We were lucky with the weather at Enville last Tuesday. On Wednesday those who were out on the course got drenched in the torrential rain; the amount of moisture that this rain delivered warmed up on Thursday producing a very foggy morning on Friday. I drove carefully through the cold, thick, murky fog all the way to Beau and I was concerned about the possibility of a delay due to visibility.
Less than a quarter of a mile from the course, as I climbed up to the top of Cannock Chase, the first shafts of sunlight began to pierce through the trees. I could hardly believe my eyes when I arrived to find the clubhouse bathed in sunshine. As you can see from the photos, some players were in shirt sleeves and Charlie Insley was in his customary shorts.
There has been a change of management since our last visit to Beau and the new team certainly seem to be coping admirably. The catering staff were most attentive to every player as they arrived.
We thought the course at Enville was in good condition, for the time of year, but Beau was outstanding. Beau is not a long course and it's biggest defence has always been the undulating, slick greens. We think they were running about 10 on the stimp and feeling more like mid-summer greens, rather than mid-March.
Dean Pointon's team and Chris Hobbs' team are great friends. Chris's team were last off the course and with 92 they stormed in to top slot - Knocking Dean's team out of the prizes; I get the impression this competition will be played out in events to come.
