Date of play: 23-06-2006
Swiss Re Golf Club Tournament - I think I'll dub this one the sushi tournament, this being the first tournament ever that I played and found that the refreshments after the 9th hole consisted of freshly made sushi. Not everyone's cup of tea I'd suspect, but a nice change from all the sandwiches that are usually on offer. The sushi was great btw.

To get to the golf course take the exit number 40 from the main highway, and follow the sign to Konstanz; then signs for Steisslingen will start to appear, after which your best bet is to follow the signs for Schloss Langenstein (another fine golf course) until you hit the golf club.

Well what a pleasant surprise; I got an email from the Swiss tournament organisers that they have adjusted the rules slightly, and that my 4th place in Erlen earlier this year now does get me a place at the final, to be played in Neuchatel in August. I'm delighted! Off to the driving range to practice...

The Swiss Re opening tournament of the year was played at the Winterberg Golf Club as a stroke play scramble. This format is ideally suited when there is a mix of mid- and low handicappers playing with PR players and high handicappers, and turned out to suit the playing field very well. Great fun - if only I'd have remembered to put on the sunscreen...

Winterberg is a nine-hole layout, not particularly difficult, pretty flat; a bit of water that is not often in play. It's close to the airport, so be prepared for some low-flying aircraft - the ideal course for your golfing airplane buff. The greens were good; they undulate quite a bit, and can be a bit of a challenge.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience - I hit a hole in one at today's SFS tournament in Lipperswil, a 4 iron at the 16th, perfectly struck. That's 5 points right there, and boy did I need them. All in all I was playing rather well, but the drive did me in again; too many wild shots wih the driver off the tee. I tried to implement the 'reach to the sky - whack it' method, but, although long, my balls rather lacked in precision. The ooooooh - aaaaah effect I call it.

Anyway, the course in Lipperswil was in good shape. The greens were good and true, and by now I'm used to the people in the amusement park next to the course going wheeeee every now and then. The first nine are not that hard; the second nine is a bit more challenging with water in play on a few holes.

The first tournament of the season, organized by Swiss Golf Traveller at the Erlen Golf Club. A very pleasant day after some initial rain, luckily my tee-off was late enough to avoid all of it. The Erlen course was in good condition, although only open for play since two weeks. Erlen has a few holes that I'd describe as 'odd' (the 16th going steeply uphill, the 17th going steeply down - should really remember to play a 9 iron here next time, it's 133 meters and my 8 went way over).
But all in all it's a a nice course. There are quite a few blind holes, which makes life hard for first-time visitors. The greens were quite hard, perhaps a bit slow but quite true and played well.