Buda Cup 2014 Highlights

[James Boon]

I thought it might be worth a quick thread to wrap up events at this year's Buda Cup and give people an opportunity to post any photos.

Firstly special thanks to Tony Muldoon and Craig Disher for organising everything. Secondly thanks to Mike Whitaker for arranging the house that the majority of us shared, a great idea and surely a model for accommodation at future Budas. lastly thanks to Captains Ben Stephens and Lou Duran for all their work as well.

The early morning view from the bedroom window out across the rooftops of Trebetherick towards St Enodoc. The 14th fairway is to the left, Brea Hill which the 10th wraps around to the right and some of the dunes in the background.

But for the first day we wont be at St Enodoc but driving down to Perranporth.

There is already a decent Perranporth thread from Sean Arble here http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59279.0.html which has some commentery from the event so I wont post a full photo tour myself, just a few highlights.

Handicap haggling over with, old friendships can now be renewed and new ones created as everyone gathers for the first time.




At Perranporth we are up high, looking down on the town, but that means spectacular views all day. Here is the first green with town beyond in the distance.


The second seemed a decent hole to me but perhaps the greensomes format and some slower players (not our group I hasten to add) meant an opportunity to walk ahead and see which way to go. Otherwise the two marker posts (or "aiming poles" as our American opponents called them) must leave plenty of people scratching their heads.


Two very fine gentlemen to play against, Ward and Lynn here both on the 3rd.



Looking back from the two tier third green.


Arriving at the 4th tee, is there a green out there somewhere?


I suspect if you dont like blind shots and dont have a sense of adventure, Perranporth will drive you crazy? Thankfully thats not me so I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here is the hidden green on the par 3 4th seen from behind.


But even traditional and yet quirky courses have succumbed to the buggy...

That's the 5th fairway behind by the way. Not easy to hit a second shot down there into the wind!

Two sets of tees on the par 4 7th means two marker posts so make sure you choose the right one! Fairways found, this is looking back from just short of the green.

And looking back from behind the green.

I thought this hole played as an excellent long par 4, but it was into the wind, so in fact is only 365yards or so!

The 11th was a downwind par 5 and my approach flirted too close to a dune about 100 yards out leaving my partner Robin a tricky one from which despite our opponents over the back in 2 we somehow managed a par to win the hole. The beauty of links golf matchplay?!


Another tee shot that leaves you scratching your head. This time on 12.


We played safe, but Ward went for it putting them in the driving seat just short of the green


Only 3 par 3s at Perranporth, but the 16th was a tricky little downhill beauty, and of course a great backdrop which has been pretty much ever present


An honourable draw in the morning in our match and we headed inside for a large plate of ham, egg and chips. Ridiculously good value at less than £40 for the 36 hole day and such a lunch.  Pairing up with the Canadian member of the RoW team, Brian and I set out against Lou and Garland in the afternoon, but it was a slow one and with the evenings meal and 54 holes over the next two days on everyone's mind, we all cut our rounds short. I wonder if the 4 short par 4s all playing downwind, an unusual wind by all accounts, was an influencing factor in the speed of play that day?

I will post pictures from St Enodoc tomorrow, but a quick footnote that may be of interest ahead of next years event. After Buda I travelled with Ben to another golf event where there was talk of matches played between GB&I and America. It turns out in those matches its been agreed that the best way to deal with handicaps is to give the extra shots to the GB&I team, not the Americans to level the playing field (so I'll now stand back and duck the flack on that one).

Cheers,

James

[Thomas Dai]

Interesting to see photos taken from somewhat unusual angles, not the sort of photo normally seen on a course photo-tour. Makes it easier to appreciate the nature of the terrain at Perranporth.

atb

[Eric Smith]

James,

Thanks for this. I've now added Perranporth to the Must See list. Your photos surely make the course look better than it is as I don't believe I've seen it in the Top 100 lists. I suppose one factor that may be holding it back are the odd OOB stakes near some of the tees and greens?

Edit - Apologies I was viewing on my phone screen earlier. Now at my desktop I see those are clearly NOT OOB stakes but are in fact Wardo's legs.

[Bryan Izatt]

Although it was technically pre-BUDA, I'd like to mention St Georges Hill and Saunton where Lou, Lynn and I, in the company of Mark and Conrad got acclimatized to heathland and links golf on this trip. 

St Georges Hill was a glorious way to start despite our jet lag.  Many thanks to Conrad and our hosts at the club for getting us started with some challenging matches on a wonderful course.  Too bad they didn't mention that the the yellow flag wasn't the 9th green but rather the 18th as we played up the 9th.    The 9th green was tucked away to the left behind the ridge to the left out of the picture.




Saunton East was a favorite of Lou and Lynn's - a good solid and challenging links course.  The conditioning was a little suspect after a tough winter of flooding but did not really impact our enjoyment.  Lou is probably still a little bitter    that we didn't help pursue his lost ball on the 16th as diligently as we might have in our pursuit of our own birdies. Or maybe it was the top secret Duran swing analysis video that was on his mind.  At any rate, all was forgiven over beverages on the patio with Mark, Conrad and Joe.

[Dan Kelly]

What a fantastic-looking clubhouse! What's it like inside?

(I'm vaguely recalling, perhaps correctly, that I remember seeing this edifice for the first time in a WWI-era golf magazine -- St. George's Hill having been transformed into a hospital ... a convalescence hospital for veterans, perhaps. Am I remembering correctly?)

[Dan Kelly]

What a fantastic-looking clubhouse! What's it like inside?

(I'm vaguely recalling, perhaps correctly, that I remember seeing this edifice for the first time in a WWI-era golf magazine -- St. George's Hill having been transformed into a hospital ... a convalescence hospital for veterans, perhaps. Am I remembering correctly?)

Just looked it up, online, and found this, at http://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/stgeorgeshill.html:

LOST HOSPITALS OF LONDON

 St George's Hill
Auxiliary Hospital
St George's Hill Golf Club, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0NL
Medical dates:

Medical character:
1914 -1919

Convalescent (military)
St George's Hill Golf Club had opened on 2nd October 1913, with Prince Alexander of Teck as its President.  However, the future prosperity of the Club was affected by the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, when some 120 members and 9 indoor staff immediately volunteered for voluntary service.
The Committee therefore responded to an appeal by the War Office and offered the Clubhouse for use as a military hospital.  The offer was accepted and some £1,500 was subscribed by the members of the Club to convert and equip the building.

St George's Hill Auxiliary Hospital opened on 1st October 1914, with much ceremony, under the auspices of the British Red Cross Society.

The ground floor lounge of the Clubhouse had been converted into a ward with 30 beds, while upstairs the dining hall had become a ward with 20 beds.  The Hospital was staffed by 3 Medical Officers, a Matron, 2 Sisters, 3 trained nurses and 18 members of the local Voluntary Aid Detachment under the command of Mrs Ethel Locke-King, (who received a D.B.E. in 1918).

The first patients were received from the Connaught Hospital in Aldershot, but soon more beds were needed and Mr F. Eckstein offered his mansion, Ottershaw Park, to the Red Cross as overflow accommodation.  The Grange in Chertsey and Blackthorns and West Hall in Byfleet also served as overflow accommodation.

Sometimes relations between the Red Cross and the Directors of the Golf Club became difficult during the initial stages of the war, as the Club was attempting to keep its greens and workshops in good condition with a view to future use when hostilities ceased.  This meant that Golf Club personnel were on site while most of the Club's buildings were occupied by the Hospital.  Problems also arose over who was responsible for payment of the water rate (vital to the Golf Club) and who would pay for any repairs if damage occurred to the buildings.  Despite these strains, in December 1915, the Club renewed its offer of the Clubhouse for use as a hospital for the duration of the war.

During the course of the war staffing levels had decreased while the number of beds had increased to 70.  An operating theatre and an X-ray apparatus had also been installed, enabling major operations to be carried out.

In 1916 a new Recreation Hall was built for the patients' use, the cost of it being met by the residents of St George's Hill  and others who lived near the Hospital.

Initially the Hospital had been affiliated with the Southwark Military Hospital in East Dulwich, but later in 1917 came under the command of Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital at Millbank.

In 1917 the Committee of the Golf Club was asked if part of the golf course could be used to grow vegetables for the Hospital.  The matter was referred to the Green Committee to select a suitable area.

The Hospital closed early on 15th March 1919.  Some 3,000 wounded servicemen had been treated in its operational lifetime.

Negotiations began with the Red Cross to settle claims for dilapidations of the Club House after four years of war.  Eventually, in November 1919, the Club accepted £600 from the Red Cross to cover the cost of repairs and redecoration.

[Tom_Doak]

This might be the perfect photo of Perranporth ... beautiful day, beautiful view, interested golfer, target completely hidden from view 

[James Boon]

Thomas,

I thought you would appreciate some of the more unusual angles for these photos!

Eric,

Hope to see you at Buda next year! Your cider drinking exploits were missed...

Bryan,

It seems that pre and post Buda are very much becoming just as big a part of the event. It seems discussions over venues seem to take as much account of where else could be played as the main and secondary venue themselves!

Tom,

Yes despite the green being way off to the right in that photo, at Perranporth it could just as easily be over the dunes beyond! 

Cheers,

James

[James Boon]

A shorter journey to the course the following morning as it was only a couple of minutes to St Enodoc. Again, we have another of Sean's somewhat average photo tours ongoing at the moment...
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59264.0.html

The recently refurbished clubhouse


The first group preparing to tee off.


And the beautiful setting of the first tee and 18th green in front of the clubhouse


Followed by the excellent view from the rumpled first fairway towards the green and the bay in the distance. After Perranporth most courses would feel like an anti climax from the point of view of its setting, but not St Enodoc.


I believe there were more of us at Buda familiar with St Enodoc than Perranporth, but some of its quirky moments still caught me out. Here is the road and wall crossing the 4th after a blind downhill drive. Easy to get too close to the wall and have no shot! I love how the view from here continues on to the short par 4 fourth beyond.


The 4th is certainly one of my favourite short par 4s. Anything pulled or coming up short with an attempt at the green has these humps, hollows and bunkers to contend with.


But a decent drive to the right or just hugging the line of the mounds short will leave a relativly straightforward chip and run approach.


So after the short par 3 5th, it's on to the 6th and its famous Himalaya bunker. First the tee shot...


After a decent drive you may well be left with this view? Note the evidence of recent activity in the bunker...


I wonder how many visitors miss the marker post on top of the bunker and aim out at the 3rd green clearly visible to the left? I know one Pest who started taking a yardage out that way. But if you just wander out left and up the small dune you get this glimpse of the green


A balls eye view?


A closer look at the green, and also from behind



The blind drive at 7 over the dune to the right of this picture was avoided as everyone played from the white tees further left giving a clear view of the fairway


Then on to the short 8th and its string of pot bunkers defending the front of the green


Then on to the 9th and its great setting, but the one thing I remember is the green which seemed to fall away all round the front and would only accept the perfect approach


Now for the infamous 10th? I didn't mind it too much myself, though the one time I hit a perfect drive leaving about 180 to the green, I just couldn't bring myself to hit it far enough left and ended up bailing out to the right




Being familiar with drystone walls of Derbyshire and the Highlands of Scotland, I was surprised to see these ones with the stones laid vertically


The obligatory view from the 14th tee


I loved the 14th and how its fairway hugs the top of a hill, before the approach to a mad little green with all sorts of trouble right



I know the 15th gets lots of photos taken of it but it wasn't my favourite. Not because of the road just short, but I thought the pond and bridge at the bottom of the valley all a bit too manicured for a links. It needed to be rougher around the edges!

The view on reaching the crest of the hill at the 16th. I wonder if this is in range if the hole plays downwind, shortening it even more?


My singles opponent Mike, playing the 16th with its great backdrop


A closer look at 16 and its new green from a few years ago


Looking back across the 16th green from the 17th tee with Padstow beyond


And looking back down the long par 3 17th


One last stunning view from the 18th tee


And also a stunning view down the fairway!


Approach to the 18th hole and a last view back



And finally no course tour from a Buda would be complete without a photo of an interesting sign. The walkers weren't actually as much of an interruption as the last time I played the course though.


After a dominant day for the RoW team at Perranporth, the American comeback started at St Enodoc. In my matches Lou and Ward gave Andrew and I a good hiding in the morning foursomes, while Lynn's steady game and Steve hickory skills were too much for Ben and I in the afternoon. After which the club served up an excellent meal and the draw for the following days singles added to the fun of the evening. As for the singles, all I can say is that even with a whisky fuelled hangover Mike Whitaker is the toughest competitor I come up against!

Having played St Enodoc once before about 8 years ago on a very windy day, I liked it but was keen to get back to judge again. The additional rounds at Buda have though firmly pushed St Enodoc up ahead of B&B and Deal as perhaps my favourite English links. For some reason it reminds me of Dornoch? It's clearly a classic club of some stature, but its location means that it gets plenty of holiday and tourist play as well. It's also got enough quirky elements to keep one challenged and entertained alongside some genuine great golf holes. Considering how much I love Dornoch, this is very much a compliment!

Looking forward to another great Buda with everyone next year already!

Cheers,

James

[Ash Towe]

James,

Thanks for the photo tour.  I hope to get there next year.

The land it is built on and perhaps climate appear to me to give the course a softer look, not playing softer, than many other links.  Maybe I am dreaming.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

James,

Many thanks for the excellent photos, really capturing the nature of these courses. And what super weather!

Mark.

[Bryan Izatt]

Some more people pictures from Perranporth.  An idyllic day apart from a wee breeze.  And, such fine golf form shown on the first tee by all and sundry.























Garland contemplating the challenges of P'porth.




A couple of relaxed Brits ready to race out to an early lead.




Mark, down but not out before round two while receiving pace of play advice from Lou.

[ward peyronnin]

A wee wind at Perranporth translates into a 40 gusts with absolutely thumped three woods reqd on the 370 yd par fours.

The nearly driven green on thirteen resulted in a 5 for USA when our ball would not come to rest on the green after replacement and subsequent non grounding of putter; tough first day at the links

The flaw at St Enodoc was a clear tendency to overwater as Spangles and myself  struggled with sprinkler action on a green links in our opening singles match. Greens were a wee bit soft. I will have a contact for those of you who wish to comment to the club regarding that

Lastly I claim overexposure as my legs are as tan as they have been all year

[RJ_Daley]

Wow!   

[Lou_Duran]

Mark, down but not out before round two while receiving pace of play advice from Lou.

I regret my failure at herding cats.  And I am sorry that we had to discontinue our match on the 10th hole as our pace of 5+ hours would have forced us to miss dinner, something that has never happened to me before (missed a meal).  I do appreciate your efforts to speed things up though your plea for us to concede your 5' putt to win the hole was a bit aggressive, particularly after the beating your team had put on ours in the morning matches.

Perranporth is a bit of a blur to me, probably because we only got to play our own ball on the front side and it was so windy.  My impression and those of a couple others is that the site was more ideal for picture taking than for playing golf.  From discussions with some locals, though the wind was coming from an unusual direction, its strength was not that uncommon.  There just seems to be too much topography/slope for such a windy, smallish site (playing corridors).  If ever in the area, I would like to play the course again.

[John Mayhugh]

Boony,
Thanks for the photo recap.  I was really feeling bad about missing Buda this year, but seeing Bryan post photos of swings sort of made me glad I wasn't there.  No one should have to look at that.

I agree with you on the 4th at St. Enodoc.  I was surprised by it when I played there a couple of years ago. Really fun hole.

Playing the 7th from the white tees meant you missed out on this, I think.   That platform was probably less than a foot tall.

[Garland Bayley]

A couple of scenic photos from Perranporth.

[Thomas Dai]

To give an idea how high up the golf course is at Perranporth this is the view over the beach towards the course from the opposite headland -



I believe the 4th green and above it the 5th tee may just about be visible to the right of the zig-zagging path leading up the hill to the right of the photo. I also believe the 13th green is just visible (at the highest point of the hill to the far right in the photo).

Here's Bing sat-map overview of the beach/course - http://binged.it/1reZ1dI

atb

[Mark Chaplin]

Did I spot a "fake" canary in the early pictures?

The viewing platform isnt exactly a tower.

[Robin_Hiseman]

A couple of additions to the photo montage of our few days in Cornwall.

An alternative view of St.Enodoc.


Mike Whitaker adding to the legend of the Himalayas bunker.

[James Boon]

Mark,

Don't worry, there were plenty of comments regarding Craig wearing a pair of Mark's trousers that morning!

Robin,

Interesting view of the course from up on Brea Hill. When did you yomp up there? Was it the day you arrived?

Also interesting to note that the irrigation reservoir isnt visible from up there either, which I suspect is by design? Which reminds me I will send you the photos I took of it.

Cheers,

James

[Bill_McBride]

For those who have played both, how does that bunker compare to the similarly placed bunker at Sandwich?  Higher?  More intimidating?

[Michael Whitaker]

OK, here is the story on playing my shot from the Himalayas Bunker:

I pulled my tee shot into the right rough. It was thick, but I thought there was a legitimate chance of clearing the Himalayas with my next shot, so instead of laying up short of the bunker I took a whack at knocking it over. Obviously, I didn't make it!  

So, now the ball is semi-embedded in the sand. I could have chopped it out backwards, but I thought, "What the hell, let's give it a go."   There was no way to get to the ball except to climb up the bunker from the bottom... but, the problem was for every two steps I took in the bunker I would slide down the hill one. I had to use the rake and my club as ski poles to keep me from sliding all the way to the bottom. Once there it was all I could do to stand on one leg and try to swing the club. THEN, I had to rake the thing and clean up the mess I'd made (which I did a fine job of, if I do say so myself).

It took so much energy to climb the hill and rake afterward that I was completely spent for several holes... it sort of ruined the rest of my round. BUT, it was fun at the time and I couldn't keep the black & white images of those old guys hitting from that bunker with their hickories out of my mind. Maybe one of these photos will wind up on the St Enodoc reception wall some day!!!  

[Tony_Muldoon]

Bill much more intimidating.   I don't know the respective heights but you are further away from it at Sandwich with a Driver and a flat lie.
Standing there I suddenly realised I had no idea how high my shots went.  I cleared it once with a 5w and again with a 4r into the wind, but the third time round it seemingly reduced me to jelly and I tried to play it tacking through the rough on the left. I can't recall how many shots before I gave up.
The next day we played RND, from the tallest bunker to the widest.

Can I add a huge thanks to the generorsity of those who liqudiated their deposits and thus provided the wine for dinner at the club.

That's a big hats off to Eric (not even a deposit just a gift), Donal, Thomas and you Bill.    We toasted all of you and our absent friend Jim Goby.


The weather had obviuosly made us very thirsty and more refreshments were served back at the house. I would be very surprised if a house doesn't feature in future Buda's. Overall this was about the most sociable Buda I've been too. Quite a compliment that.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill much more intimidating.   I don't know the respective heights but you are further away from it at Sandwich with a Driver and a flat lie.
Standing there I suddenly realised I had no idea how high my shots went.  I cleared it once with a 5w and again with a 4r into the wind, but the third time round it seemingly reduced me to jelly and I tried to play it tacking through the rough on the left. I can't recall how many shots before I gave up.
The next day we played RND, from the tallest bunker to the widest.

Can I add a huge thanks to the generorsity of those who liqudiated their deposits and thus provided the wine for dinner at the club.

That's a big hats off to Eric (not even a deposit just a gift), Donal, Thomas and you Bill.    We toasted all of you and our absent friend Jim Goby.


The weather had obviuosly made us very thirsty and more refreshments were served back at the house. I would be very surprised if a house doesn't feature in future Buda's. Overall this was about the most sociable Buda I've been too. Quite a compliment that.

I hope the wine was an excellent vintage!   I was thinking more of a nice single malt, perhaps my favorite Balvenie Doublewood.