"if this is climate change, I rather like it!" - I heard this more than once yesterday at Sutton as we all enjoyed some warm October sunshine; warm enough for short sleeve shirts for many and shorts for some.
The weather was a compliment to a good golf course. Sitting high on the outcrop of light gravelly soil at the top of Sutton Park this has to be one of the driest course in the West Midlands. Although there is no fairway watering, the long established, deep-rooted, old, heathland turf goes dry and dormant during a hot summer but recovers almost instantly with the first showers of Autumn.
Although it was verdant, it was still running nicely and long hitting was not the key to a good score. This is because the greens were amazing - running about 12 on the meter they were a bafflement to many and the teams that finished in the top 5 contained players that could putt.
There was a good smattering of Teetours virgins and welcome additions to the Teetours Totty introduced by Bob Hill in his mixed team.
One first-timer, and hopefully an indication of the youth policy, was young Phil Hewitt brought along by his Dad - Dave Hewitt. Dave's conversation with Tony Fearing, concerning his earning potential, was interrupted by young Phil who interjected with "But you need a work ethic Dad" - (I hope he is not expecting much for Christmas:-).
Quote of the day however has to go to Peter Murray who asked: "I lipped out for a two. Do you have any half-bottles of wine?"
