We've had spectacular weather - and what better way to enjoy it than walking around the golf course, taking in the amazing Outeniqua mountains?
There are obviously plenty of options, but we had to play our own George Golf Club on Sunday. Rather bad golf (on my part), but excellent company. So much so, that the 3rd who joined us, a South African expat visiting from Colorado, and I decided to play another round the following day before his flight out. "Pack your bags, I'll pick you up at 6:15 and we'll get a round in!"
So, where to play? hmmm, he'd already played the Outeniqua at Fancourt and the first available time on the Montagu was 3:00 p.m. (!!). Scratch that one off the list. Okay, how about Kingswood which we could see from the George course? Nope, they don't open until 10:30 a.m. on Mondays. Darn, we're not doing well here. But wait, what about Oubaai? Repeated calls the Pro Shop go to voice mail. That's odd.
Okay, make a provisional booking at George for 7:35 a.m. and hope someone from Oubaai calls back.
Brainwave: the missus and I decide to swing by Oubaai on the way back home and pop into Dutton's Cove for a drink and the Golfer's Platter.
We get to Oubaai but due to load shedding, they weren't able to tell which tee times were available (hint guys: print out your tee times in advance of the scheduled load shedding time!). They'll call me back when the power comes on at 5:00 p.m. Okay, but we need an early tee time so we can get to the airport. No problem, we'll call you back, they say. Sure, sure, I think.
Over to Dutton's Cove (it was either that or an ice cream cone at the beach, but it was a zoo down there). Sadly, no Golfer's Platter as the power is out - just a few of the mains are available (anything that can be pan-fried). Okay, fine, we'll have the grilled calamari and a side order of "the view", leaving room for tonight's braai.
Guess who calls at 4:20? Oubaai, the power is back on and they have the morning's first slot available for us. I call my South African expat playing partner, who had tried calling me while I was at Dutton's Cove. Turns out, he, too, had been to Oubaai's Pro Shop and drove around - he's keen to play it. Perfect, we're on for a 6:15 a.m. pick-up - we have the day's first tee time at 7:30 a.m.
And what a fantastic day it was - the views were amazing - it's not often both the sea views and the George mountains are crystal clear. Even the golf was good. And we had the whole course to ourselves - though to be fair, a 2-ball did finally catch up to us on the 16th hole (we were still 18 minutes ahead of schedule).
Thanks for the convivial round, Pine - looking forward to seeing you back and seriously training for the Seniors' Tour!
There are obviously plenty of options, but we had to play our own George Golf Club on Sunday. Rather bad golf (on my part), but excellent company. So much so, that the 3rd who joined us, a South African expat visiting from Colorado, and I decided to play another round the following day before his flight out. "Pack your bags, I'll pick you up at 6:15 and we'll get a round in!"
So, where to play? hmmm, he'd already played the Outeniqua at Fancourt and the first available time on the Montagu was 3:00 p.m. (!!). Scratch that one off the list. Okay, how about Kingswood which we could see from the George course? Nope, they don't open until 10:30 a.m. on Mondays. Darn, we're not doing well here. But wait, what about Oubaai? Repeated calls the Pro Shop go to voice mail. That's odd.
Okay, make a provisional booking at George for 7:35 a.m. and hope someone from Oubaai calls back.
Brainwave: the missus and I decide to swing by Oubaai on the way back home and pop into Dutton's Cove for a drink and the Golfer's Platter.
We get to Oubaai but due to load shedding, they weren't able to tell which tee times were available (hint guys: print out your tee times in advance of the scheduled load shedding time!). They'll call me back when the power comes on at 5:00 p.m. Okay, but we need an early tee time so we can get to the airport. No problem, we'll call you back, they say. Sure, sure, I think.
Over to Dutton's Cove (it was either that or an ice cream cone at the beach, but it was a zoo down there). Sadly, no Golfer's Platter as the power is out - just a few of the mains are available (anything that can be pan-fried). Okay, fine, we'll have the grilled calamari and a side order of "the view", leaving room for tonight's braai.
Guess who calls at 4:20? Oubaai, the power is back on and they have the morning's first slot available for us. I call my South African expat playing partner, who had tried calling me while I was at Dutton's Cove. Turns out, he, too, had been to Oubaai's Pro Shop and drove around - he's keen to play it. Perfect, we're on for a 6:15 a.m. pick-up - we have the day's first tee time at 7:30 a.m.
And what a fantastic day it was - the views were amazing - it's not often both the sea views and the George mountains are crystal clear. Even the golf was good. And we had the whole course to ourselves - though to be fair, a 2-ball did finally catch up to us on the 16th hole (we were still 18 minutes ahead of schedule).
Thanks for the convivial round, Pine - looking forward to seeing you back and seriously training for the Seniors' Tour!
