a 20 foot putt 2 foot past but before he could mark it the wind turned it and blew it back...into the hole. Wasn't much easier going downwind...240 yard 16th...over the back with a 5 iron...wtf!!!

Anyway, back on the wee course today and it's matchplay.

Jas
I thought anywhere near 90 would be a good score in yesterdays weather so there is no disgrace in that score.
That's the rub with a wind like that, you battle into it then discover that it's not so easy with a gale behind.
Bit of a sod to come so close to the cut, I bet there was a missed 2 footer in there somewhere.
Well done and good luck in the KO

Yes there were a couple, not being able to ground the putter behind the ball (for fear of it subsequently moving upsets the rhythm however there's worse...much worse, putted back on from behind 16th, it wasn't a good putt after taking the first undulation it then ran sideways, walked up and marked it, disgusted with myself. When I went to replace it I realised I'd marked it off the green and called a penalty on myself. The others said they hadn't even noticed. Harsh but couldn't have lived with not calling it, just wouldn't have felt right...so yeah... really gutted when I saw the cut line.

Jas thems the breaks..

It's hard in those sort of winds to put a score together, all you can do is play your best and hope the conditions don't ruin it for you. As tough a pill as it is to swallow for narrowly missing out on the Tassie itself, well done on making the Maulesban. But to be applauded even more is the fact despite your playing partners not seeing you mark off the green you still took it on the chin and called the penalty upon yourself, for that act of honesty alone

Good luck in the Maulesban and keep us updated

Ah what the golf Gods giveth one day, they take away x 2 over the next few days. Today wasn't good, scrambled my way round and somehow was still all square after 15. Opponent rattled in a nerveless 2 on 16 to go 1 up and I just didn't manage to claw it back. Disappointing after the promise of Monday but hey ho, the guy held his nerve superbly well.
Blow number 2 was finding out that somebody else shot Net 61 on the Burnside yesterday and beat me to the best net over the 2 days on countback (last 6). Blow number 3 was finding out that yesterday's CSS for the championship was only 75, so a point 1 for me

Still, there have been plenty highlights, a 1.8 cut at Carnoustie is something special so ill take that. Also enjoyed watching the Walker Cup squad play the last few holes of the Championship Course. Then there's also the consolation stableford on the championship course tomorrow.

Cheers Mav, I just couldn't have not called it and felt comfortable with myself.

Sounds like that's the sort of weather that could ruin many a good round JAS.

Enjoy tomorrow and good luck.

Has D4S forgotten to pack his lappie I wonder?

oldshanker wrote:
Has D4S forgotten to pack his lappie I wonder?

I did indeed!

Sadly though, nothing for me to report. I got unlucky with the draw, 3rd group out on Monday morning and played the first 11 holes in pi55ing rain. By the time it stopped, the damage was done. Ended up shooting 85 round the 'easy' course then late out on Tuesday in the worst of the wind, a steady 40mph wind. To put it into perspective, on the infamous 18th I hit 3 wood then 60 degree lob wedge. Needless to say, I didn't make the knockouts so it was the consolation competitions for me.

Brilliant week though, finished it off with a round at Silloth on the way home. Restored a bit of pride by shooting 78 off the back tees in another strong gusting wind. Pleased with that as it was my first time round the course.

Have you seen the CSS's for the consolation days d4s? 78 weds and 77 thurs. Still find it amazing that Tuesdays was only 75.
Interesting result in the Tassie final with the young 3 hcp kiddie beating the local plus 3 At the 19th. Amazing result for him.

Good shooting at Silloth by the way, thought you'd like it

Glad you both had fun and made a few happy memories.

Next year maybe things will go better for you D4S and thank you JAS for keeping us up to date.