UK GCAers - knockout - draw at post 58

[Mark Pearce]

Since the UK contingent are getting better at getting together and there are a fair few of us now, is there any interest in arranging a knockout matchplay comp over 2017?  I'd suggest matches to be played at mutually agreed courses with full handicap allowance.  If there is any interest, I'm happy to arrange.  I might also seek out a trophy.

[Sam Krume]

I'm in for a bit of knockout...always good fun

[Mark Pearce]

Excellent.  It occurs to me that if people state where they are located we can make the first round or two regional, so as to make organisation a bit easier.  I'm in Tyneside/West Yorks.

[Niall C]

A completely bonkers idea and undoubtedly won't work but count me in.

Niall

[Mark Pearce]

A completely bonkers idea and undoubtedly won't work but count me in.

Niall

I intend to set and apply deadlines.  If it doesn't work we'll still get a winner and some of us will have met up and played.  Some will have done so on new and interesting courses.  If that's the case then it has worked, even if it hasn't.

[Adam Lawrence]

Sounds like fun. I am tentatively in.

[Sam Krume]

Following on from my initial post, I'm in Epsom, Surrey

[Adam Lawrence]

I'm in Oxford, though Mark knows that...

[Tony_Muldoon]

Interested.


4   1/4 miles from Charing X.

[Sean_A]

I'm interested.


West Midlands, but happy to go down to Burnham.


Ciao

[Duncan Cheslett]

Love it!  I'm definitely in. I'm in Stockport (Cheshire)

[Tim Gallant]

Mark,


Great idea, but knowing my schedule, will have to give this a pass. I have a tough enough time finding suitable dates for knockout rounds at my home club!


See you at Goswick though.

[Neil White]

Count me in Mark.


Play at Enville, West Midlands.


Neil.

[Jon Wiggett]

Mark,


sounds like a good idea but I suspect only feasible if played in regions. I would be happy to travel within the Highland area but even then some places on the mainland a 3 hours away and the islands even more. Count me in depending on the logistics.


Jon

[Andy Stamm]

I'm interested. Based in St Andrews

[Mark Pearce]

Mark,


sounds like a good idea but I suspect only feasible if played in regions. I would be happy to travel within the Highland area but even then some places on the mainland a 3 hours away and the islands even more. Count me in depending on the logistics.


Jon

I think the trick is to start regional (within reason) with participants in matches with bigger distances travelling to mutually convenient venues (which may be one player's club, or might be somewhere in between) and hope that those who survive to the later stages travelling further, as required and using GCA events occasionally, too.  It may not work but we can give it a go.  I must admit to having been inspired by the failure of the Australian Golf Forum to complete a similar venture.  They did get to semi-finals, though and Australia is rather larger than the UK!

[Tom_Doak]

Mark:


What a great idea!  I wish I was over there so I could play.


May I suggest that you strongly encourage choosing venues that are close to halfway between the two participants, and ideally that neither player is familiar with.  For example, if Neil (based in Enville) were to play Duncan (based in Stockport), Google Maps shows that the closest course to the halfway point would be Trentham, a Colt and Alison design ... although they could go to Beau Desert or Sandiway if the one who had to travel farther was agreeable.  That would make for great posts here!

[Jon Wiggett]

Mark,


sounds like a good idea but I suspect only feasible if played in regions. I would be happy to travel within the Highland area but even then some places on the mainland a 3 hours away and the islands even more. Count me in depending on the logistics.


Jon

I think the trick is to start regional (within reason) with participants in matches with bigger distances travelling to mutually convenient venues (which may be one player's club, or might be somewhere in between) and hope that those who survive to the later stages travelling further, as required and using GCA events occasionally, too.  It may not work but we can give it a go.  I must admit to having been inspired by the failure of the Australian Golf Forum to complete a similar venture.  They did get to semi-finals, though and Australia is rather larger than the UK!

True Mark,


I only see a problem for those at the ends of the country in a much as if we were to play each other then some where around Edinburgh is probably about 3 hours away for both of us but against Mark Chaplin in from the south coast you might be looking at a similar distance of 3 hours and I would be looking more at 6 hours though if we played at your club you could double bag for us


I would like to throw into the ring the idea that the players that are nearest to each other play each other as a way minimising the problem.


I do think you are right that if the Aussies managed to get so far we should have a go. Have you given any thought as to the name?


Jon

[Mark Pearce]

Mark:


What a great idea!  I wish I was over there so I could play.


May I suggest that you strongly encourage choosing venues that are close to halfway between the two participants, and ideally that neither player is familiar with.  For example, if Neil (based in Enville) were to play Duncan (based in Stockport), Google Maps shows that the closest course to the halfway point would be Trentham, a Colt and Alison design ... although they could go to Beau Desert or Sandiway if the one who had to travel farther was agreeable.  That would make for great posts here!

I'm not going to dictate anything but this sounds an excellent idea and gives the whole thing a bit more architectural interest.

[Mark Pearce]

No thoughts on a name, yet.  Anyone got any suggestions?

[Clyde Johnson]

Aye, I'd be keen.


(St. Andrews)

[Greg Taylor]

I'm in - Warwick.


We didn't have a Christmas get together this year did we...?!

[Michael Graham]

Mark,


Sounds like an excellent idea. Hopefully we can make it work. I'm in Edinburgh.


If the trophy's any smaller than the Wanamaker you can count me out though.


Michael 

[David McIntosh]

Mark,

Sounds like a great concept. Like Tim said, squeezing in knockout matches at my clubs can be tough enough as it is but put me down as tentative for now and I look forward to hearing more about the final logistics once decided.

I'm Edinburgh based.

[Duncan Cheslett]

Mark:


What a great idea!  I wish I was over there so I could play.


May I suggest that you strongly encourage choosing venues that are close to halfway between the two participants, and ideally that neither player is familiar with.  For example, if Neil (based in Enville) were to play Duncan (based in Stockport), Google Maps shows that the closest course to the halfway point would be Trentham, a Colt and Alison design ... although they could go to Beau Desert or Sandiway if the one who had to travel farther was agreeable.  That would make for great posts here!

This sounds like the ideal way to arrange things. Then both parties get to play a new course.


Funnily enough, Neil and I are playing each other later today. ..




...at Enville!