Week thirty-two

Is your Dad a golfer?  Dads are just golfers aren't they?  Everybody has a Dad that plays golf.  My Dad actually is a golfer - he's played for years and I remember very well him taking me to the driving range with my brother when I was about 14.  And of course, I've been to crazy golf one or two times.

But I'm not a golfer, not even a casual golfer and I don't like it as a sport and absolutely hate watching it on TV.  Yet somehow, I kind of like it.  Smacking balls pretty hard is probably something to do with it but also the skill and the eye and the relaxing nature of it and all the lovely fresh air is quite a draw.

I had no idea that if I really wanted to enjoy all of that I only needed to step out of my house and walk around the corner, literally.  There is a 9-hole pitch and putt in Queens Park and it is the most stunning little oasis one could hope for.  I went with my friend Anna who also lives in the area and told me about it.  We popped along after work last week and had such a nice evening.    The course is in this beautifully secluded area surrounded by weeping willows and you forget for a while that you're in London.

The pitch and putt is only open until 6pm and Anna and I didn't know that when we rocked up at 7.15pm but the man who looks after the course and the several tennis courts just in front was a complete joy and let us saunter round.  The tennis courts are open until 8pm so I'm not really sure why its different for the golf - it doesn't make much sense.

Nevertheless, we grabbed our pitchers, putters, tees and balls and ambled albeit a little clumsily but breezily around the course.  I sort of pretended I knew what I was doing - all based on a few rounds of virtual golf with my brother a few months before, but really I was winging it for the majority of the time, unlike Anna who had quite a professional stance about her.

The course is laid out really nicely and with plenty of room too.  There are a few ditches to avoid, which of course I didn't avoid and occasionally I cheated with a minor kick of the ball when Anna wasn't looking.  But, for the most part I did ok.

I'm not sure I completed a single hole in less than 5 shots but who the hell cares?  It just is nice to do something a little different while catching up with friends and not spending a fortune or rolling home pissed on a week night for that matter.

While the evenings are still light, lap them up and do something fun.  There are loads of pitch and putts in London - you can find them all here.

This week I'm off to a trendy food and drink event organised by Bombay Sapphire as part of their Imagination Series Campaign.  Its meant to be complete sensory exploration.  Groovy.