Back in February, I saw the flyer on the clubhouse wall for an Open Day at Murwillumbah to benefit Breast Cancer. My curiosity was piqued. Ages ago, it seems, Annie and I had been told how beautiful this course was and consequently had it on our list of courses we’d like to play. So this seemed a perfect opportunity.
Although we had never been to an Open Day, we figured it couldn’t be too damaging to our self esteem, as it was a Single Stableford event. When one’s handicap is still languishing in the 40s and it’s the rainy season, single stableford provides a measure of comfort when you just know there are going to be a few (and possibly more than a few) mishaps out on the course. And it was for such a good cause! And dressed in a fabulous pink rosy skirt and pink shirt courtesy of my lovely sister, Jenny, I could even fulfill the dress code in style.
So early Thursday morning, Annie and I set off for Murwillumbah. It was showery but we reassured each other that we could see glimpses of blue sky to the north. But as we climbed the Burringbar Range, the blue sky disappeared and showers reappeared. Thank goodness we had decided to use a buggy and just for extra protection we stashed our brollies in the cart for extra protection from the elements.
There were over 100 ladies participating despite the weather, We found we were to play with two lovely ladies from Murwillumbah, who showed us the ropes and soon we were hitting off the tenth. It was a Par 3. Terrific, I thought.
But all was not lost. The course was lovely to play and there was some run.
Soon, we were tackling the front nine. This was more hilly and had some tricky but interesting holes. And it’s also where an alien stole my ball!
How did an alien steal your ball, you might ask? Well I hit a great drive and second shot ( for me that is) on a long Par 4. I had 7 shots for par, so full of anticipation, I closely watched my third shot fall just short, on the edge of the green. Dash it, I muttered to the ball, you could have gone just a little bit further! Confidently, I walked over to the ball, only to discover it belonged to one of the Murwillumbah ladies! My ball had vanished! We looked in the bunkers, we looked over the back of the green, we looked behind and we looked in the hole! No ball! Obviously, taken by aliens! What to do? The Murwillumbah ladies were seasoned golfers of over 40 years experience. Sadly they informed me, it was a wipe.
But the game must go on and the course held more lovely surprises. At one point we drove from one hole to the next through a lovely patch of rainforest.
And all too soon, we were shaking hands on the 9th. It was time to scan our scorecards and while we didn’t win, we didn’t disgrace ourselves either. Lunch beckoned in the clubhouse where our new friends invited us to join them. Lots of stories, lots of laughter, the most amazing raffle and presentations. And it was home time.
As we drove away, the rain started again. We couldn’t believe that we had been lucky enough to enjoy such a wonderful day of golf. Murwillumbah, we will be back!
Byron Dreamer 