New member from England.

[Smiffy]

Just wanted to say "Hi!"
My name is Rob, have been playing about 20 years or so, lowest handicap has been 10, now playing off 12 due to my handicap lapsing and recently joining a new club. Ambitions to get down to 9 if I can but finding it difficult to get the time to play in as many club competitions as I'd like at the moment.
Big fan of Mizuno irons (playing MX200's) and Ping Woods (G15 driver and G10 fairways).
Love my golf, my weakness has always been wanting to play lots of different courses (which annoys the bank manager/wife) and over the years have played some of the nicest courses in the UK as well as Portugal, Spain and France. Have visited the States once, and whilst not a golfing holiday as such managed to get a few games in Arizona, the TPC Scottsdale being one I remember along with a couple of others who's names escape me at the moment.
Have a close group of friends and we get together as much as we can for days out, week-ends away that sort of thing.
Hate par 3's at the moment, especially the shorter ones, and not having the best of relationships with my flat stick either. Always been a fairly reasonable putter but the last six months has seen an increasing number of 3 putts creep into my game, with the odd 4 putt as well which really makes me see red! Won't get my handicap down like that...
Got our "Mens Invitation" at my club tomorrow, here's hoping that my partner is playing well.
Hope to pick up a few hints and tips from the forum and maybe contribute something along the way.
Play well if you are out this week-end.
Regards
Rob

[supah]

Hello, Rob. :)

[Villers]

Hello Rob how are you ? I am a new member too from England! Thought id join to see if I could learn more about the game. You played any courses up my way (Birmingham)?

[Smiffy]

Hi Villers. Although I am a "newbie" myself, welcome to the site mate.
I have played a few courses up in the Midlands, the Belfry for one, which I visited not long after I started playing. Didn't do me any favours to be honest because if you've played there before you know the course is fairly long and as I wasn't hitting the ball very well then I found it all a little daunting. Haven't been back and played it again but would like to now that I am getting the ball out there. Also played, (or tried to play), at the Forest of Arden. I say "tried" because we had a big society day booked up there. It had been booked months and months ahead but they put us on the other course (can't remember what it's called now) at the last minute which left a nasty taste in our mouth. I found it to be very uninspiring, and they wouldn't refund us the money that we had paid to play the Arden. I won't go back there out of principle....
Visited a couple of courses up your way earlier this year. I am a member of another UK based golf site* and I organised a "North versus South" match at Whittington Heath which was great. But whilst I was up there I had heard good things about another course called "Beau Desert" and fixed up a game there the day before. Don't know if you have ever played it, but it was absolutely fantastic. One of the nicest courses I have ever played (and I've played some I can tell you!) and I have promised myself a return trip at sometime. Lots of gorse and heather, fantastic surroundings and every hole was different. Some of the best greens I have ever putted on. If I lived up that way I would join without a shadow of doubt.
Rob

*PS See that you have just joined the same UK site! Good luck on your hunt for the bag!

[Villers]

Alright Rob, yea I have joined the UK site too thought id try as many possibly avenues to find this bag plus think its a good way to learn about the game! I was a memeber at whittington heath when I was playing as a teenager. I love that course and would rejoin in a heartbeat but when I joined as a teenager I forked out for a joining fee and now I want to go back as an adult that want to charge me the joining fee again! What did you think of Whittington Heath? I can belive that the Forest of Arden did that, they get a lot of bad press from Golfers up this way. Changing courses and not giving you a refund up their with some of the worst storys I have heard about them. I am joining the Belfry in April of next year, they do a ... dont quote me I think its called a SunDowner .. basically I can play the PGA and the Derby anytime after 12pm in the summer and after 10am in the winter. I have heard good things about Bea Desert Ill have to check it out after it has recieved such a good review!

[CB_DXB]

Yep, i'm another brit based in the Middle East.

[unlikebloody]

so happy to see you, I'm a new guy too .