Archive for December, 2010
Three Birdies to end 2010
We were having a miserable round on Discovery Bay’s Jade course. Let’s just say we used up all our handicap on the first seven holes! But just as we were about to give up, our 66 foot putt from the back of the green on the Par 3 Jade #8 miraculously made it to the bottom of the cup for a Birdie!
That woke us up and got things back on track. Then on the Par 4 Ruby #1, a 130 yard uphill approach shot called for a 7-iron and boy was it well struck. I was headed straight for the flag and stopped just three inches from the hole. An Eagle would have been really nice. The new Titleist AP2 irons are definitely staying in the bag. Birdie number 2.
Finally on the Par 4 Ruby #4 a wayward drive was thought to be in the woods on the right, but we were lucky and managed to stay in the rough with a clear shot of 180 yards. Playing uphill, we hit a 3-hybrid and I crept up the slope to just make it on the putting surface. Actually we were pin high and the five foot putt was kind of routine.
We were lucky to have these three Birdies to offset the abysmal front nine. We were so disoriented that we forgot to take a picture on Jade #8, forgot to change balls after Ruby #1 and forgot the photo on Ruby #4…sigh.
Anyway, this was our last round for the year and this brought the number of Birdies accumulated in 2010 to 40.
See you in 2011…Happy Birdies.
101227 Discovery Bay, Ruby 1 (Par 4) - almost Eagle
101227 Discovery Bay, Ruby 1 (Par 4)
2010 Year in Review
2010 came and went in a flash. We can’t believe it’s already 2011 next week. Looking back, so many exciting things happened in just the past 12 months. For starters, we had that amazing horizontal tasting of the 1996 DRC where we got the bottles to add to our collection. Then R went to St Andrews for the Referees School and we got our fix on the Old Course. C joined us afterwards and we had the best scones at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxford.
Earlier in the year also saw the comeback of Umberto Bombana with Otto e Mezzo in Alexandra House in Hong Kong. We also found a great place to buy steak in Hong Kong with The Porterhouse – thanks James. Another rediscovered gem was one-thirtyone in Sai Kung, Hong Kong – an amazing place.
Birdiegolfblog gained some exposure too and we were fortunate to be invited to the Club des Chefs des Chefs Gala Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental, a very prestigious event. On the golf side, we were invited to the WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai with a photographer’s pass and we took lots of pictures.
For the first time, we were also helping out at the UBS Hong Kong Open as a Rules Observer, hopefully we can be a Rules Official very soon.
We saved the best for last as we shot an incredible 74 at Discovery Bay Golf Club on November 28th and were lucky to experience Thomas Keller at the Mandarin Oriental on December 1st.
At last count, we had 37 Birdies and one “Eagle” in 2010. We still have two more rounds to go, so this may change 
It was a fun and exciting year for us and we hope that you liked it as much as we did. We look forward to many more adventures in 2011 and hope that you would continue to join us. We wish everyone good health and prosperity in 2011.
To close, we would like to share some of our favorite photos from 2010…enjoy.
100209 The Old Course at St Andrews
100214 Freshly baked scones at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons
100306 The Red Ribbon assurance of quality at Porterhouse
100321 Rediscovered gem at one-thirtyone
101105 Tiger carrying his own bag at the WGC HSBC Champions
101128 Jade 3, Discovery Bay - 2nd Birdie on to a 74
101201 Signed clothes peg by Thomas Keller
Almost Hole-In-One at Discovery Bay, Hong Kong
It was almost a hole-in-one at the 170 yard Par 3 Jade #8. With a severe downhill green, we took a 6-iron and was afraid that it will be too much club. But the perfectly hit tee shot was heading right towards the hole. It looked close…real close. Once reaching the green, R found my pitch mark to be just nine inches in front of the hole! I ended up only two feet past the hole for an easy putt for birdie. Well we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the hole-in-one. Maybe it’s time to review those golf insurance plans…
101219 Discovery Bay, Jade 8 (Par 3) from the tee
101219 Discovery Bay, Jade 8 (Par 3)
Birdies at Reunification Cup @ Lotus Hill, China
We were at Lotus Hill, China for the Reunification Cup tournament. It was a two day stroke play event between the American Club, Chinese Recreation Cup and the Country Club. We played for the Country Club.
On the first day at the signature hole #17, a picturesque Par 3 with a huge rock formation surrounding the back of the green, we hit a solid 9-iron to the 130 yard pin. We had just eight feet uphill for our birdie. We almost won the nearest-to-pin but was beaten by one inch! Luckily we got the nearest-to-pin on the second day at the 161 yard 11th, but unfortunately missed the birdie putt.
Also on the second day, on the par 5 18th (our 9th), we hit a perfect shot leaving us 210 yards to an uphill back pin. This was a bit further back from the previous day when we tried to go for the green and ended up in a sandy patch in front of the green-side bunker. We ended up bogeying the hole so we were a bit more strategic this time. Moreover, there was a strong wind against us, so we took a 6-iron and laid up to 60 yards (65 to be exact). A perfectly struck 60° got me just nine feet from the hole for a sweet birdie. It felt good to be rewarded for smart course management. Maybe we should adopt this strategy more often.
Although we didn’t win this year (we haven’t for a long time) we had a great time. Congrats to the American Club who played flawlessly on Sunday to win.
101211 Lotus Hill - Hole 17 (Par 3)
101212 Lotus Hill - Hole 18 (Par 5)
Double Birdie @ Genzon Golf Club, China
Previously the CITIC Green Golf Club, the Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen, China is now a 36-hole facility under new ownership and the conditions are first class. The fairways and greens are in top condition…maybe one of the best in Southern China.
We played the A Course in the monthly Jinmin tournament and had a rare birdie on the first hole, a short 327 yard Par 4. A 5-wood tee shot landed just past the trees on the right and into the rough. Sitting nicely, a pitching wedge got me pin high and with the greens running true, a good stroke got the job done.
Then on the 200 yard Par 3 8th, with strong winds against us, we chose a 3-hybrid and knocked it pin high…just seven feet from the hole. Again, one putt sealed the deal. We ended up winning the nearest-to-pin prize too Maybe we were too excited as we forgot to take a photo of the hole!
101208 Genzon - Course A, Hole 1 (Par 4)
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