BACKWORTH GOLF COURSE (DOING IT FOR DAD)

BACKWORTH	https://www.backworthgolf.co.uk/		Backworth NE England UK
Type of course	PARKLAND	9 holes
Course distance	White 2918yds	Yellow  2730yds	Red  2549yds
Holes	1 x par 5	6 x par 4	2 x par 3
Claim to fame: My dad’s only golf club
DOING IT FOR DAD   What a claim to fame for a golf club, it had my dad as a member! He, after retiring from work to look after my poorly mum, also started the game late in life however as his living room, glass cabinet testified, he won many an EGG competition. He used to call the EGGS, BOGS which in most cases is probably more appropriate. Bloody Old Gits!   My view of EGGS is skewed anyway (see Scrambled Eggs Report) and currently I am of the opinion that, I will never join such an organisation a) because I’m too young at heart, b) I’m not accepting of age discrimination, and c) they won’t let me in anyway.   Regardless of age, venue, course conditions or topography my father would always carry his bag and refused to ever get in a cart. Having passed his driving test late in life, his driving was never a strong point and on one occasion returning from a game at Ponteland he inadvertently forced a Jag into a ditch! Thankfully, no one was hurt but after a number of points on the licence and driver improvement workshops, perhaps he didn’t want the same to happen in the cart.   On the odd occasion I was home. I would be invited to play with him and his buddies, Norman and Big Alfie! Both had decent handicaps and could, in their 80s, knock a ball some distance. My dad however tended to slice, fade and top but not when he wanted too. Clearly golf is in the genes and I now know where I get it from. How come than such a player could win so many trophies?   Close scrutiny of his game convinced me that when being given a “Gimme” he didn’t add this to his score, thereby knocking at least 10 shots off his card! On many an occasion, when the ball was in two feet of the hole, he would also scoop the ball up, regardless of acknowledgement or not. I don’t think this was a prelude of what was to follow in his life but regardless, I’m sure the other guys would have commented, in no uncertain terms, whether this was acceptable or not. Here I think is where his deafness came in handy!    Backworth Miners Welfare Golf Course, is situated in the heart of coal mining country lying North East of Newcastle. It is in easy reach of the A19 but avoid at all costs the road works currently being undertaken at Silver links roundabout, where the A19 meets the A1058 Coast Road. it is a bloody nightmare. According to the local paper the Heenin Cronical however, it is due to be completed in March 2019! The shout from the local paper sellers on the corner of Station Road and High Street in Wallsend circa 1968 always comes back to me when I pick up the Evening Chronicle. Ah those halcyon days when as a little gutter snipe I’d nip into Woolworths for a bag of pick n mix and the odd free bauble that found its way into my grubby chewing gummed pockets! Nostalgia in the elderly dictates that we always harp back to the good old days and how life was so much better then, than it is now. I disagree however, life is what you make of it. Were people so much more polite then, did people commit less crime, was there greater poverty, did we respect our elders? Or is it just the fact that throughout a person’s lifetime change happens and the older we get the less accepting of it we are? Anyhow enough of this philosophising clap trap, let’s get back to the more important thing in life, golf.   Backworth  9 hole golf course undulates through open meadows and is dominated by Backworth Hall an imposing building dating back to the 18th century that has been converted into a club for golf, cricket, croquet, bowls, archery and up to 15 years ago hosted semi-professional club West Allotment Celtic FC from the Northern League. Bugger, nostalgia is creeping in again. The club like many others also caters for weddings and other functions.   At the age of 90 dementia deprived my father of his independence and it was with a heavy heart that he was placed into a care home. It is a sobering thought that 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 contract this debilitating disease.   Having visited my father in his care home and seeing all was well I took the opportunity to play Backworth for the first time in a long time, it was just a shame he couldn’t be there with me.   Turning up on spec, I walked up the imposing stone clad steps of the mansion house and into the deserted bar/club house. The bar maid greeted me as only a true Geordie can, “Alreet pet?”. “I canny thanks”, was my cultured response. I then went on to enquire about partaking of a game. It appeared however that Backworth Miners Welfare Club Golf Society either held on to ancient traditions or had a great deal of respect for its female members. Inadvertently, I had turned up on ladies’ day. Every Thursday until 3.30 pm the course is handed over to the ladies. This begs the question, in this day and age, is it doing itself a disservice?   As it was 3.00 pm the bar maid went to enquire of the ladies’ captain if it was acceptable for me to tee off.  Within a matter of minutes said captain, who was taking the scorecards on the day, appeared and stated I could go off at 3.30 but, as I was going out, I must take care not to disturb the late groups coming back home along the 9th . I thanked her kindly and took the long walk to the 1st.   I set my ball on the tee and began warming up with the usual three swings of the driver. That done, I guessed I had some time to spare and as I was reflecting on my Dad’s well-being, two ladies who had just putted out on the 9th walked across the front of the tee and promptly sat on a park bench not 5 yards away. To say there was no acknowledgement of my presence would be an understatement. In hushed tones they compared and contrasted their cards for the day and then moved on, only to be followed by another two. On this occasion, between furtive glances, cards were checked and signed. On rising from the bench however, they enquired about my presence and iterated that it was ladies’ day till 3.30, which I acknowledged, but outlined my earlier conversation with the ladies’ captain. The response: “Oh well if Pippa says you can then you can”. I have a feeling that Pippa and these two ladies weren’t born and bred anywhere near Backworth but that’s just supposition.   By the time it got to 3.25 pm I was chomping at the bit and whooshed one down the sloping fairway of the 260 yard Par 4, SI 12, leaving myself an easy wedge to the green. As I was about to take the second, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a lady golfer foraging in the trees and undergrowth to my right. Rather than stop mid swing I continued, only to strike one off the toe and see it hurtling towards this lady, who was totally oblivious to my presence. Should I shout fore, of course I should, but the lady captain’s words were still ringing in my ears and wrongly I chose not to. Thankfully the rough caught the ball and the lady golfer continued on her merry way, unaware of how close she had come to a bruising or worse.    After a massive sigh of relief, I continued with my round and I didn’t see another solitary person again until the 11th.   The Par 3 3rd SI 16 at 124 yds is considered the signature hole with the green protected by 3 bunkers. With dreams of a hole in one, a comfortable straight iron to the green sets you up to walk off as a member of the twos club. Unsurprisingly I didn’t qualify.   The only par 5 on the course is 482 yard SI 2, 7th. A straight drive and a fairway wood will see any decent player be on or close to the green. If only that was me! Beware the undulating fairways as they can cause many a misdemeanour especially if you happen to fall for a gentle downhill lie.   As far as I was concerned and regardless of the interactions prior to the game, I actually did quite well, for me. Going out I parred 3, bogeyed 4 and double bogeyed 2. The back 9 which unsurprisingly is very similar to the front 9 was inextricably not as good! Rightly or wrongly however, I felt in a strange way that in this game, I was doing it for dad, but I didn’t take a gimme!