David George

I appreciate your input but not interested. My purchasing is going elsewhere.

Still living the blues! Bloody annmoying ads, sorry! Blues Delight are a Canadian band. The Big Wolf Band are from Birmingham in England. Bonnie Raitt - no need to say any more. This 0ne with Lowell and Bill from Little Feat.

I guess someone has to rain on the Squarz parade. I bought two pairs last year, had them shipped to friends in NYC and picked them up in October. Didn't wear them over the winter and started using them about April of this year. A few weeks ago I noticed that the uppers at the toe end on one pair were covered in tiny cracks or slits in the material. Sent photos to the company and was told to just polish them out and to look after the shoes better! Replies that polishing out wasn't going to address the problem and that I don't buy expensive shoes and not look after them. Got an apology of sorts and was told that the issue would be taken up with the owners again, since when silence. Not sure what make I will buy for next year but I know which one it won't be.

More rain overnight here so, obviously, no golf today. Speaking to friends in New York City and Canberra, Australia, recently and their climates are predicably unpredictable also. I have to wonder for how much longer the local courses here in the North East of England are going to be able to cope with this amount of water. Just cutting greens and fairways is becoming a problem and a lot of courses are having issues with diseases getting into the greens. Worrying.

Well I didn't is the short answer. Yet again, the course is closed following heavy overnight rain. This is the shortest, wettest golf season in the 66 years I have played. The forecast is not great either and now we are in October I can only see this continuing. So I'm setting my sights on next season, assuming I survive the winter, and going to be working on my swing as much as possible, more than likely on the range at Morpeth. I also have the Rock'N'Roll putter from Graves Golf to get comfortable with. Loving it so far.

I've been doing some compilation CDs for my friends behind the bar at the Flying Gang Brewery in Ponteland. These are a few of my favourites.

How interesting is this discussion! My opinion is no, the WHS does not provide a level playing field, and there are a significant number of people effectively cheating the system by manipulating their scores. I play compettive golf ONLY to test myself against the course and not with any thought of winning anything. Well maybe the two sweep . Still aiming to beat my age at some point but probably not around Bedlingtonshire.

"Honestly" is the issue. It's almost become a joke at the club to ask" handicap bandits or just someone having one of those days?". We had a number of members having their handicaps cut at the start of the season becuase their singles competition rounds and supplementary rounds differed significantly from their fourball scores. No argument becasue it's all on computer now. We now have a "five medals rounds in the previous 12 months" requirement to win anything and I know one club where certain people were banned from submitting supplementary scores. It's an ongoing arms race situation as the WHS and club handicap committees play catch up with the bandits. Personally, I can shoot 79 - 81 at Bedlingtonshire regularly and 74 - 77 occasionally but I will never get my handicap index up from 3.0 to something realistic in what's left of my lifetime.

Played a saturated Bedlingtonshire today. 6800+ off the tips and playing every inch of it today. Shot a very respectable 76 gross off 4 and combined with my one handicap partner Alan for 41 points. The lead when we get in? 49!!! Playing competitions is becoming such a waste of time.

Been putting some compilations CDs together for the staff at the Flying Gang Brewery. It's been informative and entertaining to go through my extensive collection, a lot of which I'd forgotten I had!

Won't be able to go to the Larkin Poe concerts in the UK in October. Only four venues, none of them in reasonable proximity to me. However, Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton are playing the Fire Station in Sunderland in October. Getting my ticket tomorrow. So, at the moment, the following: https://youtu.be/bX5420VVNd8?si=Xnt6Aqx97ImeBwvC https://youtu.be/spJ-nQ1iiH0?si=MBU0t6rxlp534vBs

I've been gaming the 949X four and seven woods and the 659CB irons, five to approach, for about 10 months now, expertly fitted and constructed by Stephen at Fit For Purpose Golf, and I am delighted with them. Giving very serious consideration to replacing my Mizuno ES21s with Sub 70s. A conversation to be had with Stephen in the near future.

Interesting last few rounds. 76 (+3) a week ago Sunday to get a reduction to 2.9 with three shots going on 16 and 17, 34 points on Saturday to go up to 3.0 with four shots going 15 to 17 and 75 today with three shots going on 16 and 18. One big laugh however. Hit a great drive at 15 leaving 132 downhill to a back flag into a breeze. Wanted to hit wedge but could only see it ballooning into the wind so tried to hit a knock down 9 iron. Hit a 120 yard putt! Ball never got off the ground and, having missed virtually everything I had looked at up to then, knocked the putt in for birdie . I'm in a groove at the moment , really flushing driver and giving myself lots of looks. Unfortunately, the short game is what's the word I'm looking for, oh yes, CRAP! Got to feel there's a really good score trying to get out. Will I let it?

Just had the bad news! Handicap index now 2.9!

Played a stroke play competition at Bedlingtonshire today. Shot 76 (+3) 72 nett. 34 putts in total and a bogey, double bogey, par finish. Happy and disappointed at the same time.

I'm 74 next month. I wonder if I just haven't been concentrating for - oh -the last 40 years? Still think I am that guy who won a ton of stuff in his early 30s before my great future was behind me . Now I have a metal hip, an inguinal hernia, cataracts, neuropathy in both feet and a playing handicap of 4 which does not reflect even my potential at the moment. Enjoy every moment people, life goes by way too quickly.

It's been a really disappointing season so far, mainly due to the amount of rain we have had and the many resulting course closures. I am typing this to the background sound of thunder. It's not raining yet but I can see the black clouds approaching. Fortunately, the competition is tomorrow but the forecast is for rain mid afternoon so might make it onto the back nine before it descends. It's also made practising really difficult because the practice ground has been too wet to cut and so the grass is long and it's easy to not have any balls left at the end of a session because they're all plugged Anyway, at least managed to play on Tuesday. Shot 9 over with my short game conspicuous by it's absence. It's weird how the I can appear competent on the pitching area but clueless on the course. Struck it really well tee to green but just can't score at the moment. Must keep grinding.

This is playing now - LOUD!

I posted an Abbie Gardner video a while ago. She has the Live At Arcata Playhouse album available for free on her Bandcamp page which she is asking people to copy and share. Here is the link - https://abbiegardner.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-arcata-playhouse Have at it people and maybe buy something else from her while you are there

This is an unexpected combination. The whole album is excellent. Which led me on to this. From the the famous Chrome Dreams "unrelased" album. Finally, I could listen to this man all day!

As mentioned yesterday, went to practice today. Did NOT go well. Only the trees and shrubs on the side of the practice ground prevented the shanks I hit from bouncing around the car park! Thins, fats, wide left and right as well. Almost nothing straight and out of the middle of the club face. Oh well, back tomorrow for another go. Must be crazy!

Oh yes, congratulations to those selected. I'm not at all upset on missing out .

Well the weather never improved sufficiently yesterday to tempt me out. However, shirtsleeve weather today. Shot 78, +5, bogeyed 7, 8 and 9 and doubled 15. Course rating is 73.6 so to my playing handicap, near enough. Just finished and the heavens opened! Of course . Forecast is OK ish for tomorrow morning so a practice session and will take some video for my coach to have a laugh sorry a look at.

I was hoping to get out for some practice today, following a weekend of almost constant rain. The sunny morning has already turned grey so can only hope. Tee time tomorrow morning at 9.16. Waterproofs at the ready .

I was appalled by the behaviour of the so called fans in general and towards Brian Harman in particular. Time to start ejecting people and banning them for attending ever again. As to Mr McIlroy, it wasn't the putting that was the problem, more the inability to hit fairways, particularly back nine. In my opinion